S. Irene Virbila weighs in on Tanzore today, the colorful contemporary Indian spot overseen by the Sood family from the Gaylord restaurant empire. The design and décor get high marks from Miss Irene, and the chef gets kudos for trying to update a traditional Indian menu with local and seasonal ingredients. But that only goes so far:
In its heyday, Gaylord broke out of the typical Indian restaurant mold with a lavish high-end setting and more elaborate menus. Tanzore ups the ante with a cutting-edge décor and updated cuisine based on the same quality ingredients you'd find in Spago's or Campanile's kitchens. Somehow, though, it doesn't always add up to a compelling experience. In trying so hard to make Indian food accessible to a broader audience, the chefs lose some of the cuisine's soul.But the naan and chutneys, keep 'em coming. By "trying so hard" she means "back off" to the servers, who are too eager and intrusive, and that just bugs. One star for Tanzore's efforts and overly exuberant staff. Today the "S." stands for "sari...nice try." [LAT]
ELSEWHERE: Someone actually got to eat at Mode; you can have Afghan and/or Italian food at Chopan Kebab House, but Afghan is more interesting; Le Sanglier, French hunting lodge mystique in Tarzana; Tokyoastrogirl stumbles across Solar de Cahuenga in Hollywood; Bloom Café has some service issues; and sipping at Barrel Malibu looks and tastes expensive.
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