S. Irene Virbila finds The Foundry on Melrose, Eric Greenspan's "fine dining for the everyday man" restaurant, charming in its frenetic way. The service is "schizoid," and the chef is often found "cheering on (or wreaking havoc with) the egos on the cooking line" in the open kitchen, and yet, she finds his menus inspired for the most part:
I've had some dishes I've liked less than others, but everything he cooks is well executed. He's a bit of an intellectual cook, perhaps, and has a tendency to overembellish with too many ingredients. I suspect, though, he's having a ball -- cooking with no one else to tell him what to do or not do.Miss Irene swoons over the striped bass in curry, but pans?wait, she pans nothing. But there are few actual dishes mentioned. Anyway, she likes the room, even it was designed on a budget; and with live music filling the front room, it's quiet enough to talk, which as we all know, saves at least an entire star in the end. Because of Greenspan's pedigree, because the patio feels urban in the eclectic nabe, because she fancies the cheese and wine offerings, The Foundry gets two-and-a-half stars. Today the "S." stands for "sigh...summer." [LAT]
ELSEWHERE: LA.com finds Tanzore and Los Angeles Pizza Company quite agreeable; when lazy summer nights strike, Santa Maria BBQ will be there; Italian neighborhood discoveries at Bruno's in Santa Monica and Mezzomondo in Studio City; James Ellroy and steaks at Pacific Dining Ca; giving Gonpachi another go; and an early look at The York in Highland Park.
