Tracht's
S. Irene Virbila visits Tracht's today, Suzanne Tracht's copycat of Jar at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel. In a nutshell, if you like Hollywood swank and professional service, just stick with the original:
Tracht's might as well be called Jar Two, the menu so faithfully duplicates the original's. But the crowd and the feeling of the place are very different. Whereas Jar attracts a glamorous urban crowd, Tracht's gets a wild mix of conventioneers, hotel guests, airline personnel and local foodies discovering what has long been missing from the local scene: a serious restaurant. If Jar is a destination restaurant, then Tracht's is the worthy understudy to the star.The deviled eggs are there, so is the pot roast, the banana cream pie, and that pudding. Suzanne Tracht, however, is not. It's all "pretty good." Miss Irene notes that while the downtown area bustled around her, the restaurant was half empty on each visit and blames being in a hotel for it. We're not sure if it was the non-glamorous crowd or the bumbling service that clinched it, but Tracht's gets two stars. Today the "S." stands for "standard." [LAT]
ELSEWHERE: On Dal 2's first-rate Korean hot pots; scene-y Parc better than good, not great; Doughboys pros and cons; cozy brunch at Bloom Cafe; more burn at Jitlada; and Irv's Burgers still the happiest place in town.
