Ed. Note: We were going to bring you beautiful Inside pictures of Bastide courtesy our new photographer, but since the owner is an "impossible genius," you get this note, the gated doors and a story.
We were supposed to go to Bastide on opening night but sadly had to cancel** (you know the reason had to be good to lose that much-coveted reservation), but knowing our photographer was shooting the restaurant the next day offered some solace. Oh, how quickly we learn that the world is at the whim of Joe Pytka. After our photog arrived at the agreed upon time, the owner announced that he didn't want anyone taking pictures of the restaurant. Not Eater, not even the LA Times (also turned away). Somehow UrbanDaddy shimmied in there, but maybe it was under Pytka's radar. Lesson learned: Pytka is the King of his domain, and the media his play things. Can't wait to see what the restaurant does when the food bloggers---the ones who painstakingly document every course, crumb and nibble---start showing up with their cameras.
**A reader just suggested that maybe Pytka was miffed at us for not keeping our reservation. While we're not always anonymous, we don't make a habit of going out as "Eater, table for two." This res was actually made by a friend under their name, we canceled, and no one's that petty, right?
· Bastide Dining Room, Menu Revealed [~ELA~]
