On one hand: It's entirely unfair to give a full critique of a new restaurant, cafe or lounge because openings are rough no matter how much practice the staff gets. On the other hand: If a business opens for business, it should be ready for business. After all the LAMILL Coffee Boutique buzz, surely the place would be popping all weekend long, and indeed, the Hounds, Yelpers and bloggers were out in droves. But gee-yawd are people bitter. Keywords to keep in mind for the future: "coffee boutique" not "coffeeshop." A snapshot of what's being said:
Bad: "Looking at the Poussin-inspired wallpaper, the giant chandelier, the faux crocodile-covered menus, and the hyper-trendy, very unflattering high-waisted jeans on the waitresses (that got laughs from my Yelper neighbors), I couldn't help but feel that LaMill took a wrong turn on the way to Melrose or Montana or Beverly Drive. It struck me more as a Ladies-Who-Lunch spot than a Hipsters-Who-Hang joint." [Chowhound]
Bad: "While I get the LAMill concept and enjoy the helpful staff, I am not sure that I will frequent this place - mainly because I spent $13 and change for a small latte, an americano and 1 canele. I can make great caneles at home and brew a decent pot of coffee for much less than that. I will, however, return at some point when I get a bonus from my job, to sample some of the other menu items." [Chowhound]
Better: "How often will I go there? It ended up being a bit of an expensive lunch, but everything was really good. The dessert I had yesterday was fantastic and the coffee was very good too. Keep in mind that this is still the soft opening. While the service today was a little slow, everybody there was really nice and they really wanted to make sure we were happy." [Chowhound]
Better: "Eager customers who showed up on Friday were lucky enough to get free stuff. Those of us who got there late missed out on food, save for the lone baguette, and a couple of Smurf blue colored macarons. But the cappuccino was silky smooth, with less acidity (in a good way) than Intelligentsia." [Ritz Bites]
Best: "Will everyone please go to Intelligentsia... so that it's less crowded when I go to LA Mill. Thanks." [Chowhound]
More early words:
· From "horrid" and "give it a chance" [Yelp]
· Too spiffy for scruffy Silver Lake? [Eating L.A.]
· Debut weekend, in pictures [Flickr]
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