Week in Reviews: One Star for the Sunset

After an interior revamp and a new chef on board who has spent time at both Joël Robuchon and Mix by Alain Ducasse (Vegas), SIV decides to give the Sunset another shot. Unfortunately, despite the chef's impressive resume, Sher gives out only one shiny gold star and describes the eatery as "a perfectly fine casual restaurant at the beach, but not much more." The Sunset is divided into two floors, the upstairs more refined, and the downstairs more casual and SIV's favorite for fun. However, she still seems surprised by some of the prices, "a filet for a whopping $52 and halibut for $32, neither of which seems like much of a bargain." While the menu serves up both hits and misses, "the two best main courses are the most straightforward: the burger and fish 'n' chips...[the] burger comes on a soft challah bun with roasted garlic aioli and caramelized onion...Fish 'n' chips is made from whitefish and comes with lemon caper aioli and a heap of fries." All in all, "the food isn't as polished as you'd expect from someone who has worked in Ducasse's and Robuchon's kitchens...[but] Malibu has such a shortfall of good restaurants...that even this somewhat flawed effort is to be appreciated." [LAT]

THE ELSEWHERE: LAmag takes a bite at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, OCR stops by the newish SOL Cocina, OCW goes for Vietnamese Cajun crawfish at Q Restaurant, Eating LA tries Hang Jong Chon for Korean BBQ, Exile Kiss hits up Asanebo in The Valley, Sinosoul does dumplings and such at Dean Sin World, and Potatomato revists Osteria La Buca.