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Jonathan Gold files on Le Ka and decides that the newish Downtown eatery, cheffed by Remi Lavaund, is more of a restaurant-lounge that offers a smorgasbord of dining options, some of which work and others which do not:
Le Ka is one of those difficult places to figure out, not because the cooking isn't good — it is, very — but because in the narrative of Le Ka, food seems like such a secondary thing.
It may come as a surprise to the crowd on the patio engrossed in their Negronis, their albacore crudo and their double-cooked fries, but Le Ka is a modern French bistro trapped in the body of a nightclub.Gold describes the pork short ribs as "just sticky" and the wild boar albondigas as "silly." He continues on to write, "If Applebee's ever decided to branch out into tapas, this might be what you'd expect." However, chef Lavaund's duckless faux gras is "compelling" and more closely resembles foie gras than anything else in town. [LAT]
Despite lackluster service, B-Rod is enchanted by The Parish's atmosphere and poutine: "But the Parish's strength lies in elevating grease. The best dish on the menu is the fried oyster poutine, topped with spicy gribiche for a mustardy, pickle-y, herb-laden smoosh, the crispy oysters and soggy fries melding into a pile of glorious tang. It's one of those dishes you almost wish you were drunk enough to put your entire face into: Its combination of fat and tart and fry and yum seems to be engineered exactly for that level of intoxication." [LAW]
The Elsewhere: Eat: LA hits Golden Gopher, Eating LA tries Guisados, Gastronomy picks Omar's Xinjiang Halal Restaurant, kevinEats at Providence, Midtown Lunch considers El Huarique, and Refined Palate dines at ROC Star.
