The Hollywood Reporter Gives Measured Praise For LA’s Hottest New Steakhouse

The Hollywood Reporter is back with another big monthly restaurant review, this time focusing on Adam Perry Lang’s eponymous steakhouse and brasserie APL. The upscale Hollywood hotspot ultimately earns plenty of praise from writer Gary Baum, but there are a few speed bumps along the way.

First things first, the meat. Per the Hollywood Reporter:

The beef at APL is supreme stuff that immediately catapults Lang into the top ranks of local steak masters

That’s hearty, justified praise, considering Lang’s entry into the barbecue hall of fame, and his penchant for personally dry-aging and cutting all of his own steaks. But what of the rest of the menu? Baum loves the wedge salad draped with a thick slab of bacon, and calls the “addictive” shrimp cocktail a best-in-show contender. The desserts are key, and the cocktails are aces.

So what’s not to love? For one, the decor can feel a bit incongruous with the rest of the meal, says the Hollywood Reporter. Tables and chairs feel “a little too laissez-faire for the sky-high check average,” and the famous felony knife is considered a fun, but ultimately unnecessary, aside. And then there’s this:

A bigger problem is consistency: Side orders shouldn’t materialize before entrees, or arrive lukewarm. It’s inexcusable for a steak requested medium-rare to appear medium-well, even if rectified with apologetic haste. To err is human; to forgive is how we must dine. However, at these prices, mistakes shouldn’t happen with the frequency they do.

Ultimately, Baum seems rather charmed by the food on the plate at APL, including at the attached takeaway window that serves pit-smoked sandwiches and hot dogs. There are a few “slip-ups” however, and a greater, lingering question to the review: “Aside from convenience to the Pantages, what will make diners otherwise partisan to Mastro’s, Chi Spacca or nearby Gwen select APL?”

APL. 1680 Vine St., Los Angeles, CA.

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• APL: Dining Review [THR]