My Restaurant Tips

The Restaurant
Hotel Bel-Air
701 Stone Canyon Road
Los Angeles, CA 90077
USA

+1 (310) 472-1211
www.hotelbelair.com

Contemporary French cuisine

Restaurant: 5/5

The Restaurant is part of Hotel Bel-Air, a boutique hotel located in the quiet Stone Canyon, in the heart of Bel-Air. You can eat either in the dining room or on the totally delightful terrace. Both are very comfortable. Parking is never a problem as the Hotel Bel-Air offers complimentary valet parking.

Service: 2/5

I am a frequent customer of The Restaurant and I usually enjoy very good service there. Unfortunately, this time, the service was below par. First of all, I had extreme difficulties to reserve a table. Expecting an overbooked place, I was very surprised to find half of the tables empty when arriving. The service was pretty slow and, for a restaurant of that class, it was disappointing to see that many stains on our waiter outfit.

Food: 3/5

I started with smoked salmon. The salmon was thin sliced, served with eggs and bacon toasts which were prepared in a very creative way, looking more like a salad. Both the salmon and the toasts were very good.

As main course, I had the Chilean sea bass. The sea bass was very well executed, being completely cooked and still very moist. It was served with fresh lentils and a bit of salad. I truly enjoyed the combination of sea bass and lentils.

For desert, I had a molten chocolate cake, served with vanilla ice cream. While the chocolate cake was very good, it was, in term of execution, a bit below the starter and the main course. It seems to me that less attention is given to desert.

Value for money: 3.5/5

Around $80, including drinks (mimosa, sparkling water, espresso) and tip. The Restaurant is certainly not a cheap place but considering the location, the comfort and the food it offers good value for money. The terrace make it my favorite brunch place. I will certainly come back.