Cast

I was there for Mother's Day Brunch. I would call is a ""mini"" brunch. The food was good but hot entrees could have more choices. It was only one serving station - meat curving. There were no your usual omelet or pasta stations. I would still give 3 stars for a nice decor and quality of food but gave only one star overall because of the limited selections, poor service and a very unfortunate experience with the manager: 1. Wheat bread was not among the items, only while bagels. I asked for wheat bread. It was given to me in a napkin while I was standing in a buffet line with a plate in my hand. One would expect it to be brought to the table, on a plate. But it did not matter after all because it was taken away by a waiter/busboy soon after I brought it to the table. 2. Utensils were removed from our table when plates were cleared out but new utensils were not provided. We actually had to hunt for utensils :). 3. Soup spoons were not to be found. 4. No one checked later on if we needed anything. 5. The restaurant employee at the hostess stand was short with me when I asked her a question. It felt like the restaurant was doing you a favor just for letting you in and we should not expect anything beyond that. The restaurant adds 20% tip automatically to the bill - what is the incentive to be courteous to patrons, to be respectful? I could almost see their point: if we were foolish enough to come there to expect a nice brunch with a pleasant service, we've got what we deserve :). 6. A waiter brought our bill in the middle of our meal though there were no reasons to rush us because there were a number of tables available. It almost felt like most employees were not aware that they were working in the hospitality industry :). I have made attempts to reach a general manager or any manager or employee at Viceroy hotel/restaurant on the phone telling their operator that I'd like to relay my comments about my brunch experience - no one was interested in talking to me. I went ahead and left a detailed voice mail for a restaurant manager that she could make some improvements if so desired. I did not want to be contacted and did not leave my phone number. The most upsetting part came when the restaurant manager called me. To get my phone number, the manager contacted my son through his reservation info and told him that I did not like my Mother's Day Brunch. It was cruel! She did not have to reveal to him that I did not like the restaurant. This manager happens to be a woman, maybe even a mother herself. She did not offer me an apology. Now my son is upset, I am very upset... I enjoy and value our time together very much and for obvious reasons I did not tell him about my dislikes about the restaurant.. It was a big mistake to contact the restaurant trying to help them to improve their service. Well, no more good deeds ... at least for a while :). Followup on June 21, 2011: After 1.5 months of many ignored phone calls and emails to various managers I received a phone call with an apology and was offered a refund. more

Saw their ad and decided to check it out. Yep, it is true...over 100 wines on sale on Mondays & Tuesdays for $25 in the restaurant! Love these recessionista offerings particularly at a very swank place like The Viceroy. The wine list includes names like Cakebread, Sterling, etc. Good people watching too Pros: Wines that are priced up to $100 for $25! Cons: Only on Monday & Tuesday nights-but hey! more

if you look up the menu on menuism and check out whist based on how great it sounds, you will be... more

My wife and I recently dined at Whist at the Viceroy for our wedding anniversary. We knew there had to be a new chef based on the innovative menu selections. According to our sever, Executive Chef Taite Pearson has an extensive culinary background, and has worked among some of the countries top chefs including Joel Robuchon. Much to our delight our selections were as good as they sounded. My wife enjoyed the pumpkin cappelletti, maple, ricotta salata to start, followed by the lobster bolognese, hand cut pappardelle, basil, while I devoured the lump crab fritters, chives, caviar, aioli, followed by braised beef short ribs, potato puree, celery leaves, horseradish. We were also impressed by the extensive wine list. Last but not least we enjoyed Honey-Pistachio Profiteroles
greek yogurt, saffron, market figs and Cherry Upside-Down Cake
walnuts, vanilla, malt. I would highly recommend whist for an intimate evening or with a great group of friends, as the portions could definitely be enjoyed family style. I have a feeling we were in the presense of future celebrity chef, foodies run don?t walk! more

This restaurant was rated the best Sunday brunch. The Sunday brunch is about $50 per person and it?s like an all you can eat buffet style. There are not that many selections, my boyfriend and I were the first two that got into the restaurant for their Sunday brunch. However, most of the food weren't hot. Like the egg benidicts, steam clams were all in room temperture. It?s over priced and the food quality is below average. For those who have tried TAPS in city of Fullerton. You would not think Whist has the best Sunday brunch. If you are foodies?.this is not where you want to have your Sunday brunch. For $50, you can spend it at somewhere else and get better quality of food. Pros: Stylish decor through out the restaurant Cons: Not worth of your $50 for your Sunday brunch more

This place could have been great for my graduation lunch were it not for the fact that they overcharged our party of 6 by $150!! We realized later that we had been swindled and now we're going back and forth with management. Even getting a parking validation was a NIGHTMARE because they happened to be ""out"" of dining stamps so the attendants kept trying to make us pay twice the amount for restaurant parking and wouldn't believe that we dined at the restaurant. Check your receipt CAREFULLY. Or just stay away.... more

I had plans to attend a dinner party Christmas night, but was cancelled. I am glad it was now because I came in to Whist upon realization that hotel restaurants are always open on holidays. Had a cocktail before dinner and the bar was breathtaking! Newly transplanted from Chicago, I felt like I had truly arrived in LA! We almost chose an outdoor table but it was chilly. I can only imagine how great those cabanas are in the summer...so VIP in a welcoming way! For dinner, we chose a French Pinot Noir, which was decadent and fairly priced at $120 for the bottle. We shared everything, the endive salad was perfectly paired before the beet risotto. The beet risotto was not only amazing in flavor but was the most attractive risotto dish I have ever let my eyes upon! I think of it often...the service was impeccable, I never had to ask someone to lift my water bottle and refill my glass. The lamb chops were noteworthy, although I favor Enoteca Drago just a tad more. The dessert was ""Just Chocolate"" and satisfied me in 3 spots. Overall, this is the most romantic environment I've yet to experience. Truly a wonderful setting, with knowledgable and genuinely friendly staff. I will be back many times! Pros: too many to name Cons: none that I can find more

What can I say, beautiful decor, great food, this place has it all. A bit pricey, but oh well. Very romantic and the serviceis friendly once you sit down: don't expect the maitre d' to smile at you. Pros: Beautiful location, good food, impress-your-date restaurant Cons: value more

i thought that this place is a good place for drinks and dinner. the ambience is nice and you have a choice of dining in or outdoors. the service is nice although not as attentive as i would like. but, there were no snooty airs. on to the food. we tried the foie gras and the pork belly. the foie gras was very good, very flavorful and not too salty. the pork belly was lean, not quite as fatty, but it was still nonetheless. i had the thai shrimp curry with glass noodles -- it as very good. it had a nice spicy kick to it. my friend had the rib eye and she liked it. i would probably go back. more

Awesome food - especially the glazed pork belly. We ate there twice and Friday night was better than Sunday night. I think Sundays are bad because the chef is not in and they have a smaller staff. When the Cat is away, the workers will play. Sunday night's meal was not as spectacular but the food overall is still good. We also had lunch there Monday and it was fantastic. I would highly recommend this place. Just make sure you pick a good night to go. Pros: Fantastic Food Cons: Not consistent between Friday night and Sunday night food. A bit too loud. more

Decided to eat Christmas Eve dinner w/ my hubby based on outstanding reviews at Citysearch. When I went on another foodie blog site, I was told that this was a horrible restaurant. Since I already made reservations, I decided to forge ahead - good thing I did. The place is very loungey, dark with dim lighting. Our waiter was very attentive & made sure we were well taken care of. For starters, I had the butternut squash soup (which was so creamy & tasty, with garlic bread bits & chunks of cheese) while my hubby had the seared ahi tuna (good but nothing to write mom about). Had the scallops for my main course, and it was really good, esp. with the caviar topping. My hubby had the rib-eye, which looked humungous (good, too, accdg to him). By the time dessert came, we were stuffed (the portions seemed bigger than most fine dining places), so our waiter suggested the cookies with milk and syrup, since we could take it home. Pre-tip, with 2 glasses of alcohol, our bill only came out to $140! more

I had breakfast here with some co-workers and it was really very lovely, they were attentive, the coffee was awesome, the OJ was really good- they were very accomadating about our picky special orders. I would really like to go back at night when it's all funky and happening. more

My girlfriend and I went here on a Friday night, it wasn't too packed until later in the evening. We sat outside. The big white chairs were comfortable but I felt too far away and had to keep leaning in. The food was great I had the Kobe Burger and she had the Salmon. Get the Smore's for dessert they are great and fun to make. It was a little pricey with a bottle of champagne. more

We live in San Diego and often come to Santa Monica for weekend get-aways. We have eaten at the Lobster, Ivy , il fornaio etc. before, but this time I wanted to find something special, as I was looking for a restaurant to celebrate my husband's birthday. After reading the reviews and checking the website for the Whist, I was curious and knew that this was something worth trying. From the moment we stepped into the lobby, we were taken with the beautifully decorated Viceroy lobby, lounge and pool areas. We had a couple of drinks by the pool by candlelight, such a lovely ambience and then were seated on the patio for dinner. Our waiter, Juan, greeted us by name and could not have been nicer. The wait staff were amazing and we also met the Sommelier, who was so knowledgeable about wine and truly showed a passion for what he does. We had the tasting menu with wine parings and it was absolutely fantastic. My husband is French and we have eaten in Paris and London, but nothing compared to this magical experience. This place is amazing! The food is outstanding. This was the best birthday, ever! more

After spending the weekend with guests from out of town, I have eaten in nearly all of Santa Monica's best restaurants in about four days. We finished off last night with dinner at Whist. It was hands-down the best meal of the week. We didn't have a reservation, and called 30 minutes ahead for a party of 7 for a 7:30 dinner - the staff accommodated us. Upon arrival, we were seated immediately, our server, April, was wonderful and attentive. The food.... we couldn't stop taking about it - the steaks are fantastic, the tuna fantastic - the heirloom tomato salad fantastic - great wine list, beautiful decor. We had a few cocktails after dinner at the poolside bar - the bartender, Ben, was great - this place is worth every penny. I can't wait to go back. Highly recommended. Next time I plan on making reservations and requesting an outside table. Pros: excellent food, ambience and service Cons: I can't think of any more

I went here last weekend for brunch with a girlfriend. At first I was quite worried when I saw that the brunch was actually a buffet because I tend to be biased towards thinking that buffets tend to focus more on quantity rather than quality. I was pleasantly surprised. All of the food was excellent! There was everything that you can imagine including French toast, a wide selection of meats & cheese, bacon, sausages, bread, pastries, smoked salmon, a table full of desert, fresh made-to-order omelets to name a few...All you can drink champagne for $10, and it was good champagne too! Next time I would make a reservation for a table outside and also make sure I plan my day better so that have plenty of time to sit there and enjoy the food, champagne and atmosphere. more

This restaurant is absolutely amazing. We went on a Thursday night and we sat on the outside patio. I highly recommend sitting outside, it is very romantic and the landscape is very beautiful and elegant. The scenery is perfect for a date or a large group. The food was wonderful and the service was friendly and prompt. The server was helpful with recommending the perfect wine based on our taste and was also helpful with suggesting the perfect entrée to match. Pros: Beautiful scenery, romantic and great food Cons: n/a more

I went to Whist on a busy Friday night... the scene was hip the decor inviting the food - absolutely amazing. I had the Jidori Chicken paired by a glass of wine suggested by the sommelier. The staff was attentive and personable. more

This place has it all, a great ambience and very tasty food. It can get a little spendy, but it's worth it. more

i loved the whist. I was actually expecting much less of the resturant. I am a very picky eater, so to my surprise i ended up having a 3 course meal. the service is fabulous. everything we needed was brought to our table, we hardly ever asked for anything. overall the cons were the table next to us were super loud and the dinning area is small. not intimate. but the food and service was outstanding. Pros: good food, great service Cons: too loud, croweded more