This place is a unique addition to the Silverlake hood. A delightful 1920s Mediterranean firehouse has been turned into a beautiful dining room with 2 patios and a dramatic high-ceilinged bar -- the bar is actually where the fire engines were housed. The food was disappointing a couple years back (hence the griping older reviews) but the owners have worked things out. \r
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I have to say that the service is wildly inconsistent. Over Labor Day weekend, I took a friend from Chicago there for dinner. After making an 830 PM reservation a week in advance, we were kept waiting 15 minutes because no one would clear and set our table. A gruff waiter dropped menus off and took off into the night -- we did not see him ever again. We waited 15 minutes to give our drink order to the heavy-set hostess. I complained to her about all of the faux pas and she shrugged her shoulders and said ""sorry"". I asked to speak to a manager. She said she was the manager. I told her it was unacceptable and she said ""sorry"" again without promising to correct the situation. We left.\r
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This is very sad because only 2 months earlier I had a wonderful experience when I took my mom and dad there for their anniversary. On that occasion a young woman from Michigan, was excellent. She knew when to hover and when to hang back. Her recommendations were excellent -- the steak, the pork chops and the fish were all wonderful. The appetizers were a nice array of new interpretations on old downhome classics. You'd be a fool not to save room for dessert. We had grilled peaches with a homemade vanilla ice cream, along with a dark chocolate pistachio pate flavored with red zinfandel wine. Wow. Apart from all of this, you won't find a nicer looking bar anywhere in Hollywood if you tried.\r
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Bottom line - I am going to stick to the bar where the service is good and the full menu is available.
Pros: Sophisticated yet laidback. Delicious food.
Cons: Inconsistent and indifferent service
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