Go WEST!

170 N. Church Lane, Los Angeles (310) 476-6411

You can call it classic Los Angeles noir, Lake Cuomo elegance or quintessential California style.  The reason WEST, located in the penthouse of the newly redesigned tower of The Angeleno Hotel at the confluence of the 405 and Sunset Boulevard is so mutable, is because it combines the best of these.  Designed in conjunction with Kitchen Partners and Design Director and co-owner Joanna Perlman, WEST was designed in her words "to reflect the post-war era of Italian grace and style."

Look through the floor to ceiling windows offering a panoramic crescent view of the city, and it unfurls seductively at your feet, the snake of freeway cars, Brentwood mansions, the Downtown skyline and even a sliver of the Pacific. On Fridays live music scores the air and on Saturdays, get ready for hip DJs to serenade chic urbanites with soulful house and 'naked music.' 
 
Inside, rich cherry wood ceilings, Carrera marble tables, plush banquets, dramatic chandeliers and beautiful people serve as a reminder not only of the kind of elegance possible in a sprawling city filled with transient appeals, but also of the privilege of dinning, quite literally, at the top. 

An extensive selection of Italian and Californian wines are offered in 'quartinos' or mini decanters and an array of signature martinis like the Lychee martini are sure to entice.  The starter menu is loaded with Italian small plates, salads and antipasti.  From this staggering selection, the mini eggplant parmesan is an explosion of taste and textures.  The popular mini-gliders (available with aged cheddar, caramelized onion, mushroom gorgonzola gratin) can also be ordered at the swank bar overlooking the vistas.   These palm-sized burgers with the 35-day dry aged ground filet have the consistency and intense flavor that will make you question the integrity of other burgers you've had.  The heirloom tomato salad is summer on a plate.  Thick medallions are topped with crumbled feta with a touch of black pepper to bring nuance and balance. 

 
If you come to WEST to indulge the inner carnivore, be assured that prime aged steaks, chops and roasts reign supreme here.  Prime cuts of meat, seared to perfection, are served with a choice of roast garlic parmesan butter, Barolo reduction (the king of Italian reds with full flavors and aromas), or the classic Barnaise and accompanied by buttery roasted field mushrooms, baby potatoes or lemon-garlic spinach.  But you won't be disappointed with the alternatives.  A splendid sea bass with crispy skin and served with lobster ravioli, chive oil and lobster foam is remarkable.   

WEST offers something unique not only because it sits isolated from the bustle of other restaurants and hotels, but also because of its vertical stand in a city aggravated by its expanse.  Angelenos recline, sprawl, and stay connected to the ground as if reeling from biblical Babel.  West beckons the earthbound to defy gravity, go upwards, see a city we've rarely seen from above.

Ghalib Dhalla