453559 Wed Oct 24 01:27:30 -0700 2007 11 2 Los Angeles Area 0 3061824 Comme Ça has the best-smelling bathrooms in all of Los Angeles. The toilet chambers have a beautiful floral-citrus perfume pumped in, as well as soft, strange, almost fairy-tale music. The men’s and women’s toilets share a unisex wash area, where the beds of the sinks are lined with river rocks my friend was compelled to pick up and play with, never mind what kind of exotic germs they may have collected as patrons washed their hands on their way back to dinner. Yes, there is a lot of detail paid to certain areas of Comme Ça, and yet other areas seem to have been swept in right before the doors opened. While the bathrooms feature such beautiful perfuming, some tables are forced to sit on odd metal bucket stools. Just as, while meticulous attention is paid to the roasted bone marrow appetizer, the desserts seem to be complete afterthoughts. Such is the odd world of Comme Ça, where things run from the sublime to the perplexingly off-putting. If Osteria Mozza’s interior décor seems to have been bought lock, stock, and barrel from Restoration Hardware, the David Myers et companie have gone down the concourse to Pottery Barn (Le Barn de Potterie?) for Comme Ça’s look. Nothing is over-the-top Gallic, as anyone who has visited a branch of the Texas-based chain La Madeleine would know; instead, there is merely the insinuation of France in the drawings on the chalkboard surfaces and sepia photos. The long white banquette stretching along one wall is very inviting, but the other seating and the plastic-coated tables are not. The white plastic chairs are not uncomfortable, but they do feel flimsy. Between these and the stackable stainless steel stools at some tables near the bar (complete with handles for carrying!), one cannot help wonder if Myers’ crew rushed out to a garden center to pick up emergency seating and that better seating and nicer tables suited more for a fine brasserie than a corporate commissary – furnishings in keeping with the elegant toilet fragrance – will be arriving soon. The bartender (one of two crew members who failed to receive the memo in 2003 about the death of the faux-hawk) was genial and outgoing, although the lack of a cocktail menu did not please me. He asked me what I was in the mood for, “Something fruity? Something light? Something more stern?” I really do not like playing games at the bar. For a bartender to ask me questions like this is one step short of asking me my astrological sign. But, from the Erlenmeyer flasks of fresh juices and syrups, I could immediately discern that they were trying to out-Hungry Cat The Hungry Cat with fresh fruit juice cocktails. After being offered rather lackluster “special” cocktails as a “bourbon Manhattan” – never had one of those before! – I opted for the wine list. The wine list is one the smaller side compared to, say, Osteria Mozza’s. (I hate to do it, but it is hard not to compare a high-profile opening to Osteria Mozza.) The offerings are all either French or Californian, and I asked about the sparkling vouvray. The bartender offered to let me taste it, but he opened the (very good) still vouvray, which I then had to work through the list to find with him. The staff is still working through learning the wine they are selling, but he was very good about it. My dinner companion had arrived by this point, and we both decided on a glass of champagne. It was joined by a small dish of assorted olives, and soon, we were shown to our table. We were seated not in the front area but the back seating room. Unlike the small backroom at Osteria Mozza, this area holds as many or more patrons as the front area, and it is perhaps louder than the front. Comme Ça lacks high ceilings, yet it still has hard surfaces that reflect sound. Fortunately, the restaurant is very spacious, meaning there is no squeezing uncomfortably between others’ tables, and rock music is not layered on top of the loud conversation. So, the food. Miniature baguettes come with a dish of butter, and Comme Ça gets the butter right – it is not cold and hard. It spreads wonderfully smooth on the crispy, fresh bread, which is delivered wrapped in brown paper. Few things in life are as pleasurable as fresh French bread, and this is perfect French bread. Nothing more needs to be written. We began with the roasted beef marrow and oxtail jam. Two large rounds of beef bones are paired with a dish of shredded oxtail meat. The marrow was gelatinous and creamy, while the oxtail tasted as if it was enhanced by a bit of demi-glace. Both were strong with the rich taste of beef, as if the essence of an entire cow has been concentrated onto our plate. The marrow was a little too odd for my friend’s liking, however, so she stuck to the oxtail. My friend ordered the sole meunière, which came with baby carrots. The sole was very flaky, very well-cooked. There was no hint of any fishy taste to it at all. I might have asked for a bit more of a wine flavor to the sauce; instead, emphasis was more on the butter. My friend told me she though a creamy white lump on the plate was mashed potatoes. Instead, it turned out to be butter. She loved the carrots. I ordered the paleron of boeuf bourgignon. It was a huge slab of blade steak atop a sea of potato purée. (Real ones, not butter.) The menu listed it as horseradish potato purée, but I tasted no horseradish at all, sadly. The meat was cooked somewhere between medium and medium well, with good flavor. I would quibble that the sauce was somewhat too salty, sadly, but not so much as to make me want to send the meal back. (I did notice my wanting a lot of water toward the end our stay, however.) The wine reduction was, as with the meunière sauce on the fish, a little lacking in focus, but it was a solid dish. We added an order of pommes frites on after the entrées arrived, and I thought they would likely arrive right when we would be nearing the end of our main courses. Instead, they were brought to our table about three minutes later. The pommes frites may not be the best even in the city, but they really are hard not to eat and eat and eat. It did not take us long to identify what they reminded us of: a gourmet version of McDonald’s French fries. The have the same shape, same texture, same basic flavor, but just… heightened. They really are marvelous. And kudos to Comme Ça for not tarting them up with unnecessary herbs. And they are salty, too, but salty in the very best way. Some things in this world are supposed to be salty, and French fries are one of them. Desserts at Comme Ça leave much to be desired, sadly. There are imports from Boule, like Boule cake. But I can go to Boule for that. Profiteroles have never excited me, and telling me I am just getting three does even less to sell me. (By the way, there are no printed dessert menus.) We finally landed on the chocolate brioche bread pudding, which ended up being something more like a wadded-up brownie or, with the warm chocolate sauce on the outside, an inside-out molten lava cake. The texture was a bit like a kitchen sponge, and the microscopic scoops of ice cream on the side were more of a tease than anything else. It is sad that Comme Ça does not do justice to the traditions of what is, hands-down, the greatest dessert-making culture on the face of the earth. And if they had to import something from Boule, why not the famous – and ever-so French – macarons instead? I really hope that the dessert portion of the menu is a work-in-progress. A good Breton-style apple tart, dessert crêpes, or a Paris-Brest are really in order here. The cheese bar is likely the real star here, but we were not in the mood for cheese, especially after a truly foul stench overtook our section of the restaurant, forcing my friend to cover her nose for a few minutes in disgust. She wondered if a dead animal had been brought in, but she asked our server what it was. “Cheese. Someone ordered cheese,” she responded. So, the food is a bit wonky – and this is with David Myers in the kitchen. (And out of the kitchen, peeking into the house, coming to the oyster bar to inspect the fruits de mer platters…) Did I enjoy Comme Ça? Oui. J’aime beaucoup Comme Ça. And the reason is simple: What makes or breaks a restaurant in this time, when the kitchen is trying to get its recipes worked out and all, is the service. The service tonight was wonderful. From the eager-if-befuddled bartender to the hostess to the sommelier, everyone was at the top of their game. Our waitress especially did not miss a beat, bringing us anything we asked for, stopping whenever we asked for her – there was no “I’ll be right back” – and making suggestions where she could. It was clear that some of the French wines especially are new to the staff, and our server did not attempt to feign knowledge where she did not have it, saving us from a poor selection. I appreciate that. The sommelier brought a dessert wine for me he recommended, and, when I demurred from it, happily served the Banyuls I wanted instead. Service was not intrusive, it was always friendly, it was appropriately talkative and warm. They even fold one’s napkin when one goes to the really good-smelling bathroom. I even asked our waitress' name as I have another group dinner planned there in two weeks, and I would like to dine with her again as she was so good to us. I felt good all night, from the moment I walked in the door. I like how the place does not feel like a sardine can. I like how even the bus boys smile. I love the Shangri-la bathrooms. (I haven’t tipped so generously in a long time.) If Mr. Myers can get some real tables and chairs, cut the salt, and take a French pastry course, he will have a real jewel on his hands. As it is, I am eagerly anticipating Comme Ça’s opening for breakfast, and my friend was making calls from the table to friends, telling them they must try the place. Five days in, Comme Ça is doing wonderfully well. It may not be magnifique, but Comme Ça is très, très bon. THE DAMAGE: roasted marrow and oxtail jam, one bottle of Côtes-du-Rhône, sole meunière, boeuf bourginon, pommes frites, one glass of Banyuls, one glass of sparkling vouvray, chocolate brioche bread pudding = $148 after tax, before tip Wed Oct 24 01:27:30 -0700 2007 100515 Woolsey 1 3062171 A very nice, deatailed, and fun to read review! Thanks! Wed Oct 24 06:47:33 -0700 2007 3061824 11201 Diana 1 3062928 Yes, nice review! I'm surprised about the lack of cocktail menu though -- I know we tried some special cocktails at the opening like fresh blackberries with gin and an elderflower martini, I think, and I remember seeing a menu with them listed on it. Wed Oct 24 09:56:10 -0700 2007 3061824 12460 Chowpatty 2 3062998 There were a few listed on the large menu, but I didn't have one there at the bar with me. The cocktail listing on the large menu did not look comprehensive, though. Moreover, the cocktails were also not on the wine list, where I expected to see a listing. It seems they want to be serious about their drinks, despite the small size of the bar - maybe seven or eight seats - so they should feature comprehensive cocktail listings more prominently. The lack of cocktail and dessert menus was one problem for me. I hope they move from the single card with everything crammed onto it to separate ones for drinks and desserts. Wed Oct 24 10:16:32 -0700 2007 3062928 100515 Woolsey 3 3063122 Can't wait to try the drinks, the food. the whole sha-bang at Comme Ca very soon. And I know that it'll be an outing to remember with Woolsey in tow. His taste is good yet remains a fair critic . . . we'll see how it goes down. Wed Oct 24 10:41:29 -0700 2007 3062998 116022 magpieang 1 3064331 do they try and get french or french friendly stuff for the raw bar? violettes? bulots/buccins? that french rye bread? Wed Oct 24 15:31:05 -0700 2007 3061824 10366 Jerome 2 3064380 I didn't go for the fruits de mer; of the three foodstuffs on my blacklist - eggs, mushrooms, and oysters - oysters are the one item I have never been able to enjoy in any way, shape or form whatsoever. Hopefully someone who does enjoy them will report back on the raw bar's offerings soon; I saw a lot of fruits de mer platters going out, and David Myers came out shortly after I arrived to inspect the preparation of one. The only bread that arrived were the small white baguettes. We were not offered any other types. Is the French rye a type made at Boule? Wed Oct 24 15:49:54 -0700 2007 3064331 100515 Woolsey 3 3064425 thank you - i'll call them. the french rye is "pain de seigle". It's like a pumpernickel or 100% rogge rye. big in brittany. I've been to boule but am not that familiar with their bread line. Wed Oct 24 16:05:10 -0700 2007 3064380 10366 Jerome 4 3064540 The bread was there very early at Boule, if memory serves me right, then it disappeared when they decided to focus on the chocolates, ice cream, and desserts. I believe it will return when Boule Atelier opens, which they told me should be next week when I poked my head in. I wouldn't expect such a regional speciality as that. With the exception of bouillabaisse, the dishes really don't seem to be stretching to the corners of the Hexagon. They don't even have cassoulet, so they're not really going for an encyclopedic French experience. I should say, Comme Ça really is not a destination restaurant. Dining there is not an event, really, and I think Comme Ça will calm down to become more of a neighborhood brasserie. But that's good. I like that about it. They're not reaching for les étoiles like Osteria Mozza, which is why, even with the minor missteps last night, I was happy to forgive. This is not the second coming of L'Orangerie or the original Bastide; it's just a really good brasserie. Expect a very fancy version of simplicity, and have fun within its limitations. (But the desserts? Tsk tsk tsk.) Wed Oct 24 16:38:42 -0700 2007 3064425 100515 Woolsey 5 3064726 thanks. actually - in my experience, any non high-end place in paris that serves raw fruits de mer accompanies them with thin-sliced pain de seigle and butter, the kind of places you find near the train stations, esp gare de lyon, gare de montparnasse, etc. Wed Oct 24 17:45:45 -0700 2007 3064540 10366 Jerome 6 3064802 Ah, gotcha. I'm going back in two weeks, and maybe my friends will get a fruits de mer platter, so I'll report back if so then. I have a feeling someone here will get one before then, though. It didn't appear there was bread coming out with the fruits de mer platters, though... Wed Oct 24 18:25:26 -0700 2007 3064726 100515 Woolsey 1 3068624 The menu was posted today on the revamped Comme Ça website: http://www.commecarestaurant.com/ Thu Oct 25 22:29:05 -0700 2007 3061824 100515 Woolsey