68164 Mon Apr 04 14:12:03 -0700 2005 9 2 Los Angeles Area 0 370335 So made my way to gr/eats on sawtelle last night. They're having their grand opening week this week btw (where you can win free dvds and cds, etc. - go figure), but I guess they've been open for at least a few days now. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, and I have to say it didn't really live up to the hype. The menu is a hodgepodge of California-Asian concoctions...tofu burgers, fried chicken with teriyaki sauce, etc. I somehow ended up with a seafood paella, which was servicable but rather heavy on the bell peppers (just a personal dislike). The seafood as well - mussels, squid, etc. wasn't as fresh as it could have been. I guess you could say that overall, it wasn't particularly memorable. My friend had a pasta dish that left a lasting impression of being 'really really salty.' Prices, tho, were very reasonable. Give the place some time and maybe they could hone their recipes a bit. What the restaurant does excel in has, of course, nothing to do with the food really. gr/eats excels in pretentiousness. For example, it names the chef (someone I'd never heard of, not that I pay much attention to chef names) and the 'artist' on the menu in the obiligatory sans-serif font. And by artist, I'm referring to the hyper-trendy Japanese woman who has decorated the place with some spare, amoebically-shaped-superflat-post-modern-neo-ukiyo-e-whatever wooden panels and was no doubt introduced to our uninformed shores through the pages of Giant Robot magazine. Basically gr/eats looks just like their second retail store(about 5 paces away). All white with blobs of pastel artwork here and there. The whole time I was there I was thinking this should be some sort of art museum commissary, only without bland sandwiches and with more of an asiany twist. Ironically, their pseudo-hip interior minimalism definitely worked against them when it came to the loo. The bathroom is painted a steely blue-grey and was about as inviting as a stall in a hospital. Not a single flower or decoration in there, save for a lonely white toilet brush under the glare of the harsh lighting. I mention this because one of the previous incarnations of this space, the Japanese restaurant Don Don Tei (R.I.P.), boasted one of the most cozy washrooms on the planet... warm walls, mood lighting... flowers... not to mention incredible food. What was I talking about again? Guess I kind of forgot, since our meal at gr/eats was... well, you know... Maybe tofu meatballs and stuff like that really isn't my kind of thing. But don't take my word for it. Try em out for yourself. Or more like, go in, order a soda (they do carry Boylans, which is a plus), and just gawk at Ai Yamaguchi's superflat goodness, the very existence of which probably funded the magazine, the shops, and this restaurant, in the most indirect way possible. Mon Apr 04 14:12:03 -0700 2005 0 UnTrendy Boy 1 370340 I was there a few weeks ago for a weekday lunch, had the seared tuna salad, which was very good. I finished the entire plate. I wish there was some bread that came along with that meal though. I agree with all things said about the decor, etc. This is not a destination spot but it works for me for lunch since I work in the neighborhood. Ill be back to collect on the free giveaways when I stop by for lunch! Mon Apr 04 14:24:15 -0700 2005 370335 0 bassbiz 1 370391 What hype? The only way you'd know about the place at the moment is if you happened to read Giant Robot or be on the store's mailing list, which means you were probably already inclined toward that sort of thing anyway. And as many people are already aware, the decoration of the place is done not just by a a miscellaneous artist, but by Ai Yamaguchi, who is considered one of the better young artists in Japan at the moment. This mural is destined to be in a major museum one day, provided the restaurant doesn't end up lasting 200 years. It's one of the best pieces of hers I've seen, and I've been following her work for years. That being said, the food could use some work. Mon Apr 04 17:59:50 -0700 2005 370335 0 condiment 2 370406 The mural looks like typical manga/anime fare. Major museum? Give me a break... Mon Apr 04 19:17:09 -0700 2005 370391 0 Noami 3 370414 Uh huh... and Andy Warhol just did comic strips... Ai Yamaguchi is a major artist in Japan, so much one of the biggest high end cosmetic companies recently offered a collection based on her works... Another "standard manga fare' artist is Takashi Murakami, which has had his art and installations in all the major modern art museums in the world (His name might also sound familiar as the was one of the artists to help Marc Jacobs re-define Louis Vuitton...) Brining it back to the Chow, GR has people come in from all parts of L.A. for their books and clothing (I love their tees), GR/Eats may not be the best place to get chow on Sawtelle, but it offeres a nice alternative.... --Dommy! Mon Apr 04 19:45:21 -0700 2005 370406 0 Dommy! 4 370425 Hehe I'm well aware with Ai Yamaguchi's work and her relationship with Shu Umemura's cosmetics etc. People tend to fall into two camps I think: they're either a devoted proponent of the asian pop culture that GR imports, or they slag the magazine for its hipper-than-thou air. Over time I've found some of their 'discoveries' to be pretty innovative and engaging, while there's a lot of stuff that they espouse that does seem to be catering straight to people's need for things 'exotic' and 'cool' from Japan even if it is of dubious quality or originality. That said, it is about the food, at least on this board, and my requirements for a good restaurant rarely have anything to do with what's hanging pretty on the walls. Mon Apr 04 20:45:35 -0700 2005 370414 0 UnTrendy Boy 5 370429 i still think the place looks downright sterile. the tables are a little too high and the space itself makes me feel uncomfortable. it's almost as if you can feel all the footsteps of each person moving in that space. thats just weird to me. but again tolerable for a weekday lunch, which is fine by me. i feel like im the only asian not completely hip with asian pop culture, lol. i just appreciate the clean, linear lines, minimalism which to me everything at Giant Robot is: minimal, clean, cute and fun, so whats there not to love? but i also like sanrio, so, hrrrmm........ anyway...... just try the seared tuna salad and you will be happy! Mon Apr 04 21:11:21 -0700 2005 370425 0 bassbiz 6 370438 hehe I ALMOST ordered that, actually. will have to give it a shot next time. assuming sawtelle's other restaurants don't lure me away first... Mon Apr 04 23:02:03 -0700 2005 370429 0 UnTrendy Boy 2 370427 Actually I first heard about the place when I saw someone mention it on this board, speculating about what kind of food it would serve ^^. Mon Apr 04 20:52:23 -0700 2005 370391 0 UnTrendy Boy 1 370402 I've had lunch there twice in the past couple of weeks and have enjoyed both my meals. My only complaint is the Japanese-style bread (rolls) which are too cottony for my taste. Otherwise, the staff are very friendly and I found the room cute. Mon Apr 04 18:55:37 -0700 2005 370335 0 mnosyne