Gjelina - not bad, but not worth the wait
Finally had a chance to dine at Gjelina yesterday...it was packed, even @ 1:45 and we had a 30 minute wait.
Staff was fine, if a little smug and uber hip...skinny jeans, tattoos and vintage flannel shirts seem to be the uniform for staff as well as patrons.
We sat outside, which was very pleasant in an East Village kind of way...how anyone can dine inside is beyond me...it might be the loudest space I've ever encounted, and not in a good way - really harsh and jarring.
The food was unremarkable...tasted like someone went to the Farmer's market and Dean&Deluca and assembled some plates with very little technique involved...nothing looked or tasted like anything I couldn't whip up at home fairly easily.
Prices were reasonable, though like AOC, it adds up.
We all had a very nice time, and the wait didn't even bother us...had a chance to cruise Abbot Kinney for the first time in maybe 10 years - a bunch of really expensive boutiques - for those prices, I may as well shop on Robertson or Montana!
Had delicious machiato afterwards at Intelligentsia and some poor Gelato @ N'Ice Cream.
-----
AOC
8022 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291