Public Service Announcement: The Knife ser-Rates Breeze at Century Plaza Hyatt

CAA's new offices and the newish Hyatt Regency Century Plaza (much-needed renovation: 2001) are across the street from each other, on the Avenue of the Stars. There's even a certain symmetry to the two buildings (although, of course, CAA's is prettier).

CAA needs a place to eat; Century Plaza wants to feed them. Wouldn't it be great if they fell in love?

As with any romance, there are roadblocks: As owner of LA's largest ballroom, the Hyatt is ruled by lanyard-wearers. Last night, their laminated badges read CIC 2007, otherwise known as the Concert Industry Consortium. The annual conference absorbed every single one of the Hyatt's 726 rooms and those of the Hotel InterContinental down the street.

How often do you see lanyards at the Peninsula? Or the Four Seasons?

Still, love the one you're with. Hyatt houses Breeze, which sounds kind of nice in the Open Table description: "terrazzo floor... bamboo leaves in glass dangling above the sushi bar... outdoor dining and spectacular views of the hotel’s lush gardens... striking green onyx bar... sushi bar headed by fourth-generation master Sushi Chef Tanaka. Two private dining rooms are also available." 

Terrazzo! Onyx! Sushi!

I have no idea who Chef Tanaka is (in Japan, that's as common as "Jones"), but the sushi was fine. There's nothing unusual -- tuna, toro, salmon, sweet shrimp, the inevitable Dynamite and California rolls -- but it's fresh and made to order. And when they only had enough toro to make one piece of sushi, they replaced it with two pieces of tuna.

Nice. Yay! Sushi for CAA!

If you like happy endings, please stop reading now.

Below, our orders exactly as the appear on the menu.

WATERCRESS & ENDIVE SALAD
red onion & red radish with
warm bacon vinaigrette

It was huge and looked sort of pretty, if deconstructed, on the plate - fanned leaves of red endive, then white, then young watercress, thinly sliced red onions and some lightly sugared walnuts.

Except there wasn't any warm, or bacon. The dressing, such as it was, appeared to be about a teaspoon of balsamic vinaigrette dripped over the watergress greens.

Would you like some raw, undressed endive? Topped with raw onion? The kind you might like on a burger, but the first bite would remind you not to talk to anyone until you'd brushed your teeth twice? The radish? Forgotten, thank God.

TRIO of POTSTICKERS
duck, chicken, shrimp &
unique dipping sauces

At this point, I'm regretting the two-appetizer order; I'm really hungry. Still, potstickers are safe, and filling. They're like hot dogs: Even the bad ones aren't.

The aforementioned unique sauces: a swirl of something green and cilantro flavored (not bad), surrounded yin-yang style by a swirl of something sweet (like a Chinese takeout duck sauce packet, with extra honey).

In the center: Potstickers. Three of them. (I thought "trio" referred to the fillings; it was a head count.)

To be clear: That's $14 for three potstickers. Three potstickers that look and taste as if they came straight from the freezer aisle at Trader Joe's. I used the Sysco baguette to mop up the cilantro sauce; the potstickers couldn't make a dent in it.

And I almost forgot:
SOUP OF NOW (Isn't that a Scientology offshoot?)
It was Asparagus. It was Awful.

I know, we only ordered three things from the menu. Maybe the crab cake with chipotle aioli had the magic touch, or the "glazed Scottish salmon with opus (WTF?) of wild mushroom, spinach gnocchi & vegetable piperade." (OK, probably not.)

If you want to tell me different, holler.

Comments

[freddie]

Plus, the host and waitstaff are not true restaurant people. They are hotel workers. They have no clue how to cater to diners. Let alone CAA types.