Tart at Farmer's Daughter Hotel

NINE NEW RESTAURANTS, IN REVERSE ORDER OF PREFERENCE

#9: Tart

I know it doesn't look it, but Tart is a mess.

And it's a missed opportunity. It's part of the skank-to-swank Farmer's Daughter Hotel, which is like a funkier version of the Avalon (which had its own semi-sordid past as a retirement home).

But with the restaurant, I don't know what happened.

It's across the street from the Grove, although you'd never know it. The exterior is made out of what looks like reclaimed wood, with no windows and TART spelled out in more wood.

Still, book by its cover, etc., and once inside it's all airy outdoor seating and cutting-edge cute -- ceramic dishes on display, wood walls, skylights.

First visit, shortly after it opened last spring: Fine scallop crudo with jalapeno oil; a good crabcake. But there were bad signs: The menu included a $56 veal chop presented in a Staub with a bundle of smoldering herbs, the culinary equivalent of a smudge stick. Chowhounders and others were not kind.

And then, about two months ago, the restaurant put out a culinary mea culpa in the form of a press release. New chef, concept, food. So I went back, only to discover that in getting El Bulli out of its system, Tart became Marie Callender's.

The interior is still adorable, but the menu is upside-down nachos, fried chicken tenders and pasta dishes listed as " 'Sketti." And while there's "artisan cheese" and charcuterie, the Caesar dressing tastes like a bottle.

The farmer's daughter: Cute, but not too bright.

Tomorrow, the countdown continues.

Comments

[olivia]

Oh man tart IS a mess! I went there last week with a few friends, wanting to try someplace new. We waited over an hour for our food, which then showed up totally bland. Our waitress was no where to be seen for the entire night, UNTIL one of the patrons tried to leave without paying, dropping there crack pipe in the process, and then she came over every three minutes to give us updates. She was very excited that the police were showing up. Lovely.
Oh, and on top of all this, the bartenders and manager gave total attitude. You're in the farmers daughter for Christsake!

[Nirad]

When I lived in the neighborhood, my girlfriend and I would go here for breakfast on the weekends. The food was pretty good, the patio was beautiful and it beat waiting in line for an hour at Toast. Then we tried it for dinner one night, and the food was OK and it beat waiting for an hour at one of the restaurants at The Grove. Then we tried it a couple of months later, and the menu had completely changed. And they couldn't make anything right! My food was cold, hers was undercooked, and the service was slow. It might have been the single worst restaurant experience I had in LA.