Unlike other restaurants in the Adolfo Suraya empire (Lodge Steakhouse, Sushi Roku), Arclight neighbor Charcoal isn't looking for boldface names; it's looking for the people who look for them. The menu is an unappealing hodgepodge (sashimi, burgers, spinach-artichoke dip); the decor is a more-appealing hodgepodge, one that seems comprised of his empire's leftovers. The net effect: Dolce meets Applebee's. That said, skirt steak and a vegetable soup were good. Charcoal is a post-movie option; more than that, you're on your own.
Charcoal, 6360 Sunset Blvd. (323) 465-8500
(Photo: The 1897 patent drawings of the charcoal briquette by Ellsworth B. A. Zwoyer, with thanks to creativepro.com)
A post-Arclight option only if you want a sub-Applebee's experience. We tried it out opening week (I know, I know) and it was miserable (enough so beyond opening-week hiccups that I wrote a lengthy gripe on Chowhound). After two of our dining companions retried it -- with success -- the other couple we had gone with retried, as did my partner and I. Both our experiences? Terrible.
For us, we ordered two cocktails to begin with. Both came improperly prepared. To make up for it, our waiter comped us bottled water: "No tap water for you guys tonight!". Well, frankly, I ordered tap water not because I'm cheap; I ordered it because I find it absurd to have water from WALES, of all places, to be stuck in a bottle, then on a ship, go through the Panama Canal, past a distribution center in Oxnard, down to Hollywood, then on to my table.
And the food was sub-Applebee's, quite honestly.
Posted by: mikey | August 22, 2007 at 01:49 PM
Yeah, I'm not planning to return. However, look for a heartfelt post-Arclight recommendation soon to come.
Posted by: Dana | August 22, 2007 at 02:38 PM
My partner and I dined at Charcoal two months ago. The menu lacked any focus and seemed to be hodge-podgy assortment of vaguely overpriced dishes. The service was extremely slow (over 45 minutes from placing order and receiving food -- try that before a movie). On the way to the rest rooms, I passed the iced tea dispensers, directly under which some waiters had placed their used, dirty plates of eaten food. This was appalling and disgusting and undoubtedly a health code violation. When the food finally arrived at our table, my chicken was as dry as LA air and completely mediocre in terms of presentation and flavors. My suggestion: stick with the Arclight Cafe -- as much as I dislike that place, Charcoal makes it look fantastic.
Posted by: Doug | September 04, 2007 at 12:46 AM