FOOD SECTIONAL: Now pre-cut for your enjoyment

As always, The Knife gives the LA Times' Food section home team advantage.

Oh, dear. Again with the story that's about-New-York -no-it's-LA-OK-it's New York. Interesting topic: Cocktail culture has taken hold to the point that bars are demanding behaviors as sophisticated as the drinks. Betty Hallock cites two examples in LA and more in New York (to the point that I wondered if Death & Co. had opened in LA and why I hadn't heard of it -- sounds like a great place). And her only LA examples were the Doheny (the downtown private club not yet open) and the new Father's Office, owned by Sang "'I'm an asshole; you got a problem with that?" Yoon.

But really, the problem here isn't the NY/LA thing -- it's a small item writ large, when it probably would have made a great Restaurant Journal. Nice recipes, though; too bad the slide show didn't work.

Irene S. Virbilia writes what sounds like a well-deserved takedown of Hidden, a new restaurant I've been avoiding: Why would four cuisines in one space work when most restaurants can barely handle one? Or, as she concludes:

It may be all right for a drink, but the confusing concept, lame cooking and general ineptness make Hidden a no-go zone for anybody who cares about food.

What she said.

By contrast, nice to see a rave for a little place on Robertson, Cafe Bella Roma, which could be the new Osteria La Buca (now that OLB has expanded and has a liquor license to call its own).

Comments

[Nick]

I too was disappointed with Hidden. First they made us wait 15 minutes, standing awkwardly at the hostess stand, claiming they had nowhere to seat us despite our having a reservation. Then... $16 mojitos, an extremely average (and stingy) cheese plate, and some Blandy McBlanderson chocolate cake and we're in for over $100 before tip. In all, it feels much more like a gimmicky Dolce Group venture than anything aspiring to foodie palates.