The Knife

Abode loses its chef, gains a second chance

Lesley at Eater LA has the lowdown. She's right to say that Chef Dominique Crenn is lovely in person, and brave both in person and online. But in her ankling (to use the Variety slanguage), Abode's owners have a second shot at success.

In two dinners at Abode, the food was well prepared but overworked, to the point that the restaurant's so-called dedication to "sustainabilty" seemed completely beside the point.

Granted, if you're at a fine-dining restaurant, you're not saving the planet. Your meal probably requires 10 gallons of water just to wash the dishes that are changed with each course. But if you're going to show off fabulous vegetables and meat from free-range, emotionally stable livestock, then please don't paint things on plates or beat the sauces into foamy submission. With all due respect to Wylie Dufresne, how much can you tell about the foodstuffs' sources under those circumstances? It could be a farm in Paso Robles or an 18 wheeler from Sysco.

What Cyril Kabaoglu will bring to Abode as its executive chef, of course, remains to be seen. Like Crenn, he came to Abode from Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach, where he served as her chef de cuisine.

BREAKING: Dominique Crenn leaves Abode [Eater LA]
What does $26 worth of vegetables look like? [The Knife]
Fraiche v. Abode [The Knife]
Abode's painful review: A small difference of opinion [The Knife]
Abode comes back swinging [The Knife]

Abode's painful review: A small difference of opinion

In June, Abode was home to the World's Smallest Dinner. In the October Vanity Fair, it was the subject of a Fanfair Love Letter. (Click for larger pic.) Yesterday, it was the recipient of S. Irene's Nasty Review.

In between, I met Abode chef Dominique Crenn and I revisited Abode. And while I largely agree with S. Irene's take, I don't think Crenn is a "fashion victim." If she's anything like the day I met her, she's a righteously pissed off chef.

"You killed me!" That's how she introduced herself to me at last month's Food & Wine cocktail party benefit, where she cooked alongside Sang Yoon and Michael Cimmarusti. "That was not my vegetable plate! I took your review into my kitchen and said, 'Who did this? This is not my food!' "

I don't know how her kitchen works. But Crenn's food at the party was delicious.

So here's my wholly unsolicited and utterly opinionated advice for Abode: Relax. You've got beautiful tableware; put it in service of food that reflects Abode's motto of "Artisanal, Sustainable and seasonal" cuisine. Back off on the foams, the frosts, the semi-savory ice cream. Even if/when they're perfectly executed, no one wants to eat them; not really. Outside of the Oscar party, Los Angeles is not Vanity Fair; Angelenos only want memories of dinner at El Bulli as souvenirs.

Fraiche v. Abode: 'Highlights for Children' is My Zagat Guide

This is a tale of two restaurants: Abode in Santa Monica and Fraiche in Culver City.

Both new. Both embrace this year's version of blackened redfish: local/seasonal/sustainable/yadda. And together, they are Goofus and Gallant.

What does $26 worth of vegetables look like?

If you're at Abode, something like this:

The picture is sheer crap (cameraphone, dark restaurant), but trust me that you're not missing much; however, I was.

Abode's take on "Indian-spiced roasted vegetables from the farmer's market" inspired me to do something no other dish has done: Take inventory.

3 white asparagus spears (each approx. 6" long)

5 green asparagus spears (each approx. 5" long)

1 baby pattypan squash, halved

2 baby carrots (one orange, one yellow)

1/2 cauliflower floret

1 brandied cherry, large

3 slices fried lotus root chips

Total cost: $26.

To be fair, every vegetable or fraction thereof was beautiful in shape and taste. But it was billed as an entree and I'm not an anorexic. (Which, if they're aiming for the Koi crowd, may not be an unreasonable presumption.)