This is her "unfavorable" review that started all of this. It's not a stellar review, it is critical but it doesn't sound too overhyped or like she went in expecting a bad meal. While she has a rep for being pretty harsh, this makes it seem likes it's more of a pompous restaurant owner that probably should have taken her words into consideration. This is far from a scathing review for her.
http://www.latimes.com/features/la-fo-review14-2009jan14,0,5965966.story?page=1"After listening to the waiter try to explain the concept at the new XIV in West Hollywood, we're thoroughly confused. It's social dining, he tells us. But isn't all eating in restaurants inherently social? The menu is all small plates, but he doesn't call it a small-plates restaurant either. "So -- it's a tasting menu," someone prompts the waiter. "No, it's not," he answers. OK, then, could it be considered a do-it-yourself multi-course menu? Something like that.
Only problem: Because everyone at the table has to order the same thing, with my bunch of opinionated diners, we could be here all night negotiating. It happened on a first visit, and that was with like-minded guests. But with this group? I'm opting for the chef choosing. (Hey, but it's not a tasting menu.)
That's how it works at XIV, the 14th restaurant from highly successful San Francisco chef Michael Mina, who has, in addition to Michael Mina in San Francisco and several Vegas spots, the more traditional Stonehill Tavern at the St. Regis Monarch in Dana Point. Given its location on the Sunset Strip, this one has more in common with Vegas than San Francisco. It's glitzy and somewhat glib, pitched more to scenesters than serious food lovers.
It might help to bring an accountant along. Each of those small plates is $8 (except for a few extra-luxe dishes that add a supplement). Keep in mind that's per person, because if one person orders a dish, it's automatically multiplied by the number of people at the table. Order one $8 dish and if you're four diners, add $32 to the bill.
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