A.O.C.

Reviews 4

JU

Juvi Guevara

First off, if this is will be your first time here, youll want to bring a friend or two, as youll want to try a lot of things on the menu. Or maybe thats just me projecting my own gluttony. I mean foodiness. Second, and probably most important: Youre probably wondering whats good here. I mean, with food this popular, who cares about the service, anyway? Well get to that later. Heres the rundown on what we had: 1.) Bacon-Wrappped Dates- Pretty darn good balance between the slight sweetness of the dates mixed with the savoriness of the bacon. The only downside was the tiny portion for the $8 we shelled out. We only got about 7 or 8 dates. Im not very good at math, but I do believe thats a bit of a ripoff. 2.) Vanilla Bean French Toast w/Hazelnuts- I am not one to need much convincing to scarf down a heaping plate of french toast, but this disappeared before even I knew what had happened. Perfectly sweet and balanced with a hint of citrus that wasnt overpowering, and huge slices of soft, fluffy bread...er, toast, with a garnish of hazelnuts and and slices of what could have been caramelized pear or apple, for good measure. This is truly the breakfast of champions. And unlike the dates, the portion did not disappoint. 3.) Chicken & Waffle- What? You didnt think I was full yet, did you? Psh!! Anyway, this dish was amazing on so many levels. The chicken was perfectly seasoned, fried to a golden crisp on the outside, yet still tender and flavorful on the inside. The best part is its more like small pieces of chicken tenders that help you bypass that whole battle of trying to tear off every last juicy morsel of meat from the bone like some angry animal. Ive seen it before, and it aint pretty. And the waffle it sits on is warm, fluffy, and already pre-soaked, (yet not drowning), in something to make it sweet. This is a guilty indulgence with an air of sophistication. 4.) Latte- I know, boring, right? But you know what? Considering, this isnt your local hipster-infused coffee shop, I was pleasantly surprised by how perfect this coffee was. It had the most delicious nutty flavor, with a perfect pairing of coffee-flavor & creaminess from the milk. So, I ordered two. You know, just to be sure the first wasnt a fluke. It wasnt. And for you booze lovers out there, these guys have an alcohol menu thats like ten times bigger than their food menu. If youre also a fan of coffee, like my over-caffeinated self, then the Caffe Trieste Cocktail is for you. The only other drink I tried was a sparkling red Lambrusco wine that was a bit on the sweet side. Its a perfect wine to have for dessert. What I found interesting was how cozy this place was. I honestly thought Id walked into someones elaborate dining room. And the outdoor patio is a great place to enjoy brunch on a warm, sunny day. As to the service, in case you were interested: Its LA. We should all be used to it. The people who work here CAN be friendly, although dont always choose to be. However, the girl who greeted us at the door was pretty awesome, and our server was attentive, though not exactly happy to be there. But hey, on a Sunday morning, I wouldnt be, either. Who am I to judge? Overall, great place to try at least once.

RE

Re becca

This location does not look like anything from my first time? Regardless it was way more quaint and adorable than my first experience. We had 10 people and dine at the upstairs location with beautiful wine cellars that surrounds us and 2 mini balcony area that overlooks the diners from downstairs. Overall the decor was great. The food: We had 2 cheese plates and it was perfect during the wait for our tapa dishes. We ordered pretty much everything on the menu since there were 10 of us and I have to say everything was good but not something where you would oohh and ahh over! I just like the fact that there were plenty of different things to have a taste..I think by the last hanger steak that came out everyone was BEYOND STUFF! Drinks: Everyone loved my Green goddess which consist of cucumber, ginger beer and some jalapeños ! My gf had a vacation drink with a mermaid like cup, it came with nuts and all these fancy like stuff! I believe that was probably the only excitement of the night. One of the things that may be a bit of a bother that I highly suggest management to consider is to perhaps moving the table further away from the wine cellar- some of the girls had to get up not once, but twice so that people can grab wines from the cabinent behind us! This may be quite annoying if your in the middle of putting food in your mouth! Another thing I notice was when our birthday girl was downstairs smoking the guy brought out the cake on the request of someone and we said the girl is not here yet..so when he brought it back it was a not very nice face! I mean we are paying you $30 for cake cutting you dont have to be such a grinch about it ! Overall the bill was about $74 per person plus tips and tax!

SA

Sally Elbassir

Ive never been to the old AOC, but I can say that the new AOC is absolutely gorgeous. The interior is truly breathtaking, but I was even more impressed by the patio. Somehow they managed to keep it very cool despite the 90+ degree weather, and it was a total pleasure to bask outside. Now that Im done drooling over the atmosphere, lets talk about the food. We started with two focaccias to share. Tasted more on the mini pizza side, but really light and delicious nonetheless. ricotta, cherry tomato, eggplant & tapenade - my I liked this one more than the second option. I LOVE olive tapenade, so no complaints over here. Plus, the overall flavors really complemented each other. skordalia, cavolo nero, clams & gremolata - a tad on the blander side, but still good after a couple of salt shakes. For my main, I opted for the Farmers Lunch. I do think its worth noting that I NEVER order vegetarian if I can help it, but I was thoroughly impressed by the vegetable medley this came with. Everything was light, fresh, and well-seasoned. It also came with a side of bread perfect for dipping into the chickpea puree (and I think the tapenade?). Great service, food, atmosphere. Id definitely come back!

AN

Andy Cheng

Its probably the most romantic/best decor restaurant Ive been to in Los Angeles. The ambiance is amazing. The indoor garden looks great. Now, why only 2 stars? Well, other than the decor, everything else is just average. And the service was just lacking. Food is okay. The prep time was good and food temperature was good as well. Nothing extraordinary, but I would still recommend for you to come just to check out the decor. But, man, they have one of the worst service in this type of restaurant. My wife and I came in around 2pm. we were seated promptly and hostess was very nice. The place wasnt busy, maybe about 4 tables were occupied around us in the indoor area. Waiters were walking around us but no body paid attention to my table nor anyone greeted us. I had to stop a waiter to order food after we sat at our table over 20 minutes. He apologized and he said he wasnt the waiter for our table but he still took our order. After our food delivered, I cant find anyone to refill water for us and nobody came to give us our check. I had to hunt down one of them to get our check. And, yes, I had to wait for another 15 min to get our check.