Darling

The dry aged thick burger at Darling was the only dish worth mentioning after visiting the newly opened West Hollywood restaurant and listening room. Unfortunately, the service, meal pacing, flavor development, and beverage program were all off. I liked the abalone rice stew, and the artichokes with summer corn were interesting but not fully baked. While the bone in strip was good, the foam pan sauce was inedible. The profiterole was topped with a chocolate sauce that had a mouthwash like aftertaste.

LA needs more chefs from other markets to open here. Opening a 300 seat restaurant will be extremely hard to sustain every night in a transient neighborhood that will have to find new ways to market itself consistently. Maybe the abundance of menu changes will help but I’m not sure. Day three of service a lot could improve and I certainly hope it will.