Just a brief note about an excellent dinner our group had last night at the wine bar/restaurant a.o.c. on 3rd Street in Los Angeles. I had been to the old location, and I’ve been to the new location a few times. But I hadn’t had an experience quite as positive as last night’s.
It was a large group (14 when we started, and then 2 more joined us!) and they arranged a set tasting menu. While the food wasn’t “cutting edge,” it was ALL very well-presented and executed, and we were served with various platters and dishes family style. The big hit was the sea bass with coconut milk, but the hanger steak with blue cheese sauce and the chicken in homage to the Zuni chicken were both excellent as well. There was more than enough food for everyone, and the birthday girl ended up taking home some of the leftover chicken. Several of us brought wine, and the staff was very helpful in chilling down the sparking wine, opening/serving the other wines, bringing out new wine glasses, clearing plates, etc. We were there for a little over 3 hours, and the service (and food) were at a consistently high level.
The meal was VERY reasonably priced–$65 per person, all in. Corkage was an extra $25 per bottle–not cheap, but frankly totally worth it for the attentive service. Not just one of the best restaurant meals I’ve had in 2015, but one of the best large group dinners I’ve had in the past 5-10 years.
As you can tell, we were all very impressed, and it would be a good location for an offline for a medium-size group. Of course, doing it on a slower Sunday night undoubtedly helped.
Bruce