Has anyone been to Girasol? It is Top Chef contestant CJ Jacobson’s spot in Studio City. Reserved a table for my wives birthday in a couple of weeks, but looking for some feedback first.
Not yet, but in the 7+ years I’ve lived a couple blocks away Girasol is the only restaurant that’s managed to survive in that space (I know it hasn’t even been open a year, but there’s literally been half a dozen restaurants that have been in and out of there very quickly prior to them)
I have yet to try it, but know several who have and raved about it. A number of my wife’s clients (she has a Pilates studio just down the street) have also told her how much they like it as well.
Another interesting nearby place to try is Commonwealth in Burbank. Going to try Girasol before trying Commonwealth again.
Enjoyed Commonwealth the other night when I was in town. A couple of misses, but most dishes were quite good.
Has anyone made it to Girasol yet? We were considering trying it out for our anniversary dinner next week but wanted some Berserker opinions on it first.
Thanks in advance!
Aaron-We had a dinner a few months ago. It was ok, but I doubt I would return. YMMV.
Thanks for the info, Gregg! I guess we’ll keep searching for that elusive fine dining restaurant in the Valley.
Aaron-You’ll want to pay attention to when The Gadarene Swine opens.
Great! I just looked it up - I’m excited.
We had an enjoyable dinner at The Gadarene Swine last night. We sat at the chef’s bar which made for an informative and social dining experience. As for the food it was solidly good with one great standout (carrots 4-ways with sweet potato - smoky, sweet, and delicious) and two poor to nearly inedible courses (a mushroom course with an acidic bite of red wine vinegar and a tres leches cake with a grapefruit oil poured from a candle that was ridiculously bitter). The $85 tasting menu was a bit high for the quality. We’ll return and order à la carte. Corkage was a reasonable $20 (unlimited bottles) though they only have one thick-rimmed, generic red wine stem. Chef Phillip Lee is inventive and creative. I think the restaurant has a very tough sell – upscale vegan cuisine. We got a reservation at the last minute on a Friday night at 7:30 and there were only about 8 of 16 tables full. I hope they are successful as the Valley is weak on good restaurants. Thanks again for the recommendation, Gregg!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Phillip is a very talented chef. I hope he succeeds in the valley.
Any updates on Girasol?
It’s been about a year since I was there. The food can be good but also not great. The service was spotty last time I was there (i.e. long waits for some dishes while others at the table received theirs, we had to request the manager remove a plate from the tab that we never got). I’m not rushing back any time soon. I am heading out to the valley to meet friends at the Bellwether this weekend. Fingers crossed.