One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
DineLA @ Simon LA
We've been hitting DineLA's Restaurant Week pretty hard over here at LAist, but I just wanted to make a few quick observations about my great experience at Simon LA last night. We arrived about half an hour early for our reservation, but the hostess seated us promptly, in a friendly and welcoming way. Our waitress got our drink orders in quickly, and our appetizers came out within minutes of placing our order. This place is ready for Restaurant Week. I saw quite a few other tables with the prix-fixe menu -- Simon LA has been getting some good marks on the boards for its great R-Week experience.
And honestly, it was the service -- attentive, quick, unobstrusive -- that really set the night apart. I like going to a restaurant where I don't even have to think about whether or not I need anything, it's just there. Bread appears, water is refilled, dishes cleared away, oh look here's dessert! Which is also to say -- the food was pretty good too, especially the appetizers of "jumbo" lump crab salad, and yellowtail carpaccio with a nice citrusy garnish. The braised short ribs, resting on a bed of broccolini, were positively melting with flavor -- it was definitely the big hit of the night. The donut bread pudding isn't overwhelmingly sweet, and the flavor left me unimpressed. But cream cheese icing on miniature red velvet cupcakes (lined up three in a row), topped with juicy red raspberries? Yes please!
Simon still ain't cheap: with alcohol (we had a glass of wine and a DELICIOUS martini), you're still looking at a cool $100 for two people. But with great service, appetizing menu choices, and thoughtful touches like a generous bread basket to begin the meal and a huge plate of fluffy pink cotton candy to end it, it's definitely thumbs way up for this R-Week participant.
Photo from Simon LA's website
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
