71above, dtla.
on the 71st floor of the US bank building in DTLA, 71above is a beautiful, exquisitely designed restaurant with the best views of the city. of course, with our luck, our reservation fell on the rainiest day of the year and when we got to the restaurant, it just looked like there were grey curtains on all the windows. our luck changed though and we got a table right by a window (not reserveable for 2 people unless you pay an extra fee) and got to watch the clouds running past, with hints of the city peaking through. it was utterly magical. but hey, let's get to the meal!
we each started off with a drink from their cocktail menu, all named after LA neighborhoods. i had the silverlake and it was lovely, particularly the aromatic tea foam.
downtown: toasted hazelnut-infused old forester bourbon, pierre ferrand cognac, gilford abricot, demerara.
silver lake: brugal rum, lie juice, smoked tamarind cordial, jasmine tea sea salt foam.
the menu is set up as a three course prix fixe, though you can order as much off the menu as you want. for each the first and second course, we actually had an additional order so we could share and try more dishes.
first course: hamachi crudo, apple, kohlrabi, meyer lemon, horseradish, white soy.
first course: poached oyster, uni, caviar, tarragon, champagne.
second course: steak tartare, farm yolk, mustard, truffle, chives, crostini.
every dish was beautifully plated, and every bite was excellent. i genuinely enjoyed every single dish we had. my favorites were from the first two courses (the oysters! the agnolotti!), though that might be because i'm partial to seafood.
second course: chestnut agnolotti, marscarpone, lobster, tarragon.
second course: grilled octopus, persimmon, lemon, mustards, pickled pearl onion, herbs.
the view from our table when the skies eventually cleared.
third course: prime ribeye, sweet potato, pepper crust, bone marrow, cipollini onion, smoked soy jus.
third course: young chicken breast, foie gras, black truffle, chanterelle mushrooms, jus gras.
71above is definitely has the most wow-factor of any restaurant i've been to lately - it's got glitz and glam and is there to impress, and luckily, it's not all just for show. the food actually lives up to the hype and is impressive in its own right.
dessert: caramel custard, truffle-praline almonds, young coconut sorbet, vanilla white soy gelee, pork and maple powder.
633 W. 5th Street, 71st Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071
