PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

When celebrity L.A. restaurateur Joachim Splichal moved his flagship Patina restaurant from Melrose Avenue to the new Walt Disney Concert Hall, it raised one pertinent question: "Is it as good as the old Patina?" If you arrived after a performance ended, you wouldn't hear the answer anyway. Billowing walls of laser-cut walnut and floor-to-ceiling glass panels only augment the hubbub as droves of smartly clad fans of the performing arts dine on Splichal's signature dishes of wild game and the de rigueur ahi tuna appetizer. The après-show performances continue with a trio of carts -- mounds of caviar, giant rib-eye steaks for two, and expensive cheeses -- crisscross the dining room. My dinner started with soft, thin slices of hamachi matched with green-apple granite and mango, met its match with the seared foie gras atop caramel-poached apples, and segued into an entree of crispy skinned yellowtail snapper served on a bed of fava bean purée. Dishes I reluctantly passed on included a puff pastry-encrusted grouse with caramelized endive-and-black-olive reduction sauce, sautéed black-truffled Brussels sprouts with a sweet-potato purée, and roasted venison loin with porcini-foie gras polenta. Vegetarian dishes and wine pairings are also available, as are prix-fixe theater menus. Jackets are suggested but not required for dinner, and valet service is recommended as it's a bit of a hike from the nearest pay lot. Tip: If you want a quiet, romantic dinner, ask the hostess to schedule it at the start of a performance.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Los Angeles 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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