By Sandy Driscoll
The beautiful open kitchen! (All images on this post ©2010 by restaurantdiningcritiques.com & Sandy Driscoll)
6703 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, California 90038
Tel. (323) 935-2977
Opening Hours:
Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:45-2:15
Dinner: Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm; Friday & Sat 6pm-10:30pm
In food-laden Los Angeles, where the restaurant du jour is always changing, Hatfield’s is a current top contender. Just last week, both the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Magazine came out with exciting and very favorable reviews, three and four stars, respectively.
Quinn Hatfield (chef/owner) and his wife/partner Karen (pastry chef) have been in Los Angeles for several years. They have cooked at Spago and prior to that, at Jean-Georges and Gramercy Tavern, to name a few. This new and much larger location (formerly Citrus, then a succession of not-as-notable restaurants) has been open only three months. It seems perfect for them and particularly for those of us who love watching the action of an open kitchen while we eat.
When my friend Susan Beyrle was in town this weekend from NYC, we wanted an interesting place to dine and this seemed to be it. We were seated directly in front center, with a closeup full view of the open kitchen . . . action central!
The option of a prix fixe, four course menu (with several choices for each course) for $59 was the most intriguing, so we went for that. With a plethora of reviews, food websites, commentators, etc., detailed food descriptions are easily available elsewhere. Suffice it to say, we really enjoyed everything. The portions are small and flavors distinct and well managed. Between the main course and dessert, we were still hungry. However, we were quite comfortable after the generous and truly delicious desserts. Service was professional and well-timed. The excellent wine list provides some interesting wines by the glass. I particularly liked the 2003 Serie Magno, a Malbec/Tempranillo blend from Argentina’s Bodega Fantelli, paired with the beef.
Personally, I was struck by the unusual texture of the short ribs. I read somewhere that the cooking method was “sous vide”, so it was not the usual consistency one expects from short ribs however, the flavor was certainly there. Early on, I found myself taking mincing little bites of everything (particularly the Squid Salad) so as to prolong the flavor bursts in my mouth and to savor each taste and lengthen each delightful course.
At the end of the meal, the waitress invited us into the kitchen to meet the chef! Chalk it up to serendipitous luck! It was a fine and fun evening.
Amuse Bouche . . .Tuna on Shaved Celery Root
Roasted Sunchoke & Rocket Salad, French Feta ‘falafel’ crumble
Monterey Bay Squid Salad … Sauteed Blue Lake & Yellow Wax Beans, Ginger Chermoula
Sugar & Spice Beignets, Venezuelan Chocolate Fondue, Preserved Ginger Milkshake Shot
Hot Chocolate Souffle Tartlet with Chicory Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Mocha Caffe
Chef Hatfield (right) carefully inspects each plate and adds finishing touches
Italy, Tel. : + 39 055 24 27 77, Fax : + 39 055 24 49 83, E-mail : 
Entrance to Imoya
Right side dining room with tatami rooms off to the side. At the rear on the right is a passageway leading to additional tatami rooms
Left dining room with bar counter quite visible in the rear with tatami rooms on the left
One of many colorful painting of times past in Japan
Antique bells made from mud (clay), hanging on the wall
A pit in the table where at one time in old Japan, certain types of food were cooked
Sake cooling down
Okonomiyaki
This small fish was especially good
Red clam sushi
Bandon Alaska, Allora’s delicious version of Baked Alaska…….cake, homemade hazelnut ice cream, cranberries (grown & harvested locally), chocolate and sugared mint leaves
The rooms are large and contain many features that are very pleasing and others that are downright annoying. A friendly, highly trained staff who provide excellent service is the first plus that should be mentioned. A password-free WIFI network throughout the property is particularly agreeable, which they offer gratis, a policy other higher-end hotels in Asia should emulate. A large terrace with a king-size day bed off of the bedroom makes another spacious area for relaxing, with a screen that may be lowered electrically with the push of a button. An oval table that doubles as a desk and dining table is a nice touch. A few of the less desirable design features included an air-conditioning control panel, which proved difficult to remain at the specific temperature chosen although, this might have been the fault of this particular unit. The wireless portable telephone provided as the main telephone had “iffy” reception even at close range to the base station. The operator at reception had difficulty hearing us. Installing a bathtub in the bedroom, in an attempt to incorporate bathroom and bedroom into one (it did have screens that with some effort could conceal it) resulted in the surrounding marble floor being exposed to temperature changes from both the air-conditioning and the adjoining open-air terrace, which caused an almost invisible film of humidity to form creating a dangerously slippery surface. The faucets fixtures in both sink & shower are not clearly marked, what happened to blue & red as hot & cold markings? Large cylindrical handles on all faucets including sink, shower and bathtub, although attractive design-wise, were so slippery to turn with wet hands that you could not get a grip on them. What a concept . . . knowing that these handles would be used around water! The doors to the cubicles that surround the toilet and shower rooms, open outwards in the wrong direction and the toilet paper roll is on the wall on the left side that requires a back-wrenching twist to reach it. There are too many lighting control buttons and all of them poorly marked. The magnifying mirror was lacking a light that negated its usefulness, especially since lighting around the sink area was dim. However, my wife was thrilled with the wonderful soap, shampoo and other amenities from L’Occitane offered by the hotel. How can interior designers get so carried away with trendy toys and design statements that they sacrifice comfort and practicability?
Exterior of New Sammy’s (all images displayed on this post are by Sandy Driscoll and are ©2010 by restaurantdiningcritiques.com & Sandy Driscoll)
The original restaurant, with only six tables. The “new” one is somewhat larger, but still intimate
Colorful entrance to New Sammy’s
Amuse – Beef Empanada with Yogurt Sauce
La Quertcia “Prosciutto Americano” with sauteed apple, walnuts, raisins, polenta, onion jam and walnut oil/banyuls vinaigrette
Cream puff with ginger ice cream, rhubarb-orange compote and butterscotch sauce
Chocolate covered grapefruit (dessert amuse)
L’addition
