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

1221 RESTAURANT
1221 Yan’an Xi Lu
Shanghai, 31 200050 China
+86 (0)21 6213 6585 / +86 (0)21 6213 2441
Inexpensive-Moderate

By all accounts this is one of Shanghai’s best restaurants in terms of the upscale crowd that goes there to savor modern Chinese cuisine and the Chinese menu has an English translation.
It is a nice surprise to find pleasant design and decor amongst all the drab and brightly lit Shanghainese restaurants. It is located in what appears to be a building that manufactures toys.
Best dishes: Crispy Duck and Shredded Pork served with scallions and pancakes, Bao Zi vegetable dumplings.

HENRY
8 Xinle Lu
Shanghai, 200031
Tel. +86 (0)21 6473 3448
Inexpensive

Henry features traditional Shanghainese cuisine in a modern setting with touches of art-deco and black and white framed photos. The customer mix is up-scale locals together with ex patriots that come for the reasonably priced Shanghai cooking served in a stylish atmosphere.

M ON BUND
7F, 5 The Bund
Shanghai, 31 200002 China
+86 (0)21 6350 9988
reservations@m-onthebund.com
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 11:30a-2:30p Tue-Fri; brunch: noon-3pm Sat-Sun
Dinner: 6:15p-10:30p daily

M on Bund serves a good selection of various Western dishes most of them are good, and the cuisine is complimented by a fairly extensive wine list.

It is a trendy place, at the moment, and booking in advance would probably be a good idea. You are able to look through the tasteful decor out to sweeping views of the Bund. The food can be good to excellent and the service follows suit.

SASHA
11 Dongping Road
corner of Hengshan Lu
Shanghai
200031
Metro:Heng Shan Road Station
Tel.+86 21 6474 6628
Expensive

The location of Sasha, was at one time, the home to Chiang Kai Shek and his wife, Soong Mei Ling, during the civil war.

Today, the restored three-story house is the location of the fashionable Sasha’s restaurant, bar and patio. The lovely patio attracts diners when the weather cooperates, and is ideal for a Sunday brunch. Inside, the wooden interiors are very attractive. There is is no doubt it is a beautiful setting, and the fact that the food is good as well, makes for a pleasing lunch or dinner.

PRIME RESTAURANT
Prime is a newly launched restaurant just above Sasha, which has been a Shanghai institution for the past 10 years. Prime has been created to attract steak lovers and will offer six different cuts of beef
from Melbourne’s Chef Julian Robertshaw who has designed the menu from his long experience dealing with beef in Australia. He serves double cut veal chops and 450g T-bone steaks along with two of Australia’s favorites, mud crab and barramundi.
This restaurant is highly recommended if you enjoy steak and of course, let us not forget the famous mud crabs and delicious barramundi fish.

TRADER VIC’S
598 Fengyang Lu (by Nanjing Xi Lu)
Tel. 5228 3882
Credit Cards: All Major
Nearest Metro: Middle Henan Road
Expensive

I think I have sampled enough Trader Vic’s around the world to understand the concept including: Beverly Hills (closed) although a new one will be opening in L.A. 2009, New York (closed), Chicago, San Francisco (closed), Oakland (closed), Scottsdale AZ, Vancouver (closed), London, Tokyo, Munich, Singapore (closed), Munich, and Bangkok (terrible).

The Shanghai Trader Vic’s Polynesian Restaurant is situated on the 2nd floor of an apartment complex near The Thai Gallery.

The menu is the typical Traders menu that you will now find in cities across the globe. You will find Asian and Western dishes mixed in with some South-Pacific recipes and of course their famous drinks that include the Navy Grog and Mai Tai among many others. Try the meat, lamb and beef steaks cooked in the wood-fired oven.

They have Happy Hour from 5:30-7:30, when drinks are buy one get one free and you can save money and sample some appetizers during these hours.

ALLURE RESTAURANT
Le Meridien Hotel
1/F, 789 Nanjing Dong Lu (by Jiujiang Lu)
Phone: 3318-9999 x. 7022
Credit Cards: All Major
Nearest Metro:Peoples Square
Expensive

Allure French Restaurant has been recently opened in the Le Méridien Hotel on Nanjing Dong Lu. A comfortable, ultra-modern dining room seating about 45 is located on the 11th floor with a lovely view.

Allure is probably the best French restaurant in town and the Chef, Michael Wendling pays attention to minute details. A notable dish is the the Truffle Noire soup with black truffle emulsion and white beans. I might add that his cooking is good across the board.

The wine list contains only French selections but they have been carefully chosen and it is a well balanced list.

RED AT THE GRILL
JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai
Tomorrow Square
上海明天广场JW万豪酒店
399 Nanjing West Road, Shanghai 200003, PRC
中国上海市南京西路399号
邮政编码: 200003
Telephone : (86 21) 5359 4969
Facsimile : (86 21) 6375 5988
Credit Cards: All major
Prices: Expensive

A very good restaurant featuring steaks and lobsters with other additional dishes offered with many choices of side dishes and accompaniments.
Red Meat
t-bone steak 450g                                          380
fillet steak 150g/250g                             220/350
rib eye 250g                                                    300
cowboy steak 550g                                       480
new york strip 250g                                        300
mongolian wagyu oyster blade 200g         200
australian rack of lamb 500g                        325
chateaubriand 600g                                      780
ask for more   m.p.

Red Lobster
lobsters from our lobster tank
poached, steamed, grilled or roasted
boston lobster 650g                                        550
australian lobster 1000g                               1100
south african lobster 250g                             225
ask for more                                                    m.p.

WHAMPOA CLUB
No 3 the Bund 5th Floor 3 Zhongshandongyl Road Shanghai, 200002
Tel. 86 21 6321 3737
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive

Shanghainese dining has reached high levels with the introduction of a revolutionary new cuisine under the guiding hand of Chef Wap Poh Yang.
It is located on the 5th floor of Three on Bund that houses four unique restaurants.

JEAN GEORGES
Three on the Bund
No. 3 The Bund, 4th Floor,
3 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Road,
Entrance on 17 Guang Dong Road
Shanghai 200002
Tel.  6321 7733
Opening Hours:
Dinner
5:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Bar
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive-Very Expensive

In his first signature effort outside of New York Jean-Georges Vongerichten presents modern and light French cuisine using organic products. Yvonne Chiong, one of Asia’s few female sommeliers, worked here from 2003-2007.

LARIS RESTAURANT
6th Floor, Three on the Bund (on the Bund / “waitan”)
17 Guangdong Road by Zhongshan East Road
Tel. +86 (21) 6321 9922
Opening Hours: Daily, 5.30pm – 10.30pm
Website: www.threeonthebund.com
Cuisine: Fusion
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive

Located on the Bund, in the Three on the Bund complex it offers lovely decor, efficient service (thanks mainly to the watchful eye of Australian Chef David Laris). He is also a chocolatier. Be sure not to miss stopping for a drink at the Vault Bar attached to Laris.

WANG BAO HE
Fuzhou Lu 603, Shanghai
(West of Zhejiang Zhong Lu)
Tel. 021/6322-3673
Cuisine: Chinese
Prices: Inexpensive-Moderate Crabs: Expensive

Their specialty is Hairy Crabs (available only in autumn). The place is brightly lit with florescent lighting, rushed service and a menu in Chinese with pictures and indecipherable english.

LA GRANGE

La Grange
94 Julu Road Tel: (86 21) 6248 2185
Shanghai, 31

The French cuisine here is quite good. Choose the restaurant’s “set menu” at 498RMB; a starter, main course, cheese course and a dessert may be chosen from the menu. Ordering from the menu directly can become quite expensive.

Built at the turn of the century as a private residence and later transformed into a French-colonial style hotel the French architecture is set off with colonial decor and period pieces. In 1999 the Settha Palace Hotel has been restored to its former glory. The pool, which has a pool bar and terrace offering light fare is surrounded by large landscaped gardens, in the center of Vientiane, only a ten minute drive from the airport.
The charming dining room of the La Belle Epoque Restaurant offers excellent French cuisine as well as seasonal Lao food or you may enjoy a drink at the Colonial Bar open throughout the day and evening. There is also a Sidewalk Cafe.

You have the choice of luxurious suites or choose from 29 graciously appointed rooms and suites with separate shower and bath. Each suite features a 4-poster bed, hardwood furniture, marbled bathrooms, It is interesting to point out, that this hotel has all the modern conveniences, satellite color television, electronic in-room safe, mini bar, large writing desk, wireless Internet throughout the hotel and IDD telephone; in a city that has not one glass high rise building!