Jacaranda, Los Angeles (July)

Still a work in progress, but massive potential

With chef Daniel Patterson's history (2 stars at Coi), we went in with high expectations. We left satisfied, but more importantly intrigued, agreeing that we would want to revisit in the future. Not the case for most fine dining places we go to, even great ones, but it's clear that this place is still in its infancy and we fully believe they'll become even better in the future.

Imperfections

This was the theme throughout the meal. Clearly they have high aspirations but with only 2 months under their belt they have yet to find their footing. The staff operated Michelin style, but there were misses here and there. Some awkward moments, such as food being served when my partner was in the restroom or cutlery being misplaced. But there were also bright spots, like when they noticed how much we liked the bread and gave us a loaf to bring home. Also the sommelier was delightful and really knows his stuff, and Sarah, chef's wife and co-owner was a most welcoming host.

The Food

We've often found that 2 star places are the most fun food-wise, because they tend to be the most adventurous, vs 3 stars being more perfect but less interesting. The food here reminded me of a 2 starred venue. The food had character and chef is not afraid to use ingredients that not everyone is a fan of. There were a few lowlights, so again they need to dial it in a bit more, but the highs were quite high.

Standouts include

Soft Tofu with Caviar

• Great mix of textures. Lots of places add caviar for the sake of it, this one makes it the main flavor with everything else being built around it

Artichoke Flower

• The surprise of the night, not usually a fan of artichoke but the balance of creaminess and flavor of the vegetable is hard to put into words

Wine pairing

• I'll say it again, the somm is doing some heavy lifting here. We ordered the California wine pairing, and it was thoughtful and blended extremely well. Pours were generous too which is always a plus.

Lowlights

Cracker with Radish

• First bite of the night, way too spicy. The spice spread was uneven so each bit was a tossup on whether it would be no spice or very spicy. Lasted through the next 2 bites.

Shrimp & Squash dumpling

• Heavy on the cilantro, so we were split on enjoyment. I liked it but the wife could not finish hers.

Overall we had a wonderful time. We found the food and venue worth discussing and compared them favorably to other highly rated establishments. Are they Michelin worthy yet? No, but the bones are there and they are clearly shooting for the stars by opening on the murderer's row that is Melrose, right alongside giants like Providence, Meteora, Osteria Mozza, etc. I would be surprised if they don't find similar recognition in the near future.