THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Le Festival

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Le Festival Restaurant Review:

Le Festival is undeniably a hotel restaurant, from the large, open, overly bright dining room decorated in a combination of noncommittal blonde wood and brightly painted accents to the innocuous jazz piped over the powerful sound system. It is, at the same time, a clean, comfortable space and although it may not be the right choice for a romantic interlude, it is the perfect setting for a business meal. The menu, offering a wide variety of California updates on traditional Mediterranean dishes should appeal to every palate. Seafood predominates in such refreshing dishes as a crab and artichoke salad with lemon confit. We love the lamb tagine, both in presentation and in flavor. A rack of lamb, twisted into a delicate sculpture, is held in place by a bed of couscous and baby vegetables. The steaming dish is brought to the table in a traditional tagine, painted with zigzags and swirls in oranges and blacks. The restaurant is also one of the few in Southern California to offer frogs legs on their list of entrées. A dessert specialty is a selection of house-made ice creams flavored with unusual ingredients like aged balsamic and lemongrass. Although Le Festival may never rise above its hotel dining room distinction, its culinary creativity has certainly helped to elevate the space into the upper echelons of hotel cuisine.