La Boucherie

La Boucherie Restaurant Review:

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About the restaurant: With the name, it is easy to understand that the restaurant is French influenced, a steakhouse ("butcher shop" is the direct translation) and located on the 71st floor. As soon as you enter La Boucherie, it is obvious that the property's goal succeeded in making this restaurant its flagship, but also to put a mark on the culinary map of the City of Angels --- and when we say culinary we mean the upper end of the quite large LA food scene spectrum. The floor-to-ceiling windows let you be part of what is going on down below outside wherever you are seated. This is one of the highest views in the city as the building, Wilshire Grand Center, is the tallest building in America west of the Mississippi. The décor is a mélange of French élégance, which for some reason is based on Queen Marie-Antoinette, as visible in the love seats and the back of the banquettes, and modern America. Every part of the experience has been carefully orchestrated, including Lalique crystal, elegant dishware and silverware, a choice of 10 different steak knives brought to the table, 4 mustards and salts, a backlit menu (so you can actually see it), an electronic wine list, wood floors reminiscent of Versailles, and a beautiful bar where craft cocktails are prepared. Despite the luxury of the lieu, there are no tablecloths but rather three different tabletops: black marble, beige marble (for the chef's table) and black wood.

Likes: The food, the view, the wine list. Professional service.
Dislikes: Not recommended if you have vertigo!

Watch the hotel opening party.

About the chef & the food: Now it is time to sit and discover the menu that opens with caviar, charcuterie & cheese or classic French onion soup. Carnivores can indulge in one of the proposed cuts of Prime American beef, unless the Japanese or Australian Wagyu catches your attention. Other options include lamb, chicken breast and pork rib double chop. For those who prefer the sea, you can order the seafood tower, loup de mer or salmon. Don't forget to choose a sauce and side dishes. For a fiery ending, order the Cherry Jubilee. And if you still have an appetite, indulge in the "Not Cheesecake", tofu cream based.

About the wine: You should also ask the soommelier to walk through the wine tunnel that contains over 1,900 labels. Naturally, the focus is on French wines, including a $16,695 1979 1982 Château Lafite-Rothschild, which should clue you in to the quality of the wine program.