Vespertine — Restaurant in Culver City

Awesome. I had the immense privilege of eating there about a week ago and I still can't get it out of my head. We had a late seating, so by the end we were getting tired, and my mom (who was with us) got full a few dishes from the end (she always does at tasting menus - this has nothing to do with the restaurant's portions, which are very well done), so I'm hoping that everyone at the restaurant knows that we enjoyed our time there immensely.

Jordan Kahn and his team put a tremendous amount of effort into making Vespertine fundamentally detached from not only any specific culinary tradition - he warns (threatens?) you of as much when you meet him. They succeed in doing so - far more than any other restaurant I've ever seen, yes even Alinea. Granted, that's not for everyone - if you're coming expecting a traditional fine dining experience, you won't get one (for example, see the largely unwarranted negative reviews people have given this place). The design of... well... everything is brilliant and brilliantly meticulous, from the very strategic use of color in the plating (truly gorgeous) to the clothing that the staff wears (Chef Kahn - if you ever get tired of that apron let me know - my fiancee was beside herself with how excited she was to see a fashion designer make a functional culinary apron). The tables in the main dining room cast lights on the ceiling which, when filtered through wine glasses, are remniscent of the stars you see when you're eating appetizers on the rooftop garden. I could go on and on and on about all the little things Vespertine does (and I do to anyone who will listen) - all the small, subtle things that go, "Did they mean to do that?"

To quote our waiter, "If you hear the way that Chef describes this restaurant to us, then you'd know that yes, if it looks intentional, that's because it IS intentional".

I can't wait to go back to see what new ideas this team has come up with. Which is a problem, because I'm both very poor and...

We have dined at some of the best restaurants in the world—Noma, Geranium, Central, La Tour d’Argent, Joel Robuchon, French Laundry, Fat Duck, Le Meurice Alain Ducasse, Borago, Oteque, Mellisse, Guy Savoy, Alinea, Ceto, Picasso, and more—so naturally, we had high expectations for this restaurant. While the food was interesting and good, I have a couple of serious complaints: I made it very clear at the time of booking that I am pescatarian. Yet, during dinner, my two meat courses—lamb and quail—were replaced with vegan dishes, not pescatarian ones. I was left with cabbage for one course and mushrooms for another. I was still hungry after both the appetizers and the main course. Thankfully, the dessert filled me up, but given the price and caliber of this restaurant, I expected seafood substitutions for the meat courses, which is standard practice at other top-tier establishments. I brought this up with both our male server and the female supervisor when we paid the bill, and was told it’s their regular substitutions…. We were celebrating a birthday, yet the birthday acknowledgment was severely lacking. The birthday boy received a card—a plain piece of paper with “Happy Birthday” handwritten on it. No special birthday dessert, no candle, nothing. For a restaurant at this level, that’s unacceptable. We also noticed that the guests at the table next to us were complaining about their wine pairing experience. Two supervisors were involved, and the chef came out briefly to settle their complaint. While it’s great that issues are addressed, it would be nice for the chef to come out and greet all guests, not just when there’s a complaint.

I hope these issues are taken seriously, as the experience did not live up to the standards we’ve come to expect from a restaurant of...

A 2024 update: This dinner was inspired, wispy, elegant, ritualistic. It was definitely for the Tesla folks that go to burning man - but I loved every moment. More food theater, please.

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A rigorously defined experience from a gifted chef and regimented team of creative performers and servers.

The meal was arced nicely and several of the dishes would be at the top of my list of "must-have-again(s)" - but food was only a fourth of this experience with scent, sound and sight being prominent parts of the conversation throughout the night.

Performance rituals were abundant, with oft forgotten (but incredibly important) details like pouring water elegantly executed by occasionally three people at once using otherworldly shaped jugs.

Dishes employed expert texture, form and body - and the soundtrack heightening emotions and sensations as they occured within the service. My only hesitation is that there may not be enough tactile sensation. The only memorable bits are scraping my spoon along the bowl and holding some vessels, and while this doesn't detract from my experience I do believe there's potential for growth here.

We were left with a vial of their second signature scent by Orris, a lovely and thoughtful end to a meal that extends the experience slightly. The scent wafts through Vespertine, and there were other scents employed in the bathroom, the entry, and the garden.

Vespertine is a sensory bath in creativity - and worth going out of your way to attend. It was a pleasure to celebrate my birthday here - thank you Jordan and co. for your...