Lingua Franca — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Wow! We are so happy Lingua Franca is open and it did not disappoint. The east side is blowing up w great restaurants and we couldn't be more thrilled! We enjoyed their spigarello salad that had a tasty pistachio purée at the bottom of the plate and their market greens, which I initially thought came w no dressing by the look of it but it was actually perfectly dressed! Both starters were super leafy and delish. Our server helped us w the entrees and guided us toward trying the opah, which she described as close to swordfish in texture and not a mainstay on their menu. It was incredible. Perfectly grilled, very moist, and the texture of the snap peas combined w a subtle hint of acidity on the plate from the lemon purée was fabulous. It's everything we look for in a fish dish, just spot on. No brainer to try their root beer braised beef cheeks. The cheeks were cooked to perfection, and although their rigatoni wasn't homemade, it was superbly al dente. There was nothing on this plate that was surprising or a new, fresh take, but the ingredients were quality and it was very well made-- an instant classic and something I would have again without hesitating. While neither of us would have ever done a walnut tart for dessert, our server encouraged us to try it. It ended up being one of the most inventive, fun desserts I've tried in recent memory and a wonderful way to end our meal. Looking back, I wish we had ordered two so I didn't have to share mine! Their vegan saffron & pistachio ice cream scoop, while seemingly frost bitten, melted nicely and was interesting. Probably wouldn't order it again, but I appreciated the effort. My husband was dismayed to find the only high ABV beer they had was a 22oz imperial porter (11.1% ABV). He wished there were more selections in the 8-10% ABV range; there were none. The malagousia kontozisis vineyards "a-grafo" glass of wine was so crisp and easy to drink, I indulged in two glasses. If you're into skin contact wines veering toward amber/orange wines, you'll love this one. And at only $14 a glass, it's a steal! The ambiance of Lingua Franca was beautiful and down to earth, while still feeling special. I loved the choice of using a local vendor for most of their ceramic dish ware, their cloth napkins were also a fun, thoughtful choice, and their outside dining area is bigger than I thought it would be w much more space than the inside - we felt a tad cramped inside although the surrounding were pleasant, well curated, and a pleasure to take in. We'll definitely...

Sometimes you can try too hard and lose sight of some important things. With a seasonal creative menu, Lingua Franca has a delicious selection of fresh ingredients with some great hits and misses warranting thoughts on whether there is any value. First impressions are the fine dining pricing. The decor is as creative as their menu, but our starters were eye-opening at least for a hungry party of four. The Caramelized Onion Dip came with exactly five sweet potato chips perched on top of the dollop. The House Made Ciabatta had a delicious salad of fennel and olives and two small and cute little breads. Our server made no effort to explain how thin these orders were as they were simply meagerly sized for a party of four. Further down the menu, you will find entree-sized portions. The burger is very fine and an order of fries will set you back $30, but it will be between a muffin. The Pork Belly is reasonable and delicious. The Beef Cheeks is rich and delectable. The half-roasted chicken is excellently prepared and certainly of very high quality, but it is listed at $40. Our waiter was the low point of the dining experience here as he was completely unfamiliar and apathetic to answering questions about food allergies. His apathetic attitude could have been attributed to external means by the way of a 420 break, but I could be just guessing. Frog Town is changing with its decor and some really good food. Unfortunately, there is a certain turn-off when you set prices that mirror what is happening to the...

Admittedly I tried this restaurant on Father's Day at 6:45 pm. Restaurant was full on the inside but sparsely occupied outside. Hostess was charming and we were immediately seated in the back patio. Our waiter did have water & a bowl of water brought for my dog quickly. And that was the end of good service. We asked questions about the menu and within 15 minutes had placed our orders. I ordered salad & bread. (Bread is $12 for 4 thin slices) & my friend ordered salad & a risotto. We both ordered wine. 15 minutes to bread. 15 minutes to my salad. My friend's salad took an additional 1/2 an hour to come out. The risotto came out at 8:15. (I joked that they were out in the paddy pulling the grains.) Finally, we asked that the risotto be prepared to go since it was getting dark and we 2 ladies had to walk down the river to our vehicles. The bill with tip was $180 dollars. I left hungry. My beet salad, while delicious, contained no feta as the menu stated & was about the size of my fist. My friend's salad was a little larger, but not by much. Her risotto was exactly 5 spoonfuls, for $24.

Spent too much for "precious" plating & mediocrity. We received no apology when I mentioned to a waiter that it was ridiculous to not have our dinners served together & to have to wait an hour for a small plate of risotto & peas. The excuse was the kitchen is small.

My advice spend your dollars elsewhere. I will...