LULU Restaurant LA — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I'm loathe to give this place a poor rating because I don't want it to reflect negatively on the hard working wait staff. I was so looking forward to dining here becos I had heard such positive things about the food and atmosphere. But, sadly, the experience started off horribly because of our encounter with the hostess. A group of us from work, who just happen to be mostly seniors, arrived and were looking forward to a nice dining experience. We made reservations which is recommended per website. The only way to do that as well as make inquiries is online. But, that's futile b/c you get no response even if you send an email. And, there is no way to call the restaurant b/c apparently they don't have a phone. Odd. We opted to place multiple reservations as opposed to booking as a large party b/c the only option would be to do a prix fixe, 3 course meal. This option was not ideal for our group b/c most of our seniors eat very small portions. As we were trying to check in, the hostess was visibly annoyed and irritated - didn't make any attempt to hide that fact with her visible eye rolls and audible huffing. She then felt it necessary to chastise me and the group by saying that we should have booked as a large party and that we should be more respectful of their establishment and that we were creating a strain on their kitchen. I was stunned and totally caught off guard. I didn't want to cause a scene and honestly was not prepared to have a confrontation and certainly didn't want to spoil the afternoon for my group but responded by telling her that the prix fixe option didn't work for us for aforementioned reasons which is why we booked as smaller groups. After that exchange she proceeded to seat us (that was at 12:15) but were informed that the last group was not scheduled until 12:45. We would have preferred to be seated at the same time but agreed to wait. But, as we sat there in the heat (it was 97 degrees that day) I watched as she took walk-ins. And also noticed that there were a number of empty tables where she could have seated us. And again mind you, I was with a group of seniors who have more difficulty tolerating the heat and are more prone to heat exhaustion. It was 12:35 when one of our group members approached her and asked if we could be seated and she firmly said, "No, your reservation is at 12:45". Again, all the while, she continued to accept "walk-ins" Not sure what ultimately tugged at her conscience, but finally at 12:40 she walked over to where our group was waiting and said she could seat us now. Fortunately our experience thereafter was a very pleasant one. Our wait staff, Erika, I believe, was super lovely. She was very pleasant, helpful and attentive. Her customer service throughout was excellent! The other notable things about Lulu's are:

1. Ambience : A nice blend of inviting, rustic and chic.
2. Wait staff: Erika and the other gentleman who attended to us were friendly, attentive, and helpful.
3. Location : Great spot within an underrated art museum. And, I really wanted the food to be one of the highlights but it was ok. It wasn't terrible, but for the cost, I don't think it was commensurate. I ordered the smoked salmon on focaccia and I was disappointed with the quality of the bread. It was very tough which almost made me turn it into an open-faced sandwich. However, my colleague absolutely raved about the meatballs with cous cous. I should have gone with my gut (no pun intended) and ordered the same. Oh well. Our overall experience was positive. I wish it hadn't started off the way it did and fortunately it didn't spoil the whole afternoon.

My hope is that a reminder is given to the hostess to be more mindful of her actions and to treat people with decorum. As frontline staff she becomes the face and representation of the establishment. We did not expect to be given special treatment or considerations even if the majority of our group were seniors. But, I don't think it's unreasonable to have expectations of being treated with patience, kindness...

Our dinner at Lulu was a delicious experience, where we enjoyed locally sourced and sustainable ingredients! The Alice Waters and David Tanis names set our expectations high, and our dinner met those wonderfully.

PARKING: Parking is available in the Hammer Museum parking garage and there is limited street parking as well.

AMBIANCE: Open-air spot with courtyard and covered seating available, with golden lanterns throughout and couches and thick wooden tables; this feels like that perfect airy Californian dining experience.

FOOD/DRINK: Between the two of us we had the Dinner/Supper Prix-Fixe Three Course Menu (Aug 2022: $65) and the Ribeye entree off the A la Carte menu. We also enjoyed the Arnold Palmer and a glass of Rose (lemon and strawberry notes, not too heady and perfectly light for a summer evening) PRIX FIXE: 1st COURSE: Shell Bean Salad with celery, roasted peppers, cherry tomatoes and feta - What an introduction to "locally sourced"! You can taste how fresh and rich the flavors are, especially with the roasted peppers, so sweet. The feta is light and paired beautifully with the oil, and this whole salad was showered in fresh herbs including parsley and basil (and edible flower here and there) too. The beans were plump and rich with the perfect texture, and the celery was in small bits that were just crunchy enough without being overpowering. 2nd COURSE: Sonoma duck breast with roasted figs and duck fat potatoes: a light duck (not too gamey), with a fig sauce; thin and cooked medium. The roasted figs were a rich sweetness without being too candy-like, and the potatoes were fluffy and crisp on the outside. Parsley and other herbs featured here too, adding to the flavors with their freshness without being overpowering. 3rd COURSE: Pistachio cake with creme anglaise: also paired with fresh strawberry slices and raspberries. Wow! There is a zestiness to the very soft and airy cake, and the strawberries were especially excellent, sweet and fragrant. RIBEYE: served with chanterelle mushrooms which were browned and nutty, the ribeye steak was medium rare and flavorful throughout each slice, and the thinly cut potatoes carried the sauce, and the herbs and parsley on top brought that fresh zing as well.

SERVICE: Excellent on our Saturday evening - we didn't have a reservation but a two-top table was available for us, our server was friendly without being intrusive at all, our waters were filled throughout and used plates whisked away timely. Wonderful and smooth.

OVERALL: Excellent experience in a beautiful, airy location, and I would love to come by again and again to enjoy...

Tried to go here for dinner around this time last year. Still remember in exact detail the disturbing interaction with their employee at the stand outside.

After a couple minutes of looking at the menu near the entrance, this lady rudely demanded to know what I was doing. I calmly said I came to have dinner at the restaurant. She gave me an unfriendly look, raised her brows and extremely condescendingly said they were already closed.

Surprised, I double-checked my phone; nope, it was still well over an hour until the restaurant's posted closing time, and holiday season to boot. I looked at the restaurant itself: it was hopping and active and absolutely teeming with customers - no hint of anything there closing or anyone leaving.

I looked around at the clearly open host stand at which this employee was posted, and the dinner menu they had on a stand as well: which was obviously still out there for potential customers to browse, as I'd been doing.

I looked back at the employee's stony face in some disbelief that they were really being that obvious about turning away "unwanted" customers. I'd been dressed quite nicely and had been perfectly polite to her. Her hostile and condescending expression didn't change at all.

I calmly said "fine", turned around and headed for the nearest exit, planning to get dinner elsewhere.

As soon as I took one step away, this employee started screaming after me. And screaming, and screaming, and screaming some more, in what sounded like the most angry and hostile tone that a human being can produce. She literally continued relentlessly shouting and screaming at my back the entire time I was walking out of the building, all the way around the railing and down the museum's entrance steps; I was still hearing her horrible screams as I was walking out the doors. One of the longest and most disturbing minutes of my life.

This was, bar none, the freakiest experience I've ever had in any public business, restaurant or otherwise. And I didn't even end up eating here.

Unsurprisingly, I've never tried to go back. There's plenty of other upscale restaurants in this area, so there's no need to roll the dice by going to this particular one and perhaps also being randomly turned away then publicly subjected to unhinged and, frankly, threatening behaviour by their employees...