Lumière — Restaurant in Los Angeles

It's a truly beautiful restaurant - that's the only good thing about it. Service was poor as our waiter was MIA most of the time and never checked in to see if our food was okay. It wasn't - we would've sent half of it back had he asked! Maybe that's why he didn't ask... There was no other wait staff around either, we felt eerily abandoned.

The food took almost an hour to even make it to the table. The presentation looked nice. In fact, the chef must care more about the looks of the food than the taste. The wedge salad was tasteless as the blue cheese was missing (according to 2 people in our party). I had the pistachio and pear salad that was kinda good but it was practically swimming in very tangy dressing. Just way too much dressing, otherwise would've been pretty good. Our preteen ordered black squid pasta. He was starving by the time the food finally came and excited to eat. However, he claimed after the first bite that it's too spicy and he can't eat it. I tasted it, my husband tasted it, our friends took a bite - the kid was right, it was extremely spicy, the kind where the heat hits you a couple of seconds later. Not edible, especially not for a child. Neither the menu nor the waiter said anything about this being a spicy dish. 2 people in our group had the duck. Both said it was terrible and ate only a few bites. My husband had the fish - tiny and bland. I had the mushroom gratin - it looked fancy (although appetizer size) but tasted like mush. No flavor, no texture. Reminded me of baby food. Only the friend who ordered the basic chicken dish finished her food (and shared it with our hungry child) - her feedback on it was "nothing special but not bad". Even the tiramisu tasted like a defrosted slice from a supermarket freezer section. It was the most disappointing birthday dinner we've ever experienced.

For the prices they charge the quality of food is really not up to par. Normally I'd wonder if we perhaps went there when the chef had a day off or something else out of the norm happened this one time only, but considering this gorgeous restaurant that should be a hot spot was practically empty on the Saturday evening we were there (10/29) it makes me think that we were not their first disappointed customers.

As the final insult, Valet costs $15 (with validation) and it took half an hour before they finally found our car. (Mind you, it's not like they were busy...

I recently celebrated my birthday at Lumiere and it was an unforgettable experience. The food was top-notch, with the sea bass and chateau briand being particularly noteworthy. The chef, Mr. Borjorquez, went above and beyond to make the evening special and I am grateful for his culinary expertise.

The service was also exceptional, with our server Robert being a standout. He was attentive, knowledgeable and made sure that our dining experience was nothing short of perfect.

Overall, I highly recommend Lumiere for any special occasion or simply for a night of delicious food and great service. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and the staff truly goes the extra mile to make your visit a memorable one.

Sheila West No the second review

Here's the review:

I recently celebrated my birthday at Lumiere and it was an unforgettable experience. The food was top-notch, with the sea bass and chateau briand being particularly noteworthy. The chef, Mr. Borjorquez, went above and beyond to make the evening special and I am grateful for his culinary expertise.

The service was also exceptional, with our server Robert

I recently celebrated my birthday at Lumiere French restaurant and it was a truly incredible experience. The food was exceptional, with Chef Borjorquez showcasing his culinary expertise in every dish, but the sea bass and chateau briand stood out as particularly noteworthy.

The service was also top-notch, with our server Robert being an absolute standout. He was attentive, knowledgeable, and made sure that our dining experience was nothing short of...

A Very Lovely Lunch… This was my first visit to the newly renovated Fairmont Century Plaza. I had been to the old Century Plaza Hotel on many occasions, in fact I was here prior to the Century Plaza being built. This was the backlot of 20th Century Fox Studios. My memory is slightly hazy as it was in the 1960's but as I remember Spyros Skouras was the head of the studio and with Wilshire Blvd. being built with enormous high rise apartments it was getting more and more difficult to film here when you had these tall buildings in the cameras field of vision. So Mr. Skouras wanted to sell off the backlot and I remember Alcoa Aluminum was the purchaser or developer. The land was bulldozed and I had two motorcycles, one was a dirt bike and I used to come here on a Sunday and ride up and down on the mounds of earth. I remember seeing a young woman on horseback as well. Mr. Skouras had a son Plato that I had business dealings with as well. Quite an interesting family.

So, coming back to this hotel brought back years of fond memories. The hotel is lovely...a casual chic. Lumière is quite large and nicely appointed. Lunch was terrific and our server Kevin was very knowledgeable of the menu and attentive without being intrusive.

Our meal was excellent and enjoyed by all. You can see that from the pictures I took. Parking was easy and validated by the restaurant. I...