Casa Madera West Hollywood — Restaurant in West Hollywood

Stepping into Casa Madera is like stepping onto the set of a trendy new TV show where everyone is beautiful, the lighting is just right, and you're half expecting the paparazzi to pop out from behind the potted plants. Nestled in the heart of West Hollywood, this is the place where you come not just to eat, but to be seen eating.

Before we dive in, let's talk parking. With valet service setting you back $25 and a line that stretches longer than the lines to get into a new disneyland ride; it's a little like being in an episode of "Survivor: West Hollywood Edition." Are the cars moving? I hope so? But hey, who said being hip was easy? Make sure you alot 20 minutes for this process.

Once inside, the restaurant sits on the first floor of the hotel, coyly tucked to the right. Here, you're met by two bouncers dressed in crisp white suits. It's all very Miami Vice and leaves you wondering if Don Johnson might be your waiter. But at the same, I was also wondering, would they allow me in. Was my suit jacket and jeans going to be enough, and was my friend's printed T shirt going to cause us to be told, "No Madera for you."

The ambiance, however, is where Casa Madera really shines. Imagine walking into a chic latin jungle, with branches overhead and trees and plants all over. There are several dining areas, each exuding its own blend of Mediterranean or latin American cool, Spanish flair, and a very generous dash of Mexican zest. I was wondering if I was going to find Indiana Jones dining next to me with a golden idol in his hand.

I will say that it is very loud. We could barely hear each other over the loud live guitarist playing over the speakers. Although it was really cool that he would walk around the restaurant by each table demonstrating his talents.

The drinks? Beautifully presented. The taste? Good, not great. So while you won't be desperately trying to find the recipe for the cocktails, you will be posting them on Instagram.

As for the dress code, think nightclub chic. Ladies, break out those bodycon dresses. Gents, it's time to channel your inner Latin lover with open linen shirts and ankle-revealing trousers. Gents, you might want to get in biceps and chest workout right before you go, because you are gonna need it just to keep up!

Our waiter, Alton, was a gem. Patient, helpful, and clearly a master of his craft. Some of his colleagues, however, seemed to have misplaced their hospitality gene. Note to staff: cracking a smile won't break your face. Also, having the hostess come to one of the guests in our group and then tell them to leave now -- actually the words were "you will have to leave, we need the table" -- after we had already paid our over $1000 bill and we hadn't even hit the 2 hour and 15 minute mark for our dinner was a little rude. She might as well have said, "You have paid your price, now leave and be grateful that you were allowed here in the first place" all while flipping her perfectly straight hair as she turned and walked away. Honestly, we already paid the bill, and would have left in 5 minutes but it left a bad taste.

Now, the food. Oh, the food! The mushroom tacos were a revelation, the salmon divine, and the whipped aubergine dip? Let's just say I'd happily bathe in it. Be prepared to spend some serious cash though - this culinary experience comes with a Hollywood price tag.

Also, beware of any seats close to the bar. There were so many people that they were pushing their perfectly sculpted bodies into the diners who were eating at the tables nearby.

In conclusion, Casa Madera is a bit like that hot date you once had - stunning to look at, a little pretentious, but overall, quite enjoyable. A great spot for a special occasion or when you're simply in the mood to rub elbows with the West Hollywood elite. Just remember to bring your wallet, patience, and best pair of 'too...

Tl;dr: do not expect that a seat will be guaranteed at this restaurant with a reservation and do not expect the restaurant to do anything to ameliorate the fact that they do not have a table for you (which is a very low bar to meet in the world of fine dining).

We had a reservation for a 6:15 dinner in the dining room. The restaurant even called the day before to confirm our reservation in the dining room. Upon arrival, we were seated in the lounge. Red flag #1: they sat us at a table not in accordance with our reservation without acknowledging the change, which felt extremely shady and also very much altered our experience. The view of the city in the dining room, which was a huge reason for us picking this restaurant, cannot be seen from the lounge. The lounge also has low tables, not normal dining tables, making it awkward to eat a full plated meal.

We flagged this mistake for our waiter (who seemed very kind), the manager spoke to us and told us that the dining room was fully booked and we would have to wait 1.5 hours for a table. Red flag #2: again, no acknowledgement that our reservation was for the dining room, and no offer to ameliorate the situation in any way (either with an offer for a reservation in the dining room on a different night or a round of drinks on the restaurant, both of which are offers other high-end restaurants have made to me when similar situations occurred).

At this point, and because of the first two red flags, we decided to leave before ordering anything. I asked the hostess and manager to comp our parking, given that they had not actually reserved a table for us. She said of course and stamped my valet ticket. Red flag #3: this was a blatant lie, and we still paid for the valet.

I understand that mistakes happen and that making a reservation does not always guarantee the table you request. Not being seated at the table I reserved was not the problem. Not getting comped for valet was not the problem. The problem was the disrespect that was evident by trying to hide the change in our reservation from us, with no effort to try to fix the situation, and being lied to.

All three of these red flags made it clear that this was not a simple mistake or miscommunication that a little bit of customer service could have resolved--Casa Madera simply did not want us there. I'm still not sure why: we were dressed according to the dress code (and based on other reviews, if the dress code is a problem, that has been flagged by the hostess or doorman). Regardless of the reason for why Casa Madera did not want us there, we felt unwelcomed and...

BRUNCH REVIEW

VENUE: Beautiful. It gives the ambiance of a resort in Tulum. When you arrive there's valet parking, as the restaurant is inside a modern hotel. Not far from the hotel lobby, you walk through a set of double doors to enter the restaurant and are met with a hostess stand to the left, entryway seating to the right, and hanging plants that cover the ceiling which feels like you've entered a garden. The bar/lounge is straight ahead and there's either indoor seating with spacious booths and tables to the right, or you can go towards the back patio, also filled with spacious booth seating. There are large rattan ceiling lamps throughout the restaurant that I loved. They gave the restaurant a beachy, boho vibe. We sat in the patio area, which had giant arched windows overlooking the city. There's a high ceiling with what looked like canopy shades draped across different sections to provide shade from the sun. Apparently it's retractable so that it can be fully opened when desired. My only issue with the venue is how hot it got. We went for brunch at 11am on an 80 degree day. So the longer we stayed, the warmer it got. There's no ceiling fan, floor fan, or AC, so we were pretty sweaty by the end. We even noticed other guests moved to indoor seating due to the heat. I hope they consider installing some way to cool down that area so it's a more comfortable experience. If it were, I would want to be seated there all the time. FOOD/DRINK: I can only speak for the brunch menu, but it was incredible. We had the burrata (with fresh mozzarella that was topped with truffle shavings!), caviar+eggs (with more truffle shavings!) and the churro french toast. So so good. Regarding the brunch cocktails, they were strong! I guess it's ok if you don't mind some day drinking. We tried the Alimiento and the Sediento. They were beautifully presented and colorful but reminded me of a drink I would have in the evening at the lounge after a hard day. Not during brunch. When I think of brunch cocktails, I think of say, a mimosa flight, paloma or a spritz. They did have Bloody Mary and Prosecco, which are good brunch options. SERVICE: "Ally" was our waitress and we absolutely loved her. She was friendly, attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, and when she found out it was my daughter's birthday, she brought out a small cake with sprinkles and candles. I would love for Ally to serve us again.

I know this is a long review! But I really enjoyed this place overall. I recommend trying it...