



I was craving a croissant and when I walked in through the Larder (which is attached to the restaurant), I noticed a whole tray of croissants. Unfortunately, when I ordered it from our waiter, he said they had run out of croissants. When I mentioned that I had just seen it at the Larder, he insisted that there were no more left. As it turned out, it was a mistake!!! But I'll get to that later...


This was a nice salad made with fresh ingredients. It was very simple but only had a few pieces of large shrimp.

I loved the simplicity of the plating and the color combination. The two eggs were perfectly poached and sat on top of a lightly dressed frisee and prosciutto. I'm usually a lover of prosciutto but this was oily because it was probably warmed up or slightly fried. I prefer the fresh and creamier versions that are usually served with melons or on a charcuterie board.
When I took the first bite of this dish, I felt sick and had to spit it out. In my defense, I searched for a napkin but couldn't find one. As it turned out, there was cheese on the brioche, hidden underneath the frisee. First of all, who puts cheese on a benedict?? Second of all, if it's not a common ingredient of a traditional dish, shouldn't they have listed it on the menu? They didn't omit Myer Lemon from the menu description but left out a key component that a sizable portion of the population can't or don't like to consume.

The waiter came by and asked how our meal was. I said that I couldn't eat it because there was cheese on the benedict even though it wasn't mentioned on the menu. He said he could bring by another one sans cheese but I was already feeling sick and couldn't have another bite. I was left to consume the raisin bread and another mimosa (when I feel nauseous, eating something sweet helps). I was a bit surprised when he didn't take it off the bill, considering I didn't even swallow a bite. In fact, I also left the prosciutto and eggs untouched on the plate. At a restaurant that charges $5 for bread, $20 for a salad, and $17 for a burger, I would have expected better service and/or a more accommodating restaurant policy.
When I left the restaurant and walked by the Larder, I noticed the same tray of croissants. I asked the person at the counter if these had been here the whole time and she said yes. When I mentioned that our waiter advised us that they had run out, she told me it must have been a mistake in the computer. I was annoyed. Our waiter should have taken a second of his time to check with the Larder when I had told him that I had just seen a tray of croissants. He was obviously too lazy or just plain apathetic.

Hits: croissant, cookies
Misses: service, cheese not mentioned on the menu
Rating: **
Tavern Brentwood
11648 West San Vicente Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 806-6464
www.tavernla.com
4 comments:
BWAHAHAHAHAHA! and EWWWWWWWWWW. Garrrroooss...
Almost went to Tavern for the "Happy Hour" the day before NYE. Until I remember: gdamn that's a pricey HH.
Just like you, I really love the bar space though. Need to be 'mo rich in '11 to afford this.
Whaaaa? That's annoying about the croissant lie! WTF?!
A lot of people love Tavern's brunch, but I was unimpressed both times I went. That eggs benedict is completely over the top rich. I remember being shocked about the cheese too -- it's really not necessary with the meyer lemon butter sauce and runny yolk. I felt kind of sick after eating it too actually.
That said, I love love LOVE their bar and have spent many happy hours there. Pricey, but I love the space. Prettiest restaurant in the city, in my opinion.
That's two negative Tavern reports in the span of two weeks... Guess that means I will never make the drive from Pasadena to try this place. Thanks for the report! And sorry about the cheese :-(
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