Philippe
8284 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles CA, 90046
(323) 951-1100
www.philippechow.com

I've been wanting to try Philippe Chow's LA incarnation of Philippe since it opened nearly three months ago in the old Dolce space on Melrose (he has four other locations in the U.S. and Mexico). After landing in Los Angeles with lots of buzz (and some controversial headlines) Philippe was received with much Hollywood love. In an instant, the ghost of Dolce had been exorcised. Philippe was stuffed to the gills nightly with celebrities, foodies, and Mr. Chow groupies alike. The place was near-impossible for the average diner to get a decent table at. That was then. 

Last night was my first night at Philippe. I know I'm a little behind, but how am I supposed to fight a Kardashian for a table on opening night? HOW?! Three months late, I arrived around 8:00 pm and was greeted with low lights and an uber-mod Kelly-Wearstler-meets-The-Standard-downtown black, white, and red décor. Very fancy. And interesting. As the hostess led me to my booth I noticed the place was 90% empty - not a good sign on a Thursday night. Maybe it's just the economy, who knows?

With the restaurant all to ourselves, my date and I ordered everything our server recommended: Peking Duck spring rolls, chicken satays, crabmeat soup dumplings, Chilean Sea Bass (1/2 order), and crispy beef (1/2 order). The Peking Duck rolls were fried little eggroll-type appetizers that came with a lovely hoisin dipping sauce. The chicken satays were a peculiar shade of bright neon red and pretty tasty when dipped in hot mustard. The crabmeat soup dumplings were a bit too mushy/soupy inside but I think that's how they were supposed to be (hence crabmeatsoup dumplings). I would have liked a little bit more oomph! to my dumplings, a little more substance...but they were just okay. Oh well, on to the main course! I was excited to try the Chilean Sea Bass. It came sliced in two rows and topped with black bean on one side and garlic on the other - pretty elegant. Now the bad news. So, not to brag or anything, but I have an uncanny ability to detect fish that was frozen, then defrosted, then cooked, then served. Not that it's a crime to serve pre-frozen fish (if they did in fact do so), but for $60/serving I'm assuming patrons want fresh fish or at least fresh-tasting fish. This fish had frozen written all over its little sliced body. The crispy beef was served in thin clamstrip-like ribbons, overly sweet and underly meaty. The best thing about it was it was spicy, and I happen to love spice. This is the kind of crispy meat dish one should expect from the local Chinese takeout - not high-end Philippe. I should mention, though, that I got total food-envy when the couple next to us ordered the 7-lb Peking duck - it was carved with a meat cleaver right in front of them. Damn! We should've ordered that.   

My favorite part of the meal was chatting with our charming waiter from Boston and enjoying the red velvet cake he recommended. It wasn't as good as Susie Cakes in Brentwood (best red velvet cake ever) but it was actually pretty close! By the time we left, there was only one other couple in the entire restaurant. It was startling to see how empty the place was. My date mentioned that he suspected another case of the "missing soul" and, unfortunately, I felt the same way. As my good friend Eric would say: looks like Philippe Chow phoned this one in. Though Philippe's staff was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and 100% attentive, we didn't feel love in the food or a heartbeat in the details. And love, as we know, is in the details - it's in the perfectly steamed tablecloths, the appropriately-sized cocktail glasses, and in not placing a chair at the end of every booth. I don't know if Philippe will meet the same fate as Dolce did - I hope not. I hope they find a way to evolve into a niche that makes more sense, food-wise. As long as they stick with their amazing staff, their potential is endless.