la.foodblogging

The Whisper Lounge
189 The Grove Dr.
Los Angeles, CA

So there we were, two girls all jazzed for a free screening at The Grove’s theater of Little Miss Sunshine, and wham-bam, they ran out of seats. De-va-station.
What to do?
Drink. Heavily. We felt we were forced into it, after all.

We shimmied our butts on down to an oft-thought-of but never-frequented locale called The Whisper Lounge - located at the end of the little side path in the heart of LA’s Grove. The Lounge is a lovely spot, very dramatically decorated with glowing orange orbs on one end and retracted indoor/outdoor walls on the other. Smack dab in the center - right where it should be - is a small but functional bar. I don’t think I have to tell you where my girl and I planted our behinds.

There we sat, all innocent and thirsty. And yet, no bartender. No waiter. A very, very lonely bar, save the patrons. We moved seats thinking perhaps those were jinxed - and still, nothing.
*Insert finger tapping noise*

At last, a sweet man arrived and eyed us eyeing the menu.
“If you want to order something, do it now - the kitchen’s closing.”
At 9 PM on a Thursday evening?
Affirmative.
Just in the nick of time. We slammed in our modest app orders and got us some cocktails.

It’s a nice menu - American to the core, but with interesting presentation ideas. Unfortunately, since we were so rushed, we just opted for a couple of simple, small items - perhaps I’ll return a wee more before 9 next time.

Overall, I like the place - it really is a looker, and, of course, so are the beautiful cocktail sippers dwelling inside. The service was fine once he finally appeared, but this isn’t a place to feel well-taken care of. I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the glowing orange orbs, however, and I think they’re tainting my review. In a good way. Kinda like a psychic with her crystal ball - I wanted to believe in the that good things were on the way.

Speaking of which:

Drinks:

I had a Blood Orange Margarita - with salt, of course.
This puppy had Margaritaville tequila, Triple Sec, and fresh squeezed blood orange & lime.
Hell yes, I’ll have another. THIS is a great cocktail.

Friend had a Raspberry Lemonade, which consisted of Ketel One Vodka, fresh squeezed lemonade and a splash of Chambord. She’s a Kettle Kid, so she was giddy. Also a well mixed concoction.

My App:

Tuna 3 Ways
-seared rare ahi tuna with white beans & aged balsamic
-sesame crusted charred tuna on sushi rice, ponzu
-sushi grade ahi tuna tartare on a crisp wonton cup

** While the tuna thing is getting old in this town, I was quite pleased with this little dish. The white beans + balsamic mixture was truly outstanding.

Lady Friend’s Entree:

Kobe Beef Sliders
Three mini burgers on rolls with pickles and condiments
** A truly minimalist mini-burger, these weren’t worth the $11 price tag. This isn’t the real-deal Kobe, of course, and the flavor, while tasty, wasn’t outlandishly fab. And with one little dollup of ketchup and mustard, coupled with a single pickle slab, I was bored by the presentation. Still, the roll was soft and chewy and lovely, so that was good, but did I mention they were chilly? Poo on that.

And that was that.

The damage for 2 drinks and 2 appetizers was $60, including tip. Too much moolah for too little burger/drinkie.

RESTAURANT REPORT CARD

Ambiance - B+
Service - C+
Food (Taste) - C+
Food (Presentation) - B
Wine/Drinks - B
Value - C
Overall Experience - C+

Final word - I’m on the fence about a return visit, but if it was suggested, I wouldn’t throw a fit. If only to gaze upon those orbs once more . . .

By PoetKitty (see more of her posts). You can find more of PoetKitty's writing at her own website OMG Food!