SIMON L.A.
SOFITEL L.A.’S DINING GEM
DELIGHTS LOCALS & TRAVELERS

From celebrity chef Kerry Simon, heralded as one of “America's greatest chefs” by Rolling Stone, comes the fine SIMON L.A., housed in the 4-star Sofitel L.A. Renowned for its American influenced cuisine with a global flair, SIMON L.A. offers delectable, one-of-a-kind plates of high-end comfort food featuring fresh and seasonal ingredients.

Appealing to both Angelenos and travelers alike, the posh restaurant is ideal for working lunches, hearty dinners, or intimate interludes. With its cutting-edge cuisine and captivating décor, SIMON L.A., courtesy of Executive Chef Marius Blin, delivers first-rate, delicious dishes crafted from organic and simple ingredients.

During our recent visit, we started with one of their signature drinks, the potent Beverly Hills Adjacent margarita martini, prepared with Herradura Tequila, Cointreau (triple sec) and fresh, hand-pressed lime juice (with your choice of salt rim or not). Be careful with this cocktail, as it’s pleasant and powerful.

For our starters we went with the tangy and zesty Creamy Crispy Rock Shrimp, prepared with Asian aioli and Fuji apple slaw, along with the Seared Ahi Tuna with fava bean puree, golden tomato-calamata and olive panzanella, and the Crispy Stuffed Squash Blossoms with radicchio, grilled asparagus, manchego, and orange oil. Excellent choices all the way around. And the recommended Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, a refreshing and wonderful Australian white wine, was a perfect pairing.

For our entrees, we opted to share the Braised Prime Beef Short Ribs served with sweet potato pancakes, an extremely satisfying selection, along with the Grilled West Coast Halibut with scarlet quinoa, pistachio, and orange reduction which is an ideal and healthy option, and finally, the savory Spiced Skirt Steak with cippolini agro dolce, peas, and pancetta. A must order! And while the garlicy Truffled Macaroni and Cheese may have seemed like overkill, it was delicious and well worth the extra calories.

While we actually said no to dessert, upon first mention, imagine our dismay when the decadent Simon Junk Food Platter was presented to us. Loaded with all your old favorite treats, including caramel popcorn, chocolate cupcake, cookies, cotton candy, a Snowball, not to mention Rice Krispie Treats, it looks like how I envision dessert at Shrek’s house. Unbelievable! This one is killer classic. Kudos for the creativity and blatant disregard to nutrition, after all, isn’t that was dessert during a night out is all about?

Cheers to comfort food done right!

SIMON L.A. is located in the Sofitel L.A. at 8555 Beverly Blvd. at the corner of Beverly Blvd and La Cienega. Call 310-358-3979. Hours: Breakfast from 6:30am to 11:30am; Brunch Saturday & Sunday from 11am to 2:30pm; Lunch 11:30am to 2:30pm; Light Fare from 2:30pm to 6pm; Dinner from 6pm to 11pm.

Click to view Executive Chef Marius Blin show you how to prepare celebrity chef Kerry Simon's Falafel Tuna.