Vespertine

Vespertine is haute cuisine from a culture that doesn't actually exist. The ingredients are of this planet--indeed, the focus is on Californian sourced ingredients--but they are not familiar. Different cuisines take an element and do unique things with it; think of how differently a tomato is used by Italians, Japanese, and Peruvians. Vespertine wants to prove there are still other ways. This is a world where sparkling redwood extract, atemoya fruit, smoked ground lamb heart, and dried giant kelp are not out of place, but actually make sense together.

This goes beyond the food--the entire experience is designed by artists. The architecture is striking. The layout of the restaurant is vertical; food descends from the kitchen on the top floor. There is unsettling ambient music consisting of five separate ambient tracks, played in different parts of the space, but carefully coordinated so that they never clash. When we left, three and a half hours later, we were given a small sample of the custom perfume that had been used to gently scent the napkins.

We went for our anniversary and I'm so happy we did. Everyone at Vespertine was so lovely. It was a very unique experience, and all of the courses came out so beautifully. We both did the alcohol pairing and usually I'm very picky, but I liked everything that came out. We went downstairs after dinner and had dessert with more alcohol pairing! It was a very romantic setting and perfect for our anniversary. Thanks so much for letting us go to the kitchen!

Holy sweet mother of Mercy... this is a mind-boggling dining experience on every level. There is nothing like it on earth. Worth the money.

Can't say enough about how good Vespertine was!!!!! So unique from the staff to the food everything was amazing. We have been to a number of fine dining restaurants over the years and many seem to have the same flavors and highlights but Vesperine gives a whole new experience and look at what food could be.

Vespertine blew me away. Until now, the most amazing meals of my life were in France and other parts of Europe. For Los Angeles to have a restaurant of this caliber is a shock to me. The attention to detail, the aesthetics, the amazing staff and the other worldly and hyper creative food by this brilliant chef made it a transcendental dining experience.