Los Angeles - Comme Ca

This camel had not heard of Sona Restaurant. Despite many visits to LA and requests of top hotel concierges for restaurant recommendations, Sona had never been mentioned.

The concierge at Chateau Marmont suggested a new French ‘bistro’ style diner, called Comme Ca, for lunch. It is owned by David Myers, the owner of Sona. Situated, almost on the corner of La Cienega Boulevard and Melrose Avenue, Comme Ca was a revelation.

Opened in October 2007, Comme Ca seems to have endured some teething problems in its early stages. Consumer reviews on Chowhound.com were less than complimentary, but these niggles clearly seemed to have been rectified by the time this camel and companion arrived.

The venue is simply decorated with wooden floors, black walls, white ceiling and a long white sofa running the length of one side. The corridor leading to the very smart restrooms is entirely lined with black boards, where drawings of food and recipes are etched.  The tables are covered in sheets of brown parcel paper, and the hot mini bread baguettes are wrapped in the same.  On one side is a French Style cheese counter and the other, a bistro style bar, all very tasteful for America.  The wall above the sofa is adorned with a variety of old mirrors, the type you’d find in Great Aunt Ethel’s living room.

The cocktails sounded delicious: El Diablo – tequila, fresh ginger, limes and club soda.  East Side Cocktail - gin, mint, lime and cucumber.  We opted for a bottle of Russian River Chardonnay which was not readily available, so whilst the waiter sourced and chilled the wine, Dominic Ta, the charming general manager, provided us with a complimentary glass of something equally delicious, an unusual but much appreciated touch.

The food is very simple but very good.

This camel ordered, what is probably the best seared tuna salad nicoise in the world.  Priced at $24, the produce and presentation were exceptional. The tuna seemed almost sashimi grade, the tomatoes were peeled and cut long, the lettuce was all top quality and the green beans were cooked then chilled to perfection. A few chopped olives were sprinkled into the tossed mix along with pieces of softly boiled egg.

The menu included a very substantial Angus beef burger at $16, steak frites and duck confit, both at $24.  A range of wines by the glass were priced between $8 and $11.

The waiting staff followed the lead of the management,  all moving around the restaurant enthusiastically, wearing smiley faces.

The dinner menu is more extensive, and I’m sure the cuisine is just as good, but I do wonder about the ambience as a dinner venue. At lunchtime it certainly works very well, but the informal bistro atmosphere might not be so successful in the evening. That said, this thought is made without having experienced Comme Ca in the evening so I may be being totally unfair.

Comme Ca
8479 Melrose Avenue
(Cross Street; La Cienega Blvd)

323 782 1104

http://www.commecarestaurant.com/