The problem with placing a hotel in an “entertainment district” is that you’re instantly under pressure to slot in an exciting restaurant. The kitchen must personify after dark glam, but also accommodate the hotel’s unremitting 24/7 schedule of three meals a day (not to mention room service). Position this boisterous assemblage in downtown Los Angeles – neighbouring the celebrity-swamped STAPLES Center – and you need a restaurant and chef who can deliver punctually, and impressively. This is a city with a populace of ready-to-pay customers who can afford to flutter on brunch what they would on a new Mercedes – and they don’t forgive flaws.
Kerry Simon’s L.A. Market isn’t a restaurant that’s been refined to suit the local celebrity mentality of low-carb/high-protein dietary fitness freaks. It’s separated from the lobby of the JW Marriot Hotel by tall, dark wooden beams which partially screen some not quite private dining: a single large table that is set apart from both the hotel and restaurant, but still very much on view. The colour scheme in the dining room is a more muted affair than the lobby. Amber, auburn and beige contribute to a softer ambience, with green glasses and vases on the tables and behind the bar. I felt a sense of calm in here, compared with “out there”: a vast, harshly noisy foyer of glass lifts and staircases, catwalk-like corridors, varicoloured mismatched carpets that are as welcome as a backwards urinal, and guests whose voices – blaring at one another or into their BlackBerrys, as they mill around the lobby’s centre – are amplified by a polished marble floor. The dining room provides welcome respite.
The signature dessert, Junk Food Platter, features a rotating selection of childhood favourites, including homemade cotton candy, Froot Loop marshmallows and cupcakes
As the restaurant’s name suggests, chef Simon’s ingredients are sourced locally and within season. The menu doesn’t showcase trends. There are no Mexican influences or expensive steaks, and the prices charged reflect what’s on the plate rather than the customer’s ability to spend. More than that, each plate has been developed from a lifetime spent in kitchens and far-flung restaurants, from neighbouring states (Kerry resides in Las Vegas, where he runs the eponymous restaurant at the Palms Casino Resort as well KGB – that’s Kerry’s Gourmet Burgers – on the Vegas Strip), to the core of Europe and the traditions of Asia. A short-rib and taleggio melt is a nod to time spent in some of America’s barbecue capitals as well as in Italy.
During his mid-teens, Simon began working at pizza restaurant Little Caesars, to save money for an electric guitar. Music was the planned path – one reason why Kerry Simon is known as the “rock n’ roll chef” – but the job sparked an interest in food, and in testing recipes from Julia Child’s cookbook late at night. Things turned serious when Simon enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in New York where, upon graduating, he worked for the likes of Jean-Jacques Rachou, André Soltner and Jean-Georges Vongerichten in London, Hong Kong, New York, Chicago and Las Vegas. These formative kitchen experiences are evident in the L.A. Market menu. Simon’s take on fish and chips uses Atlantic cod and “house-made” tartar sauce, and even the UK’s most controversial vegetable makes an appearance: “crispy brussels sprouts”, served with with toasted almonds, parsley and capers.
From Nola BBQ shrimp to Maine lobster Bolognese, the menu at L.A. Market is an assembly of the familiar and foreign. There’s the predictable but reassuring selection of comfort food: Angus chuck hamburgers, steaks, pastas and meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Then there are dishes that thrust you into territory unknown: Tuna Dynamite (sushi rice, lump crab, tuna, red chilli aioli) is a standout dish, and perfectly balances new technique and old sushi heritage. The signature dessert, Junk Food Platter, features a rotating selection of childhood favourites, including homemade cotton candy, Froot Loop marshmallows and cupcakes, and arrives as a spectacle spilling over with candied temptation. Everything is presented with precision and flair, and the latter with a dose of wit.
“Sushi pizza” is a particular standout, an inventive Asian-inspired creation. Vibrant, fresh tasting toppings of cucumber, celery leaves, fresh crab, raw sashimi-grade tuna and creamy avocado come with a wasabi cream sauce that leaves a lasting lick of heat. It’s a clean and refreshing approach to the pizza family and clearly a favourite, being enjoyed by four or five tables around me during my visit.
JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE , 900 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, USA
(213) 765-8600; lalivemarriot.com
David J Constable is a food and travel writer. Read more at davidjconstable.com or follow him on Twitter @davidjconstable