asterid by Ray Garcia

"I’m sure that if you order from the regular menu, everything would be great. However, we went recently to celebrate a birthday. We had a party of 18 I believe, and we all left feeling like we got absolutely scammed. Judging from the pictures of the normal menu, the portions seem decent. We didn’t realize that if you reserve a prefix menu, you basically get ONE bite of each dish that comes out. For example, the first course was Hamachi. For 18, people, they brought out 6 small dishes with 3 pieces of yellowtail each. That’s ONE piece per person. Second course was Black Cod and Half Chicken. Half chicken family style is NO LONGER a half chicken. We each got 1-2 pieces as well. If you ordered it from the regular menu, you would get a half chicken for around $35 if I remember correctly? We would’ve been better off just ordering off the regular menu. We each paid $103 per person just to receive a couple bites of each course (only 3 courses). Our bill ended up being more due to the additional alcohol that we ordered, plus other fees such as a $50 cake cutting fee. The last course was a dessert pudding, which we all shared 4 plates of. Honestly so ridiculous. I’ve attached photos for reference of everything that I consumed that night ($103 worth of food due to the prefix menu scam). If you view the photos, there is a slice of steak that was actually not a part of the prefix menu. The steak was complimentary because we complained about the small portions. We received ONE sliced steak to share between 18 people."

"I felt severely underdressed to dine at asterid by Ray Garcia, but I don't see any formal dress code on their site. Traditional dark dinner dining atmosphere. Apt and attentive staff and servers answered my questions. The red beet carnaroli and creme fraiche risotto was aces. I was surprised at the delectable combination of flavors in the nectarine, apricot, and pickled pearl onions in the chicken liver mousse. Really brought together when slathered onto some sourdough bread. Other dishes enjoyed were the caviar bites and prawns. They ask if you want the prawns with the head on or not! So kind. The risotto and chicken liver mousse were enough portions and enough on my pocketbook. You need to treat yourself sometimes, though. You deserve it."

"This is definitely a top-notch dining experience. My friend and I shared our courses, and each was delicious....the kind of cuisine one can't duplicate at home. Their cocktail menu was so much fun. You have to try the Bourbon & Smoke. Fabulous!! The interior is well-appointed and surprisingly "quiet" for how busy it was, as in you can actually still have a conversation and hear your dining companions. Overall wonderful dining experience."

"Modern Californian restaurant close to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Came here for dinner on a Saturday evening and had a reservation made online in advance. Indoor and outdoor seating available. We had to search a bit for metered street parking but you can also park at the garage across the street. We ordered everything to come out at once because we were in a rush to catch a show at the Ahmanson but I would’ve liked it better to have the plates portioned out so that we could enjoy each dish properly. We had the chicken liver mousse for our appetizer, which came with thick pieces of bread and had an interesting floral overtone to it. We tried all four entrees - the Branzino, lamb shank, half chicken, and short rib. My personal favorite was the lamb shank, though all of them were tasty. The beans in the lamb shank were especially yummy. The short rib wasn’t as tender was we were hoping for but my sister especially loved the black beans that was underneath it. For dessert, we chose the strawberry shortcake, but I would pass on. It wasn’t bad but the biscuit was a bit dry. Service was friendly and left us alone for the most part, which was great."

"One of the best meals I've had in a while. We shared the Chicken Liver Mousse, the Burata, the Beet Risotto and the Lamb. Each was delightful in its own way. The mousse was especially good -- the citrus was a tasty, tart addition. The beet risotto was the STAR of the meal for me; it tasted fresh and creamy, much like a borscht in risotto form. Service was great and the room is lovely. Highly recommend!"