Darling in West Hollywood

 In my hunger for listening lounges, I saw that there was one by Chef Brock from NO in West Hollywood. I recruited my AAJIL Comrade Jean, who loves food and music and off we went. She even drove, which I always appreciate when someone else drives.

It was Wednesday evening and there were not a lot of customers. I worry when I walk into a place as fancy as Darling and there are no customers. It is a beautiful interior. Across the street from One Foundation gallery and the coffee shop I posted in the near past, Alana.

First and foremost, the sound system. OMG! what a beautiful system. A DJ was spinning a kind of Disco and House mix which was very very nice. The speakers system is a mix of JBL and vintage Tannoy speakers. I asked a few question and one of the Staff, Mar, came back with a remote and demo'd the various speakers with the volume control. How about that. Just that alone made fall in love this place.

We sat down and were guided through the menu and ordered pretty much everything Mar and others suggested.

Local Abalone and Rice Stew with celtuce & Egg Yolk: wow, actually, i would have been satisfied with just this dish. it is spectacular in it's umami depth and home cooking vibe. I had never heard of celtuce so it was also educational. lol

The Darling Dry-Aged Steak Burger (24 Available Each Night): this was touted online and highly recommended by Mar. What was unique was that when it was brought to us and having prepped that jean and I would share it, the server brought and knife and prefaced the cut by saying the burger is so juicy, it's best to eat it immediately after it's cut in half to avoid an overly soggy bun. NICE! and it was really delicious and fun.   

Tuna appetizer? I don't remember exactly what this was because they brought it was a gift. I notice when I am out with Jean, we get gifts. Jean is magical. LOL. The appetizer was delicious. True, it was the first dish they brought out. I mean, this was overwhelmingly delicious. It looks big in the photo but it was  not , enough to pop in one mouthful.

Baseball Beer is from Highland Park Brewery in Chinatown. It was perfect. We sat against the open wall to the street so it felt slightly like we were outside, albeit with this stellar audio booming above us. 

Located at 631 N Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069, parking might be a challenge. They have valet. I always park at that huge parking structure next to the library. 

One last thing, the art collection here is fantastic! make sure you walk around and check the work out.