for fuck’s sake, report back. thanks man.
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My thoughts were mostly similar. I really love Pujol and Cosme, so was a bit let down. The food was all good but my hopes were high. The tortillas were pretty flaccid and disappointing compared to many you can get around town these days. Cosme has a couple rockstar dishes–namely, the duck carnitas and the lamb barbacoa–that you can build meals around. Right now, Damian does not have that dish.
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agreed, there isn’t that must-order signature dish yet, like the whole fish at mirame or the chicharron at broken spanish.
To be honest, I don’t think it’s better than Mercado. I like Mercado more than many, but they have excellent blue corn tortillas, and an amazing (and generous) carnitas dinner plate I like more than just about anything at Damian. I think I’ll check back in in a few months and see how the menu has developed.
The tuna carnitas on the opening menu was supposed to be “that dish.” Having eaten at Cosme we had high hopes. Didn’t pan out.
Damian’s food reminded us of some legendary restaurant’s 2nd or 3rd hotel franchise branch. We haven’t returned.
After trying Ditroit and being underwhelmed, glad I didn’t pony up for Damian. Letting ingredients “shine” can only take you so far when dishes are under seasoned and are lacking flavor. Sad since I really enjoyed Cosme. Here’s to hoping they make some changes. Agree Broken Spanish was way better.
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Overall agree with your assessment. Very enjoyable space, excellent staff, very good food but not blown away.
Maybe just me but couldn’t detect much smoke on the Surf clam. Excellent sauce. Ceviche is what you would expect—very good clean flavors but nothing really sets it apart. Gordita with king crab was nice.
Dry aged stripe bass. This was excellently prepared. Skin super crispy. Honestly enjoyed the fish on its own.
Prob the best qpr on menu, loved the crispy shrimp shells.
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Did the fish come with all those, pardon the phrase, fixins? When I was there the duck carnitas didn’t (no onions/cilantro), and it definitely affected the dish.
And overall, I totally agree. Service great, enjoy being in the space, but the food is underseasoned and doesn’t pop.
Disappointing given the meals I’ve had at Cosme, Pujol, even Atla.
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Fish does come with all those fixings. We didn’t find underseasoning to be an issue for our meal.
Wife mention she enjoyed some things at Holbox better…which says a lot about Damian and where it needs to go. Maybe take more risks.
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Agree with your conclusion. It was too expensive and had too distinguished a pedigree for what we got. Also, we were seriously disappointed by the tortillas. They bordered on stale. I can’t remember if they are house-made and if they are, they need to reformulate.
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I might be a crazy person, but I also found the periodic burning of Palo Santo to be obtrusive not to mention absurd.
It’s not a vegan restaurant in Ojai…
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Peony: I like the food in Damian much more this time than our first visit. I feel overall the dishes have more flavors than last time. The ceviche was very sharp and bright and quite tasty. The tuna tartare and clam were both rich in flavors. I didn’t notice much change in the grilled fish. However, the chayote that came with the fish was very appetizing and added so much more flavor than the fish alone. Overall, the ingredients are good quality and prepared decently. The flavors have improved. I look forward to seeing more improvement of the dishes. Right now, I just feel the flavors are not quite there yet, if I compare it with Holbox, which we recently visited, and which I much prefer.
Warrior: I think this restaurant is not very good and has little promise. Exhibit number one is the celery root dish, which is bizarrely listed as a main course. It consists primarily of pickled, mandoline-sliced celery root. Why someone thought that would make the foundation of a good dish, I don’t understand. Exhibit number two is the overcooked fish. I rest my case.
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Always helps to know the chef.
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“I’d like some of the rest of the world with my truffles, please.”
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l think he showed him how to dry age their fish…
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That’s the head Butcher at The Joint, I’m guessing they are supplying them. They sell to Rustic Canyon as well (i saw him pop up in Chef Andy Dubrava’s Instagram as well)
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Liwei Liao’s business is on the upswing!
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The Joint is amazing, and what Liwei is doing there is insanity. The best fish in LA in my opinion.
He is a mad scientist, creating the most pristine fish for restaurants and home cooks to be able to acquire!
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