We went here on our last night of our trip and it was soooo good. I checked it out on tripadvisor before I went and read some of the reviews and agree with all the positive comments just really good food and nice not to eat crappy food when you are away. This is a must if you are in Santa Monica! I am still dreaming about how good the food is.

The staff, food, and ambiance in this restaurant were all "just right" which made for a perfect experience. Our party of 5 were well taken care of as we warmed up our table for a later reservation for Toby McGuire. Lots of fun!

I was in town for the Golden globes and beyond exhausted, but an LA local recommended we book a table there.Their earliest available was 8:45. We waited and were seated almost immediately, and I personally like the small tight- a la francaise- table seating, that is casual and trendy.
Neither of us wanted a big meal, but a sampling of what they do best, and the menu was intriguing so we let our charming and attentive waiter make some suggestions, and we followed through.
He suggested english peas served edamame style, the gnocchi and pulled prok ravioli. The gnocci and the ravioli were so delicious that we ordered second! the peas were,'ok' but not worth finishing...to either of us.
I finished off with a caramel cake that was really delicious...so.I wouldn't give it 5 stars overall...but those two dishes, the service and the ambiance... a 6.:)

My daughter was so excited to go here and had made a reservation well in advance. Part of the problem was that we were two at dinner and I think this is better for a group.We arrived early and were told there were no tables so we had to wait for our reservation. The place is packed and people are constantly trying to get in. Several couples were turned away because they were over 15 minutes late for their reservation. I am not so sure this is an intelligent thing to do especially when the newness wears off. We were finally seated in the absolute back of the resaturant in a small room which was fine with me- away from the maddening cool crowd. Luckily the waiter was excellent and all was well in Siberia. This is one of those menus that requires work to decipher what you are going to get or if the cow is in the kitchen as we speak. The charcuterie was very good but not spectaculer. Also the most appetizing entries have to be ordered a week in advance so I advise doing this as it probably makes for a better experience.The whole cooked fish looked great but my daughter is not a fish eater so I ordered the seafood in a Thai sauce(shellfish pot). Here's the thing. I make this sauce at home, it is very easy and though the seafood was fresh, it was no big deal. Perhaps I did not order correctly, I just don't know. We were very quiet in the ride home and finally my daughter said, "I am so disappointed, I thought this was going to be great". My response, "Don't worry, I feel exactly the same way. " Disappointed.