Hans Rockenwagner’s Tall Order

Hans Rockenwagner has always been a visual-thinking chef. Once he served scallops topped with an inverted eggshell that held a secret supply of curry-caviar sauce. At his latest, Rox, in the new Beverly Prescott Hotel, Rockenwagner is cooking tall . . . really tall. Like Alfred Portale at New York’s Gotham Bar & Grill and the tricksters at San Francisco’s Flying Saucer, Rockenwagner has discovered the joys of skyscraper cuisine.

Jerk-marinated pork arrives with spears of crisp, spiced plantains anchored in coconut-curry rice; a grilled mushroom salad is mounded high like a tepee. Super-long breadsticks endanger your waitress every time she tries to fill a wine glass.

Even low-lying dishes are architected--seared prawns encircle a fried-potato corral of corn-potato “risotto” (think delicious creamed corn); a biscotti bridge tops passion fruit parfait.

* Rox Restaurant, the Beverly Prescott Hotel, 1224 Beverwil Drive, Los Angeles, (310) 772-2999. Entrees $15.50-$21.

The other thing about Rox is color. Perhaps taking a cue from New York’s Jean-Georges Vongerichten, drips of bright herb and vegetable sauces dot the extremities of Rox’s plates--this from the chef who brought Los Angeles the all-white-asparagus menu.

The color extends to the dining room. No typical drab hotel restaurant, it’s as if the designers took an ordinary coffee shop and dressed it up fancy so you’d hardly recognize it.