Chef Gadsby Settles Down in Stylish Place of His Own

Robert Gadsby, who could just be L.A.’s most restless chef, having worked (briefly) at a good half a dozen restaurants in the last few years, may have finally settled down. After a stint as chef at LunaPark in West Hollywood, he’s opened his own place on La Brea, half a block south of Campanile. It’s hard to spot: Look for Gadsbys stenciled on the white alley wall and the telltale valets out front. Inside, it’s a relentlessly stylish place, with sleek taupe booths, tall panels of smoked glass inscribed with arcane symbols, and waiters in oversized brown jackets. A sushi bar, open till 1 a.m., is set at a slant in back with the open kitchen behind.

The preview five-course tasting menu had the chef’s signature boldly scrawled across its face and the subtitle: A Robert Gadsby Summer Menu 1996. It also included a quote from the chef: “Balancing textures, flavors, colors and aromas is the domain of the chef, appreciating the delicacies of the menu is the domain of the connoisseur.” But the best dishes by far were the “Japanese amuse gueules” or palate teasers sent out by the resident sushi master.

This week the British-born chef debuts his a la carte lunch and dinner menu of characteristically eclectic cuisine with influences from France, Italy, Japan and further afield. A wine suggestion is given for each and every dish. Spiced lobster coral soup with vegetable gazpacho and truffled lemon confit, for example, is paired with the 1994 Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling, while grilled filet mignon tower with vegetable bouquetiere and horseradish quenelle is matched with the 1994 Edmeades Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley. It’s a nice idea, and helpful for those just finding their way into the world of wines.

Gadsby offers a three-course tasting menu every night too, only for the entire table, plus a “kaiseki” dinner of five courses, which includes two wines.

* Gadsbys, 672 S. La Brea Ave., (213) 936-8471. Open daily for dinner, until 1 a.m. for sushi; and for lunch Monday through Friday. Major credit cards accepted. Valet parking. Appetizers $6-$10; pastas and grains $12-$15; entrees $16-$24. Three-course prix fixe menu $29; five-course kaiseki meal $49.