Coco Pazzo Needs to Catch Up

It sounds like a perfect marriage: hotelier Ian Schraeger (Royalton and Morgans, New York City, and Delano, Miami Beach) and Italian restaurateur Pino Luongo (Il Cantinori, Le Madri, Coco Pazzo and Il Toscanaccio in New York and Piccolo Cucina in Costa Mesa, among others).

When the Sunset Strip’s refurbished Mondrian Hotel opened its doors recently, the beds were made, the candles were lit and shawls were artfully draped on designer Philippe Starck’s eccentric mix-and-match furniture. The hotel’s restaurant, Coco Pazzo, looked edgy and cool with its white leather chairs and white-outfitted waiters, who were moving like acolytes through the long narrow room.

A few days later the kitchen was in desperate need of someone’s attention. Grilled calamari, which the waiter proudly informed us are made entirely without oil, were chewy and tasteless--and broiled, not grilled. A plate of carpaccio was ruined by its topknot of spaghetti squash doused in truffle oil. It doesn’t say much when fresh milky mozzarella with marinated vegetables is one of the best dishes. Only fegato Coco Pazzo, beautifully cooked calves’ liver with pearl onions and shallots on a bed of perfect mashed potatoes, made good on the menu’s promise.

A seasoned restaurateur like Luongo would have been expected to turn in a much more polished performance for his L.A. debut. The restaurant is so good-looking, and the outdoor space so entrancing, that Coco Pazzo is sure to attract plenty of diners anyway. Luongo has a lot of work to do, however, if he wants to catch up to L.A.’s best Italian restaurants.

* Coco Pazzo, Mondrian Hotel, 8440 Sunset Blvd.; (213) 650-8999. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Major credit cards accepted. Valet parking. Appetizers $7.50-$10.50; pastas $15-$19.50; entrees $19.50-$28.