Original Spin

Patina helped focus national attention on Los Angeles’ dynamic restaurant scene in the ‘80s. And despite a faltering economy since then, foodies’ wavering attention span and its own quirky location hidden behind papyrus on a shabby stretch of Melrose Avenue, it remains one of the handful of important L.A. restaurants that are perennially booked. It’s dressy. It’s smart. And Joachim Splichal’s food is distinctively his own. The German-born chef was trained in France at several Michelin-starred restaurants, so his cooking is classically French with a large dose of California whimsy. What’s more, Splichal understands that to get more than a small coterie of Angelenos into a serious restaurant, something about the experience has to be lighthearted and fun.

Inside, the sleek restaurant feels more like New York or Paris than L.A., with its olive-and-gold-striped banquettes and closely packed tables. Minimalist arrangements of dried grasses grace every table top. Flatware is heavy; exquisite porcelain is decorated with flowers and bordered in gold, the better to frame the food.

As pretty as the room is, however, it’s rather uncomfortable. At the banquettes, you can overhear everything your neighbors say. The tables feel just as cramped. Though there’s laudably no background music, the only place conversation is easy is at one commodious table where you can usually spot VIPs.

At Patina, waiters dance in attendance and--at least for this evening--your every whim is met. Here, you can sip the finest Champagnes while you peruse the a la carte menu or choose one of the three five-course menus and then linger (if you have the last seating) over an after-dinner drink from sommelier Christopher Meeske’s exceptional but pricey list. You can also order a cigar, presumably to go.

Ever the showman, Splichal injects a good deal of playfulness into his menus. Whatever the season, potatoes turn up in various guises, sometimes playing the part of pasta in cannelloni or lasagna. He grabs diners’ attention with “towers” stacked higher than anyone else’s in town. And he likes to amuse with plays on words, such as French fries “not fried” (they’re actually poached) or “wienerschnitzel” of Maine lobster. Sometimes, however, such efforts seem to be more about charming us with his cleverness than seducing us with deep, bold flavors.

The menu category “One Soup” is currently filled by a bright green pea soup, ladled into the bowl at the table until the pale peppered quenelles (made from yogurt!) are almost submerged. It tastes exactly how you would imagine the color green to taste. “Odd Things,” always the most intriguing listing, included a rich upright marrow bone last winter and custardy calves’ brains on an artichoke heart before that. Now the choices are sweetbreads with artichoke and summer truffles or roasted rabbit leg stuffed with spinach and dried plums.

As I said, Splichal has a penchant for potatoes. And almost nobody makes such gloriously buttery mashed potatoes. Have them in his appetizer of Santa Barbara shrimp, garnished with translucent potato chips laced with black truffles. Moist corn blinis piled high and draped with satiny fennel-marinated salmon are another classic.

My last meal at Patina was beautifully cooked and orchestrated. Halibut, usually so dry and flavorless, was cooked on the bone and a revelation, paired with asparagus wrapped in apple-smoked bacon. The sumptuous salad of rabbit loin and rabbit confit was set off by a pretty green puree of fava beans and basil. Squab cooked to a rosy hue was stacked with rounds of buttery brioche, spinach leaves and sweet onion. And the “twice-baked potato meets mallard duck” was a fan of rare, deeply flavored duck breast ribboned with fat, perched atop a baked potato filled with creamed potato and a gamey duck hash enriched with a little foie gras, then set down in luscious duck juices decorated with a swirl of parsley jus. With a refreshing white peach soup for dessert, this was the kind of meal that everybody talks about getting at Patina but, in my experience, has been hard to find in the last few months.

It used to be that you never knew, unless you glimpsed him through the door, whether Splichal was in the kitchen or not. Not anymore. I happened to dine a couple of times when he was out of town, and both meals were disappointing. One evening, a number of dishes were inexcusably salty. And stocks and reductions were so strong that they obliterated all other flavors on the plate.

But I’ve also had less-than-inspired meals when Splichal was in. As technically perfect as his food can be, his cooking is too intellectual for me to really love. Those skyscrapers of food have lost their novelty and now seem tiresome once everything comes tumbling down with the first bite. But my real reserve stems from the fact that his cooking just isn’t sensual enough. Those rich sauces that rely mostly on veal reductions are also too monochromatic. Their somber flavors may be what I want to eat in late fall in Burgundy or San Francisco, but here in L.A., they are frequently just too heavy. I long for more contrast, more vibrancy. In the end, my appreciation for what Splichal can do comes more from my head than my heart.

I am, however, unreservedly impressed with the wine service. The list has breadth and depth. And each wine--red or white--is served at the temperature that shows it best. Waiters don’t pour too much in the beautiful Riedel crystal. And no matter how much you know about wine, if you allow him to, Meeske will come up with something interesting to match whatever you’ve ordered. Every time. Which is another reason Patina is the jewel in the crown of Splichal’s growing restaurant empire. And why it remains the restaurant for its many fans.

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PATINA

CUISINE: French-California. AMBIENCE: Understated decor and top-notch service. BEST DISHES: rabbit loin salad, Santa Barbara shrimp, baked potato and duck. WINE PICKS: 1995 Mas de Daumas-Gassac blanc, Languedoc; 1995 Charles Joguet Chinon “Clos de la Cure,” Loire Valley. FACTS: 5955 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; (213) 467-1108. Dinner daily; lunch on Tuesday only. Dinner for two, food only, $95 to $107; five-course menus, $55 to $69. Corkage $17. Valet parking.

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Food stylist: Norman Stewart