A Downtown Seafood House Turns the Tide

At water grill in downtown Los Angeles, our mouths water as we watch the guy behind the raw seafood bar frantically shuck oysters and arrange them with chilled mussels, crab legs, spot prawns and lobster on a platter of towering ice. For the crowning touch, he balances a crab shell on the icy peak and slides the majestic edifice onto the counter. And off it sails to some lucky table.

Oh, well, we say, we can try that next time. Then we sip the 1996 Hiedler from Austria that the young, enthusiastic sommelier has recommended. Crisp and minerally, it’s a thrilling wine and a terrific choice for the seafood on its way to our table.

We order two dozen oysters, which turn out to be gorgeous, briny cold-water mollusks, Coromandels from New Zealand and Rilan Bays from Chile, both suggested by our waiter. But then, the oysters at the 7-year-old restaurant have always been excellent. The four kinds of bread we’re offered are from La Brea Bakery, and the butter is fresh and sweet.

Then come our appetizers. Bluefin ahi tuna tartare is incredibly good, the best I’ve had anywhere. It’s beautifully dressed in a radish and green peppercorn vinaigrette and set on creamy crushed avocado. The tall, golden crab cake is as big as a doughnut and absolutely stuffed with crab meat. Jonah crab salad is layered with mango and tomatoes in a sprightly green chile-mango dressing. And warm spot prawns, heads on, with a fingerling potato salad and a graceful lobster nage, just don’t get much better than this.

By the time the main courses arrive, two of my companions are sighing with pleasure. “Just taste the halibut!” says one, passing me a bite of snowy pan-roasted fish cooked with dusky gold chanterelles and a potpourri of wild herbs and greens. Black sea bass is steamed with ribbons of napa cabbage and carrots. It’s served with large, crispy smoked-eel pot stickers, which are wonderful as they soften in the broth the waiter pours from a silver teapot. French sea bass (loup de mer) grilled over fennel elicits satisfied groans from the die-hard meat-eater at my side. Cooked on the bone, it is delicate in flavor, set off by a swath of emerald spinach-and-basil sauce. I hardly get a bite, but that’s OK. I’m too busy with my Icelandic char roasted with artichokes and garlic.

Hallelujah! The sea change at Water Grill has been a long time coming. Michael Cimarusti, formerly of Spago Hollywood, was hired early this year to revamp the kitchen. The presentation immediately became more polished and the cooking more exact, but months went by with few alterations to the tired menu. Most dishes were so overburdened with ingredients that they seemed like a parody of California cuisine.

When, I wondered, would the new chef get to cook his own menu? I’d call every couple of months, only to be told: “Soon.” The grand plan called for updating the decor--banquettes are now reupholstered in a deep blue mohair--and introducing finer table settings and glassware. At the same time, the owner, University Restaurant Group, hired a new manager, sommelier and pastry chef. Meanwhile, Cimarusti traveled the country to visit top seafood restaurants and create a menu of contemporary seafood cooking.

Finally, in July, the new Water Grill was unveiled. The turnaround is nothing short of astonishing. From a restaurant that once served food as dated as postmodern architecture, it has evolved into L.A.’s best seafood restaurant.

You notice the difference at the raw seafood bar. Everything is very fresh. The chilled prawns aren’t overcooked and mealy, as they once were. And it no longer takes a half-hour to get a dozen oysters. That seafood platter is immensely satisfying now, in part because it comes with a well-made aioli.

The most dramatic change, though, is in the cooked dishes. Everything on the menu sounds appetizing. Descriptions are straightforward, though the occasional obscure and intriguing ingredient, such as “peanut fingerlings” (delicious, tiny potatoes that look like mishapen peanuts), does appear. And if you can’t decide, there’s now a five-course tasting menu.

White chowder, laced with Manila clams, applewood-smoked bacon and fingerling potatoes is so good that I’ve ordered it three times. Maine lobster is served in a richly nuanced coral sauce infused with tarragon. It’s a magical combination, undercut only by too much sharp pickled shallot beneath the shellfish. Soft-shell crabs in a lemon-caper brown butter are terrific, too, though the potato pancakes are soggy. You could point to the menu while blindfolded and come up with a good dish most of the time.

Now and then, Cimarusti reverts back to over-the-top California cuisine. The subtleties of John Dory get lost in a spicy tomato broth embellished with squid and clams. And an exquisite piece of Bristol Bay king salmon, with those peanut fingerlings, porcini mushrooms and fava beans, is veiled in an unappetizing-looking white truffle “froth.”

Under manager Joachim Sandbichler, there’s a new crispness to the service. The staff seems better-informed about the food, too, recommending dishes--and wines--with conviction. Water Grill has always had an extensive wine list, but now it has sommelier Micheal Baker, who works the floor. His enthusiasm for some of the wines he’s added is infectious. Ask his advice and he may surprise you with something new and exciting. He’s worked hard to build up certain areas of the wine list, including Austria and Alsace, and he’s added a number of half-bottles as well.

Don’t even consider passing up dessert. Pastry chef Wonyee Tom, who comes from Gotham Bar & Grill in New York City, turns out superb desserts with strong, focused flavors. Just taste her chilled honeydew soup with an oval scoop of sour cream sorbet bobbing among the melon balls. She poaches figs in Port and serves them with an ethereal mascarpone cream and dark, juicy cherries. A trio of ice creams--espresso gritty with coffee bean, caramel suffused with the seductive taste of burnt sugar, vanilla scented with Tahitian vanilla bean--are perfect in texture and sweetness. Even better are Tom’s sorbets: a peach that tastes like summer and a fabulous grapefruit Campari with a bitter citrus edge.

For an established restaurant, it’s risky to change almost everything without alienating faithful customers. Water Grill bided its time, waiting for the right moment. And it’s paying off handsomely.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Water Grill

CUISINE: Seafood. AMBIENCE: Handsome clubby restaurant with upholstered booths, attentive service and raw seafood bar. BEST DISHES: Seafood platter, clam chowder, Jonah crab salad, bluefin tuna tartare, Santa Barbara spot prawns with fingerling potato salad, grilled loup de mer, pan-roasted Alaskan halibut, honeydew soup, mascarpone with figs and cherries. WINE PICKS: 1997 Bonny Doon Roussanne, Santa Cruz; 1996 Riesling, Austria. FACTS: 544 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles; (213) 891-0900. Lunch weekdays. Dinner daily. Appetizers, $8 to $18; main courses, $16 to $31. Corkage $12. Valet parking.