Sona menu flavored by ambition

Traffic is roaring down La Cienega Boulevard this evening, but here inside, the long-awaited Sona it’s as hushed and serene as a Zen retreat.

Sona is the project of the husband-and-wife team of David and Michelle Myers. David, a former executive sous-chef at Patina, most recently showed great promise at Jaan, the high-concept restaurant inside L’Ermitage hotel. Michelle has been a pastry chef at Spago and Patina.

Architect Anthony Eckelberry created a strong design profile for this intimate, contemporary restaurant. The dining room’s austere palette -- chalky whites and grays accented by black -- is softened by the luxurious textures of leather and fabric.

Sona’s ambitious menu lists eight “firsts,” eight “seconds” and eight “thirds” (desserts). On this opening menu, the firsts include a gratin of mussels, Spanish ham and frothy almond milk; and a terrine of foie gras as intricately crafted as a piece of jewelry. Miniature salt-roasted beets splashed with a warm and very sour vinaigrette are tucked beneath bouquets of mache. Potato leek soup comes with crispy potatoes and dried prosciutto garnished with celery leaves.

It’s all pretty cerebral, and the seconds are even more so. You can order, for example, glazed Santa Barbara prawns in a preserved turmeric emulsion with a mysterious, dry musty taste that sets off the sweetness of the prawns. Kobe beef appears as tenderloin paired with short ribs and a lovely celery root and shiso leaf salad. Chicken comes dressed up with a pearl onion fricassee, salty collard greens and smashed La Ratte potatoes. Sauces are drawn or splattered across the plate, ingredients arranged with precision.

Chef Michelle Myers brings an arsenal of techniques to her desserts. Her hand-pulled strudel stuffed with spiced griottes (a kind of cherry) is brilliantly paired with black beer ice cream. She fills cannoli with fluffy mascarpone and heirloom Black Arkansas apples. Crema Catalana appears in her mille-feuille with Minneola tangerine sorbet.

It’s not an easy time to open such an ambitious high-end restaurant.

Let’s hope this one finds its audience.