Super sizing chic

How many among us like to read restaurant reviews more for the vicarious experience of swanky dining than as a preview of dishes we might actually order one day? Lately, prices in Los Angeles restaurants can feel out of reach for anyone without a generous expense account.

The “small plates” trend would seem to be the antidote. Consider Meson G -- the restaurant Tim and Liza Goodell opened last November in the former Citrus/Alex space on the corner of Melrose and Citrus avenues. Meson G has small plates and style to spare. With its tangerine-colored leather banquettes, pebbly floor and cool lighting, it’s one of the most chic dining rooms in town.

But inexpensive it’s not. Order enough of them, and the small plates add up to a big check. Enter “Big Plates Tuesday,” a new promotion presumably intended to bring diners in on a traditionally slow weeknight. Each week, chef Josef Centeno presents a special menu designed for four people to share.

I invited three friends last month, thinking this would be a nice opportunity to see what the new chef is up to. Centeno, who previously cooked at two other restaurants owned by the Goodells (Whist at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica and Aubergine in Newport Beach), had recently replaced the opening chef, Eric Greenspan.

My friends and I were seated at a choice booth with a good view of the sparkling open kitchen, and we were handed menus -- small-plates menus. I had to ask the server about “Big Plates Tuesday” to get the special menu.

“Each choice serves four, family-style” the menu card said. But the server insisted that the servings were quite small, not really enough for four. We considered steamed clams with chorizo and romesco sauce as a starter. “When you get it,” the server said, “it looks way bigger than it really is. It’s all shells.” But the clam dish sounded good.

Along with it we ordered a main course of capon braised in onions, garlic and smoked paprika. We’d need more than that, though, the server told us. Romaine with simple vinaigrette sounded a little dull as a starter; grilled baguette, burrata and pesto didn’t speak to us either. So we decided to order a couple of small plates off the regular menu.

We settled on the daily crudo (sliced yellowtail with Meyer lemon, shallots and chives); an asparagus salad with prosciutto and fried egg; and pan-seared octopus with an haricot vert salad and smoked paprika. Then, because none of us can ever resist pork belly, we asked for the Four Story Hill Farm pork belly with avocado and braised slaw. We ordered a half-bottle of Veuve Clicquot “Yellow Label” Champagne to start, then a bottle of 2002 Marchesi di Barolo Barbera d’Alba “Ruvei.”

Remembering that on my previous visit the small plates were really too small for more than two people to share comfortably, I suggested we get double orders of each small plate. Certainly that would be enough food. Right?

The server looked dubious. “You really shouldn’t miss the short ribs,” she said. We ordered it, just a single order.

The parade of dishes came. By the time we were done with the small plates, we were completely full. Then came the big plates.

The platter of clams looked big -- and was big! Though the delicate flavor of the clams was overwhelmed by some raw or barely cooked thyme, it was a jolly good plate, lightly spicy, with nice Spanish chorizo, fun for sharing. And it wasn’t “all shells” -- there was a clam in every one that we managed to eat. Which wasn’t many.

Then the capon came. It was delicious, the meat rich and tender and redolent of the smoky paprika. But who could eat it after all that? One friend took it home.

The moral: Do come for “Big Plates” Tuesday. But should your server tell you the big plates aren’t big, ignore her. If we had stuck to our guns, we would have had a terrific bargain dinner: $28 for the clams, $37 for the capon. A $16 strawberry shortcake, and we would have been golden -- with just a $20.25 (plus wine, tax and tip) price tag per person. Not bad for dinner at a swanky joint.

The menu changes every week, offered in four courses each time. Last Tuesday’s offerings were grilled rustic pizza with tomato and marinated albacore; spicy garlic and Parmesan salad; braised veal cheeks with polenta and mustard-caper reduction; and grilled fruits with assorted sorbets.

Next week, it’ll be something different.

*

Meson G

Where: 6703 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles

When: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Full bar. Valet parking $5.50 at dinner.

Cost: For the “Big Plates Tuesday” menu, first courses $11 to $18 for four; second and third courses $20 to $45 for four; desserts $12 to $20 for four.

Info: (323) 525-1415