Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
American Regional Stars
158
Grace
Hollywood Star
Los Angeles, California
Nobody uses the term “California cuisine”
anymore—it's too loaded with bad memo-
ries of the faddish excesses of the 1980s,
the culinary equivalent of shoulder pads,
aviator glasses, and permed shags. But
call it New American with a California
fusion focus, and you've got the essence
of Neal Fraser's approach. Having trained
in the kitchens of Wolfgang Puck, Thomas
Keller, and Joachim Splichal, Fraser has no
fear of creative combinations. (Locals still
remember the all-hemp tasting menu he
tried out years ago at Rix in Santa Monica.)
With his new restaurant, Grace, which
opened in Hollywood in 2003, he has hit
his stride.
With its high ceilings, well-spaced
tables, and soothing earth tones, Grace
exemplifies its name. Indeed it's a gra-
cious spot, relaxed and yet refined, in
welcome contrast to the trendy buzz of so
many other L.A. restaurants. Service is
smooth, the wine list is knowledgeable,
and the crowd is well-behaved, even on
casual Sunday nights, when Fraser's won-
derful gourmet burgers of prime dry-aged
Highland beef are the focus, topped with
buttermilk blue, Gruyère, or truffle cheese.
Wednesday's Doughnut Night is another
weekly highlight.
Fraser hasn't lost the exuberance of a
kid in a candy store. Look especially at his
daily specials, where seasonal ingredients
spark his imagination to concoct dishes
such as pumpkin risotto with sea urchin
and sweet Maine shrimp, a carpaccio of
tuna with fried green olives and pepper
vinaigrette, or slow-braised pork shank
with smoked shallots and cider-sage
sauce. Lately he seems to be in love with
game dishes; his special game tasting
menu includes winning items like sautéed
sweetbreads with sweet potato gnocchi,
sage, and brown butter; wild Scottish
hare sautéed with kabocha squash,
beluga lentils, and guajillo chili sauce;
wild-boar tenderloin with violet mustard
sauce; and grilled antelope with Parme-
san flan,
cavolo nero,
and huckleberry
gastrique. But who knows, by the time
you get here, he may be fired up about
another family of tastes. That eagerness
to try new things is what keeps his cook-
ing fresh.
Grace's menu isn't extraordinarily long,
but it's so eclectic, you may have trouble
choosing. For starters, will it be the
tangy soup of tomatoes and piquillo pep-
pers, topped with a goat cheese monte
cristo; a soothing savory roasted chestnut
and squash soup with duck confit and
toasted pistachios; or the vibrant Thai
Lobster Soup? In Neal Fraser's capable
Neal Fraser's restaurant Grace serves New
American cuisine with a California fusion focus.
