Fifty Seven

Closed!
Wow! Such a beautiful space but terribly run, executed, and managed. Another example of how LA’s restaurant scene is driven by large money investor projects that result in a complete absence of any greater vision or heart and soul. You can see how much work goes into opening a place like this, but then after it’s open for a couple of weeks it is instantly turned all auto-​pilot and a slow dive.
Anyone with an ounce business sense would have:
1) Not opened a club underneath the restaurant
2) Not called the club the same name as the restaurant
3) Created a separate Unilocal page so club-​goers wouldn’t wreck my Michelin star chef’s rating!!!
Uhhh and yet another place that prices things in a way to take as much from you as possible as opposed to making it a place you want to go to all the time. They would price commonly called-​out wines (i.e. Cab or Chard) in the high teens, so that when a casual diner asks for a glass without looking at the list gets hit with an $ 18 bump. (Bestia does the same thing.)
I wish someone in this town cared about the customer as opposed to the investor. Los Angeles restaurants need longevity as opposed fad scenes. Its not good for the community or the investor… nobody wins!
Design a restaurant that is fun and exciting in every aspect of it: atmosphere, food, and service, but also honest, warm and accommodating. A good establishment should bring as much joy to those who run it as their clientele should get out of it and vice versa.

Fifty Seven is a great little spot downtown off of the 10 by santa fe avenue. I went there the other night for the Zagat «30 Under 30» and it was great! They had lots of different cocktails, beers and wines available. I’m sure it was more of a Zagat thing than Fifty Seven but they even roasted a rack of lamb for 6 hours prior out on the patio area to serve to guests as a snack. Super fancy, lots of different fixings to go with the lamb. As far as interior goes, there is an outdoor patio area and then inside there’s high ceilings with the bar in the very center. Surrounding the bar, there’s a set of stairs that lead to a wrap around indoor deck that over looks the bar. The kitchen is also open and visible from the moment you walk into the bar which I love! I will definitely be back for a regular night out there in no time.

Service is horrible here. We had a party of 9 with a reserved outdoor table but couldn’t place our food order until 45 minutes after being seated because our apologetic server seemed to have forgotten us. We also asked repeatedly to get another place setting & plate but that didn’t appear until an hour after our 1^st appetizer. We had to wait 2 hours before we got our steak and chicken entrees. Even ordering beers took easily 15 – 20 minutes and only if we walked directly to the bar to order it ourselves. The restaurant was busy but not packed so I can’t explain the inattentiveness or the slow service.
Now this dinner was suppose to greet our out-​of-​country guests but there was so much lag time between dishes that they were bored and starved. What was worse was I had specifically arranged with the waitress at the beginning of the meal to give me the bill but she became flustered when we had explained to her that we had waited too long for our meal and was dissapointed with our time. She then forgot my request and instead gave the bill to our guests who ended up paying it (and it was not a cheap dinner). This was an extremely awkward and embarrassing dining experience, and let’s just say the food did not justify the wait.
If I could give negative 5 stars I would. The staff needs to get their act together by doing their work and not just disappear, and learn what it is to provide basic customer service. We did get a lot of apologies but very little action to show they meant it.

I came here after work one day. And I tried about 3 cocktails while reading my book. Let me tell you, I wasn’t a fan of the celery bitters cocktail. Not up my alley. Lol. However the rest were fine and the bartender was nice enough to switch my drink.
Will be back for dinner. I love the ambiance here.

So it would seem this place is still going through growing pains, but definitely shows promise. I’ll give it 4 stars, but the 3.5 it’s currently rated at feels more accurate. That’s not to say this place is bad, but it is newish, and sometimes it takes a little longer to get consistent.
We were in a group of 10, and considering this place is big on small plates, we got to sample a lot. The good? The menu changes regularly so I’m not sure how relevant this will be, but the chicken wings, braised squid in ink, and fried Japanese yams were all excellent. The mushrooms with poached egg and aged steak tartare were good, and the rest was at least decent. Nothing was bad.
Heading into a place on a Tuesday night you expect it to be quiet, but with the exception of another couple, our party was pretty much on our own. Being near Bestia will hopefully give it at least some run-​off business, which is deserved as it has a cool vibe (does it make me uncool for saying that?), and some creative menu choices. The service was great, the sommelier was knowledgeable, and the music was spot on. Definitely worth a try.

Please Be Advised, I have not eaten here. This review is not about their food, it is about the basement bar downstairs. They host live bands and serve tasty drinks but my favorite is the shot of well bourbon and 16 oz. can of Shlitz for $ 10.
It’s definitely a good time and worth checking out as the bands are solid and the atmosphere harkens to the ‘Beat’ generation. I want to wear a black turtle neck, biker boots and jeans the next time I go.

Expensive food, but a real treat. For brunch I ordered the chopped salad. As a vegetarian for more than 15 years, It’s been a while since I’ve eaten a salad that had such a collage of flavors, delish! I also ordered the rosemary sticky bun with pine nuts and plum preserves. The dough of the sticky bun was heavenly, the caramelized exterior was a sweet and chewy delight, and the plum preserves were so tangy and fresh I could eat it solo with a spoon.
I was so impressed with my meal that I ordered the honey butter parker rolls and the orange blossom brioche with greek yogurt to go. I should have stopped while I was ahead. The parker rolls were more buttery than a croissant and then they give you butter with a hint of honey in it to top your rolls! Too much butter. The brioche was okay. Kind of like dipping bread into yogurt. Lesson learned: stick with the sticky bun!

This place and its empolyees lack soul
My friend’s 13 dollar Pinot was a quarter full
When he complained
The response was that it was the perfect
Pour of 5 oz.
We left and had dinner at Bestia next door
And it was fabulous as usual

Overall a pleasant experience.
My favorite parts; the herb garden, outside seating, and live music in the basement.
The food was just ok, but the ambiance was very pleasant outdoors. It felt like I was transported to Europe with the warm summer breeze, brick alley and the romantic lighting.
The server was sweet but we didn’t get one of our shared plates. Seems to be the theme here.
One thing they got right here is the bread. The Parker Rolls with lardo and the uni were very tasty. The escargot was on point too. The fish eggs in the cured meat dish were gross. Nothing compared to ikura or ikra.
I wasn’t vibing the music in the basement that night but loved the intimate set up.
Ambiance: outside 5 /​indoor 3
Food: 3
Price: 2.5

In a word: over-​priced.
Their rent must be insane; otherwise, I can’t figure it. I went with some friends for dinner. Some had appetizers, others did not. Some had drinks, others did not.
Tab: $ 70 per person?
They are charging $ 3 apiece for oysters — for local oysters, from right here in California. That’s exorbitant!
As for the food, everything was simply fine, but nothing was particularly special. For instance, their «crispy pork belly»… they don’t tell you, but by «crispy», they actually mean «breaded and deep fried». Seriously? Why? Pork belly is already incredibly fatty; you can (and probably should) crisp it in a pan, in its own fat. Why make breaded pork belly fingers? And if you’re gonna, why not make that clear on the menu? Why call it something else?
The waitstaff was nice — they made mistakes, but fixed those promptly when they were called to attention. Still — there’s no reason to pay an arm and a leg to come here, particularly when the food is overpriced and really kind of overthought and not so grand to begin with.
Pass on fifty-​seven.

I feel Unilocal for this place needs to reset every time there is a new chef in the kitchen.
Josh Drew is the chef in residence right now and our experience was a complete mess from start to finish:
RESERVATIONS: The latest we could get a reservation was 6:30pm on a Saturday. However, when we left at 9:00pm, the restaurant was still only half full. Odd. #FAIL
AMBIANCE: Very cool industrial design that is similar to other downtown places (exposed brick and vents, etc.). Noise level is appropriate as well (though it probably helped that the place wasn’t that busy). The big problem here though is that the ventilation is HORRIBLE! Smoke wafted out of the kitchen and throughout the restaurant all evening. It was so annoying! And the men’s bathroom ventilation was a complete mess (felt 100 degrees in there and reeked!) #FAIL
SERVICE: Mistakes all over the place! They forgot one of our apps. I had sparkling water and 3 times they tried to fill it with flat water before we even finished our apps (I finally made them bring the sparking over). They brought out our mains shockingly quickly (with 5 minutes of ordering)…they were clearly trying to turn the table… for who I don’t know though. My favorite moment was when the waitress asked if we liked our desserts, we all kind of shook our heads side to side and said they were just okay. She clearly wasn’t listening because she responded with «Fantastic!» #FAIL
FOOD: Mediocre overall. Between 4 of us we had 3 apps, 2 mains, 2 sides and 2 desserts and only one of them (the squid in its own ink) would we order again. The steak was plain tasting (I could do better at home). The griddled provolone was meh, the shrimp a la plancha was shockingly overpriced at $ 18 for 3 shrimp, the cotton cake was plain tasting, the pavlova was weird tasting, etc., etc., etc.
AFTER DINNER: Music was advertised as starting at 9:00pm, but at 9:00pm we were told it would be 10:00pm tonight. Thanks for the warning!
ADVICE: Go to Bestia around the corner or Factory Kitchen instead.

A friend recommended we drop by Fifty Seven for drinks after dinner at Bestia. It is a very short walk around the corner from Bestia. I hear Fifty Seven also serves good food (Modern American), but we were so stuffed from Bestia we did not indulge.
We ordered the Raspberry + Fizz ($ 12 — Dry vermouth, aperol, raspberry, pisco, fresh lime, seltzer), and Apples + Spice ($ 13 — Blanco tequila, pomme eau de vie, fresh lemon, cinnamon, dry apple cider, castillian bitters). Both drinks were OK. Neither one wowed us. The drinks at Bestia were much better: 3 Stars.
The ambiance is really nice. It reminds me of a small Mesa (Costa Mesa), but classier. There is a nice bar when you walk in, a library looking wall and tables all around. You can also see the kitchen: 4 Stars. The service was really good. Gina was our mixologist. She was super friendly and informative about the drinks: 4 Stars.
I would come back and try the food, and perhaps I will change my rating. However, this experience was just OK. BTW, there weren’t a whole lot of people on a Wed night, but maybe its more cracking on a Thu or weekend.

I read a lot of the reviews before going here.
A couple of my good friends are small investors in this place so I was looking forward to checking this place out.
I do have to say that as far as service goes I did not have a bad experience. I came in the hostess was very polite, attractive and seated me quickly. The servers knew the menu well and had tried all the items on the menu. Have very good recommendations. There was a wine sommelier who was very down to earth and compelled unpretentious which I loved. He was kind of hipsterish which I enjoyed too.
Food was delicious. This place is super hip and trendy. Very good for groups.
HIDDEN GEM:
I think the bar downstairs is very very cool. It’s reminds me of something I may have seen in the movie Swingers. Very cool, very LA.
I don’t give 5 stars often but this place makes for a great going out experience. You can pretty much grab dinner then go downstairs and enjoy a great show. The performer on the night I went was really good!

You go around the corner from Bestia and you’ll find this place, a beautiful modernly-​rustic place, sporting a lot of wood. Dimmed lighting and music a-​la Drive soundtrack. But LOUD.
Staff was fantastic, and took care of our 12-​person table like we were royalty. The sommelier made a fantastic choice and got us a double-​size bottle of wine. Food came out looking almost too beautiful to eat. Almost.
Parker rolls with both Uni and my new favorite thing, Lardo. That’s going to be my new middle name, by the way. The cheese plate was delish with it’s 5 selections of cheeses. Pickled Abalone had a nice, clean texture. Classic oysters were awesome, and the accompanying sauces worked well. The burrata was creamy, and the salt + sugar cured beef was great. I could eat that all day! The griddled provolone was decadently awesome, who would have thought? Grilled mushrooms and peaches were surprisingly complimentary. The salmon is cooked medium rare, which is how it should always be served.
It seems that a lot of the lesser-​ranked reviews involved the dry-​aged ribeye. My boss got the ribeye and she would have probably agreed with the other reviewers in regards to how hers was prepared. She actually thought it tasted weird (she knows her steaks), and ended up being nauseated because of it through the end of the next day. They should be happy that it isn’t her writing this review.
Just avoid the ribeye and you’ll have a good experience here.

Found out about this spot after reading my subscription to new restaurants that opened in LA. We were able to get a group here (5 people) pretty easily the same week it opened.
Service was super attentive. They had a myriad of staff, almost as if there were 1 per table. I remember in particular, how I ordered a cocktail, and made a disgusting face that I didn’t bother to hide as I thought no one was looking at me. A server immediately rushed over to the table and asked if I wanted something else. a move that fine dining establishments should do (also done at n/​naka).
The food was good. Border of amazing but not quite. The chef also came out to greet us (I think he worked at Eleven Madison) and told us he’ll be opening up a new restaurant in LA in the summer.

Nice décor, hip location and lots of potential but sadly, the food isnt great and the service simply shocking. Slow, mistaken and apathetic — yet with so many other competitors — this owner is not doing themselves any favors by hiring stoned or stupid wait staff that leave you empty glassed, asking to order, asking for another beer and generally, asking to go elsewhere. From the wrong beer, to the wrong wine, then the dishes delivered out of order, sides brought after you are done eating, it was a total goat rodeo from start to finish.
Except when you ask for the cheque. Then the lazy stoner who didn’t know we existed thought we would forget the last hour and be happy he showed up with a smile for 30 seconds to secure a ‘more than zero’ tip. Sadly, even that he … up and were sent a bill that had double billed some items and also included items we didnt order.
Never again. If we got the same waiter again I would be hard pressed to not punch him in the face — but this is LA. At this price point you can get great food and have great service to go with it. You dont have to put up with this BS.
So we won’t…

Let me begin by saying that the food here is good. I find the quarterly test kitchen concept very interesting and exciting. The restaurant is set up such that chefs rotate in quarterly, do their thing, experiment and have a little fun. The current chef is from New York and does a good job with fun Modern American cuisine. The execution and flavors were there. However, I felt like it lacked a little bit of pop and wow factor. And in combination with my other reservations is why I dinged their score down a little.
The service seems like it needs a little fine tuning. Our server a sweet gal with a Meg Ryan sort of charm, but she was stretched a bit much. Between covering our table and neighbor tables, she was also covering the outside patio. Some of the servers didn’t seem to know where our table was as we saw the server who brought out our cocktails go to two separate tables before finally arriving at our table. The table settings had napkins but no utensils, so when our appetizers arrived, we couldn’t jump in on it. The staff is surely large enough as we saw a ton of folks around and walking around; but maybe it’s a layout issue as a server had to literally walk across the entire restaurant to get to the utensils before walking it back to us.
My sentiments are similar to what I had said about the non-​defunct Parish in DT LA. Food was great, but I believe it is as a price point where folks may be hesitant coming back given all the other options that are popping up around town, and seemingly a bit cheaper. When each entrée seems to be about $ 3 – 5 over what similar competitors are offering, it’s hard to justify a return visit. Especially when you think about how with a tapas style menu, you’re ordering 5 – 6 dishes per person + 1 – 2 cocktails ($ 15 dollar cocktails, outstanding but about $ 2 – 3 too much). I think about the new Faith & Flower, old classics like Baco Mercat as having similar quality but at a slightly lower price point.
The silver lining here is that they do rotate new chefs every 3 months; so this menu will not only change content wise, but stylistically as well. Hopefully the price points will be adjusted. Also, service is always something one can tinker and improve on. For now, 3* is the best mark I can give it. I hope with a few tweaks, this place can be a vibrant option right by Bestia.

First off the service here is impeccable! The waiters and hostess were really friendly and knowledgeable. I enjoyed a decadent 4-​hour dinner with my husband and a friend of ours, so this review might become a little lengthy.
The drinks:
Old Fashion — this is my husband’s favorite drink and he is very particular about how he likes it made, the waiter was great about accepting his requests and the bartender did a fantastic job of following through. It was so good that my husband had to have another.
3 Sheets — very refreshing, spa-​like cocktail
Rusty Beam — I really loved the use of cinnamon in the drink, it is absolutely delicious
Contraband — also a really great drink (especially if your like bourbon)
El Sanguinello — the use of spices makes this a fun drink
Spanish Crown — the strong use of bitters put this drink a little over the top for me
The food:
Amuse Bouche — Gruyère puff pastry, this was a great little bite to start the dinner
Pickled Garden — I am not a huge fan of pickles but this was a good dish, my husband and friend both devoured it and were very happy with it
Bratwurst — was great with the mustard, I didn’t love the pretzel but I didn’t hate it either
Deviled Eggs — apparently this is the Chef’s mother’s recipe and it is awesome (can’t mess with mama)
Brassica — plated like a beautiful spring wreath, this was an extremely refreshing dish, I loved the use of Parmesan and lemon
Artichoke — the sunchokes worked really well with the crema and was a good showcase of the vegetable
Vegetable à la Grecque — another refreshing vegetable dish, my favorite was the smokey seared asparagus
Veal Liver — for those of you who miss foie gras, this is a good alternative it has that smooth decadent flavor and texture that you get from foie but the onion jam is what makes the dish, the sweet and sour balance out the liver perfectly
La Tur — OMG, this was so amazing! I have never experienced cheese like this before! It was so airy and fluffy and paired beautifully with the endives and apple slices.
Pappardelle with Oxtail — the pasta was a little too thin for my liking but the oxtail was excellent
Diver Scallops — these were perfectly cooked and I loved the texture from the crispy wild rice (I could have eaten a bowl of that rice alone)
John Dory — perfectly cooked, I really loved the avocados and the grapefruit provided the perfect amount of acidity
Lamb — cooked to perfection and served with this delicious quinoa underneath
Pork Chop — wow that was a lot of meat, the pork chop we had was gigantic! It was also served pink, which is pretty rare to see. It was very juicy and full of flavor.
Chocolate Dessert — super chocolatey and decadent, the salted almond brittle was a nice touch
Pineapple Dessert — this had an intense pineapple flavor to it and I loved the use of coriander in the dish
Meyer Lemon Dessert — very tart but, but you just couldn’t stop eating it, I also really loved the use of basil
Strawberry Dessert — the berries in here are amazing and beyond fragrant and paired beautifully with the tarragon that was in there
And to seal the deal for the night, we got to meet the Chef! David Nayfield is a super talented chef and after our brief conversation I can totally see why. He is all about the food and most importantly the integrity of his cooking.

Stopped here one night to check it out. I love the outdoor seating, the décor, and the room downstairs with live music. It didn’t seem to have A/​C on the night I was there and with this heat wave, they really could have used it. The host was very helpful and it’s so new it’s only been open a month. Between all the various areas, I’d say it was only ½ full. It’s right next to Bestia. I would be more likely to come here for drinks/​apps and the live music as I feel like between this place and Bestia, Bestia will win every single time.

Located just a block north of relative newcomer Bestia, Fifty Seven holds its own in a small corner of DTLA that has lately become a sizzling hotspot for new restaurants.
In an area that was known for endless blocks of street parking, it was getting difficult to find an open spot — a testament to the growing popularity of this corner of DTLA. The space is quite beautiful. You first enter through an alley off the street that would be perfect for photo shoots. The dining room is on two levels — the ground floor bar and a raised second tier dining area & kitchen that overlooks the bar below. While the table seating all seemed to be pretty booked, the bar seating had several open seats for a Friday night. Noise level is decent for such a space and you can still have a conversation with the person sitting across from you without shouting.
The food was very good although I admit I was not blown away by the cuisine like some other reviewers were. The brassica was a deconstructed take on a Caesar salad that was interesting to look at, but a bit difficult to consume with all the ingredients together. The lamb pappardelle pasta was also good, but it’s quite possible to have even better pasta just down the street. The John Dory entrée was elegantly plated and a very subtle dish that was expertly executed. The complimentary cheese puffs to start the meal and trio of dessert bites at the end of the meal were delightful touches.
The service was friendly, but honestly could use more refinement. Our waiter disappeared for 20 minutes after saying he’d be back in a minute — we had to hail down two other staff members because we didn’t even see him on our floor. We were then brought the wrong check at the end of the meal. Again, not major dings, but for a restaurant of this caliber you do hold the service to a higher threshold. With more time, I expect these too will be smoothed out.
It’s a wonderful place to sample with friends or a date. I might suggest keeping larger parties to around 6 people just seeing the table configurations, however.