24/7 At The Standard, Downtown La

I’m not a big breakfast enthusiast, but their smoked salmon Lox plate is a favorite of mine. It’s beautifully arranged on the plate, allowing you to create an open-faced sandwich with a bagel, onion, tomato, capers, and arugula. I usually ask for extra arugula and skip the bagel to maintain my workout results. This dish pairs wonderfully with a Bloody Mary, though I won’t be having one today since I have work waiting for me.

We enjoyed the avocado toast, which featured fresh avocado on perfectly toasted bread—absolutely delicious! The tossed salad was light and perfect for sharing. The New York steak paired with fries was well-cooked, and the fries were solid. We also ordered mimosas for two, which were refreshing. Instead of champagne, they serve it with a bottle of prosecco, which is a delightful twist. It's so convenient to have this lovely restaurant in the lobby of The Standard hotel!

Hosted by Maebe a Girl, the drag show was incredibly entertaining and lasted two hours! The drag queens were fabulous and on point, and there was even a male burlesque performer who had us all laughing. This was such a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon! I highly recommend it!

I have to say that my experiences at this restaurant have been declining with each visit. I've been coming here on and off for the past four years, averaging at least four visits a year. I recently stopped by about a week ago and ordered the French toast, which is advertised on the menu as being served with FRESH FRUIT. However, when the waiter brought out my order, it looked lackluster and there was no fruit in sight. When I inquired about the missing fruit, the busboy informed me that it hadn't been ordered. I pointed out that the menu clearly states it comes with fruit, to which he replied that they only have fresh fruit jam or banana available. It's clear that they aren’t paying attention to their own menu.

For lunch, my companion and I shared a few dishes: persimmons with prosciutto, citrus-cured salmon toast, scallops, and the lamb chops. The persimmons and prosciutto came with burrata, hazelnuts, saba, arugula, and pumpkin seed oil, which made for a refreshing combination. It was just the right amount to get our appetites going without being overwhelming. I was pleasantly surprised at how well persimmons worked in this dish. The citrus-cured salmon toast, however, had a lot going on with spiced raita, beets, fennel, radish, pickled onions, and microgreens piled on top. Unfortunately, it was difficult to taste the salmon beneath all those flavors, and the toast was overly crunchy and hard, causing everything to fall off with just one bite, which we didn't appreciate. The scallops, on the other hand, were cooked perfectly. They were served with cauliflower risotto, sultanas, capers, almonds, thyme, and brown butter, creating a delightful dish. The scallops and risotto complemented each other nicely without one overpowering the other. As for the lamb chops, they were accompanied by cured beets, bitter greens, winter squash, braised fennel, pumpernickel croutons, and salsa verde. I specifically requested mine to be cooked medium rare, but my request was declined because the kitchen had their own idea of how it should be prepared. It arrived medium well, which was overcooked for my taste. While the flavor was good, I was disappointed with this dish. Overall, the food had its hits and misses, and the service was lacking. When it existed, it was excruciatingly slow. I had difficulty even getting our server’s attention for the check, as eye contact seemed to be avoided. Additionally, all the dishes we tried were not part of their regular menu and the portions were quite small. I don’t think I would return.