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Rudolpho’s—much to the dismay of salsa enthusiasts, cross-dressers, and avid trivia nerds—has gone Home. The Los Feliz restaurant has opened its second location in what was once Silverlake’s resident venue of the kooky. Now a twee birdhouse-shaped signboard, like a sign of the times, has replaced drunken quiz bowls and drag-queen pageants.
The Home owners really know how to work a patio. The draw of the original Hillhurst location is no doubt the shady outdoor space with generous booths—does anyone even eat inside there?—and the same holds true at the new digs on the corner of Fletcher and Riverside Drives. The decor is aw-shucks precious: A central tree shelters perky booths covered in robin’s-egg blue and cabbage-green striped fabric. A multicolored wood fence and gurgling fountains attempt to keep the traffic at bay—nice try, but no cigar. Cigarettes, however, are on hand, as well as rambunctious toddlers (or in our case, a gale-force evening breeze). Luckily, the indoors offer several options for retreat.
The patio’s French doors lead into a cheery casual dining area with butter-yellow walls, a low-slung wood-beamed ceiling and a sort of puzzle theme. Tabletops are imprinted with a puzzle-piece pattern, and completed puzzles of nature scenes adorn the walls. In fact, the whole restaurant seems like a puzzle of spaces that don’t quite fit together. Just beyond, we can see a more formal, loungey dining room with black leatherette booths and a crystal chandelier. Adjoining this space is a stunning wood bar with deco details that appears almost too classy to pour Redheaded Sluts and X-Rated Vacations. Patio, indoor dining room, lounge, bar—it’s all a bit disjointed. But perhaps it’s just a something-for-everyone approach, a formula that also seems to dictate the menu.
You won’t find any surprises on the broad comfort-food menu, given that it’s identical to Home Los Feliz. Devotees of the banana walnut pancakes, the “yummy in my tummy” warm spinach salad, and the burgers with thick, seasoned waffle fries can get their fix here. But the kitchen is uncoordinated as of yet. An order for a tangerine mojito is forgotten. When, with a gentle reminder, it finally arrives halfway through the meal, it’s too strong to even be refreshing. An order of bruschetta gets soggy within seconds. Our entrees—one salmon and one roasted chicken—come out too quickly after the appetizer is served, and though warm enough, you couldn’t really call them piping hot. After dinner, they don’t have any of the specialty teas advertised on the menu. Chocolate crunch cake or apple pie? Also none. Puzzling. What’s Home without apple pie?
Clearly, great lengths have been taken to capture a wide-ranging audience—but mostly in design rather than in the kitchen. We have a sneaking suspicion that, in the end, people will flock primarily to roost on the fab patio, and really, isn’t that what Home is all about?
Food: Greatest American hits of burgers, pizza, pancakes, sandwiches, salads, and down-home dinners like fried chicken and spaghetti and meatballs. Just cross your fingers that management will up the order on apple pie.
Scene: Highchairs and highballs. Young families mix it up with the pre-cocktail set on the peppy patio; indoors, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure of casual cafe, noir-ish lounge or art deco bar.
Insider tip: Half-off on a second breakfast or lunch entree of equal or lesser value when it’s raining. The menu specifies, “It must be a rainy day in L.A., not misty, not potentially going to rain, actually raining on top of us.” Got that?
Rachel Levin is a contributing editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
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