Seven's not a 10
On the inside, Seven attempts the slick but generic combination of leather, glass and mood lighting that so many restaurants employ these days. It’s nice, but not particularly stunning. Even the extravagant chandelier—custom-crafted to look like champagne bubbles—seems forgettable at the end of the evening.
But how about the edibles? The menu itself is boring, a collection of salads, pastas and proteins. Though uninspired, we’re temporarily appeased by the bread service—until our waitress responds to a query with uncertainty: “It maybe comes from a place on La Brea.” Sigh.
We soldier on. The fritto misto appetizer is a huge platter of shrimp, calamari, sole, carrots and zucchini (not blossoms, mind you) with an acceptable but unexciting marinara. It is deep-fried, ergo it is satisfying. French fries follow the current trend with a preparation in Parmesan and truffle oil. All the fancy accents must account for the $8 price tag of this bulky appetizer.
The overriding theme for entrees seems to be rosemary. There’s a sprig of it on just about every plate, and while it makes sense on some, it’s completely unnecessary on the mushroom gnocchi. There are some interesting flavors going on beneath the overpowering herb, but something is strangely amiss. The texture is way, way off.
At $36, the lamb chops are one of the more expensive items on the menu, but the three little hunks are incredibly flavorful. It's a shame the accompanying fried potatoes and braised artichokes are entirely without seasoning. Entirely. We can only hope, for the restaurant’s sake, that it’s a one-time oversight and not some misguided low-salt kitchen policy.
Seven's spirits license is due to kick in at the end of May, at which point people will start showing up for drinks and bar snacks. We predict the pre- and post-dinner offerings to be more popular than the full food menu ever will. At the very least, Seven is keeping people with deep pockets in the neighborhood later into the day. There are a fair number of businesspeople on our visit, and that’s a beautiful thing: They make their money downtown; they might as well spend it there. For the rest of us with more limited accounts, drinks and sliders at the bar should suffice.
Food: Unimaginative, but room for improvement.
Scene: Professionals after work and before Staples Center.
Insider tip: No need to use the valet, there’s plenty of evening street parking in that area.
Katherine Spiers is a contributing editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
