One Sunset - West Hollywood (Closed)

The week after the blogger dinner at STK - Los Angeles, we were also invited by Abby of Pleasure Palate courtesy of Emily Olsen, Director of Marketing and Public Relations to another of The One Group's restaurants, One Sunset. Again, also really popular with celebrities. Demi Moore, Hugh Hefner, and Emmy Rossum have all been photographed here. I think part of the popularity must be the decor. Think warm tones and white leather seating with Moorish influences separated into four separate lounges. The other part is because of its prime location on the Sunset strip.


We gathered in the bar area first for cocktails. Dinner and drinks were free, but I'm listing prices for your own edification. LUSHious Raspberry, raspberries, Gloria Ferrer champagne, and Leblon Cachaca rum, $16.


Time to move to the back of the restaurant for the dinner portion of the evening.


Taking advantage of the diet fad, "The Master Cleanse" was an alcoholic version of the self-same drink, Belvedere vodka, fresh lemon juice, and maple syrup, $13. While I understood why the Master Cleanse was popular for dropping fast pounds, I wasn't sure why anyone would want an alcoholic version at a restaurant. Especially as the whole point of drinking lemon juice, maple syrup, and chile powder (which was left out of the alcoholic version) was so that you wouldn't eat anything.


One Sunset has a "One of Almost Everything" tasting menu of selections by chef Jason Ryczek for $45, which was what we were trying this evening. The portions in the pictures were made for our group, but I think in a regular order, you get one of each of the nearly dozen items in the tasting menu.

We started off with an off-menu item of pancakes with bacon foam. Bacon foam! Pretty cool concept and tasted just like breakfast.


Labeled "Adult Candy," these bacon-wrapped, blue cheese-stuffed dates, $9, were alternately sweet, crisp, and gooey.


Spicy tuna tartare on tempura eggplant with kecap manis, $14.


Burrata and strawberries, cinnamon bruschetta, pistachios, pink pepper, and basil, $10. Strawberries were a nice twist on the usual tomato in this salad.


BBQ short rib sliders, crispy shallots, and smoked cheddar, $13.


Onion rings, $6.


Korean chicken satay skewers, barbecued, kimchi, cashews, and kecap manis, $11.


I've forgotten what this drink was.


A slightly different take on salade Nicoise, pistachio-crusted albacore with caper aioli, $12.


Turkey meatballs in marinara sauce with Parmesan cheese and basil, $13.


Roasted clams on the 1/2-shell, chorizo, chowder sauce, crushed oyster crackers, $11. I love clams so after a few ho hum dishes, this was really nice.


Mixologist Pablo Moix, who designed the drinks at STK and One Sunset, came out to greet us.


Dessert was sorbet served on pastry with panna cotta on the side.


And red velvet cupcakes.


And chocolate ice cream with an alcohol that I've forgotten the name of.


And one more drink that I can't remember.


While the dishes and drinks were fine, I think One Sunset tried too hard to capitalize on trends ie. sliders, skewers, foam, red velvet. Contrasted with the meal at STK the week before, One Sunset suffered in comparison. Trying to appeal to too many, leads to appealing to few. One Sunset is now closed.

And sadly, like the experience at STK, some people either didn't tip or left only a few bucks, marring what would otherwise have been a nice dinner.

ONE Sunset
8730 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310-657-0111

*****
1 year ago today, Tri-Colored Roasted Carrots.
2 years ago today, Shanghainese food at Mei Long Village - San Gabriel.