The Review: Tavern in Brentwood nabs 2.5 stars

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What if no one had introduced Caroline Styne, then-manager of Jones, to Suzanne Goin, who at the time was chef de cuisine at Campanile? We wouldn’t have Lucques or A.O.C., two of L.A.’s most beloved restaurants. And we certainly wouldn’t have the partners’ new Tavern in Brentwood.

Styne and Goin are the food world’s equivalent of Lerner and Loewe or Leiber and Stoller. Everything they do just seems to work effortlessly. The two share a certain sensibility and aesthetic. At any of their restaurants, there’s a sense of comfort and sensuality, contemporary rustic cuisine and warm but crisp service, and an enticing environment. But most of all, they each have a strong sense of place.

Still, given the larger stakes and tonier surroundings, Tavern is just a wee bit disappointing in terms of its food at this point, which is very much in the Lucques genre but not quite there yet.

For S. Irene Virbila’s full review and an accompanying photo gallery, please click here.