Adam, Eve and the APPLE

Apple Restaurant and Lounge
665 N. Robertson Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310. 358-9191


In the beginning there was man and woman, and Eden was a pretty dull place. Then that hip-and-happening snake showed up and gave us the apple, and everything changed forever.

Apple, the restaurant and lounge, has equally changed the landscape of West Hollywood forever. Finally there is a fine dining experience on North Robertson Blvd that is as interesting and tasteful as it is fabulous. Unlike it’s predecessors in this locale such as Rose Tattoo that was exclusively gay, and then Mumba, that was predominately straight, Apple has made it clear that it is about food and not the sex lives of those who come to enjoy it. Bravo.

From the moment a gorgeous woman greets you at the street entrance to the tastefully decorated main room flanking a carmello granite bar, the atmosphere is smart, but not overwhelming, and creates a palette for the food (more of that soon). The outside patio is bathed in an orange glow from a nearby wall of rainforest fountain, and the lounge downstairs is all jazzy, black and comfy. Soon to be opened is the back room venue where the Pussy Cat Dolls (one of them is also a co-owner of the restaurant) will perform on occasion.

The gracious host settled us into a table on the patio next to the fountain, and Chelsea, the hot blonde-newscaster rushed to our table to serve us; no pretentious attitude here, thank god. Chef Bryan Ogden changes the menu daily, so we had to indulge ourselves on as many of the items as we could stomach before bursting. Chef sent out an amuse bouche consisting of tuna tartar with potatoes, a preparation that definitely amused our bouches. Despite our affinity for Kermit, we started with the Florida frog legs, which—contrary to popular belief—did not taste like chicken. They were delicate and prepared in a kalamata black olive crepe and had a side of parsley froth ($18). We used our Beverly Hills plastic surgery tools-cum-cutlery to slice off a tasty morsel and appreciated it’s uniqueness; ribbit. We also very much enjoyed the seafood medley ($21), which was a combo of Maine lobster, Jonah crab cake and gulf shrimp. The first two were very tasty, but the shrimp was a bit overcooked and tough. No matter, we gulped down more of the fabulous apple bread (of course) that comes to the table. We coupled the above with the Riff Pinot Grigio that was suggested by the sommelier, and it was the perfect selection.

Of particular mention was the slow-cooked Atlantic hake, which was basically a Maine lobster fritter served with braised leeks and chervil leaves ($29). Equally sensational was the flakey pan roasted red snapper served as a vegetable spring roll, and paired with a Thai herb salad and lemongrass coconut puree. Who thinks these things up? With another glass of the Pinot, and all barriers down for more good stuff, we scarfed up the Jidori chicken breast, served with polenta, haricot vert and an eggplant vinaigrette (28). Scott of course doesn’t eat meat (what’s the difference after eating Kermit), but Michael drooled over the Triple Seared Japanese A5 Waygu Strip loin, accompanied by crispy shallots, baby spinach and maitakes. It was prepared exactly as ordered, although it wasn’t a Michael Phelps, it certainly was the guy who touched the pool wall one hundredth of a second later. The sauterne wasn’t served cold enough, but at this point we were so satiated, who cared.

There were a plethora of desserts, but one that rang true to us was the Crispy Rosemary Lemon Sorbet. We would have expected apple pie, but this happy ending was way better than a cliché and all of this for $115 as part of the five course tasting menu, which seems like a relative bargain in today’s times.