Enjoying your meal is all about enjoying the meal I always say. Palihouse had me thoroughly enjoying my meal. In any case, it could have happily been one of my last meals. My experience began not with cuisine, but with the front entrance where I forgot I was in Hollywood. The exterior resembled an incorporation of clean, vertical architecture with at least three major graphic design movements. The inside sucked me into an increasingly distant dimension further from the usual Hollywood scene, the surrounding eye-goodies giving no hint as to the real location of the restaurant. Major props to creative director Sebastien Meler.

Talking about a cup of soup, a cup of soup is an extremely underrated element of the dining experience being overshadowed by the main course and eventually the wine. Palihouse nailed it with creative flair in their cauliflower soup with egg drizzle, not to be overshadowed by my love for the opportunity to use the word drizzle professionally. This cup of soup went on to influence the rest of my meal in the measurable sense that I’ve had a number of meals not kicked off with such a creative flair.

Palihouse continued to impress me from contiguous angles with their farmer’s market fresh approach to their 72 hour braised pork belly with plumbs.  Another shout out to Excec-chef Gary Menes for manifesting quite the strong vision. Next I was giggling with delight over some curiously creamy summer truffles over pasta with butter sauce which is a dish that exemplifies this restaurant’s dedication to freshness and deliciousness.

Overall, my visit to this toned-down, low-key version of God’s living room kept me happy as a goat and giddy with surprises as I, at one point, was invited to the rooftop to watch one of the most depressing movies I’ve ever seen in my life. I can’t hate on P-house for appreciating a good tear-jerker and I truly appreciate brevity in fearlessness. Bold moves tend to speak a tad more boldly than the not so bold and to Palihouse, I will boldly say yes.

-CC Wright

8465 Holloway Drive West Hollywood, CA 90069-4258 323.656.4100