In the past few years street food has taken over haute cuisine so you can feel like you’re cool for paying $13 for a single tasting plate of Spanish food. AOC, from the women who brought you Lucques, does it very well offering a variety of cheeses, meats, fish, and assorted vegetables alongside a generous wine accompanying each dish. This is the kind of menu people call “playful” when they really mean “I paid a lot for little portions.” You’ve got to order five of these bastards to feel like you’ve eaten a meal. The faux wood menu and contemporary design will make you feel like a real foodie schmuck after you’ve eaten $100 worth of food and are still waiting for the entree. Still, the seared fish (you pay extra for it being closer to raw) and lambs are delicious, and the cheese selection is stellar. (It ought to be; AOC stands for Appellation d’Origine Controlé, the French government bureau that is responsible for guaranteeing the authenticity of foods, including cheese. Would you pay $50 per person to eat at a restaurant called FDA?) (Reviewed May 2004)
Follow up – May 2006: A.O.C. still stands as one of the best restaurants in town. But while the food was close to orgasmic in its taste, quality, beauty, and design there were a few things that got under my skin. First, don’t *ever* call something family style when the entire dish weighs less than one ounce. Second, when your table tells you that they would like some cheese, and what was served is thin to the point of transparency, see what you can do about either getting more or doing something nice for them. The overarching attitude of the restaurant as conveyed by our server and the words the place uses to describe itself try to get in the way of what is an extraordinarily good meal. The wine list is amazing with options and prices that will drop your jaw. If you do the full A.O.C. experience with wine, cheese, and at least three dishes per person a group of four will run $100 per person at minimum.
8022 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, (323) 653-6359