Spago: Money Not Well Spent

176 North Canon Rd.
(310) 385-0880

Contemporary American in Beverly Hills (not as swanky as it sounds)

As nubes to the world that is LA, my sister/Joe really only have resources like yelp and Michelin/Zagat to help them out with where to eat in socal so far. I could post a lengthy rant about these kinds of guides, but it's not worth my time.

Nevertheless, Michelin gave Spago 2 stars, which seemed promising since it's also Wolfgang Puck's (probably) most famous restaurant. Why shouldn't we try this acclaimed, chic 90120 restaurant just off of Rodeo? It HAS to be fabulous... right??

Uhh... fabulous, it was not. Far from it. The food was decent, but way overpriced ($40-50 for mediocre entrees?). My turbot was fishy and the basil-basil-basil sauces had almost no flavor. The duck had a generous portion, but also lacked flavor. The halibut was very nice, and my "beet layer cake" was simple with impressive presentation. Aside from those two dishes, everything our party of 6 ate was forgettable.

Food aside, the decor and ambiance were surprisingly not very bougie. There was a mix of suits, some people in casual summer dresses, and amazingly rowdy tables of barely-clothed cougars (bachelorette parties perhaps?). An interesting mix, to say the least. Oh, LA.