- 整體 2
- 食物 2
- 服務 3
- 氛圍 2
For a chef with the stellar reputation of Lunetta for so many years in Santa Monica, the star fell tonight with our visit for dinner. First, walking into the hotel is like walking into a subway....no life, sterile, unwelcoming. Then to find the restaurant one needs a google map as signage is poor and you end up having to descend a staircase of 50+ stairs. Walk into the restaurant and you may as well have walked into a refrigerator. The place was nearly empty at 7pm (the inside dining room had four tables occupied including us), and we should have immediately seen the problem and simply reversed our entry and bailed out. Saturday night in Santa Monica with three tables occupied. Yes, there were a few tables on the patio but they were drinking and not dining. The receptionist was like "don't bother me as I am talking to an associate". The inside environment, despite many positive reviews, is sterile and unwelcoming; very disjointed; pillars everywhere......basically looks like a Hampton Inn where they serve breakfast. Why Lunetta would put his reputation into this environment mystifies me. Next door Michael Mina is about to open his new restaurant....there is only going to be one winner and from my review you can assume it will not be Marelle. The menu at Marelle is short, unappealing except for a fabulous hamachi crudo that is more like a cerviche but it was the high note of the evening. Crab cakes were heavily overcooked and tasteless. The entree menu has spaghetti, salmon or halibut, and chicken....that's it unless you want to open your wallet for a 24 oz ribeye for $125. The wine selection is horrible. No reason for any further discussion except there are so many outstsanding alternatives for dining in Santa Monica that I hope you pursue them instead of Marelle.