Falcon

7213 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90046
$$ American Recommended

Falcon’s location, on a nondescript stretch of Sunset Boulevard, is unassuming, but once inside, it’s a different story—the glamorous Dodd Mitchell design provides the perfect setting for drinking or dining. Indeed, although Falcon has built a reputation for its nightlife, the restaurant’s food is worthy of a trip in its own right. The focus of the succinct but wide-ranging menu is fresh, seasonal ingredients, and the dishes are fancy enough to gain interest, but not overworked. The wine list, too, is thoughtfully chosen, covering the globe but specializing in California.

Falcon

Review by

Falcon’s location, across from a motel on a nondescript stretch of Sunset Boulevard, is unassuming. You could easily mistake the building – a modern concrete box with no windows or entrance on the street-facing side – for a trendy art gallery. (Tip: just look for the cypress trees and the valet stand and you’ll know you’re there.) Once inside, it’s a different story. Readers familiar with interior designer Dodd Mitchell, whose previous work includes the Thompson hotel in Beverly Hills, Dolce, and the Sushi Roku chain, will recognize his touches in the gorgeous, dimly lit space.

Or, rather, spaces. Facing the doorway is a small red-hued bar area with stools for perching. Next to it are a couple of brown leather sofas for more leisurely chatting (although note that the noise level rises as the evening wears on). Down one side of the room are five booths comprised of dark wood tables and cream banquettes; around one corner are three double booths for larger parties. The walls are decorated with moody black-and-white artworks, while tealights set a romantic tone throughout.

The outdoor patio, reached via steps from the back of the main room, is no less glamorous. Here, tables are set for diners, under the shade of a tree dotted with Christmas lights, and, on cooler nights, the warmth of braziers. To one side is a bar, to the other, a working fireplace. The patio is a popular setting for parties and events, although there is also the beautiful Valentino Room for smaller affairs. (Movie fans may have noticed the link between the restaurant’s name and Falcon Lair, Rudolph Valentino’s mansion. If Falcon’s aim is to recreate the ‘Old Hollywood’ feel of the Latin Lover’s era, it has succeeded ten times over.)

Opened in June 2002, Falcon has built a reputation for its nightlife: DJs play most nights once the kitchen starts to wind down, and there are ‘cocktail hours’ on Fridays from 6-8pm, when discounted drinks and food are offered. However the restaurant’s food is worthy of a trip in its own right. The focus of the menu is on fresh, seasonal ingredients, the dishes fancy enough to gain diners’ interest, but not overworked. For those with really simple tastes (or who’ve had a few drinks at the bar, say, and need some sustenance), there is the Falcon Prime Burger, Steak-Frites, and Mac and Cheese; at the other end of the scale are the likes of Char-Grilled Tuna with polenta pancakes, and Sautéed Shrimp and Chickpea Puree. Some dishes even manage to be both: for example, French Fries are served with ras el hanout (Moroccan spice blend) dipping sauce, and the Falcon Caesar Salad is made with upper-class ingredients such as quail’s egg and Serrano ham.

The menu, refreshingly, isn’t too lengthy (a good sign, as it invariably means the kitchen is focused on doing what it does best). There are seven starters, 12 entrées, including four from the wood oven, and six desserts. Vegetarians may have a hard time eating here, however – they’d have to have a salad as an appetizer and one of just two meat-free main course dishes (one being margarita pizza, the other caramelized ricotta gnocchi, which admittedly sound delicious enough to tempt even the most ardent carnivore).

It’s also a good sign when ‘farmers market’ appears throughout the menu. Chef Mario Manabe is known for his love of the market, and often visits it for inspiration. And there can’t be many restaurants that feature a ‘farmers market’ selection on the cocktail menu (the Falcon Caipirosa, for instance, is made with seasonal strawberries.)

We were seated in the booth at the far end of the restaurant, directly overlooking the patio. Our server, Krystal, was charming – friendly, chatty, but not obsequious. She brought us a basket of flatbreads and breadsticks to tuck into while we perused the menu. Frankly, they tasted dull and not particularly fresh, but, no matter – we were gearing up for the main event.

Manabe had earlier spoken to us about his signature dishes, which all sounded so tempting we vowed to try them all. First up was an appetizer of House-Made Beef Tortellini. As with everything we ate that night, presentation was straightforward, the food left to speak for itself. The dish comprised a half-dozen pasta parcels filled with a mixture of beef (filet mignon, no less) and caramelized fennel and celery root, served in a subtle sauce au poivre. The quality of the beef shone through, and the pasta was perfectly timed – not soggy, and not undercooked. Overall, the dish was rich but not sickly – although we concede that it definitely works better as an appetizer.

Our second selection was Seared Scallops. This choice proved, more than any other, that simple doesn’t have to mean boring. Four fat, fresh scallops were butter soft and sat atop a citrus ‘salad’ of chunks of fresh grapefruit and fennel—a pairing that may sound unusual to some, perhaps, but that is known by chefs to work well, the aniseed of the fennel and the citrus kick of the grapefruit offsetting the subtle flavor of the seafood. It was a great combination that would be ideal on a summer evening.

Our first entrée was Roasted Lamb Sirloin, from the wood oven. The two thick pieces were cooked pink as requested (so often a chef can err on the side of caution and end up overcooking), while the slow-roasting technique intensified the flavor and retained the juices. Underneath sat a circle of creamed quinoa, a protein-rich grain that tastes almost nutty, while a cute pile of spring vegetable ragout—eggplant, zucchini, onions, garlic, and fennel in a tomato sauce—provided a requisite piquancy.

The second entrée was another signature dish: Pan-Roasted White Fish with cauliflower spaetzle, English peas, fresh basil, and a seafood fumet cream sauce. Again, the fish was perfectly timed, the flesh flaking away with a gentle nudge of the fork. Spaetzle – Bavarian-style dumplings – are rarely seen on menus in the US, so we relished the chance to sample them. Like little white floury pillows, they are quite bland until combined with other ingredients. Here, the cauliflower, basil, and peas, mixed in with the spaetzle and cream, complemented each other wonderfully; the freshness of the ingredients was immediately noticeable, the basil zingy and the peas crisp yet succulent. And while the dish wasn’t exactly diet friendly, it wasn’t too rich, the cream sauce used merely as an enhancement rather than smothering the other components.

We still had some room left for dessert. Indeed, the portion sizes at Falcon aren’t huge, which in our opinion is a good thing. It’s perhaps strange, then, that there’s a split charge (especially when it’s just $2 – it hardly seems worth it).

Falcon’s dessert list includes the usual suspects such as ice cream along with rarer treats like a cheese plate. But our eyes were immediately drawn to the Flourless Chocolate Muffin with caramelized bananas, which, thankfully, was yet another chef’s specialty that we simply had to try – in the name of research, of course. It was sweet but not sickly, the heat of the molten chocolate sauce offset by dulce de leche ice cream. A dentist’s nightmare – but a diner’s dream.

Falcon may have a notable cocktail menu, but its well-chosen wine list is worthy of a mention, too. It laudably focuses on California, featuring some interesting wineries from Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County, but the whole world gets a look-in (wines from France, Italy, Chile, and Australia are all listed). We chose a glass of Concannon Chardonnay, which was slightly too oaky for our taste: perhaps next time we’d try a Pinot Grigio, or a Provençal rosé. And there will be a next time: with a kitchen that deserves as much praise as its drinking and nightlife scene, Falcon should lure people in for a long time to come.

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Reservations

Business Info

  • Address: 7213 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90046
  • Cross Street: N. Alta Vista Blvd.
  • Location: Central / Downtown LA | Hollywood
  • Cuisine: American |
  • Cost: | Inexpensive
  • Category: Fine Dining
  • Star Rating:
  • Reservations: Recommended
  • Dress Code: Business Casual
  • Meals Served: Dinner | Late |
  • Parking: Street | Valet Parking |
  • Payment Options: VISA | Amex | MasterCard |
  • Corkage Fee: N/A
  • Phone: (323) 850-5350
  • Features: Full Bar, Live Entertainment, Outdoor Seating, Private Room, Smoking Area, Working Fireplace, Wheelchair Access, Valet Parking, Personal Wines Allowed, Lounge / Bar,
  • Occasion: Romantic Dining, Dining Alone, Business Dining, Meet for a Drink, People Watching, Quiet Conversation, Special Occasion, Trendy / Hip,

Photos

Falcon - Falcon
Falcon - Dining South Falcon - Dining East Falcon - Lounge Falcon - Valentino Room

Business Hours

Reservations Available
Monday
Dinner - Main Dining Room 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Tuesday
Wednesday
Dinner - Main Dining Room 7 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Thursday
Dinner - Main Dining Room 7 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Friday
Dinner - Main Dining Room 7 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Saturday
Dinner - Main Dining Room 7 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Sunday
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Menus

Customer Reviews & Ratings

4.5 out of 5 stars based on 1 votes