Sunday, October 10, 2004

Restaurant news: Josie and Cliff's Edge

I read in the fascinating Nation's Restaurant News that Josie LeBalch will be turning day-to-day operations of Josie over to chef de cuisine Jill Davie in order to develop a "new concept yet to be devised." It sounds like she doesn't have a location or concept firmed up yet, though. The article, no longer available on the website, also talks about David Lentz and Suzanne Goin's new Hungry Cat at Sunset & Vine, which sounds like a very promising addition to Hollywood, Wolfgang's Puck first steakhouse at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and Michael Cimarusti's Providence, opening this fall.

I haven't had a chance to try Silver Lake's new Cliff's Edge yet, but I ducked in for a look yesterday. The garden is beautiful and the former girl's town bar -- where I first watched "Pink Flamingos" in about 1984 -- has been tastefully redone with an Asian feel. It's definitely about the outdoors at this spot, which has an Asian-meets-Mediterranean menu, as far as I could tell. Hard to say if sea urchin crostini (baguette topped with sea urchin and seaweed) will catch on, but it sure looks like a nice place for drinks. The manager, Pierre Casanova, was formerly at Les Deux Cafes and Little Door...this place looks poised to instantly become Little Door east, hopefully with less attitude than his previous venues.
Cliff's Edge
3626 Sunset Blvd.
phone (323) 666-6116

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The atmosphere at Cliff's Edge is great but I'm sorry to say the food just doesn't cut it. It appears they recently expanded their menu so we were anxious to try it out again but the food was really uninspired. The ahi tuna was served with a tomato sauce that tasted canned and the risotto had the right consistency but no flavor. Unfortunately the place is a disappointment. We hope they will work to improve their quality since Silver Lake is really in need of some great food!

Anonymous said...

Cliffs Edge is ok but the attitude of the manager Pierre is hard to swallow. It's too bad because the servers are really nice and the food is decent, but after a run in with Pieree I'm afraid myself and my friends will never return to this establishment. I hope someone tells the owners that Pierre is bad for their buisness. We tried to but Pieree wouldn't allow us to contact them. Good luck to the owners and investers...you will need it with Pierre as your front man!

Anonymous said...

Cliff's Edge: The people and atmosphere are hip, but refreshingly chill and friendly. I have only tried the hamburger and appetizers - all excellent, and I don't ever order hamburgers. Nice wine by the glass, impressive and comfortable date spot. My new favorite local spot.

Anonymous said...

May 2006
Thumbs way down

Cliff's Edge is the biggest bimbo on the Eastside ... very pretty to look at, but equally unsatisfying to experience. The food and drinks range from ok to lousy, the prices are absurd, and the portions are tiny -- not that you will be craving more. Oh, and the service SUCKS (rude, inexperienced, ego-driven). If you dont care about quality or value, then you will love this place.

Cliff's Edge is yet another restaurant that thinks if it looks like a winner and charges a lot, it will be worth the money. If you are gonna spend this much, why not go somewhere really fancy? Someplace with stellar food and service. Someplace like .... well, I dont want to give out my secrets. Just dont go to Cliff's Edge!

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Anonymous said...

How does the saying go...
You can please some of the people some of the time...but... well, you know the rest. I can't belive how many people have so much time on ther hands to actaully
"restaurant bash" I, along with many friends who live in the Silverlake area have eaten at Cliff's Edge many times over in the 3 years its been open and every time has been fantastic. From the service to the food, to the "ever so accomodating" Pierre the G.M. who so often goes out his way to make sure everyone is happy. I guess I've just been lucky, or maybe I'm just one of those people that has good karma and has chosen not to be are not so hard on a new and welcomed addition to the Silverlake Community.
Oh, and one last thing Remember it's Silverlake NOT Beverly Hills.

Anonymous said...

We just went to Cliff's Edge for the first time last week and I had such a great evening. I've lived in the area for two years and I didn't even know it was there. They are so non descript being right next to the 99cent store. It was so pretty sitting on the patio drinking cocktails & eating appetizers. It felt as though we were on vacation. We want to go back and have dinner next time.

jakeonfire said...

yeah, what's up with the cliff's edge bashing? i've been three times and every time absolutely loved the food. servers are friendly and easy-going, atmosphere is amazing with the tables sprawled around under a huge tree. the vibe definitely shows some of the silverlake character. the ahi tuna was delicious, filet mignon melted in my mouth, and the barramundi was crisp on the outside but buttery soft on the inside. if you want to pretend you're really snobby, go here, enjoy yourself, and then tell all your friends how awful it was.

jakeonfire said...

i just realized how far apart these comments are time-wise. perhaps cliff's edge has picked up its game in the last couple years...