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Michael Hepworth reckons that Chef Yves Banier looks set to put a classic French shine on the Lavande Restaurant in Santa Monica, Ca

The Lavande restaurant in Loews Hotel on the beach in Santa Monica is a Mediterranean style casual restaurant that is now benefiting from having a top-notch French chef at the helm since April 2000. It is one of four luxury hotels on a strip of prime property looking out over the Pacific Ocean, and recently played host to some of the party bigwigs at the Democratic National Convention. Santa Monica has long been a favorite hangout for the British - apparently some 40,000 ex-pats live there.

Lavandeserves food ranging from French Provencal dishes to Italian pasta selections and main courses in a menu that is designed to cater to most types. Executive chef Yves Banier brings experience, knowledge and skill to the job. His formative years were spent in La Rochelle, France. His first significant position was in the kitchen of Daniel Bouche at Le Petit Montmerency in Paris, followed by a stint at the well named Le Jockey Club, also in the French capital. He moved to the United States in 1988 and landed at the trendy and fashionable Le Dome on Sunset, and has continued in places as far flung as Philadelphia, Atlanta, Maui and Denver. Let’s hope that Loews are able to hang on to him, because he brings a touch of class to the food as well as being like most French chefs I have had the good fortune to meet, a perfectionist.

Banier will need to bring his own style to the menu, as well as the restaurant if he wants it to take off in the manner he expects. However business was brisk enough on a midweek night to be encouraging enough for all concerned. There have been a few awards the last couple of years that are not quite in the same league as the Michelin, but nevertheless important enough for the hotel to be proud. It won the “Top Newcomer” from the Los Angeles Zagat Restaurant Survey in 1999, and a Contemporary Gold Award from the Southern California Restaurant Writers Association the same year.

The atmosphere at the restaurant is relaxed and casual. The lighting is maybe just a bit to low, and the customer base ranges from serious looking businessmen to casual holidaymakers having a decent meal with their kids. There are still a few areas that the restaurant needs to work on, such as the lack of coordination between the food and the wine, and the fact that there didn't appear to be a sommelier on hand to discuss the intricacies of the extensive wine list that features primarily French and California wines.

There is the opportunity to go for the chef’s menu at $85 per person, which includes wine pairing. The service was adequate with the waiters never far out of reach, and if Yves has his way then that part of the operation will no doubt improve drastically in the months ahead.

I started my dinner with a lonely looking seared scallop with a Porcini Fennel Ragout and infused with basil oil. Fennel goes perfectly with seafood and such was the case here. The sautéed Foie Gras on toasted Brioche is traditional enough, and the concord raisins and pear chutney gave a nicely contrasting flavor. A raspberry sorbet at this stage of the meal was a deft touch.

We started the serious eating with a small plate version of the John Dory filet with fresh vegetables in an artichoke sauce. Normally it is served with winter vegetables and a tomato vinaigrette, but since the artichokes in California are of such a high quality, hence the change. I also had to try the chef's lamb chops that were beautifully presented with watercress and a balsamic mint reduction. Strange that the menu said the chops would be served with a vegetable saffron couscous, but I guess that was off that night.

Couscous remains a rarity on Los Angeles menus and has still not quite caught on. Some of the other main courses have some interesting side dishes, for example: Veal comes with Swiss chard, pinenut risotto and marsala wine sauce whilst the Chilean Seabass is accompanied by fresh corn polenta and almond citrus essence.

The Fig tart was a revelation, made all the more surprising by the fact that the resident pastry chef is not from France. There is such a shortage in this part of the world, that chefs are constantly on the look out to poach anyone with half a talent for their own kitchens. I never got a chance to sample the cheese cart unfortunately, but hope to visit again in the future to see how chef Banier has steered the restaurant, either maintaining the casual atmosphere or choosing a more classical stance with the food, service and surroundings.

Michael Hepworth January 2001

Lavande Restaurant at Loews Hotel
1700 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Tel 310-458-6700 Fax 310-458-6761
E-mail: loewssantamonicabeach@loewshotels.com
Parking - Valet
Dress - Casual
Price - Dinner for two w/wine $120

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