Almost all of Thompson's dishes are in danger of this kind of overkill. There is a lot going on on these plates. Yet, more often than not, he miraculously manages to pull it all together.
The question is whether Thompson will learn to recognize which dishes achieve that brilliant harmony, their disparate flavors coming together to create a whole, and which dishes simply don't work. The editor in me wants to gently urge this young chef to be willing to kill his babies.
1320 Echo Park Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Category: Restaurant > Contemporary
Region: Silver Lake
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He could use a real pastry chef as well — his citrus curd with a tart rhubarb-lime gelée is like a mouthful of sunshine, but his other desserts seem almost childish compared with the savory food. Cheesecake mousse with cookie dough feels more like a Ben & Jerry's flavor gone awry than something at this level.
"He's a genius," owner Bill DiDonna sighed at my tableside one night, marveling at the new turnip dish while around us, servers put chairs up on tables even though a couple of tables were still sitting.
DiDonna is right to be smitten, and while I suspect this can-do-no-wrong attitude is partly to blame for Allumette's confusing dishes, it's also nice to see a business owner give a young chef the space he needs to be as wildly creative as he wants to be. L.A. can only benefit from that. Because when he's on, Miles Thompson is making food that's slightly staggering in its inventiveness and quality. You can understand DiDonna's gushing. It tastes like the future.
Reach the critic at brodell@laweekly.com.
See more of Anne Fishbein's photos from Allumette.
ALLUMETTE | 3 stars | 1320 Echo Park Ave., Echo Park | (213) 935-8787 | allumettela.com | Dinner: Tues.-Thurs., 6-10:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 6-11 p.m. | Small plates $8-$18, "for two" entrees $38-$40 | Full bar | Street parking
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