The Little Door, Los Angeles Review

After visiting a couple of years ago we were keen to revisit and find out if this still remains to be one of the most romantic restaurants in LA.

Upon arrival, we ventured through The Little Door’s adorable rustic doors, and were shown to our table on the restaurant’s wonderful patio area by a charming waiter, where suddenly, we understood the hype. This restaurant is truly beautiful. With a soft, blue and white colour scheme, we felt very relaxed instantly, and it was the perfect setting in which to spend some real quality time.

We chose to begin our evening with an aperitif, and enjoyed browsing the cocktail menu. We chose a wonderful Cucumber Martini, a refreshing take on the classic, and a Seasonal Rhubarb, which consisted of Vodka, Orange Rhubarb, and Lemon Juice. The cocktails were beautiful, wonderful flavour combinations, which are a credit to the time and care taken to make each one. They were an excellent start to what was set to be a very lovely evening.

“Quite possibly one of the most romantic restaurants in LA”

Our cocktails were shortly followed by dinner, which was a blessing, as we were keen to sample The Little Door’s food offering. Our appetisers consisted of the ‘Little Door Mezze Royale’, which included a large assortment of Mediterranean appetisers to share. We enjoyed Tuna Tartare, Goat’s Cheese, Merguez Sausage, and Grilled Scallops. The sharing concept of this dish only added to the romantic atmosphere, and we were very impressed by the quality ingredients on offer.

For our main courses, we opted for the grilled Filet Mignon, served with Balsamic Roasted Cipollini Onions, and a port wine demi-glace. This came served with Zucchini Squash Tian, and fingerling Potato Frites.

Our second main course saw Grilled Prime Rib Eye steak with Sel de Guerande, Herbs, and cracked Black Pepper, served with Potato and Leek Gratin and Haricot Vert and Cherry Tomatoes Provençale. The meat in both dishes was wonderfully cooked to perfection, and was truly melt-in-the-mouth. The accompaniments were well thought through, and added an expert variety of flavours and textures to the dishes.

To accompany our meal, we deiced to sample wine by the glass, the wine list at The Little Door is well accomplished and offer an impressive selection by the glass. A particular favourite of mine was the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Starmont, Nappa Valley, and it’s worth asking your waiter for a recommendation. The staff are competent and knowledgeable when it comes to the menu, and we were very pleased with the level of service offered throughout the evening.

Our only regret with The Little Door is that we were unable to manage dessert, but we will certainly return, and when we do, we will be sure to save some room; the desserts that we saw going out to other diners certainly looked worth the stretch.

We enjoyed a wonderful evening at The Little Door, and would urge you to visit. It’s a great restaurant for romance, and would also be an excellent venue for a special occasion.