http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html http://st1.cdn.ypbot.net/prod/brands/yellowbot/logo_homepage_header.v0aa1e17.gif http://www.yellowbot.com/ http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html I had my birthday dinner at AOC this year and it was fantastic - great food, wine and service! Try the scallops and skirt steak. Pros + fantastic tapas, no dish disappoints Cons - bright, a tad of 'tude http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html The first time went to AOC I loved it, but I have since backed off on that. The dishes are great (farrow w squid one of my faves) but while the atmosphere is fine it feels a little sterile-- kind of a like a big coporate restaurant. Pros + Wide variety of options, super high quality. Cons - Crowded, noce but sterile atmosphere. http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html I had never had Tapas before, but this was a good place to experiment. It was quite pricey, but we weren't paying! Their wine list was incredible. They had some wines that were next to impossible to find!My favorite sampling was their prosciutto wrapped figs. It sounds strange but they were to-die-for!I recommend this place for a special occasion because of the price. http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html I'm sorry, but I have to step in. There are obviously enough great reviews on here to let you know the true nature of this place, but anyone whose review says they'd rather eat Lean Cuisine at home obviously doesn't have the taste buds to even be allowed through the door. This place is fantastic, the servers are all really knowledgeable, and everything is made very well. The beer and wine list are awesome, and while it is a bit loud, most trendy places in LA are, so don't go to a trendy place if you don't like that. Overall, the prices are totally fair for the quality, and if you happen to get an off server, ask for a different one; I've never had poor service. Perhaps another tip for receiving quality service is to refrain from asking for "hot sauce"; despite popular opinion with the Lean Cuisine crowd, it's not Uncle Darrow's. Pros + Great food, knowledgeable staff, good beer list Cons - A bit loud, but it comes with the territory http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html This is a great small plates restaurant with a wonderful wine selection. Great champagne. The dishes are unusual and tasty. It's great to go with several people so many dishes can be ordered and sampled! http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html Actually enjoyed the food but it felt like dining in an airplane hanger. Loud as hell, real losers - t-shirt wearing with no-manner types - dining there, and a pretty lousy attitude by management and wait staff. Baffled about all the 5-stars. Is there some ballot-stuffing going on here? Try some other places, the environment is so awful here that this one's a definite pass. Pros + Pretty good food Cons - Jackhammer loudness, t-shirt loudmouth loser customers, weak waiters http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html We came here with clients who were in town. We had a large group and sat in the upstairs area. We pretty much had everything on the menu, cheese plate, bacon wrapped dates, duck, lamb, trout, scallops, fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes and all the desserts. The panna cotta with orange granita was not good, but all the other dishes were fantastic. Warning they open at 6, which I thought was late for a restaurant. Great wine list, good looking crowd, slightly $$$ We'll be back! http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html we don't get how your site gave this place a 5-star rating! upon your site's recommendation, we went there for valentine's dinner. not only did the place look and feel like 'restoration hardware' (w/ the same bright lighting & everything), none of the servers knew if the cheese bar was open or not (we were really in the mood for cheese), and when we asked for hot sauce cuz the food was so bland, they had none! as they had a set menu cuz it was valentine's day, they served a multiple-course dinner, and w/ all honesty, each course just got worse and worse. none of the food had any flavor- staying home and eating 'lean cuisine' would've been so much better! it was so bad that we had to ask for salt and luckily they had THAT. the music was even bad- as if it was haphazardly put together last minute by some uninvoloved by-standard, cuz the same songs played in a loop over and over all nite long. we seriously don't know why your site gave this place such a high rating- they must put up a lot for PR.. lastly, what star-siting?!?! the valentine's dinner patrons even looked like they shop at 'restoration hardware' anyway- bland and boring. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE (especially if you're trying to impress guests from out of town)! Pros + none Cons - where do i start? http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html Went with a big group (made reservations for the back patio). They seated us within 10-15 minutes. Nice table, great service. The portions are small - but, hey it's tapas style. Every bite was wonderful. I really enjoyed the skirt steak, the chicken and apples, butternut squash, and the chocolate dessert. I will go back for wine and cheese with a smaller party. Pros + Delicious, very high quality food Cons - Need to order a lot of plates to get full (again, it's tapas!) http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html Been there at least half a dozen times and it never dissapoints. Our first experience was w/ no reservations on a weekday. We waited for a while for things to open up at the main bar, then the cheese bar had some space available and we went for it not knowing what to expect. What an incredible experience, from our cheese host, Hunter (no longer there), who provided a personalized introduction, to the food, which was incredible (cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon decadence) and the other more-socially inclined cheese bar patrons provided a unique experience that has kept us coming back for more. If you haven't been to AOC or tried the cheese bar, it's definitely a worthwhile experience. Pros + Cheese bar, food, drink and dining experience. Cons - Can be loud, crowded and might involve waiting but worth it. http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html Great place! Food is phenomenal, but pricey. But here, you get what you pay for. Any time I'm trying to impress a business associate, this is the first place I think of. A guaranteed great experience. http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html If you one to save up for a special meal out, this is a great place to look forward to. My sister took me here to celebrate my birthday while visiting L.A. and it was such a treat for us (we don't dine out--nicely like this--very often). The cheeses were divine, we tasted 4 different wines, and like everyone has said, the wait staff really love helping you with your picks. All the tapas were great, creative flavors. To top it all off, we split the sheep's milk cheesecake that was heavenly--so airy and delish! Can't wait to go back sometime. Pros + delicious everything, especially wine and cheese, helpful & attentive service Cons - cozy--a bit european in this way--not tons of elbow room http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html The tapas here are amazing. The environment is great for both group dining and couples dining. Servers are friendly and helpful, I highly recommend this restaurant as it is a awesome place for good food and wine. http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html What is there to complain about??!! The food is FANTASTIC (The cheeses... OMG... The cheeses!!!) The wine is both reasonable and eclectic... The servers and bartenders are smart and sassy... The hostesses are sweet and HELPFUL (Jessica called me back twice to squeeze me in on a busy Friday night and then remembered and greeted me like an old friend!) I have never had a better dining experience. Period. http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html The negative reviews truly are a surprise to me. I've gone to AOC several times and never have gotten poor service. The NYE package seemed kinda lame since this was their first year doing it and even the hostesses felt insecure about it if you asked them more questions about it. I would recommend this place since the food is good. Its tapas, so don't expect the freakin cheesecake factory portions. You're gonna have to shell out more to eat more because Suzanne Goin is the most underrated chef. I would also recommend eating upstairs if you're so wrapped up in how snooty/people watching other people are or eat at the charcuterie bar for more of an engaging type of service. Pros + Vino! Oh the vino! Cons - Cheese bar doesn't take reservations, first come first serve http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html We went as a party of four to AOC to celebrate New Years Eve this year 2007/08, as we have in the past years. This year we went with two vegetarians. I called 3 times to note that we had two vegetarians in our group. It didn't seem to be a problem. "We have many vegetarians & vegans coming..." said the hostess on my 2nd call. So cut to the night of... At $125 per person (for the 9:45 seating) the vegetarian options turned out to actually be the EXACT SAME pre-fixed options on the standard menu, MINUS the meats & fish. So a Scallop dish on a bed of potatoes and salad was served AS a bed of potatoes and salad. The short-ribs on a bed of lettuce, was served AS a BED OF LETTUCE! My dear friends had to eat 7 courses of, basically, accompaniments and greens... for $125 PER PERSON! NO PRICE DIFFERENCE WAS OFFERED, NO SPECIAL PREPARATIONS, NO SPECIFICALLY VEGETARIAN COURSES WERE MADE. It was embarrassing, humiliating and pathetic. Not only would I never go to AOC for New Years Eve again, but I am done with the establishment period. After receiving a $700+ bill and my friends ate 7 courses of rabbit food... and left still as hungry as when they arrived, I felt shame that I have never known before. This was the worst New Years Eve dinner we have ever had, and I truly hope that the establishment is ashamed of it's lazy, pathetic menu and it's cashing in on the people who didn't subscribe to it. If someone paid me $700 right now to go to AOC, I wouldn't go back. I will tell all of our clients and friends to avoid, forget and dismiss the option of ever going. Please... Skip this horrible place. every night of the year. Go to any other restaurant... this place should be ashamed. Cons - EVERYTHING! http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html I HAD MADE A PREVIOUS RESERVATION AT AOC FOR MY BOSS, SO I DECIDED TO CHECK IT OUT FOR MY BDAY. FINDING IT WASN'T HARD. I FELT A SNOOTY VIBE WHEN I WALKED IN WITH THE PATRONS STARING AT US, BUT THE HOSTESS SEEMED NICE ENOUGH. THE AMBIANCE WAS SIMILIAR TO A HUGE, DIM LIVING ROOM. YOU GET BREAD AND A SORT OF TAPENADE WHICH IS INTERESTING WITHOUT BEING SAVORY AND THEIR WHOLE OLIVES ARE AMAZING. WE ORDERED THE CHEESE PLATTER AND HAD THE SERVER PICK OUT THE CHEESE FOR US. IT TASTED GREAT. WE TRIED THE PORK RILLETES (EH), PROSCUITTO (GREAT), SOME KIND OF FISH WITH APRICOT PISTACHIO YOGURT (INTERESTING) AMONG OTHER THINGS. THE COST OF DINING WAS WHAT I EXPECTED, ABOUT $50/PERSON FOR THE TAPAS AND COUPLE GLASSES OF WINE. I'M NOT SURE I'D MAKE AN EFFORT TO GO BACK BUT WOULDN'T MIND IF I FOUND MYSELF THERE AGAIN. Pros + GREAT RECOMMENDATION AND SERVICE FROM WAIT STAFF, CHEESE & WINE SELECTION Cons - STUCK UP PATRONS http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html My boyfriend introduced me to the bacon wrapped figs, and they are amazing! The shrimp and corn salad, and the cauliflower are almost as good, but you have have have to order the figs! http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html Bacon-wrapped dates, fried oysters, ubiquitous prosciutto, fancified egg sandwiches, sextuple-cream cheeses--there is much for a health-conscious person to avoid on this menu. I suggest going nearby to Joan's on Third or The Little Door if you want to live to celebrate your fiftieth birthday. True, the wine list is fabulous--but man (no, let us say, "people") do not live by booze and fat alone. And--happily--there are a few over-priced mushroom and salad concoctions to ensure that you will not pass out from hunger if your goal is to eat healthy and your trendy friends require you to join them here. Pros + Nice place to hang out Cons - Food that clogs your arteries http://www.yellowbot.com/aoc-los-angeles-ca.html Everyone who works here impressed me - from the guy behind the extensive wine bar who offered advice on a number of varietals, to our server who described each of the many dishes in great detail, to our busser who was so on top of his game I would call him the best busser in LA county. Even the host pitched in to check on our table. Everything here is small plates, so I tried a variety of dishes, and found them each delicious. I will definitely go back. Highly recommended. Pros + Great Food, Great Wine Selection, Outstanding Service, Nice Ambiance Cons - Maybe a little pricey, but that's to be expected. Find local businesses and read and submit reviews and ratings q http://www.yellowbot.com/search/