The Restaurant at the Getty Center

I’ve got the perfect romantic restaurant for you. The perfect Sunday brunch, the perfect anniversary, the perfect, “Meet me at the top of the hill” date: The Restaurant at the Getty Center.

It’s only open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday, dinner Friday through Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. A few weeks ago when my mother was in town from the east coast, I wanted to spend the day at the Getty as she loves art, so I booked a reservation for brunch at noon.

From Gayot:

The Getty Center is still one of L.A.’s hottest attractions, though demand for reservations has eased up enough to allow for the occasional spur-of-the-moment culture fix. And if you’re visiting the Center and simply must dine more elegantly than at its various caféterias and food carts, try to book a table at its stunningly modern, white-on-white restaurant. What you’ll get for your (top) dollar are table settings worthy of a museum and beautiful-to-behold contemporary cuisine presentations. Appetizers include carpaccio of seared ahi and crab timbale with gazpacho sauce, while entrées feature a porcini and artichoke risotto with onions, and seared big-eye tuna with horseradish potatoes and a roasted shallot vinaigrette. The view is the most breathtaking in L.A., especially at sunset.

And they give it a 16/20 which I totally agree with.

The views from the restaurant are amazing and you’re sitting on top of high art. The restaurant takes advantage of the Getty’s location, with the best views to the west out over the rolling Santa Monica Mountains and all the way to the Pacific. The food is almost as remarkable as the views: fine grilled items, seasonal produce, and an excellent wine selection. They get most of their produce from local farmers’ markets and then create a menu around that.

I’ve heard brunch may be the best meal here. Catching up on the latest exhibit, and then adjourning to the restaurant is a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. There’s a full bar, so you have the option of ordering a sprightly mimosa or something called a wasabi bloody mary. Tall and iced, it packs a sharp blast of heat. I had the Charbay Blackberry Vanilla Mojito. Very good.

For brunch I had the Blue Crab and Rock Shrimp Cake “Benedict” Hollandaise Sauce, Avocado Salsa and Chipotle Aioli. Also looked good, the Meyer Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes with Fresh Banana, Blueberry Coulis and Applewood Smoked Bacon. wow. I’m hungry again. They also serve a nice plate of a assortment of breads including a great banana bread.

From City Search:

Elegant, modern California cuisine from Chef Anthony Jacquet fits in perfectly with the Getty’s setting, which strives to contextualize itself within the L.A. experience. The lunch menu’s star exhibitor is the lobster risotto, resplendent and complex with sweet, tender claw meat, fresh vegetables, basil and preserved lemon. Free-range chicken breast is stuffed with aromatic goat cheese and shiitake mushrooms, and maple glazed Tasmanian salmon perches haughtily, aspiring to Richard Meier, on diced potatoes, rich with green garlic aioli and rappini. The delicate pear and hazelnut Napoleon is the perfect coda. Dinner entrees include venison medallions, Muscovy duck and pan roasted arctic char.

Reservations are recommended! Call (310) 440-6810 or Reserve a Table online.

Prices: Lunch appetizers, $7 to $12; entrées, $15 to $19; desserts, $5 to $7. Dinner entrées, $20 to $38. Brunch entrées $15-$30

Getty Center Restaurant
1200 Getty Center Dr (Cross Street: Sepulveda Boulevard)
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 440-6810

Parking is $8. You park at the base of the hill and ride the tram up the hill to the top of the center. The restaurant is to your immediate right after you walk up the front stairs before you get to the lobby. It’s north of the research center.

Also… it’s fairly casual on Sunday and during the week, business casual is fine.

Calendar Live did a review in 2003 that hits it dead on. Read it Here.