The Other Critics

Jonathan Gold Rolls Into MessHall For a Fun Time

MessHall
MessHall Photo: Allen Lin/MessHall

Fireside tales of a theme-restaurant make us run for our sleeping bags, but Jonathan Gold convinces us to stop sitting on these sharp sticks and just make some s’mores at MessHall, where Keith Silverton is cooking “glammed-up 1940s dinner-party food, like James Beard with a membership in a CSA.” Gold clarifies this probably isn’t “a destination restaurant,” but a market-armed fun house for Los Feliz to hit “when it wants its ‘hog chops’ served with undercooked grits…or slightly overcooked chicken seared under a brick.” Still, the mint juleps and daiquiris are “first-rate“,” the oysters “dependably fine,” and the burgers “really good” here, the critic says, noting that it’s more of a “pie-in-a-jar” kind of place than a palace for the painstakingly prepared “great American dessert.” [LAT]

Jonathan Gold Rolls Into MessHall For a Fun Time