Hollywood’s sizable pre-show dinner crowd just got a jazzy new destination in the form of Gable, the live-fire restaurant which recently took over the lobby restaurant inside the historic Hollywood Roosevelt. Featuring precisely made cocktails by Chad
Austin — an alum of Bar Benjamin and Palm Springs’s esteemed Bootlegger Tiki — and a New American-ish bill of fare by Maude and Eleven Madison Park alum Chris Flint, the restaurant replaces the French-leaning Shirley Brasserie. As the hotel prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, Gable intends to honor Los Angeles’s past and present in equal measure with distinctly modern touches like a cheesy bulgogi and kimchi pizza inspired by Koreatown icon Sun Nong Dan and a family-style branzino served bossam-style with lettuce, perilla leaves, and two kinds of salsa. On a recent late September visit, a light Japanese whiskey welcome cocktail preceded well-balanced drinks like the rhum-based Cosmic Joke and an exceptionally smooth take on a dirty vodka martini. Use Gable as an elegant option for dinner before a show at the Pantages or concert at the Hollywood Bowl; it can also swing in for a business dinner or private event (the dining room offers a cordoned-off area ideal for larger groups).
What to order
- Tempura-fried maitake mushrooms with a zippy yuzu aioli are ideal as a quick bar snack or decadent appetizer, though the pizza breadsticks with pizza butter — a mix of tomato purée, Parmesan, chili flakes, oregano, and other spices — can be an equally worthy starter, provided you’re not ordering one of the pizzas.
- With a crusty, flatbread-like quality not unlike California Pizza Kitchen, the wood-fired pies at Gable aren’t going to win any prizes for the dough base. The 6th and Wilshire, however, offers a tableside show with torched cheese, plus a well-balanced mix of not-too-sweet bulgogi and a funky aged kimchi that complements the mix of carbs, meat, and dairy.
- Branzino dishes seem like a dime a dozen in Los Angeles, but this crispy, family-style rendition comes with a unique bossam-style presentation that includes salsa macha and salsa verde. It’s a great option as a lighter, high-protein main for two, but I recommend adding a pasta to your order — the duck ragú pappardelle is one great option — to ensure you leave full.
- A month into operation, Gable’s pork chop with anticucho glaze and grilled peaches has already become popular — it’s juicy, tender, and hits all the right savory-sweet notes.
What to drink
With a cocktail list divided into four sections — “spirited,” “whimsical,” “bright,” and “spiritless” — Gable’s drink menu cleverly takes a page from Bar Benjamin’s mixology playbook with unconventional ingredients like tahini, gochujang, and charred corn. Follow your usual preferences and you can’t go wrong; even the booze-free Bangarang flavored with fermented cantaloupe and lime goes down smoothly.
Insider tip
Afterwards, head upstairs for another drink and perhaps some bowling at the Spare Room, one of the coolest drinking venues in Los Angeles.
