Restaurant: Ardor [1, 2]
Location: 9040 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (424) 310-1572
Date: April 9, 2023
Cuisine: Hotel Brunch
Rating: pretty interesting and tasty
We really miss the buffet at Tres and were very sad when it closed.
Ardor is tucked away inside West Hollywood’s Edition Hotel. The Ardor itself is helmed by none other than the renowned chef and restaurateur, John Fraser. Having kick-started his impressive culinary journey in Los Angeles, Fraser went on to refine his skills under the expert guidance of Thomas Keller at the prestigious French Laundry in Napa Valley. His quest for global culinary mastery then led him to Paris, where he further honed his craft at the esteemed Taillevent and Maison Blanche.
Upon his return to the United States, Fraser took up the mantle of executive chef at Compass in New York, where he was awarded a remarkable two stars by The New York Times. Recognized as one of only four young chefs to watch in America by Esquire magazine in 2006, Fraser continued to make waves in the culinary world with his former restaurants, Dovetail and Narcissa. These establishments garnered a plethora of accolades, including three stars from The New York Times, a highly sought-after Michelin star, and glowing reviews from various esteemed publications.
In 2008, Fraser’s exceptional talent was further acknowledged when he received the Star Chef’s New York Rising Star Award.
Cool interior.
The special Easter Brunch menu.
Skittles. Skittles infused tequila, spiced pear, agave, sparkling wine.
Flaming Peep. Bourbon, vanilla bean, chocolate and mole. Basically a really good Old Fashioned with a torched Peep on top.
Ardor arancini egg nest. Multiple different fried rice balls. Some were beets, some tomato and cheese, some pesto etc.
Milk Bread with roasted tomatoes.
The buffet was large and consisted of various stations. It begins here with salad options.
Little crudite cups.
Salad toppings.
Salad dressings.
Then the shellfish section including oysters on the halfshell.
Raw bar with two types of crab and shrimp.
Charcuterie.
Cheeses.
A fairly deluxe custom omelet bar.
Skewer station with charcoal grilled chicken, beef, and mushrooms.
A whole “bread and butter” station.
Then this wonderful Easter-themed and very creative pastry station with all sorts of cute little pastry creations.
The “chocolate soil” garden was particularly fun.
Weho Goddess. Dukkah Crusted Ahi, organic lettuce, fall pears, california avocado.
Pan Seared Banzino. Caper vinaigrette, shaved fennel, watercress.
Ardor Burger. Potato bun, aged cheddar, house spread, hand cut fries.
The Waffle Board. Farmer’s market fruit & berries, chapagne chantilly, salted caramel, chocolate ganache, raspberry-yuzu coulis, confetti. I failed to get my photo in before the kid’s grabbed half of it.
Overall, this was a very fun and creative brunch — and pretty delicious — given my diet I actually haven’t been this full in months!