Jer-Ne Restaurant & Bar

Im not sure how often the information on this site is updated so I decided to weigh-in on Jer-ne restaurant located at the Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey. According to this site and several others Ive investigated, Jer-ne serves a rather confusing fusion of East Asian cuisines. Nothing could further from what I saw on the menu last week.

With a new Chef comes change and in Jer-nes case the change is extreme and its more than welcome. Chad Minton previously of the Mosaic Bar and Grille in Vancouver British Columbia has put a local, sustainable and all-natural stamp on the simple yet inspired menus at the restaurant. Minton is quoted as describing his cuisine as sophisticated not complicated and thats evident from the menus sparse almost cryptic descriptions to its simple yet delicious combinations.

Take for example the tomato salad dressed in extra virgin olive oil, minus 8 vinegar (its a Canadian thing) Buratta Mozzarella, micro basil and course salt. The salad is presented without fuss and I never got the feeling that too many hands were on my food; personally I do not like it when I received a plate that looks like it came with assembly instructions from Ikea. Simple food that tastes great. The black cod was pan fried and served with a creamy corn, braised baby leeks and perfectly roasted baby beets garnished with a beet and truffle mousse. The flavors popped on the palate and worked well together. Again the presentation was refined but not pretentious. Everything worked. Everything including the impressive wine cellar and handsome service I received was top-notch. The young man that served me was one of the better servers Ive had in Los Angeles, maybe he is a server by trade and not an actor posing as a waiter until his big break comes along??!! All things considered the Jer-ne restaurant has come a long way from its far-East beginnings and for this writer/eater its a journey that Jer-ne needed to make!

This place is all about the ambiance and the location! I've never been disappointed with a single lunch on the outdoor terrace and dinner is what you'd expect form a restaurant located in the Ritz Carlton (although I favor the lunches over the dinners). Check to make sure that the "sukiyaki" you order is one that they'll cook in the kitchen and not one you'll have to cook at the table yourself if you're starving. :)

Very cozy. Great drinks. Great wine list, especially by the glass. Friendly staff. Not stuffy as you would expect at a Ritz.

Had the bento box and fish of the day...was def. satisfied! Not snooty like you'd expect a Ritz restaurant to be...

I had dinner there last Friday night- June 2006 and was looking forward to an interesting meal - based on the LA Times review. Three of us got the 5 course tasting menu- with wine pairings ($95). We knew it was a bad call when the bread was stale and tastless. The best part of the meal was the cheese course- the one thing the chef couldn't mess up. The "heirloom" tomatoes (my favorite) had zero flavor, the lamb was bland and chewy, the salmon dry. We spent $385 for the 3 of us for food I couldn't even finish. The service was good- but the poor waitress begged me to agree with her that the food was "just so yummy" - I couldnt even fake it. for the money, buy a nice bottle of wine, get some In-N-Out and eat them on the sand instead.