Girasol

I was brought to Girasol on a date and it was seriously the best food either of us had ever had from a restaurant. The duck and lamb were cooked perfectly! I love the cozy atmosphere and hope we make a return visit sooner than later. The only reason I gave the restaurant a 4 instead of a 5 was because they are overpriced. I shouldn’t have to order my sides separate from my main dish and pay that much money.

The steak there was grass fed and amazing! The vegetables are straight from garden to table! I recommend this place for a date! It’s very romantic!

Food was great. My girlfriends and I ordered small plates and the mushrooms, beet and berries and pork were our favorites! Service was very mediocre– we often had to ask for our waitress, check and to have water filled. For the price point that service is unacceptable.

Compliments to Chef CJ Jacobson & Management with Roman, & Team Girasol for delivering some of the best tasting & amazingly presented food I have had in years! I think I’ve found my #1 Favorite restaurant — I just hope that I can get a reservation each time my cravings come back (and that will be often).

We had a family dinner here right before Christmas.
The space is great for intimate and large parties.
Our server was very attentive.
The food is ala carte, but decent portion size.
There were some hits and misses. We worked our way through the menu. I am not a mushroom fan, but the sauteed mushrooms are great. They were cooked and seasoned perfectly. The pork skewers were ordered twice because they were that good. The brussel sprouts were good, but would be better if they were cooked a little less.
The bar is limited in its selection, but what it has is good.

Not sure what happened here. I came because I was in the area and saw that it made Jonathan Gold’s top 101 list.
First, after making reservations, I called once and confirmed a table. Minutes later a second (and different) hostess called to confirm my reservation. Not a huge issue, just odd.
When we arrived, our hostess seated us, took our glasses but did not offer water. I think she was new. Not a huge issue again, just odd.
After we finally got ready to order, we asked for the highly praised Octopus salad, in which the server mentioned that they were out. This would have been nice to know, at the initial introduction or the second and third time the waiter had come by to chat and get us drinks.
The drinks were nothing to write home about. The Hamachi was ok. The pork satay was ok. The risotto dish was REALLY crunchy (is it supposed to be?). Bass was pretty good.
Overall, I wasn’t really impressed. I did like being able to get in on a weekend and get seated right away. This restaurant seemed to be out of range of the busy-​ness of LA and the holidays.

Excellent brunch. A small solo restaurant on the south side of Moorpark, just east of Tujunga in Studio City. There weren’t many choices on the brunch menu, but the options they did have all seemed very good.
The waitress said the most popular items at brunch were the «Bread Pudding French Toast» and the «House Made Chicken Apple Sausage with Wild Fennel.» I ordered the French toast and was very impressed! (I’ll save the chicken apple sausage for next time, though it sounded really good). Not exactly sure why it has «bread pudding» in the name because it didn’t have that same consistency. Regardless, the pieces were pretty small, but thick, and very hearty. The presentation was great! It had a thin-​ish layer of syrup on the plate, with berries galore, plus a strawberry compote and a cranberry (?) compote, which was both really good. I also had some of their Niman Ranch Bacon, which was prepared expertly… thick, crunchy, yum.
The «Two Egg any Style» breakfast looked good too. It needs a better, non-​plain name. The potatoes looked very inventive! Big cut-​able chunks of Kennebeck Potatoes that looked really good. Also had some of their fruit bowl… very fresh, brightly colored, and different fruits (persimmon?).
Recommendation for the restaurant: it was cold outside today, but it was too warm in the restaurant by a degree or two.

Okay, so this meal will not be cheap, no, it will not be. So if you’re looking for a meal out on a budget, this is not your place. But if you are a foodie and you like different flavors and different combinations of items made to really pop in your mouth, this is a place that delivers! We ordered 10 out of the 13 starter plates and each one provided a distinctly unique experience. Faves were the grilled octopus, hamachi and brussel sprouts with a special nod to the wild grilled mushrooms. The house baked bread was delicious for mopping up the extra sauce. Meatballs in the sun gold tomato sauce also amazing. Each dish was a world of it’s own in terms of flavor, the sign of a really decent kitchen. Chocolate dessert was equally exceptional. This was a birthday meal and didn’t disappoint! We will be back soon.

Just keep in mind all the menu items are a la carte. The bill can get very pricey!
Bread is made on site and is very delicious. However, it cost $ 4 for a piece the size of a large grapefruit cut in half.
Sunchoke-​Yuck, I did not like them. I guess it’s an acquired taste. $ 8 down the drain
Whole Fried Red Snapper-​Just average, for the $ 32 price tag. I was expecting something extraordinary.
Arugula Salad-​Very fresh, with parmesan cheese and lemon juice. $ 9
Smashed Potatoes-​Definitely the best tasting item on the menu. $ 6
Striped Bass-​Excellent. Only downfall. $ 28 for a portion of fish similar in size to a deck of playing cards.
Service-​Impeccable! Best service! Fresh silverware and plates were given after appetizer dishes were removed. The table was wiped clean, and our drinks frequently replenished.
Parking-​Metered street parking
Unique décor is well suited for special occasions.

Have been here a few times in the last couple of years. We were here for dinner with a reservation for 8 pm last weekend. We had to wait for half an hour as they did not have a table, finally they sat us at the low table attached to the bar.
Felt like we were sitting at a kid’s table. Service was mediocre and the food expensive and less than average. Will not be going back.

I’m always open to fabulous food. This place made Jonathan Gold’s top 101 and one we’ve not yet tried. I will have to disagree with Señor Oro on this one, but perhaps it was an off day or the chef was not in.
The persimmon and burrata was yummy and the crispy lentils were a nice textural element. This was the best dish of the evening.
Crispy pig’s ears on a bed of thinly sliced radishes and apples was also very good. It had an Asian inspired flavor profile with a little heat from Thai bird chilis and acidity from lime juice that was a good balance for the sweet apples and rich pig ears. The ears were crispy starting out, but got a little soggy and chewy sitting on the vinaigrette if you don’t eat the dish quickly like ravenous wolves.
The octopus salad required a re-​do. Hubby loves octopus and when he doesn’t like it, you know it’s bad. The octopus tasted like the gas used to fire their grill. The server was kind enough to take it back and have it redone with less char. However, the little charred bits are usually the most flavorful when grilling octopus. Even the re-​do salad was mostly left uneaten.
The fava bean purée with chorizo was another re-​do. The flat bread was so burnt, I’m surprised they sent it out. The bitter burnt smell overwhelmed the dish and it was served rolled up with burnt side up – very strange for a restaurant aiming for elegant plating. The server was kind enough to just bring me plain bread, as I requested, instead of another failed flat bread.
Bread was good — crusty and dense. The accompany butter was good, but needed a few flakes of salt to really it make it sing.
Sauteed greens was a fail for me. I loved that the chard was not over-​cooked, but it was drowned in a puddle of sherry vinegar which made it hard to eat. The hazel nuts topping the greens tasted raw and would have been better a little roasted.
The special was a mushroom risotto with uni. In concept, it sounds yummy, but it wasn’t very well executed. The rice was not creamy, but gummy. They garnished the dish with very generous sprinkles of thyme still on the stems. Thyme is a pretty bold flavor and you couldn’t really taste the subtle flavors of uni. This was a waste of good Santa Barbara uni.
We had some wines by the glass. My syrah and hubby’s cab were ok, but over-​chilled. We needed to let the glasses warm before we could really taste the true quality of their wine. My syrah tasted like it was opened the night before — a little flat.
It’s a nice space. Given all the wonderful places to eat in LA, I’m not sure we would be regulars unless it was down the street and we didn’t want to drive.

This is a very good restaurant owned by the winner of Top Chef All Stars alum CJ Jacobson.
The space is modern and cool. Noise level is fairly low, even when busy. Waitstaff are professional and efficient. If it’s your first time here, they will be sure to tell you about the chef and how he forages for his herbs, etc.
Food here is solid. From the octopus and scallop appetizers to the farro and pei mussel entrees, everything is well-​seasoned, innovative, and tasty. The mushroom side dish is smoky, meaty, and pretty phenomenal.
For those who are bothered by portion size, I was surprised to see that both the apps and entrees were pretty sizable. The prices are on par with many of the upscale restaurants around LA, and the portions are adequate for the cost. However, don’t expect huge amounts of food.
The only downside was that, even though I made a reservation for a birthday celebration, there was no acknowledgement of any kind, so it was probably the fault of the maitre d’. However, the food was good enough to almost forgive the oversight.
parking — valet, metered, or limited street parking

I eat out often and go to different restaurants even the small portion types, however the food is just average and really not worth my 88 $. Will I go back? No. So why give 2 stars? The customer service is amazing. That’s it!!!

Lovage bread
Octopus salad is my go to.
Red Snapper — although the dipping sauce that comes with the red snapper at Tar & Roses is the bomb. (I’m sorry).
My friend has ordered the pork chops 3x in a row so I guess that’s pretty fabulous.
Tonight, I’m having the duck confit. Will let you know! But every dish I’ve tried here has been pretty good.

CLIFF’S NOTES: I was so excited to try CJ’s cooking at Girasol, but our party of 7 were all thoroughly let down by both the food and the service. Hopefully it was just an off night because CJ wasn’t in the kitchen, but at upscale prices they aren’t supposed to have off nights. If you go, make sure it’s on a night that CJ is in the house. As for me, I’d rather spend my money at a place that values my patronage.
FOOD: It might be that we were already soured from the pathetic service (more on that below), but the consensus was that the food was very good overall, but nothing was really memorable. I like the octopus, the whole fried fish, the meatballs, the burrata dish and others just fine, but wasn’t blown away by anything.
AMBIENCE: LOVE the space! It’s probably the best looking restaurant in the valley. It has a sexy ambiance while also having a casual welcoming feel. 5 stars here!
STAFF: The staff ruined the night for us. They seemed disinterested us being there and almost annoyed that they had to work. This pathetic tone was set early as it took forever to get menus; 10+ minutes after asking a server to open a bottle of wine we brought, we had to re-​ask for that; nobody took our food order for more than 30 minutes and even then it was only because we went to the hostess and said we’d like to order; etc. Need I go on? You get the point. Service was a hot mess. Hopefully it’s better when CJ is in the house.
PRICES: It’s on the pricy side, especially for the valley. Expect $ 60+ per person before alcohol.

The meal was superb. The White Striped Bass was comforting with a soft appeal. The base complimented the Bass with a refreshing burst of flavor. The fried Snapper was perfect. The Arugula salad was as fresh as it gets. The vegetables were seasoned to perfection. Complexity at its greatest

Girasol you fed my soul!
Four of us ate here for my Birthday.
The interior is beautiful & Luxurious. It feels like a LA hot spot, but in the valley. No traffic. Yes!
Our waiter was very knowledgable & friendly.
I had a Rosemary & citrus cocktail & a bottle of red to share.
The crusty bread & Lovage butter was warm & yummy.
I love goat cheese so we ordered the Berry & Goat Cheese Salad, which was underwhelming. Creamy goat cheese. Very pretty. Just nothing exciting about this one.
The Rabbit Croquette was AMAZING. Crispy. The mushroom wine sauce was perfect. Everyone loved this one!
Of course we had Foie Gras w/​puréed sweet potatoes or butternut squash, grapefruit & crispy «chips». It was lip smacking.
The showstopper was the Fried Red Snapper the kumquat, chili herb sauce was perfect!
My friend from SanFrancisco called & ordered the Brownie & Caramel Gelato & Berries & Donuts as a surprise. They were both scrumptious.
All the food was Beautifully presented & delicious!
Love it!

****2.5 stars overall****
Another one I can finally check off of my ‘To Eat’ list. I was pretty excited to try this place based off of the reviews, but my boyfriend and I both were not fans of their food. We noticed that it was a much older crowd — there was maybe one other table that had a couple about our age. I think it may be the area and the fact that we went in at 6:30pm on a Saturday night. Their service trumps the food for sure. We ordered quite a bit as we wanted to try a few things, so here is the breakdown —
House Baked Bread (4 star): This was one of the better dishes of the evening. The bread was warm and the butter glided on perfectly.
Burrata and Peaches (3 star): It really was just average. I’ve had burrata dishes all across restaurants in LA so I can compare to quite a bit. The one thing I did like about their take on it were the little crispy lentils that were on top. They added to the texture which was a change for a burrata appetizer.
Ground Meatballs (2 star): These were a bit weird. The flavor was not good at all. They tasted like they were burnt but they were bright pink inside. They left a pretty bad after taste to our palettes.
Grilled Pork Loin (2 star): Wow, $ 38 for that? I was shocked at how terrible this dish was. I’ve had pork chops in nice restaurants for half the price. This one was extra chewy and had no flavor whatsoever. It was a complete let down from our expectations.
Leek Soup from the specials menu (3 star): The soup was tasty but it came out pretty cold. I think they let it sit out while they were working on the pork loin. If it had come out hot and fresh I would have given it 4 stars.
Smashed Potatoes (5 star): The star of the evening and easily the best thing they may have to offer on their menu. These potatoes were amazing and full of flavor. They had tons of garlic and cheese which always makes a customer happy :)
Overall, I would rate the place a 2.5 stars. It wasn’t what I expected, sadly, but at least I can cross it off my list. People are always asking me places to eat for romantic dates and special occasions and I can easily say I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. For the price you pay, you can find a restaurant with better flavored dishes!

After this year’s «Simply Wine Fest,» BF and I decided to leave the hot mess from CBS studio lot and go somewhere else to continue our own fest, with our best hag, no less. Since Girasol has always been on my radar, It was so close to CSB and I saw on my phone there’s a 9:15PM spot, I immediately snatched that reservation up like there’s no tomorrow.
The restaurant itself offers valet and there’s plenty of street parking if you don’t mind looking around. We were seated promptly upon checking in, that’s always a good start. The restaurant has a beautiful ceiling, bar, and limited patio seating. I particularly enjoyed the wine racks behind our booth, which was very rustic and masculine. Our attentive waiter, Eric, was very charming, kind and knew his stuff. He thoroughly explained the specials, patiently waited, and witnessed us contemplating on what to order. Speaking of which, here’s what we had ordered:
–Foie Gras: It’s official, this is by far the best Foie Gras I’ve ever tasted and I have eaten a ton since the flood gates open here in California! It was pan seared on both sides, served with light citrus vinaigrette and apple. The sweet and sourness complimented the unique texture of foie gras so heavenly. It had never occurred to me that it was not even served with brioche (that’s how I usually prefer to eat my foie gras) until I was writing this review simply because I was immersed with its sheer decadence.
— Oysters: Served with Prosecco mignonette. Again, another dish that came out beautifully simply due to its right level of acidity in the sauce. The oysters were fresh and cleaned, I did not smell a hint of fishiness like I anticipated.
— Crispy Rabbit Croquette: Due to our prior positive experience with rabbit meat at José André’s Jaleo, BF and I decided to give this rabbit dish a try. It was just ok, and surprisingly fattening, unlike the lean rabbit meat we had at Jaleo.
— Black Cod: Another one of their specials of the evening, though presented beautifully, I thought the cod was rather bland, nothing memorable about this dish. Needed more seasoning!
— Pan-​Roasted Duck Breast: I don’t usually care for duck, but this is another triumph on Girasol’s part. The fat/​meat ratio was perfection. Again, served with a citrusy cherry sauce. I cannot believe just how well the sauce can balanced with such fattening meat. Excellent!
— Plum & Panna Cotta: I must confess I was a bit reluctant to try this dish. Though I fairly enjoy cheeses, goat cheese panna cotta on the other hand, just did not sound too appetizing to me. However, I was not sure whether if it’s the marinated plums or buckwheat honey, this dessert was light and yet sinfully delicious.
— Fresh Strawberries & Donuts: The Donuts somewhat reminded me of what I had at Bestia, in a good way. It was served with Crème Fraîche Ice Cream, I think this was my BF’s favorite of the night; but then again, since when was the last time he hates anything that bears the resemblance of a ball in his mouth???
— Warm CA Date Toffee Cake: This toffee cake was absolutely amazing… It was moist, creamy, and practically melted in my mouth without any mastication. And the best part, it was not overly sweet yet carried on the full essence of toffee.
All three of us really enjoyed our dinner at Girasol, it was truly an amazing dinner. I highly recommend it to people who enjoys good wines and food. And if you don’t know how, worry not, just ask for the server Eric. I am sure he’ll guide you and point you the right wine and/​or dishes to order.

Met with my visiting sis who had a conference at nearby Sportsmans Lodge and wanted to take her out for dinner. Looked for a recommendation from Gold’s 101 list and saw a place called Girasol nearby. I was particularly glad to find a casual, but nice restaurant like this without struggling to secure reservations because it’s über-​hyped on some heat list. The restaurant is easy to find, and I also took a tip from fellow Unilocaler Isobel L. to self park on Elmer a short block away and bypass the valet…
The inside of the restaurant is divided into a lounge half and a dining room half and has a warm, chic appeal almost like the lobby of a modern inn. Girasol is Spanish for «sunflower» and the walls and ceiling have a floral theme highlighted by lighting. Chef Chris «CJ» Jacobson, a Top Chef alumni, has tapped into and made great use of some local fresh produce, aromatics, and herbs to offer his take on some classic entrée choices (e.g. chicken, steak, pork loin, fish, vegetarian, etc…) Some of the best items on the menu can be found among the shared dishes section which is gaining more and more popularity it seems. Don’t forget to ask about the specials not listed on the menu…
Even the specialty cocktails make use of some of the aforementioned fresh herbs. Deviating from her usual choice of a glass of wine, my wife decided to order a Kina-​Herb «Martini». Influenced by the Kina L’Avion component, she didn’t care for the strong woodsy taste and sent it back. She joined my sister in a Sorrel-​Pine Gimlet, a green gin on the rocks made so by pine syrup. A fresh lime slice and sorrel leaf on a skewer to finish. She hated it (lol), she should have stuck to her standard glass of red wine. My standard (excuse) as the DD is to order an Arnold Palmer and here they made it using floral camomile tea…
If you’ve never tried Lovage Herb Butter then you owe it to yourself to pay the damn $ 4 and order some with their warm House Baked Bread; especially if you don’t have a problem paying four bucks for a drink at SB…
Apple and green pears matched with burrata constitutes the Market Pears & Burrata. An easy inclusion in a fall menu, the pears were juicy and crisp. The (fried?) crispy lentils were a welcome contrast to the soft stringy cheese and the shiso was nice for color…
We love beets so ordering the Beets & Berries was an automatic. It had seasonal red and yellow beets, along with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and some hazelnuts for good measure all on top of a bed of whipped Soledad Goat cheese. This cheese is much sharper obviously than the burrata and so it was easy to transition to from the prior dish. Again there was a small hodgepodge of leafy herbs present to challenge a foodies knowledge but mostly relegated to visual interest…
Having a meat dish for balance was in order and I read good things about the Grilled House Ground Meatballs. Not mealy, the ground had enough fat so that the slightly larger than golfball sized meatballs were not dry. The meat was slightly gamey, but in a good flavorful way, perhaps veal was used. Tiny Sun Gold tomatoes, sweet and tangy accompanied the twins, topped with finely grated cheese, perhaps pecorino…
Of course I had to order the signature Whole Fried Red Snapper. The fish was beautifully done with crosshatched side slits and curled so that it could stand on its own during plating. The flesh flaked away easily from the bone so it may have been on the medium done side. Loved the accompanying bed of kale, it had a crispy quality as if it was quickly tossed in hot oil but not doused in it, lightly dressed with a hint of lemony citrus. Visually impressive…
The Seared Morro Bay Black Cod fillet was prepared differently so there was no danger of having too much fish. Poached in a lobster nage, the skin had a natural glaze to it in appearance. Much like the kale, the brussel sprouts were young and really tasty, some of the best I’ve had…
The Crispy Duck Confit had the dubious distinction of being the least favorite dish by committee. The skin was spot on crispy but the underlying duck meat was already a little gamey by its own nature and pretty lean too so that it was slightly on the dry side. The part furthest away from the bone was better but the meat closest to the leg quarter was dry and sinewy. The lentils were fine but no match for the kale and the brussel sprouts…
The Smashed Potatoes was an excellent side; tastes like warm potato salad…
The best thing about the Chocolate Brownie Cake was the salted caramel gelato with Maldon flakes on top. The brownie was just ok but I didn’t care too much for the chocolate pudding, it was a bit too sugary sweet like frosting…
Our waitress Grace took good care of us the whole night, she was attentive, and didn’t balk when we asked her to take back the Martini…
Delightful with a couple imperfections, but no deal breakers…