Jon Nguy: DineLA - Mariposa at Neiman Marcus

TLDR (to long, didn't read): Mariposa was great. The food was great. The service was great. For $25, I'd say go for it. See full res pictures here.

Their parking lot entrance was on Roxbury, and it was pretty easy to find. Neiman Marcus offers both valet and self parking in their garage. The great thing is, the self parking was validated if you ate at the restaurant. (I like free parking in LA... It seems like they don't really exist.)

After Michelle and I easily found parking, we walked into the store and was kind of confused on where to go. Luckily, they had an open area on the floor that showed some dining seats, and then I assumed the restaurant was on the floor below us.

We walked to the host and he was extremely friendly. After letting him know my last name, we were walked to our table. The first thing I noticed was that pretty much everyone was dressed super nicely. I read on yelp that the attire is "Casual", so I just wore a shirt and jeans. There weren't many guys there, but I do recall one guy wearing a button up. I don't know what fancy or dressy is for girls, but they all looked really good. I felt so underdressed, but I ignored it and tried to enjoy the experience.

As we were sitting down, the host said, "This is your usual table, correct?" As if I had been there before. I was confused at first, but I enjoyed how he thought I was a regular. After we sat down, I noticed that the restaurant had a pretty loud atmosphere. I was kinda surprised, but I guess that maybe why yelp said the attire was 'casual'. Either way, we were immediately presented with a shot of chicken broth and a small roll. (I'm not sure what the point of it was, but it was good nonetheless.) Next, we were given a huge piece of bread and some butter and jam. The bread looked like a drumstick (check out the pictures). It was deliciously soft!

Our server, Jean Poll, came to the table and explained what was on the DineLA menu. We obviously went with that menu. Michelle started with the Tuna Tataki (Pickled ginger, soy pudding, avocado, watercress and baby radish salad, tobiko caviar), and I started with the Crab and Avocado (Spiced pickled cabbage, avocado mousse, micro cilantro chipotle sauce). Both were well plated and they tasted great. The amount of crab and avocado was decent--more than I was anticipating. (I made the mistake by asking the server the size of an entree, kinda showing how I didn't appreciate quality over quantity.)

I feel like most of the people who ate there were rich people who lived in Beverly Hills, because they were all dressed so nicely, and I didn't hear anyone ordering the DineLA menu. I felt cheap, but whatever.

Next was our entree. Michelle got the Pan Seared Diver Scallop (Roasted cauliflower, golden raisins, pine nuts, rosemary-scented fork mashed potatoes, balsamic reduction), and I had the Braised Short Rib (Pappardelle pasta, crimini mushrooms, baby carrots, butternut squash, celery root, percorino romano). I was contemplating getting the Chop Lobster Mac and Cheese, but decided to go for the short rib.

The food was good, and it was enough to fill me up. I think I remember when I ate the first bite of the short rib, I had a smile on my face. It was delicious. I tried some of Michelle's mashed potatoes, and it was mixed with some kind of nuts or something, and it gave the dish an interesting kick. A good one. Anyways, I finished my pasta short rib combo (and I'm confused at what kind of cuisine Mariposa is considered.

After we paid the bill, the host came to our table and asked how everything was. Michelle told me that my face lit up and I had a huge smile. I had never witnessed a host coming to the table to ask how everything was. The coolest thing was that he mentioned me by name. "How was everything, Jonathan?" Damn.. I may come here again even when DineLA ends. It just goes to show how that small 'relationship' you make with your guests can really make an impact on the overall experience.

I loved this place, and I'm glad I chose this place over the other 12 DineLA places I could've gone to.

The dishes, in picture order:
-bread-

Appetizer
Chicken Broth Shot + roll

Tuna Tataki