THIS RESTAURANT HAS CHANGED NAMES The Royce

THIS RESTAURANT HAS CHANGED NAMES The Royce Restaurant Review:

FORMERLY A RESTAURANT OFFERING CONTEMPORARY FRENCH CALIFORNIA CUISINE, THE ROYCE IS NOW THE ROYCE WOOD-FIRED STEAKHOUSE. The space that was formerly The Dining Room has a history of retaining great chefs, like Craig Strong and Michael Voltaggio. With the arrival of chef David Féau, the legacy continues. From the house-made bread and the Jerusalem artichoke soup amuse-bouche to the apple tart, the dinner is a procession of dishes created with intelligence and modern elegance. No ingredient clashes with another; to the contrary, they enhance each other, as in the caviar used in the guinea hen to give it a salty taste, required to flavor any dish. But let us start at the beginning with the tuna belly paired with argan oil and green apple or the slow-poached lobster plate which takes on a pink hue due to the use of pomegranate. We also liked the sea urchin served in sea urchin soup on a bed of apple cabbage slaw, and the scallops in a saké-marinière broth. The main fish courses we tried included a beautiful plate of perfectly smoked baked Loch Duart salmon and a cod in an impeccable citrus dashi broth. Féau’s talent was also expressed with the roasted venison loin accompanied by a red cabbage ginger lychee compote, a cube of sweet potato and snap peas purée. The cheese course received a full preparation: between the very thin slices of Vermont cheddar you will find mustard linzer and blackberry compote. Finish with the delicate “variation of chocolate textures.” To complement the culinary voyage, the décor has been completely redone. Two wine rooms, one for the whites and one for the reds, will attract your eyes as soon as you enter, as will the central lamp fixture that cloaks almost the entire main dining room in white and royal blue tones. The tables, made of a lacquer that looks like nacre, are well separated from each other, which adds to the sophistication of the milieu. Sommelier Eric Espuny will be able to tell you a story for each wine that he brings to your table from quite a comprehensive list that he likes to call “a work in progress,” since he is adding more and more every day. If you want to get closer to French-born and -trained chef Féau, order your feast at the gorgeous chef’s table. He will explain to you at length where he gets his topnotch products --- and they are all topnotch indeed.