Thursday, April 16, 2009

Dining Out-Ivan Kane's Cafe WA S


Ivan Kane's Cafe WA S (that's not a typo, that's how they write it) is fabulous. I went the other night and everything was wonderful. I had the bacon wrapped dates, the gorgonzola salad, escargot, and bouillabaisse. Don't worry, I was sharing with my dinner mates. Every single thing was amazing and I don't even like dates. Even the bread, served in a paper bag, was spectacular.
They also have a piano player on a revolving dais. I thought he would be playing jazz standards, like they usually do, but he played great versions of Cold Play, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and the like. I was there early, but they have a bar and I'm sure it would be fun to hang out and listen late into the evening.
The decor is eclectic but beautiful. There are multi levels and chandeliers on the floor. You have to see it to believe it. I asked what was in the site before and the hostess told me Shwab's pharmacy of Hollywood fame. I'm not sure about that since I'm pretty sure that was on Sunset, but whatever.
In short I highly recommend this place.

Ivan Kane's Cafe WA S
1521 N. Vine St.
Hollywood, CA 90028
323-466-5400
http://www.cafewas.com

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Elise, thank you for your kind words! It is so rewarding to have guests such as yourself, that truly "get" what we offer at Cafe Was, and really make our hard, dedicated work pay off. Please let us know the next time you would like to visit with us, we have something special waiting here for you. All the best, The Cafe Was Family
p.s. and yes - this was the space of Schwab's Restaurant - they attempted a "redux" in 2004 right in this space, and it was here for a few years just prior to us reinventing it into what is now IVAN KANE'S CAFE WAS!!

Elise Crane Derby said...

Trust me I'm looking for a reason to come back. I live on the west side so crossing the 405 is an ordeal, but I'll be back in the near future.

Anonymous said...

Are you serious? This place is laughable! It must be closed by now. Cafe Was, indeed. The place was so hard up for customers/money, they started running speed dating nights to attract ANYONE. Dine at the single worst cafe in Paris, and it will be far superior to this sorry excuse for an eatery. In fact, the Dumpster out back of any Hollywood restaurant will likely be more agreeable than anything on the Was menu.