Parking in this section of West Hollywood is competitive, and if you don't Uber or easily find a meter, I recommend you pay the $20 to valet at Ladyhawk. The host stand is inside the lobby on the left, and interestingly the bathroom is a short walk outside of the restaurant and across the lobby.
We were able to get reservations a week in advance, even with how trendy Ladyhawk is. I first heard about it from Thrillist's most exciting new restaurant list for LA. I loved the ambiance inside, and we just so happened to go on a Wine Wednesday where they select two bottles to be half price, so it was bustling with a few large groups. We'd brought our own bottle of wine and they were able to decant it for us tableside, which was greatly appreciated.
Chef Charbel Hayek was the winner of Top Chef Middle East and a part of Top Chef All-Stars, and our server informed us that the Za'atar Man'oushe and Ahi Tuna Crudo were two of the dishes that helped him win Top Chef, so of course we ordered both.
Our server described the Za'atar Man'oushe ($19) as a bread, but it really felt like more of a pizza. The menu is a bit vague but describes it as "48 hour fermented dough, wild thyme, olive oil, tomatoes, herbs, labneh" and we were surprised and impressed by the presentation when it arrived, although we weren't blown away by the taste - it really didn't live up to the hype, but it was interesting with cream droplets decorating the center, topped with something from a vial table side, snd it tasted very strongly of dried oregano.
Under appetizers, I do recommend you share two seafood dishes: the Ahi Tuna Crudo ($25) in cubes that reminded me of watermelon, with orange blossom, charred cucumber, avocado, and citrus, as well as the Octopus ($24) with crispy potatoes, chorizo butter, and lemon relish.
Unfortunately, I disliked how sweet the Grilled Maine Scallops ($27 for 3 scallops) were. I prefer scallops with a savory sauce, and these were so sweet I felt they should have been listed on the dessert menu instead. The description lists vanilla, fennel, green shatta, orange, and puffed rice, but I still wish they included Sweet in the title or description. Our server did recommend ordering the octopus instead of the scallops, and we should have listened to her advice and just ordered the octopus, but as two people who usually love scallops I didn't expect I could dislike them so much.
Under salads, the Seared Halloumi Salad ($20) was a generous portion size, refreshing, and great to share - especially if you enjoy a slight bitterness to your salads. It came on a bed of arugula, radicchio, and spinach, topped with tomatoes, avocado, and sumac. If they had an option to add chicken on top, I think this would also be the perfect lunch entree.
From the Mezze section, I absolutely loved the Babaghanouj ($16) charred eggplant, tahini, lemon, and yogurt. Since I'm gluten free and couldn't eat the pita, they were able to do a 50-50 split so that I could have the lettuce cups, which were perfectly fresh & crisp. We saw many tables nearby with larger groups ordering the Ladyhawk Mezze Table Platter ($110) to share, which seems worthwhile if you're a larger party because it looks giant and includes a rotating platter of mezzes with pita.
From the Wood Grill, we shared the Olive Crusted Rack of Lamb ($66) as our main entree, and we loved it. When ordering, they ask how you'd like your lamb cooked, and we went with medium-rare. The cut was definitely on the fattier side, but it went perfectly with the dehydrated olives and herb crusting and side of garlic yogurt. They brought out a sharper knife for this course, which was definitely needed.
The server was very friendly and I loved her personality, but unfortunately they didn't come to refill our water glasses during our two hour dinner until after we had paid the bill and I was very thirsty. read more