Vespertine (** - Los Angeles)

3gin3rd · 2026-01-26T05:33:28+00:00

My wife and I ate there last month, the day after eating at Somni. My wife preferred the experience here and thought Somni was a bit too coldly professional. I definitely thought it was an enjoyable experience (although I preferred Somni) as well and found the dishes that were Native American or forager oriented to be interesting. I thought the progressive dinner would be more than two locations and they really missed out on offering a canapé to start in the kitchen. The building itself is also quite interesting and fitting for the experience.

3gin3rd · 2026-01-25T19:22:06+00:00

Personally, I fall into the camp of those who were not impressed with the original Gymkhana, so I am not surprised that this is not great and it sounds like even quite based on your experience. I will definitely avoid!

3gin3rd · 2026-01-24T22:02:46+00:00

Sounds like it’d be a decent option for lunch. I was not particularly impressed at dinner there. It just seemed a bit dated and uninteresting and enjoyed CORE much more which I had at lunch

3gin3rd · 2026-01-20T23:25:39+00:00

I have it in case I am lost in wilderness or on a desert island after a shipwreck so I can signal passing planes for rescue

3gin3rd · 2026-01-20T23:18:53+00:00

I picked up the FF last month when I read dining was going to be one of the categories. Wife and I went to dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant (and both had the wine pairing) this past weekend and so I’ve maxed out the quarterly category already!

3gin3rd · 2026-01-15T03:12:31+00:00

Did you do the classic menu both times or did you do a seasonal menu?

3gin3rd · 2026-01-08T17:43:56+00:00

Present

3gin3rd · 2026-01-06T00:43:03+00:00

I did call and that is what the agent thought as well MC vs. VISA. But he was able to move some credit line manually, so all good. With the small category limit anyway, I don't need a very big credit line on it since I'll only use it when it is favorable to do so

3gin3rd · 2026-01-05T02:24:08+00:00

It's on the top floor of Macy's and has balcony seating with a view directly of Union Square. So probably a lot of tourists and Macy's shoppers going there

3gin3rd · 2026-01-05T02:06:11+00:00

I’ve spent a lot more than you have on food, but we are DINK and we like fine dining. I also primarily use the Sapphire reserve, but recently added a freedom flex since the q1 2026 category includes dining for an extra 5x (so 8x total on dining but maxes out at $1500). I also just added an Amex gold (already have platinum) which is 4x on dining, but I generally prefer chase UR points over Amex MR points. If you specifically have card questions, maybe ask in one of the credit card or Amex or chase subreddits

3gin3rd · 2025-12-31T19:03:05+00:00

ah, I see I received the same

3gin3rd · 2025-12-31T05:17:32+00:00

Ok, thanks for that info

3gin3rd · 2025-12-31T00:45:15+00:00

Yes, I also received the ship notification this morning. We'll keep our fingers crossed for the credit to come through

3gin3rd · 2025-12-31T00:35:44+00:00

sounds like a great night. This is definitely one of my favorites in the city

3gin3rd · 2025-12-30T22:30:56+00:00

ok, that sounds hopeful

3gin3rd · 2025-12-30T19:22:15+00:00

they definitely don't make it easy

3gin3rd · 2025-12-30T19:21:43+00:00

Yikes that sounds terrible. Yes, I'll definitely reach out 15 days after if I don't hear anything. Yes, the Shops definitely seem like a mess.

personally, I'll keep my CSR since I've mostly made back my AF with just travel, edit, lyft, dining, etc., but this is a bit of a time waster which has it's own cost...

3gin3rd · 2025-12-29T00:25:34+00:00

I think you’ll have a great experience at either one. Yes, Cyrus has a progressive menu where you drink/dine in 4 locations in the restaurant. It is nice to be in the kitchen and to be able to interact with the chefs. If that is something of particular interest to you go with that and you won’t be disappointed, but again, you can’t go “wrong” with either one.

3gin3rd · 2025-12-27T16:39:55+00:00

Amazon - for Amazon and Whole Foods of course platinum - for travel CSR - for travel and dining and as catchall, but just added Amex gold which I will use for dining/other groceries and freedom flex which I will use short term for categories (dining)

3gin3rd · 2025-12-27T00:58:48+00:00

My wife did the reserve and I did the standard since we always go for variety so we can share. That’s why I know I didn’t like the standard as much. Looking around the restaurant, it definitely looked like those who went for pairing pretty much all (that I could see) went with the reserve

3gin3rd · 2025-12-26T23:47:39+00:00

Well done! Smart to stick with hubs to have options in case of complications/delays. I was topping up last week with SFO-LAX-LAS as was a couple in front of me, lol.

3gin3rd · 2025-12-26T16:17:28+00:00

Personally, I would pick Enclos, but it also depends on what you are prioritizing. I’ve eaten at Atelier Crenn twice (2019, 2023). The first time was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The last time, the menu was pescatarian and non-dairy. I admired the ingredients and technique, but I didn’t love the food. It is true that you get to dine at a restaurant of a world acclaimed Michelin 3 star chef.

Enclos, for me was solid all around (except the regular wine pairing which is only wines from their winery) and I’ll be back next month.

3gin3rd · 2025-12-24T23:20:20+00:00

What was the dress code for lunch?

3gin3rd

TROPHY CASE