Creative German cuisine in a laid-back L.A. mode

Stefan Richter is not out to startle or provoke at his new restaurant, Stefan’s at L.A. Farm, said S. Irene Virbila in the Los Angeles Times. He’s been there and done that at restaurants in Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, and Santa Barbara, but he’s now out to cook food right in the center of “most people’s comfort zones.” The food is still smart and contemporary, and does occasionally flirt with the cutting edge of modern American cuisine. But if you’re looking for foam in your food, you won’t find it here.

There’s a perception that Germanic food is heavy. “Not necessarily.” Richter’s Finnish-German heritage is evident in his more daring dishes—sliced pig’s head with Champagne-chive vinaigrette, radishes, and frisée; or a cream of lentil soup garnished with rabbit loin. We also liked the earthy pork cheeks braised with house-made caraway sausage on a beer-braised sauerkraut. Among the desserts, the red-wine lollipop, frozen in liquid nitro­gen, is a savory-sweet combination straight out of the North Pole.

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