Roy Choi's Commissary at The Line Hotel (Koreatown)

First of all, the new Commissary is beautiful. Situated in a green house complete with hanging pots of greenery next to the pool at The Line Hotel in Koreatown, diners can enjoy the LA sunshine all year long. You already kind of feel like you're on vacation when you step in.

The menu at Commissary can be a tad confusing at first. You get two pieces of paper. One is the picture menu that shows you the price and main ingredients. The little numbers lead you to the second piece, the "cheat sheet" which tells you how it's prepared ("grilled") and what sauces go on that dish ("lemon, green sauce" - for example).

Now, the setting is a green house, and there are a lot of vegetable and produce-focused items, but it's not a vegetarian restaurant. There are a number of vegetable-focused and vegetarian dishes, though.

There's grilled corn with red sauce, chili, garlic, onion

This is Roy Choi after all, so don't expect bland vegetable dishes. Just like the things he's known for, these are full of spices and flavors.

The original cocktails were created with the help of Matthew Biancaniello, although he won't be behind the bar. Served in deli cups, you'll find cocktails made with seasonal produce and unusual ingredients like pisco, white peach and anise hyssop; or mojito with zebra tomatoes.

Both the steak and the schnitzel came highly recommended, but unfortunately I couldn't possibly eat both! With a difficult choice ahead of me, I chose the one that's harder to find in town: the pork schnitzel

Thinly-pounded pork in panko crumbs, dressed with a tangy sauce of mirin and mustard that brightens your palate. I've forgotten how much I love pork schnitzel until I had this one. How can you go wrong with fried pork, especially when they're prepared so well?

The seared scallops with green sauce and lemon are perfectly cooked

Clams with chicken stock, sambal, chiles, lemon, bacon, green sauce

The food at Commissary focuses more on the main ingredients than, say, POT. The proteins are nicely cooked and have a great texture. The dishes are simple but flavorful, the unique plates and fun table napkins add a whimsical touch. Combined, they're perfect for a relaxing meal in a greenhouse, don't you think?

Commissary
at The Line Hotel
3515 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 368-3065