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The gallery is located inside the boxy building at the corner of Olive Street and Olympic Boulevard. The new restaurant offers an immersive dining experience at the beloved craft beer bar in the once-inhabited space. If you were just walking, you would never predict the whimsical and interactive enjoyment the gallery team had dreamed of for the guests on the other side of the door.
There are many concepts and titles involved here, so there is a guide. The gallery is the name of the restaurant itself. This is the debut project of Immersive Hospitality Company Allureum. However, the gallery does not operate as a regular restaurant. Instead, it offers a dining show called Elementa (probably others will follow the line). And then you’ll pass through Horizon, a more casual cocktail bar, to get to the gallery. Have you got all of that?
The mind behind the gallery has many experiences in an immersive world. Co-founders Chuck Fawcett and Darren Ulmer both have a background in studio history, including Disney, and the themed entertainment and experiential attractions. On the subject side, they worked with Chef Joshua Wiggham, who was particularly chef de cuisine at Jose Andres ThinkFoodgroup restaurants, including the Bazaar in Los Angeles.
Photo: Michael Giuliano in timeout
I started the night in Horizon. There, a red velvet banquet and moody blue lighting set a scene of a lively crowd drinking cocktails. But the real star on the horizon is the city skyline of dimensions behind the bar. It consists of buildings set in front of an empty screen, and the windows light up in different colors. A peek inside shows mini silhouettes of people playing instruments, dancing and chatting. It’s a fun rear window-like feature as you are waiting for your drink. You can also find snippets of other cities throughout the Horizon space. They are reminiscent of LA, the Art Deco Tower, a classic film marquee, but specifically don’t recreate the downtown skyline.
Horizon offers a full menu of cocktails, wine and beer. I ordered a refreshing angel flight with vodka, rose, watermelon, aloe and mint. Another LA-themed drink, the Burlington Arcade, also caught my eye. There is also a food menu with more modest options than you can find in the gallery itself. Salads, “South Park” pizza, named after the neighborhood, the burgers you need, and the charming hamachi melt.
However, I had room for savings for the main course, or to be precise, Elementa’s five Prix-Fixe courses. True to its name, Elementa is a thematic experience that explores five classic elements of nature through food, music and “stunning visuals.” Vegan and gluten-free options are available. To drink, you can choose to pair supplemental wine, spirits, or non-alcoholic.
The gallery where Elementa takes place is itself made up of rather large rooms with about 20 tables at an angle. Each wall has a panel, along with a table top, that acts as a canvas for projection art that sets the stage all night. At the start of the meal, the names of each diner were projected from above into the location setting. This felt good.
After calming down, we were introduced to the curator. The curator is a “mysterious master of sights, sounds and tastes” who guide you through a dinner experience of over two hours. Essentially there is a two-minute performance between each course, during which the curator introduces the following elements, interacting with projections with the big magician-style energy as a classic score centered around the swell of Claude de Bussy.
Photo: Michael Giuliano in timeout Photo: Michael Giuliano in timeout time: Michael Giuliano in timeout
After the flavourful blueberry amuse bouche, the first element on the menu was Earth. The forest and ivy projection, with forest and ivy butterflies growing along the wall, is released by the interactive animation of the table with the curator and my favorite parts. The digital butterfly falls between location settings and can produce incredibly charming flowers by waving over the projected greenery. “Earth” cooking – Strawberry and flower roots growing from the “stains” of cocoa powder were one of the best of the night, and seemed to be most organically linked to its elemental concept. For the next element, water, the dish was thoughtfully plated hamachi. This was served in a colourful swimming fish with coral and tactile tablescapes after the curators survived the simulated storm.
Photo: Michael Giuliano in timeout
The air was probably my favorite night. To help the curators bouncing off a large balloon into the air, enlisting the diner and joining it, a duck entree served with eggplant and eggplant chamoura and candied pistachios, all topped with airy honey, were the five most flavorful dishes. On the table there was a bubble that could be interacted by detouring the course via motion sensors, but I hoped I could instead pop it and turn it into a more interactive game.
Photo: Michael Giuliano in timeout
The fire section evokes everything from fireworks to lava, and flicks of fingers fly sparks on top of the table. But the tenderloin, covered in coriander and peppercorn, did not scream “fire” at me. The dessert course was inspired by ether and space and was a better fit. The universe-like dishes of woob, coconut and candied inger are called to remind us of celestial bodies. The interactive features here were quite fun. By placing your hands on the table, you can form a constellation between your fellow diners and stars.
A serious send-off from the curator (“This culinary journey through five elements should leave a feeling of nutrition and inspiration”) marked the end of the night. Overall, I felt that all the food was decent. Some dishes were memorable and nothing bad – and there were some really impressive technology. I wasn’t necessarily immersed in each element (after the novelty reduced, the wall projections tended to fade into the background), but I enjoyed the interactive tabletop displays for each course. If necessary, they will be good conversation starters or icebreakers.
I chose the non-alcoholic drink pairing, but it is worth noting that for both it and wine pairing, it is not a traditional pairing of five drinks/glass wines. I had three mocktails. The first was the best – it tasted like guava, but despite asking it several times, no server was born with glass of cucumber-infused spritz and non-alcoholic champagne.
Photo: Michael Giuliano in timeout
And now, a million dollar question: how much does it cost? Nights at Elementa are a bit of an investment. A five-course dinner is $200, with fees and taxes, and costs $233 per person. And it doesn’t have a drink pairing. This starts at $45 for non-alcoholic and goes up to $170 for premium wine pairing options (house wines operate $74). It makes you feel abruptly at the experience. It’s less than the city’s most highly regarded luxury tasting menus (such as Providence, Somni and Kato recommended by Michelin), but more expensive than the Baroo tasting menu and options for under $100, and even at similar prices as Orsa & Winston and Barso (restaurant critics). But you’re not just food. You’re primarily paying for interactive elements and unique experiences (but still, it’s hard to swallow that a two-hour projection show costs more than a Disneyland ticket).
That said, if you want both a quality diet and immersive entertainment, Elementa fills that particular niche. It reminds me of recent culinary pop-ups (particularly Le Petit Chef and Wcdonald’s) that implement similar projection techniques, but Elementa stands out for its unique combination of immersive projection and tabletop interaction, and the fact that it is a permanent space. (And more, the downtown location is much more convenient than a trekking to Orange County.) If you read this far away and the Elementa concept appeals to you, you won’t be disappointed if you go. Many experiences rely on novelties, so it’s hard to imagine a gallery seeing many repetitive diners. At least until we announce our next experience with a new visual set. However, Horizon could be a source of drink orders before shows at nearby Velasco and Mayan theatres.
Horizon and The Gallery are located at 330 W Olympic Blvd. Horizon sits from 5pm to 10pm on Wednesdays at Thu, Sun and Fri from 5pm to midnight. You can make a reservation with Horizon here. Elementa’s showtime is more limited. Future reservations are currently available for selection at 7:30pm on Friday nights and 6:30pm on Saturday nights. Reservations are taxes and fees of $233 and include an optional $45 non-alcoholic pairing, a $74 house wine pairing, a $82 spirit pairing, or a $170 premium wine pairing. You can purchase tickets here. Parking is available nearby.
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