Farmshop Restaurant By Chef Thomas Keller

Thomas Keller's restaurant efforts in Los Angeles are supremely concentrated, his three enterprises all housed at the same address in Beverly Hills.

But with the introduction of dinner service at Farmshop, run by Ad Hoc alum Jeff Cerciello, one of that restaurant's most lauded dishes, fried chicken, is now being served every Sunday in Santa Monica.

The centerpiece of the three-course Sunday dinner ($45) deserves its hype. Whereas fried birds usually present a depressing law of diminishing returns–the crisper the crust, the dryer the meat–Farmshop's chicken crackles and is perfectly cooked inside. Our platter of chicken was showered with shards of fried herbs, but the batter and garnishes will change regularly.

Side dishes are seasonal and simple to such a point that they resemble what you might cook after a farmers' market visit, but with finer knife work and execution. The coleslaw we were served was gifted an anise touch by slivers of fennel, while poppy seeds added a more articulated crunch.

Family-style dinners are served nightly, but the menu is anyone's guess. Sunday's meals are somewhat of a mystery too, but the promise of Cerciello's fried chicken should assuage any fear of the unknown.

Farmshop, 225 26th St., Santa Monica; 310-566-2400 or farmshopla.com