Taking it all in, out on the patio

Over time, friction developed between the chef and owner, cardiologist Steve Levine, and the two parted ways at the beginning of February. Levine didn't look far for a replacement, promoting chef de cuisine Andrew Kirschner to executive chef. In most cases, that wouldn't be a good sign, but here it's turned out to be a smart move. Kirschner was partner and chef de cuisine at Table 8 in the early days when the cooking was so seamless it was impossible to tell whether chef-owner Govind Armstrong was in the kitchen or not.

Now, at Wilshire, it's Kirschner's chance to shine. And shine he does. He's pulled back the menu, stripping away anything fussy and going for straightforward California cuisine with a broader appeal.

Though his menu may not be a step into the future, it's completely successful as contemporary California cooking. His instinct for what people in L.A. want to eat right now is dead-on. And it's not ditsy foams or soup sipped from a test tube.

Although the patio, a glamorous two-tiered space by Thomas Schoos complete with its own bar ablaze with candles, is as inviting as ever, the scene has quieted down considerably, especially on weeknights. The posh little dining room where I once struggled to hear a word all through dinner is no longer so noisy. It's easier to get a good table on even a day or two's notice. Even one in the coveted garden. Of restaurants in the L.A. area, only Michael's in Santa Monica and Les Deux in Hollywood can boast such a magical outdoor space. I'm not talking some dinky patio, but a space that's larger than the restaurant itself.

Come warm weather, this is going to be the place to be. And just in time. With tensions easing, Wilshire is less dysfunctional. Kirschner's assured, effortless-seeming cooking is a breath of fresh air. He's blessed with not only a good palate, but also a good eye. And he can execute, which makes him a triple threat.

A special of beef tartare one night is made with Japanese Kobe beef, which gives it a certain lightness of texture -- the beef's heavy marbling making the tartare something like beef rillettes. Served with rafts of grilled sourdough, it makes a wonderful appetizer to share.

Tiny chestnut gnocchi are delicious, too, especially when you get a bite of the dusky gnocchi with a nugget of roasted chestnut or hedgehog mushroom. Pristine fresh lettuces are tossed with earthy sweet little beets, toasted hazelnuts and feta for a bright-tasting briny salad that works anywhere, anytime.

Attention to detail makes Kirschner's white bean soup stand out. Some of the beans are smashed, others whole, and with chunks of carrot, craggy toasted croutons and swatches of black kale, it becomes a study in textures and flavors.

Every dish has a surprising twist. The Bolognese sauce on his rigatoni, for example, gets a lift from paprika-streaked chorizo, goat cheese and arugula, morphing the pasta dish into a salad-pasta hybrid with a Spanish accent. Tangerine and chile light up the steamed mussels (though on one occasion the mussels themselves were a little funky). He does a composed salad with the best of them, flirting with shredded duck confit in a salad of frisee with green beans, tangerine segments and candied walnuts.

Well done

Main courses are terrific one and all. I love that Kirschner has roast leg of lamb on the menu. You hardly see it anymore. And this one is beautifully cooked to a deep rose and served with Indian-inflected accompaniments -- a velvety pickled tomato and a cool, soothing yogurt raita. Wild mushroom duck pot pie comes under a lid of golden puff pastry -- a brilliant idea. It's replete with chunks of dark-fleshed duck, root vegetables and fresh peas in a rich duck stock and remarkably light for a pot pie. Every menu in town has a grilled Kurobuta pork chop, but Wilshire's wins me over with its accompaniment of a savory apple and sausage ragu and irresistible white corn grits. The pork is also first-rate.