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L.A. Market, Chef Kerry Simon’s restaurant at the JW Marriott hotel at L.A. Live, is now being helmed by Chef de Cuisine Nona Sivley of Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” fame. The restaurant’s menu reflects Sivley’s Southern roots with a California flair, ending up with mixed results. There were some dishes here that I loved, but there were also some that missed its mark.

What I loved:

This gnocchi and lump crab appetizer was unique and absolutely delicious. The gnocchi was pillowy, and the addition of kumquat and micro basil was a pleasant surprise and nicely complemented the truffle parmesan cream sauce.

Gnocchi

The Brick Organic Chicken was crazy good. Crazy, crazy good. Many people think roasted chicken is boring, but one that’s cooked to perfection is one of the best dishes to eat on any menu, hands down. This one was juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, and the farro and braised beet greens in a citrus jus were great, too. I would order this again in a second.

Chicken

The braised short rib was also very good, and boy, was it a big portion. Juicy, tender. Very satisfying, despite being a dish that’s seen much too often these days.

Short rib

Of course, there was the Junk Food Platter, a Kerry Simon classic. I didn’t eat much of this — just a bite of the snowball because I had a massive marshmallow craving — but it sure is fun to look at.

Dessert platter

Now, the red velvet cake, a nod to Sivley’s Southern roots, was delightful. The cream cheese frosting was very cream cheesy — just the way I like it. And it was topped with a gooseberry — who does that? Love.

Red velvet

What I didn’t love:

The Sushi Pizza, another Simon classic, apparently. It’s pizza dough topped with creamy wasabi rice, tuna, crab avocado, cucumber and sesame. It tastes as weird as it sounds. The creamy rice turned into a big mess once we started cutting into it, and the flavors just didn’t work for me.

Sushi pizza

I also didn’t understand the Sautéed Forest Mushrooms. These came on a large piece of bread, which became soggy after sitting for a while. I think this dish could have worked if the portion was smaller. Bigger is not always better.

All in all, the menu at L.A. Market has some standouts that I would definitely go back for, and even the cocktails were decent. But some dishes fell really flat, and some were just OK. Stick with the best, and you’ll be fine.

Note: This meal was hosted.