Don’t Tell Mama, a cabaret-style restaurant/lounge/Piano bar originally from NYC, had a lot to prove after opening the doors to it’s new west coast location.

Any restaurant opening up in West Hollywood is bound to fall under the scrutiny of the town’s bitchy denziens.

We’re a picky bunch, as Yelp can attest to.

I think a good hard and fast rule is never judge a restaurant too harshly during it’s first month (or three).

There are always some bugs to work out, so just cut these places some slack. If you’re going to be that particular, just wait til the place has got its shit together before going and slandering them online.

I came here last Friday night with a small group of friends. We came early for dinner, sat at a really nice booth up front by the piano with a super attentive and friendly waitress and had the best time. We stayed for about 3 hours, I would say.

I rarely stay anywhere that long.

DTM is a really fun, neighborhood spot where the food is good and the piano keys never grow cold.

In between a mixture of Broadway and classic Elton John, the waitress would come up and sing a fun Disney tune or one of the patrons (such as ourselves) would request something off the wall, such as A-Ha’s “Take on Me” from the enormous songbook being passed around.

Some food highlights were the Lobster Mac and Cheese, the DTM Pizza and the Filet Mignon. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Chicken Piccata (a bit oily).

The specialty cocktails were very straightforward yet nicely presented however, I would have appreciated some more variety in the selection. Something spicy, something herby, something not made with vodka.

But it’s a new joint, folks. Give it some time to warm up. Let’s see what they have coming up in the second act.

8279 Santa Monica
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 380-7209
http://www.donttellmamala.com