Gonpachi is like a lot of things in Los Angeles--beautiful on the surface but seriously lacking in substance.

The multi-floor design is visually stunning with an open kitchen and a courtyard Japanese garden. However, you can only spend so long admiring the décor before you realize no less than six servers have passed by your table without acknowledging your presence.

I had admittedly high customer service expectations from a restaurant that called to confirm my reservation beforehand, but I could not have been more off base.  I can say without exaggeration that I have never waited so long for service in a restaurant in my entire life.

My dining companion and I started looking for hidden cameras (perhaps we were being punked?) after the fourth or fifth server passed by without so much as an offer to take our drinks order.

When our waitress finally arrived she apologized explaining, "my kitchen is a mess." Not exactly what two people about to eat from said kitchen want to hear. She did bring us some garlic edamame on the house as a peace offering but, as much as I love edamame, it can only earn you so much goodwill.

The restaurant was participating in dineLA's restaurant week. The event is designed to give Angelinos the opportunity to sample some of the top local eateries through three course prix-fixe menus.

Overall, the sampling Gonpachi served up was decent, but certainly not good enough to make up for its failings in service.

A chef-selected assortment of appetizers included some interesting flavors, the most memorable being the tuna tartare that somehow managed to taste like peanut butter and jelly.

Entrées were a bit more generic. Sumiyaki Grilled Sirloin was good but did not quite live up to the expectations resulting from its claims to have been cooked over some of the most expensive charcoal in the world.             

One of the better moments of the meal came in the form of perfectly cooked grilled cod, which was served on a tasty bed of brown rice and hijiki seaweed.

Dessert was also bit of mixed bag. Pumpkin Zenzai consisted of giant, rubbery mochi rice balls topped with almonds, red bean paste, vanilla ice cream and an overly creamy pumpkin custard sauce. Gonpachi gets points for creativity here, but the combination just didn't quite work together.

What did work was a baked bread pudding served with a scrumptious and refreshing berry sorbet, proving that sometimes going back to basics is your best bet.

Dinner at Gonpachi is an experience, to be sure. If you want your dinner to include eating, however, you may want to look elsewhere. It's not so much that the food is bad--it's certainly innovative--but Gonpachi is not the kind of place you go to grab a quick bite. It is the kind of place you go to when you want to relax and take your time while enjoying your surroundings and your food--not an easy task when you spend half your time trying to get someone's attention so you can order.

And, once your do get your meal, don't dare to put your chopsticks down prematurely because your plate will surely be whisked away by an overzealous busboy before you've had a chance to swallow.

Gonpachi has the physical package and an original, if not always delicious, menu. Unless it makes some serious improvements in customer service, though, even the possibility of free edamame won't lure me back for a second visit.