The past week was mostly an auspicious one over at MessHall, which gained some praise for its fun atmosphere and campy cooking from critics Jonathan Gold and Besha Rodell. However, Los Angeles magazine’s Digest blog spies an unforeseen ripple in the Los Feliz waters, as executive chef Keith Silverton reportedly left his position as executive chef less than three months after opening. The restaurant’s reps say this was the plan all along, with Silverton merely a consultant brought in to oversee the opening. However, that’s the first time anyone’s really hearing it and that’s what reps are supposed to say. Neither is MessHall a total stranger to such shakeups, having lost is star bartenders right before opening (Is there a slasher running loose through camp?). Nick Erven is taking over as executive chef, supposedly hand-picked for the job by the feeling chef, while Silverton will pursue “other projects.”
