Swedish native Chef Conny Andersson has helmed the kitchens at Four Seasons resorts all over the world, including India, Egypt, Bali, the Caribbean and yes, Beverly Hills. Now he has finally decided to open his own bistro on Abbot Kinney in Venice, called, appropriately enough, AK.

The restaurant, like everything Scandinavian, is very well designed. Its elegant entrance is framed by huge wooden doors, and the open seating plan includes two raised communal tables, and a long fireplace framed by glazed green tiles that softly lights the main dining room and accents the mid-century modern grass-green color scheme.

We tried the savory meatballs with cucumber salad and tangy lingonberries before sucking down sweet oysters on the half-shell, and Andersson's masterful "herring three ways." The otherwise overpowering fish was completely reinvented in each form: first in a honey-dijon sauce, then in a light egg salad, and then as a sort of pickled version, all accompanied by crème fraiche and onions.

The entrees are all impressive, but the organic cod with a smoky chili chermula (that's a chunky sauce, for the amateur eater), capers and fermented black garlic was a real standout. The Pekin duck breast with braised endive and black pepper-honey gastrique was simple and tender, while the braised beef short rib bourguignonne with a spring green garlic mash was juicy and hearty, while not as fatty as the dish usually turns out. For dessert, the chocolate fondant cake with ginger ice cream was heavenly, but the banana beignets with coconut cream and pineapple garnish were simply out of this world.

Abbot Kinney seemed like it was at full occupancy for gourmet restaurants, but AK proves that it had room for just one more.