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It’s been 2 years since I’ve been to The Six and I’m happy to say things have improved with time. Their food creativity has evolved, and the result is a lively menu with food good enough to lure non drinkers to this gastropub.
I wasn’t very hungry, so I chose the Mesclun Greens with hazelnuts, pear and balsamic for $8
and was glad it was all I ordered since the plate was huge, about 11″ in diameter! The flavors were surprisingly good, from the tasted hazelnuts to the crisp pear, every component added a different layer which combined to make a refreshing plate of greens. The dressing was light enough to accent without overwhelming, and the greens were diverse enough to create different textures with each bite.
My friend ordered the Turkey Sloppy Joe Sliders with portobello, red bell pepper, and fried house-made pickle for $12. These were slightly sweet with spices that had a warmth reminiscent of a Moroccan style Ras El Hanout. This was an innovative rendition and a very generous serving for an appetizer. It was more than enough for a full meal if you are not splitting it with anyone else. The baby buns were as delightful to eat as they were to photograph.
The S’More dessert was a big version of the campfire classic. The first serving came out burnt (our waitress told us that they were still fine tuning the amount of heat to put on the topping), but the second one was good, with just enough crisp marshmallow for crunch over a sweet chocolate and graham cracker base. This dessert was a bit too sweet for my tooth, but my friend loved it.
We had a glass ($10) of the Graffigna Malbec and were glad to find a good glass of wine with innovative flavors in a pub. We will definitely be back for more, and perhaps another s’more.
I do my best to give places a chance to fix problems and make improvements, especially when a restaurant is going through growing pains with new management and a new chef. I have known Bob for over three decades, so when he took over at Crossroads BBQ / Bubba Diego’s in June, I went in for an early taste, gave him my feedback, and waited for his new chef Kelly to revamp the menu.
The improvements have been amazing (and yes, I am as harsh of a critic towards my friends as I am towards strangers, just ask Bob about the pie crust I would not eat because it was undercooked). Kelly has Southern roots, and it shows with her light and deft hand at everything from the marvelous fried catfish sandwich to her crab cakes, served here with a side of black beans and collard greens. Both the sides were classic versions done old school style and the crab cakes were full of crab, not filler, nicely livened up with some chopped red peppers and onions.
When some of my friends see chicken fried steak on the menu, they begin to salivate, but it is not high on my list of favorites, so when Robin insisted that I taste this dish I was shocked at how much I liked it! The chicken fried steak is double battered with a second coating of panko to give it a lighter crisp texture, and the steak is not overdone. The haricots verts and sausage gravy elevated this dish beyond diner food to fine dining in disguise.
Will wanted to try all three kinds of ribs (Baby back, Kansas style, and Beef) so he got a sampler with both sweet and hot BBQ sauce on the side. Since Will is a Cordon Bleu graduate, his pronouncement that the ribs had perfect smokiness and tenderness was noteworthy. I tried the Kansas style and loved the flavor and consistency.
We packed up about half our meals to go so we could try dessert. On an earlier visit I tried the mudpie but was not as impressed as my friend who loved it, so we went for three different desserts this time. Robin ordered the lava cake and found although the basic cake was good, it was not spectacular; if you love chocolate you will probably love this cake, but there are better versions elsewhere.
I ordered the apple tarte and I realized after a bite that I may just have bad luck with desserts. Although the flavors were fine and the ice cream was perfect, my tarte was cold, straight out of the refrigerator cold. I wish I could have tasted it warm or at least room temperature.
Will’s creme brulee was the dessert winner with a smooth vanilla bean taste that would have satisfied the pickiest of sweet tooths. The only improvement would have been a bit more brulee crust.
All of this food with two soft drinks was under $80 for three of us, a great deal for very good food. They have a happy hour at the bar where all the appetizers are half price, so even if you order all ten appetizers (I recommend the hot wings and the fried okra) your bills would be only $50 and you would be stuffed!
Go in and tell Bob that Elaine sent you in to annoy him (and since you’re there, go ahead and order some of Kelly’s food:)
IMPORTANT NOTE: I just learned that the owners let Bob go after four months in which time he hired and trained the staff, revised the menu, and started promoting the restaurant on social networks. I would NOT recommend that you support this place with your business in light of how they do business with their employees.
Monday may be the start of the work week for many, but it is also one of the days off for most people who work in restaurants, clubs, hair salons, and spas. Whether it is the start of your work week or your days off, there are some good deals if you want to go out on Monday night.
Delphine has Raw Bar Mondays from 5pm-10:30pm with deals like $1 oysters and shrimp or $2 clams and mussels. An eatery in Hollywood would not just entice you with food and not offer drink specials, so you can get a glass of either sparkling Rose or Pinot Grigio for $5 a glass. With prices like this, your parking may cost more than what you eat and drink.
Chaya has an “Industry” after hours deal that begins at 10pm and goes until 1am the first Monday of every month, with $3 small plates and $5 drinks.
You could start the afternoon at Delphine and end the night at Chaya. Mondays may become your favorite night of the week!
My friends who have dogs are always searching for places to eat which are pet friendly, after all this is not Paris, where poodles are welcome everywhere, including inside posh restaurants. The Fat Dog is one of those rare places to eat in Los Angeles which welcomes your pet on their patio anytime before 7pm. I don’t know the reason behind the curfew, perhaps it’s because the patrons get rowdy and the pups should not be allowed to witness rude behavior.
I met my friend for lunch before picking up my rabbit at Lindy Grundy next door because she said the fries were some of the best she had ever had in the States, and yes, that was enough to entice me to try this very comfortable gastropub.
The welcome was as nice as these complimentary rosemary almonds. The aromatic woodsy fresh herb gave the almonds a distinct twist that was intoxicating. It was a good thing we did not finish the bowl because even better things were coming our way.
Unfortunately the blue cheese stuffed fried olives for $5 was not to either of our liking and after one each, we left the appetizer on the table. The owner removed it from our tab and told us that 90% of the the people who order it love it, so if you are part of the 90% who love very salty acidic bar food, order this.
I had not eaten breakfast (it was only 12:30pm aka morning to me), so I chose the Croque Madame, made with country ham, gruyere cheese, fried eggs and baby frisee salad for $13. It was a beautiful deconstructed presentation and the soft bread gave it a nearly Monte Cristo effect. I loved the quality of the ham, and the baby frisee salad. It was wonderful brunch type comfort food.
My friend had been awake for hours, so it was definitely lunch time for her and she ordered the braised short rib French dip sandwich with gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and “au jus” with a side of served with onion rings for $14. She declared it marvelous, and after I took a bite I had to agree. The meat was flavorful, tender, and so good, she kept eating it with a fork out of the sandwich after she was full.
Since french fries were my enticement to come here, we had to get an order, and they did not disappoint. The home made ketchup and garlic mayonnaise were perfect dipping sauces for anyone who wanted them and the fries were light, crisp and delicate. They were the best I’ve had in at least the last year, so yes it is worth coming just for the fries.
Somehow we saved room for dessert, so we got the fried banana split, made with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and peanut brittle $6. Fried hot food with cold ice cream is a winning combo in my book, and this dessert was as delightful as it looks. The one thing I would omit is the peanut brittle, it was too sticky and the texture was not crunchy enough to be a contextual counterpoint to the soft sweet banana and ice cream.
We were both happy humans after eating at the Fat Dog.
My friends used to drive in from the Valley to come eat here, but for some reason I was a virgin to neighborhood favorite Sawtelle Kitchen. The menu is an eclectic mix of Asian curry, katsu dishes, Italian pasta, salads, and appetizers that incorporate ingredients as diverse as lotus roots, kabocha, mussels, and lamb shanks (not all in one dish)!
I had to try one of the hot appetizer/side dishes, so I chose the Japanese mushrooms with wild vegetables sauteed in a soy butter sauce for $7.95. It was a decadently rich rendition of vegetables whose silky sauce begged for bread to soak up the sauce (and I used my dinner roll to do just that).
I had a very nice bowl of Miso with lots of tofu and a huge piece of wakame (seaweed) with my dinner.
I ordered the Chilean Sea Bass with the ginger sauce and a salad instead of rice for $22.45 (it’s $19.95 with rice instead of salad). Sadly my fish was slightly overcooked and the ginger sauce was a bit too salty, but the salad was very good. I would definitely order another dish next time.
The Pasta Carbonara with ham, onion, cream and black pepper for $11.95 was absolutely perfect (as my Italian dinner partner said, he would have made this dish exactly the same way at home). This dish was the epitome of sublime decadence; not too rich to eat but luxurious enough to make you want to eat the entire bowl.
Perhaps the best thing about the place was that we went during happy hour which is from 3pm-10pm Monday-Thursday, 3-7pm Fridays, and 11:30-6pm on Sundays which means all our food and drinks were HALF PRICE (so take 50% off the prices I posted)! They serve French and Tahitian beers, espresso, and French lemonade, but if you want wine (they only serve two), bring your own and pay only a $5 corkage fee for each 750ml bottle.
Who would have thought that a neighborhood place in Little Osaka would have pasta an Italian would love? Not me, but that just means I will be going back for salad and a pasta soon.
An unplanned trip to Palm Springs this week meant that I got a chance to revisit Zini Cafe Med for their delectable tapas (see my previous post here).
Since the temperature was about 108 Farenheit, I wanted something cool, so I decided to order the chilled baby octopus salad, with cherry tomato, cucumber, red onion, and a mustard vinaigrette ($5) instead of the hot octopus I had last time. I liked this version nearly as much as the hot version except I would have ordered the salad dressing on the side since the strong mustard vinaigrette was a bit strong on the tender organic greens.
The spicy lime drizzled shrimp were my favorite of all the tapas I tasted. For $6, the four medium sized shrimp were perfectly cooked and the garlic infused spicy lime sauce was good enough to drink; thankfully there was yeasty and warm sourdough bread to soak up the sauce.
If I go back for a meal twice in the same day (as I did for La Petite Creperie in June), you know I love a place, and I did that here. For my second round of food I started with one of the same plates I chose last time, the Tuna Carpaccio, served with Citrus, Balsamic Pomegranate Drizzle, Spanish Olive Oil & Caper. The $6 plate was every bit as delightful as the one I ate last year.
The grilled calamari stuffed with Spanish chorizo, fried parsley and capers was a bit rich and salty, but a very hearty bite for $6. This was my least favorite of all the tapas I tasted, but even so, it was still good enough to recommend to people who like rich, salty sausage bites.
I don’t know if I was really hungry or simply intrigued when I ordered the grilled artichoke, asparagus, fried egg egg, Serrano ham, and Machego cheese plate for $6. It was like a mini-breakfast and my idea of comfort food. The perfectly fried egg was done to perfection with enough runny yolk, yet no runny white, the Serrano and asparagus were great complimentary flavors, and the artichoke and cheese were nice highlights.
Finding places that are still wonderful a year later makes my stomach and face smile with delight. To add yet another surprise, wines average only $6 for a good selection of red, white, rose or bubbly, by the glass, and their happy hours, which begin at 4pm and go until 7pm most nights, offer specials like a pitcher of Sangria with a platter of snacks for only $21. It may be 108 outside, but it’s cool inside Zini.
The week-end pleasures of a movie and dinner are not easily obtained when in a mall. Aside from places like Westside Tavern, there are very few restaurants in malls where you would chose to go if you were not already there for a movie or a store.
Mika & I went to an afternoon movie, so we wanted something in the late afternoon and did not want to settle for the big corporate chains, so we tried Townhouse Kitchen+Bar in the Sherman Oaks Galleria. This place is especially worthy of a try during their TWO happy hours when drinks and appetizers are $5 (about half off regular menu prices) between 4-6pm weekdays and from 11pm-1am. They have rotating specials, like $3 Blue Moon Beer, and every Tuesday burgers are $5. It’s a place that is comfortable enough to welcome you in jeans yet nicely appointed enough to take a first date.
Service was top notch from the hostess to our waiter Greg and our small plates were so beautifully presented that our eyes feasted before our stomachs did. I had a glass of MacMurray Pinot Noir for $11 which was served in a stemless glass and when I commented to Greg how much I appreciated the way it was served, he said he was glad because some people prefer stemware. For restaurants and drinkers, stemless are much more practical and I don’t see why anyone would complain about a practical choice!
The first appetizer of Tequila Shrimp ($11.99) had a nice mango salsa and spicy bite. The shrimp were not spectacular, a bit undercooked and obviously not seared, but the spices and salsa helped made up for it.
We chose the grilled asparagus side which was charred and lightly salted with coarse grains.
And the beet lollipops covered in pistachios and served with a blue cheese dipping sauce that was so mild even Mika liked it (she hates blue cheese).
The Kurabota pork belly sliders were well seasoned, but a bit dry and they need either more pickles or some sort of spread on the wonderful buns to make them spectacular; we improvised by adding some of the mango salsa from the tequila shrimp which worked well. They were served with thinly sliced buttermilk battered onion rings and ketchup.
Our table looked like a party buffet!
It’s nice to have an alternative in a convenient location which serves good food and offers specials to night owls and day birds alike. Perhaps this Townhouse in the Valley would be a good place to spend next week-end during carmageddon when the 405 shuts down.
Looking for a place to eat at 11:30 pm on the Westside during a week night is no easy task. There are of course the usual diners and the Brazilian place that over cooks nearly everything on their menu, but my friend Mika was starving and wanted something good. We were willing to try something new before resorting to the old mediocre standbys.
We saw the neon “Open” sign at Asian-Ya as we were driving to the mediocre places and Mika did a U-Turn, saying, “I hope they are good” as she turned into their parking lot. We were willing to chance it and we grew hopeful as we saw half the tables filled with young students, and the posted hours said open until 00:00 (Mika translated and told me it means midnight).
They are a bit of a sake bar, with a menu devoted to flavors ranging from dry to sweet, made from sweet potato, barley, and rice. Prices ranged from $5 to $15 a glass and a “glass” is a ceramic cup that is big enough to hold about 8 oz. For some strange reason when I asked for my sake cold, they put ice IN the sake. I didn’t mind since I had not chosen a $15 sake, but be forewarned if you do want your sake cold and order a premium sake.
Since I was along mainly for company, not because I was hungry, I chose the clams in sake for $7. They were very flavorful and tender. The broth was so delicious that I could have drunk it as a soup.
Mika ordered the Miso Eggplant which had a slightly sweet paste and the toasted sesame seeds added a nice smoky crunch to the soft eggplant.
Mika also chose the shrimp fried rice which was she liked so much she kept eating spoonfuls even after she declared, “I’m full” . It was also a very generous serving, easily enough for two.
Mika’s eyes were bigger than her stomach, so she only finish about half of everything she ordered, including the grilled mackerel, which was done classically and well; not too dry, and not too oily.
The mackerel dish also came with miso soup and the grand total for everything we ate (and all the food that Mika took home) and drank (Mika had a hot tea) was only $36!
It was a steal considering the quality of the food and the wide selection (there are some Korean choices on the menu as well as ramen, curry, and exotic grilled meats like beef tongue and gizzards). Even with these prices, they have a happy hour from 5-7pm with drinks priced below the already reasonable menu prices.
I think we may have found our late night spot on the Westside open and serving with a smile at 00:00:-)
After seeing “Rio” with two friends we wanted something sweet to eat, but we also didn’t want to just have dessert for dinner. Across the street from the theater we saw Ugo, which turned out to be a good choice for appetizers and gelato.
My friend Mika chose the Polpette, two 100% ground beef meatballs with homemade bread crumbs and marinara sauce ($6.50) because it said on the menu they were the “best you would ever taste”. While she didn’t agree with the description (neither did I) because they were a bit dense and dry, they were good enough to finish and the sauce was a very good light rendition of marinara.
I chose the beef carpaccio with Parmesan, capers, and arugula because I was in the mood for beef and it’s not often that I see raw beef on any menu. I was relieved to find this dish so balanced with greens, beef and cheese, rather than other versions I’ve had which either drown the dish in olive oil or smother it with Parmesan. I loved the lemon vinaigrette dressing on the bed of arugula which gave my bites of the beef with salad a piquant fresh crunch.
Alia chose the fried calamari which I tried to photograph, but none of those pictures came out, sorry. The calamari was tender and did include tentacles as well as rings, so although it was not noteworthy, it was a well executed version of this dish.
Alia’s dessert choice was the Bacio di Dama Hazelnut and vanilla crunch gelato topped with thick whipped cream, Bacio di Dama cookies and chocolate for $9 (sorry the picture is blurry). The dessert was big enough to share, but Alia somehow managed to eat nearly all of it even after her appetizer; it was as delicious as it looked. She especially loved the crunchy bits of hazelnuts in the gelato.
I was boring and ordered the wild raspberry cheesecake. It was a dense, thick version, with a layer of raspberry jam for $6.99. Like many other things on the menu, I found it uninspiring but decent.
Mika chose the cappuccino gelato served in a chocolate coffee cup topped with whipped cream $9 and adored both the presentation and the taste of the perfect way to end a meal for non coffee drinkers.
Ugo has a wine bar next door and they have a happy hour, so if you are happy with decent appetizers and great gelato desserts, this is a good choice before or after your movie in Culver City.
Since President Obama went to Tavern recently for one of his fund raising meals, I decided it was time to brave Brentwood traffic and literally eat as well as the President.
The skylights in the dining room give it a greenhouse effect during the day and it was the next best thing to eating outdoors. I was happy to see the place filled with diners of both sexes and varied ages, showing it was a draw for anyone with a taste for fresh ingredients.
The lunch special was Artic Char with saffron cous cous, cumin carrots and green harissa over arugula for $24. I paired it with a glass of Pinot Grigio ($14) and enjoyed one of the best lunches I’ve eaten in many months.
This was one of the best pieces of fish I have eaten in years; the skin was crispy and crunchy while the flesh melted in my mouth with a tender explosion of freshness. The green harissa added a light taste of parsley to the fish. The saffron couscous was a brilliant marriage of two delicate ingredients which complimented the fish perfectly. the cumin carrots were not completely cooked so they retained a crisp counterpoint to the tender textures of everything else on the plate.
The attached bar has a happy hour and the adjoining market has salads and sandwiches to go if you prefer to eat elsewhere or just need a meal on the go, say to the Hollywood Bowl. It is a bit pricey at $14 for a sandwich, but for the quality of ingredients and masterful combination of tastes, you will not be disappointed with the value.
I love enjoying the meal of a President without having to pay with politics.
