[via Sherry R]
Oh my, it’s been a year. A year ago I came to this Father’s Office and had the burger. Fantastic burger. During this fine time, they served fries in little shopping carts which we may or may not have stole. They have since discontinued the carts. Coincidence I tell you!
Well, FO is just as popular as day 1 even on a rainy Wednesday. We chatted over our first beer and circled the place looking for any hints that anyone was leaving. There’s a simple strategy. Avoid the TVs. If there is a game on, the mens will sit. Forever. Luckily we preyed on a lady and her two man friends paying the bill. Sweet! Even sweeter if they didn’t hop into a 5 minute impromptu make out session. Jesus lady. Do that at Jack in the Box. I’m hungry.
Note: Btw. ladies, if you’re looking for hot, young men… FO is your wonderground.
Never realized FO had such an extensive menu. Bone marrow! Duck! Pork Belly! WTF! And did yo know that FO has oysters? *dies* Unfortunately by 9PM, they ran out and we went with our 2nd choice, the mussels. Also tossed in duck confit salad, sonoma lamb, and regular fries. Ultimately FO is a bar and they are not going to pace your food especially with the high volume of customers. So everything sorta came out all at once and disturbing fast I might add. Like 2 minutes fast. Freaky.
Maybe it’s my low expectations of bar food but everything was……good. Shockingly good. The duck confit was fall off the bone and just salty enough to cut into the acidity of hte salad. The mussels. OMG. I’m so glad to have delicious mussels so close to home. Fat mussels just barely cooked in yellow curry. Tasty! I started dipping the fries in the curry. Mmmm. The portions are pretty big so by the time we tackled the lamb I was a bit full. The lamb was cooked in a Mediterranean/Greek style on a skewer and it was flavorful. The mint sauce was sorta overpowering but eh.. can’t complain.
4 dishes. 5 beers. 73 buck. Fantastic time with friends.
I really do love LA.
Father’s Office
3229 Helms Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 736-2224
www.fathersoffice.com
[Based on the incredulous looks last night, i’m the only one whose read this book]
I’m always looking for a watering hole. You have your Bar Chloe when you want to be classy, you have your Copa D’oro when you want to meet a date. You have the Yard if you’re just in the mood to get some beer and grub. Now the Promenade welcomes another Happy Hour contender — 5th Amendment Alehouse.
While the idea of beer or an ale house doesn’t really send me in a frenzy, I loved the recommended Allegash White. It was light and went splendidly with the different cured meats and cheeses 5th Amendment offered. They boast an impressive line of beers on tap and the bartender is extremely knowledgeable. Speaking of frenzies, it’s public knowledge that I go dumb for sausage and 5th Amendment fills my void. They have a menu full of gourmet sausages and I was lucky to try the ‘Rabbit & Veal with White Wine & Herbs’ and the ‘Buffalo with chipotle chilis’ both equally delicious.
Personally, I think 5th Amendment should scratch everything from their menu and focus on having the best sausages in town.
On that note, they are currently offering interesting sliders – namely bison and llama. Say what you want about llamas but they are damn tasty! The burger itself was really flavorful. I don’t like my burgers with a whole lot of stuff going on so these sliders were perfect. Some gruyere, the meat patty, a good bun = perfection.
Some people mentioned this is copying Wurstküche. First off, I didn’t know Wurstküche had a monopoly on the sausage game and secondly, I may get wet for sausage but hello westside? YOU sit through 40 minutes of rush hour traffic for a lil’ slap and tickle.
(*they are still in their soft opening stages and it’s currently cash only.)
5th Amendment Alehouse
129 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90401
www.pleadfifth.com
[exterior pic via Joan S.]
To be honest, I dig the Garter.
It’s unassuming. Given the exterior, you would think it’s some weird hipster/skater hangout. It has the space of a lounge but plays music appropriate for a club. It has the seating and plush surroundings of a nice lounge but has a small dance floor. They have a pool table and the dark interior reminds you of a old classy lounge. There is a huge bar area so you never have to wait too long for your drinks which are plenty strong. Happy hour is everyday from 6PM to 10PM.
I like it because I like to dance but I hate clubs. You can go to the Garter, have a drink and chill and if you’d like you get get low to some Flo Rida later on (Yes I like corny dance songs). You don’t have to plan to wait at the door or stand in lines or spend 20 minutes looking for parking. You don’t have to bear the Hollywood traffic or drive past the freak show that is Hollywood Blvd.
But unfortunately, you have to take the bad with the good. As the night goes on, there are more and more guys. By 11PM, it’s practically a sausagefest up in there and not in a good way. But to be fair, this is prevelant in most Westside bars. I have NO idea why. Maybe we just have a lot more dudes living around here but trust, there’s cocks galore.
But it’s a small price to pay for a fun night of dancing and drunken behavior in Venice.
The Garter
2536 Lincoln Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 577-3741
I am at a weird age. It’s the age where flashing my boobs in Cancun is slowly losing it’s appeal but I’m also too young (and poor) to visit Lake Como. It’s the age where I still wear denim cut offs but only paired with a more demure top and I have to ditch the lucite hooker heels. Ah. The growing pains of being 24.
Being in your mid twenties also marks the age where you just want to enjoy a nice glass of wine and meal in a still youthful, but peaceful setting without watching some frat boy ride a mechanical bull.
If you have been following my musings, you know of my increasing frustration with westside ‘bar food’. Long story short, there is none. All the kitchens close at 10:30 at the latest and THAT’S a stretch. What happens when you want to grab a couple small bites without getting a whole meal? What happens when you want something classier than Denny’s, IHOP, and Taco Bell? Nope. Not on the westside.
Until Bar Food.
Bar Food has found its market. Young, classy adults who want to grab a quick bite whether it’s after work or late night in a gorgeous upscale establishment without plunking down $60pp for a piece of cheese and maybe a biscuit.
Since it’s 1.5 miles down from Equinox, me and Jenni swung by around 9 for some catching up and girl time. Parking is an BREEZE and this is the girl that is 1) asian and 2) blind. Bar Food is huge. It has intimate tables on one side, a center bar, and a great space for larger groups on the other side. It’s dim but not dark. Lots of wood and candles. Very romantic.
Hans and Jason are the best hosts ever. They really engage you in conversation and make sure that EVERY single person is greeted and taken care of. Both (actually they mentioned the whole staff) has been in the restaurant industry since forever including Providence, Hatfield’s, Valentino, The Lobster, etc. It shows.
We ordered:
-Garlic Edamame - Spicy and a lot! This was tossed in black bean sauce and garlic and very good starter.
-Mac N Cheese - To be fair, I tasted this after I had the Thai Bangers so this needed a bit more kick to me but good nonetheless.
-Thai Bangers - My favorite dish! The sausage is Thai influenced with lemongrass and rice and all around delicious! And the cilantro mash potatos are amazing. I can’t even taste cilantro. Very subtle. Perfect pairing with the sausage.
-Sweet Frites - How can you go wrong with sweet potato fries? Good as well.
-Bread Pudding - The bread pudding is amazing. Moist. Not overly sweet. Topped with homemade vanilla ice cream. Perfect way to end the meal.
And honestly, everything on the menu is under 10 dollars. Located centrally between Brentwood and Santa Monica, yo westsider. What’s your excuse not to come?
I’ll even let you take me on a date.
Bar Food
12217 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 820-3274
bar-food.us/
http://twitter.com/BarFood
Lounge food, bar food, upscale ‘pub grub’ ala gastropubs (defined by wiki), whatever you want to call it is my love. Always has been, always will. I’ve been saying this since I was dragging my friends to hotel hop from one bar menu to the next. And yes, Viceroy is still one first love. There is something quite romantic and delightful about ‘bar food’. Non commital and carefree. Meeting up for ‘bar food’ is the new lunch. And we all know lunch is the meal before dating (tm Blair Waldorf). Duh.
Recently went to Il Moro (who advertises specifically as a gastropub on the menu for some odd reason. Weird influx of the term ‘gastropubs’ ala Western Tavern lately.) for a quick meeting and I forgot how great their happy hour was. Prosciutto wrapped italian tomatos, cheese, skewers, pizza on some days, penne arrabiata, caprese salads. And get this…all for free.
Free!
And get this… it’s NEVER crowded. Wow right? With a deal like that, you’d think they have the work crowd knocking down their doors every day at 5. I mean, I work down the street. How do I not take advantage of this! The drinks are moderately priced at 12-16 bucks but hell. I’m going to be drinking ANYWAY so why not save on food.
As for the other aspects of the restaurant, here is an excerpt from my previous yelp review I never got around to tack onto the blog:
Re: Ordering ‘pay’ food - “…..I got to give Il Moro major props for portions. Me and Jenni ordered the fried calamari/pink shrimp, prosciutto and cheese plate, and eggplant with mozzarella strictly based on two people. I mean, we weren’t thinking about ‘oh this would be enough food for the whole party’ (at least I wasn’t) I was thinking. Man I hope this feeds the both of us. :-/”
Re: Dinner - Their dining area is separated from the bar and it’s along the lines of upscale Italian food. I thought it was pricey. Especially for pasta. But if you must get something, get the lobster and shrimp pasta with the creamy saffron sauce. It is not something that you whip together at home. Unless you’re a baller and you just got lobster on deck like that. Been here a couple times for random networking meetings and dates. Scratch this off your date list. Way too stuffy. Unless you’re dating your boss.
Il Moro
11400 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 575-3530
[pic via Susy @ SassyFlashyClassy]
2nd visit: See first entry
Finally had a chance to stop for Tasca’s happy hour on Sunday. Their happy hour menu is 1/3 their main menu and had ‘Bazaar’ size dishes. For example, the shrimp dish in broth was 3-4 shrimps but it was three bucks as opposed to Bazaar which would have charged you fourteen. I’m still mad, can you tell? :-/
But you can still order from their main menu with was nice. The happy hour is great in that you can ‘sample’ a dish for 2-3 bucks. It’s not the biggest portion but its enough and it prevents you from ordering the whole thing. The Jamon on bread was delicious and well worth it.
We got 2-3 small dishes and went with the mussels, grilled octopus, and steak tartare to supplement it.
All the dishes were amazing. Although I wouldn’t get the steak tartare again - just not my thing - it is still to me one of the best restaurants in LA.
I have a 20% off coupon too :D
Tasca
8108 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 951-9890
[pic via Doah K. @ yelp]
Let me preface this — I’m not a fan of trendy places that serve sushi. It just doesn’t sit well with me. Maybe I feel like I’m getting ripped off. Maybe I slip into hipster mode and feel its not ‘authentic’. Either way, I was a little weirded out that Chaya Venice serves sushi and had a slightly japanese fusion seafood inspired menu.
[btw. I’ve been to the Chaya in Beverly Hills and it was hands down one of the best meals I’ve had lately]
Anyway, I’m always down to try new places especially given the Chaya name and I was excited to come here since it’s in Venice, very close to my hood. Oh, and parking is wonderful. Park in the attached structure and validate.
For apps, we got calamari with curry sauce and a trio of sashimi (toro, salmon, and kanpachi) and spicy salmon rolls. Every thing was really fresh. Yes, I will say it’s a bit pricey but then again isn’t sashimi overpriced to begin with? The calamari was yummy and I enjoyed the sauce.
For my main, I got the Sea Scallops wrapped in New York Steak Sautéed in a Dijon Pommerey Mustard Sauce. Fancy right? The special of the night was the ‘surf and turf’ special with lobster and steak. OMG I know. Totally should have gotten that instead especially since it was a general consensus that it was the best steak ever. Grrr.
Anyway, my entrée was good. But not great. I think I expected a bit more given the delicious name and also recently I made seared butter tarragon scallops at home and THOSE turned out exceptional. Eh. Maybe it’s also that scallops have a texture that you easily tire of. Good but not great.
Altough I’m not a dessert girl. I loved loved loved the bread pudding. So delicious. It was sweet without being overpowering and I would definitely get it again.
Let’s get to the good part. Chaya Venice serves a GREAT happy hour from 5 to 11:30PM on Mondays and Sundays. All their rolls and dishes range between $4 to $8. So clutch right? Next time I’m seeking a late night supper, I know where to go.
Chaya Venice
110 Navy Street
Venice, CA 90293
(310) 396-1179
www.thechaya.com
