Monday, June 1, 2009

Tavern Brentwood


Went to Tavern yesterday for dinner. The Tavern space houses a bakery, a larder for takeout orders, a bar section and the dining area. Loved the décor, I’ll be sure to pop by some day for casual drinks and nibbles. Really glad to finally have a little bar scene (that doesn’t include frat boys and tequila shots) in the area. Sorry, I was camera-less today..

My friend and I started by sharing the roasted asparagus with polenta and fried egg appetizer. It was excellent. I had expected an actual fried egg ala breakfast style, but instead it was a semi boiled egg, fried on the outside, nice and runny on the inside. Yolk heaven! The bread was good too, especially the blueberry bread. For my entrée, I ordered the pork chop with cornbread stuffing. I believe there were collard greens in the mix. The pork chop was excellent (not dry at all) and the stuffing was the winner, although a little greasy from the chorizo. Nonetheless, delicious! My friend ordered the mussels and clams with artichokes and toast. I had read some reviews about how few mussels were in the entrée. I thought there were ample. Perhaps the kitchen made these changes after getting some feedback. My friend was lucky that I dislike artichokes or I would have shamelessly helped myself to most of her food! Finally, there’s always room for dessert. We shared the panna cotta that came with prosecco sorbet. It came in a sundae-like glass so digging for the bottom of the panna cotta took a little effort. My friend said that was her favorite of the evening.

I thought the service was great. The server came by many times to fill up my water glass and to offer me more bread after I had commented that I was starving, and the hostess/manager came by to check up on us. Our waiter was attentive but not to a point of overbearing, and he came by to tell us that Regis Philbin was sitting two tables away. Also, apparently, Thomas Keller was at the restaurant the day before. Darn it, a day too late…

I thought the bill was reasonable, given the neighborhood. $120 before tax & tip for one appetizer, two entrees, a dessert and 3 glasses of wine - 2 for me of course ;-) Overall a great dining experience, I’ll definitely venture back. The beef daube is next on my list!


Tavern
11648 San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 806-6464
http://www.tavernla.com/

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