Happy Hour at new SaMo bar - The Charleston

Ever since I started the new job and have been traveling to Dallas for the last 3 months, this poor blog has been lacking. Most weekends that I am back in LA are spent doing laundry and catching up on my TV programs on my DVR. As my project began to wind down, I took the opportunity to check out a new spot while meeting up with my dear friend who was in town for the weekend.

The Charleston is a new restaurant/bar/lounge that opened up in Santa Monica, next to Wilshire Restaurant. The space used to be occupied by Angel's and interestingly enough, the decor remains barely unchanged (including the mural of an angel on the wall). But it seems less loungey and there are less couches and more tables which bodes well for an establishment that is positioning itself as more of a restaurant than bar. My eyes may be failing me but I also noticed that it was less dark and dim compared to Angel's.

The restaurant, barely open two weeks, was born by Jet Tila, former chef at Vegas' Wazuzu at the Encore. I'm not going to lie to you - I had no idea who he was. I definitely have been out of the dining scene these days... Apparently he is known for his Asian cuisine and also did some pop-ups in LA last year. Interestingly enough, the menu at The Charleston was not heavily Asian influenced. It is more on the lines of American comfort food.

Happy hour runs daily from 4-7pm, with extended HH on Wednesday. This is upscale happy hour prices, but you do have to remember that you are in Santa Monica after all.

My friend first ordered a cocktail on happy hour: The Charleston. The whiskey-based drink with green Chartreuse, Dom Benedictine and orange bitters was extremely strong. Good to know they don't skimp on the booze during happy hour.

The second cocktail (not on happy hour) was the Mint mule, a variation of the classic Moscow mule was a bit easier to drink. The addition of mint to the vodka/lime juice/ginger beer was refreshing.

Short Rib Taco was one of my favorites of the night, and one of the very few Asian inspired dishes on the menu. For $2 a piece during happy hour, you get slow roasted short ribs with shaved Brussels sprouts on a rather fresh corn tortilla. The flavors were bold with Korean spices and the meat was tender.

There was a nice selection of four flatbreads on the happy hour menu.

Bacon, egg & cheese flatbread was just like a breakfast pizza. I really enjoyed the crispy crust and the smokiness from the bacon. The flatbread was topped with semi-runny quail eggs. I liked that there was just a slight amount of cheese and they did not overload the flatbread with toppings. Sometimes simple is better.

Sausage, Fennel and arugula pizza was such a unique flatbread. The sauteed sausage almost seemed like tomato paste and gave the pizza a nice moisture. The sausage definitely had good spice to it. I also enjoyed the sharp flavors of the arugula which paired nicely with the rich sausage and gave the flatbread a freshness to it.

Other items on the happy hour menu that we sampled but did not photograph were the Mac & Cheese with bechamel, smoked cheddar and gouda (very good) and the Sweet and Spicy wings (a few at the table thought it was too spicy, I didn't think so. Not bad but pretty common flavors).

Basket of fries not on happy hour (the portion was actually larger, this was taken after we had plowed through half the serving).

Manchego stuffed piquillo peppers with toasted pine nuts and pesto was interesting and surprisingly quite tasty with the spicy peppers and the piquant cheese.

I thought that The Charleston had a pretty good happy hour menu - definitely on the upscale end but there were quite a good amount of food options. Given Jet Tila's reputation, it was interesting to see that the menu leaned more towards American, with only some Asian dishes. When I left the restaurant, I was still unsure as to what the theme of this place is - apparently they might house culinary pop-ups, but they also have performances, comedy shows and karaoke on their calendar. Not exactly sure who their target clientele is. But it's still early in the game, perhaps all they need is just a bit more time to build their image.

The Charleston

2460 Wilshire Blvd

Santa Monica, CA 90403

(310) 828-2115

www.charlestonla.com

Ray's and Stark at LACMA Museum

I'm not a big museum fan but this week, I ventured into the unknown when I dined at Ray's and Stark, the new restaurant and bar located at LACMA. I'm a big fan of Chef Kris Morningstar after dining at District a couple times, so I was excited to check out his new creations.

The menu at Ray's Restaurant (named after producer Ray Stark) is Mediterranean-focused and created with fresh and local ingredients. As such, the menu changes often, so the beef tongue and veal kidneys listed online were no longer on the menu. Instead, the dishes now seem a bit safer. No offal that night. I later came to realize that Stark Bar has a different menu, something that is more in line with my taste (head cheese fritters, beef tendon). I wish they had offered such dishes in the dining room.

The decor is simple and modern. The tables have little utensil drawers that stored your napkins and cutlery.

The Elizabeth Taylor cocktail (White rum, Orange flower water, lime) was very strong but sweet.

The house made bread smelt great and was soft and warm in the center.

Our waiter presented us with an amuse bouche of cauliflower puree with smoked trout roe. Nice balance of oceanic roe flavor with mild cauliflower.

The casoncelli was stuffed with a puree of sweet green peas. The colors were vibrant and all the ingredients were fresh. The lobster chunks were cooked perfectly and the sauce was light and subtle. This was a nice spring dish.

The Truffled rice agnolotti in porcini sauce was my favorite dish of the night. The pasta was very fresh and the sauce was rich and buttery. The dish was littered with arugula, chopped crunchy hazelnuts and strands of black trumpets. All the flavors worked well together and it was a very complete dish. Similar to the pea pasta dish, we ordered the half portion/appetizer of this pasta, and I thought it was a reasonable size for sharing between two people.

The Hanger steak was sous vide, and quite a substantial portion. It was tender but felt denser and heavier than a regular hangar steak. IMO, I'm not sure if the sous vide preparation improved the steak. I thought the steak was also over salted. My favorite part was the smoked marrow compound which added a strong fatty flavor. The marble potatoes and cippolini onions were nicely cooked through but still held its shape.

The service was attentive and friendly. I appreciated that they comped us an appetizer to compensate us for the long wait for our steak - we didn't even inquire about the steak or complain about the wait time. The pastas were delicious, especially the rich funghi agnolotti. But I thought the steak, although tasty, wasn't anything memorable. Overall, I thought that the food was good, but not unique enough to draw me back. I guess I was expecting dishes such as spam sliders, duck fat Yorkshire pudding and bone marrow pierogies that Morningstar served up at District. The Stark Bar menu in fact, looks much more exciting and appealing to me. That's where I'll head to the next time I'm back.

Hits: pastas, bread
Misses: steak
Rating: **1/2

Ray's and Stark
5905 Wilshire Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 857-6180

Bar Toscana: Finally, a real bar in Brentwood!!

I knew full well what I was getting into when I moved to Brentwood. Sure there would be a slew of amazing Italian restaurants on San Vicente and both Tavern and Katsuya have a bar section, but mainly for diners to grab a drink while waiting for their tables. There really wasn't a bar scene in the area. Thankfully a couple months ago, the owners of Toscana Restaurant decided to fix that problem. Perhaps they wanted to expand their clientele base to include a younger demographic (and by younger, I mean 30s, not 20s), or perhaps they wanted to create a place to catch the overflow from their popular and heavily booked restaurant. Whatever the impetus was, Bar Toscana opened up across the hall from its Italian sister, much to the delight of many residents.

Apart from the Italian theme and upscale feel, Bar Toscana is rather different from its restaurant sibling. The clientele at Bar Toscana is younger, the soundtrack is more on the lines of Indie music, and the bar is loungey and spacious (for Brentwood) with large couches, long bar seating and tables.

The bar features a nice cocktail list, crafted by bar manager William Perbellini. They also have daily cocktail and food specials.

Their food menu revolves around stuzzichini (small plates) and includes sharable dishes such as cheese plates, prosciutto, panini and carpaccio. The prices are definitely on the higher end for a bar and unfortunately they do not have happy hour specials, but the quality of food and service is in line with that of an upscale restaurant. And besides, this is Brentwood after all.

We were presented with foccacio that was grilled lightly with an adequate sprinkle of salt.

Cinque Terre ~ a flavorful combination of hendrick’s gin, strawberries, mint and basil bonded together with fresh lime and agave nectar
This was a well constructed cocktail. It had just the right amount of sweetness and citrus.

We also ordered a carafe of Pinot Grigio which the bartender kindly kept in an ice bucket to chill.

Zuppa di Carciofi ~ creamless baby artichoke soup with parmigiano crisps
This was a half order for $7, the full order was $14. The soup was thick like a puree and had an intense artichoke flavor that wasn't diluted with cream. The Parmesan crisp had a nice sharpness to it that was a nice accompaniment to the soup. This was a nice tasting dish but I'm not sure if it warranted a $7 price tag.

Santa Barbara Prawns ~ ricotta, yellow pepper, basil souffle
The prawns were one of the daily specials. They were large and butterflied, simply grilled and tasted extremely fresh with a touch of sweetness. My favorite was the orange roe that was still attached to the meat. The prawns were served with a basil soufflé which was soft and moist, and had the same consistency and flavoring of a frittata. I almost ignored the salad but luckily decided to give it a chance. It was refreshing and nicely dressed with citrus.

Argosta Carasau ~ lobster with tomato, ginger and basil, served with onion purée and sardinian music paper
Large chunks of fresh poached lobster were tender and seasoned well. The onion puree was a winner. It was sweet and intense in flavor, and something that I continued to spoon into my mouth even after the flat bread was gone.

Carpaccio Di Piemontese ~ piedmontese beef fillet carpaccio with marinated artichokes, pecorino and black truffle
The thinly shaved carpaccio was delicate and melt in your mouth. It worked well with the sharp and salty pecorino. The shaved truffles were aromatic and brought an elegance to the dish.

Lasagnetta Ai Funghi ~ lasagnetta slider with wild mushrooms, white meat ragout and fontina cheese.
We decided to order the half portion (the full portion included two lasagnettas). The pasta sheets were fresh and supple. The lasagnetta looked like a purse and was crispy and browned on the top. It was filled with a flavorful rich meat ragout, and topped with mild gooey cheese and meaty sauteed mushrooms. I really enjoyed this dish. It was filling and rich, and was a good representation of upscale comfort food.

Tiramisu Bar Toscana ~ "carry me up" two layers of homemade cake, soaked in a decaf espresso syrup, mascarpone mousse and chocolate shavings.
We ended our meal with the tiramisu. This was probably my least favorite dish because the flavors were mild and it lacked a sweetness that one craves in a dessert. The rum also had a tart flavor that I didn't care for.

Bar Toscana is definitely a much welcome in Brentwood. I'm looking forward to making this spot my local hangout. I was missing a grownup bar that was within walking distance from home, where I could grab a couple drinks and a good bite that didn't include something greasy. The cocktails and food are delicious, the ambiance is great but the prices are steep for a bar. But it definitely fits right in with the area - upscale, sophisticated and pricey.

Hits: only dedicated bar in the area, lasagnetta, carpaccio
Misses: pricey, tiramisu
Rating: ***

Bar Toscana
11633 San Vicente Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 826-0028
www.toscanabrentwood.com/bartoscana.html

Yamashiro's Farmers Market - tacos, brats, booze. I heart you!

Every Thursday night, Yamashiro hosts Farmer's Market in conjunction with LA City Farm. Unfortunately, given the drastic decrease in temperature, this week (Oct 28) is the last one of the season. They offer fresh produce, knickknacks, live music, beer/food stands and during the month of October, they are celebrating Oktoberfest with bratwursts from Best of the Wurst. Since parking can be scare hilltop, they also have an efficient shuttle system that buses you from free parking (at the Christian Science Church on La Brea & Hollywood Blvd) up the hill.

The Yamashiro Farmer's Market is really a grown-ups' version of the market. I love that it's in the evening because sometimes, I really don't want to crawl out of bed at 10am on a weekend to pick up from fresh produce from the Farmer's Market. I love that it's located on the hilltop with a gorgeous view. I love that they serve booze and food so it's a nice alternative to hanging at a bar.

If you haven't been to Yamashiro, you should. The view is gorgeous. The restaurant is perched on top of the Hollywood Hills, overlooking Hollywood, Downtown and Century City.

Veev was present to serve up some acai cocktails. Acai is found in the Brazilian Amazon and has been known to provide various remedies (although not all founded) such as detoxification, improved immune system and weight loss. I personally don't buy into all of that, but hey, if it's mixed in a cocktail, I'll try it.

You have to select from a few fresh herbs to be mixed into your cocktail.

The cocktails are served in a mason jar decorated with a bracelet made with acai berries, both yours to keep. My choice was the acai mint cocktail which tasted a bit like a mojito. Refreshing, citrus and very drinkable.

The Oktoberfest beer stand this past week had Sam Adams on tap. The market also has a wine stand with a couple wine selections. So basically, there's an adult beverage for everyone.

I've heard good things about Chef Brock Kleweno's tacos. He's the chef at the Yamashiro Restaurant. I don't typically fawn over Mexican cuisine but I can dig these gourmet Asian-inspired tacos.

There were three taco options (miso-sake cod, short ribs and duck confit), priced at 2 for $8.

Miso-sake marinated cod, and Hoisin duck confit with Santiago Farm white nectarine and cherry salsa
The tacos were standout. The duck confit was tender and flavorful. With each bite of the taco, I got a mouthful of juicy duck and sweet cherries and nectarines. I thought the fruit pairing was quite unique. The amount of duck in the taco was generous. In fact, I had every intention of ordering two tacos AND a currywurst but I was already full 1 1/2 tacos in. The cod was flaky and absolutely delicious with a salty miso marination. It was topped with spicy wasabi guacamole. I liked that the tacos were flavorful and left you wanting more. I even enjoyed the fresh chips and spicy salsa.

To round of the Oktoberfest festivities, Best of the Wurst was on hand to offer a nice selection of brats. And for the vegetarians, they also offer portabello schnitzel.

Pork Bratwurst was the "simplest" of the lot but the most popular. The juicy brat was topped with a heap of sauerkraut that tasted very homemade.

The market shuts down at 9pm so we took our drinks to the bar area at the Yamashiro Restaurant. I haven't been to Yamashiro in almost ten years and back then, it was rather quiet. It was good to see an influx of people at the restaurant, which I think is largely due to the overflow from the Farmer's Market. I really enjoyed the event and only hoped that I had attended more of these, especially when the weather was warmer. I liked being able to sit outside with a drink and a delicious taco while catching the sunset. If you're looking for something fun to do this Thursday, the Yamashiro's Farmer's Market is the perfect venue.

Yamashiro Garden Market
Thursdays 5-9pm
1999 N Sycamore Ave.,
Los Angeles, CA 90068
(323) 466-5125
www.yamashirorestaurant.com
http://lacityfarm.com/yamashiro-garden-market.html

Katsuya, Brentwood: Only if you want overpriced Japanese fare in a clubby scene west of the 405

It was Labor Day Weekend. I didn't want to venture far because of holiday traffic. It was also the first proper weekend that I was home at my new digs in Brentwood with no definitive plans. Perfect weekend for an impromptu dinner in the neighborhood. San Vicente Blvd is littered with restaurants- mostly small, upscale restaurants (Toscana, Vicenti, Takao) but also a few chain joints (The Cheesecake Factory, Chin Chin). We decided on Katsuya, the only "trendy/sceney" joint in the area. Don't get me wrong. I love the intimate Italian restaurants in the area, but some times, you want to start the holiday weekend with a nice cocktail at a hip joint. Yes, we live in Brentwood. This is the closest you'll get to a bar scene in the neighborhood.

Katsuya is owned by SBE and also has locations in Hollywood, Glendale and Downtown. The original Katsu-ya (not owned by SBE) is located in Studio City and is known to be one of the best sushi joints in town. It's nothing similar SBE's. The original location only seats about 50 and the decor is simple. No frills. SBE's Katsuya in Brentwood on the other hand, was designed by renowned French designer, Philippe Starck.

You'll recognize Starck's modern design, similar to his other works at The Bazaar at SLS Hotel and XIV by Michael Mina.

Their cocktails looked great and was exactly what I was looking for.

The Dragon (Grey Goose Vodka, yuzu, ginger) was a lovely concoction. The ginger didn't overpower the mild sweetness of the yuzu. It was very drinkable yet packed a punch. The Burning Mandarin (Absolut Mandarin, Serrano chili, freshly squeezed lemon, orange juice and a splash of cranberry) was also a good and unique cocktail with a spicy kick. I liked that their cocktails were Asian inspired and went in line with the theme of the restaurant. I have to hand it to the SBE Group. Their restaurants and bars always serve up delicious cocktails.

The food menu at Katsuya is Japanese and includes sushi, robata and modern takes on traditional Japanese dishes. Since we live so close to many exceptional sushi joints (Hide, Sasabune), we decided not to order sushi and went for their cooked dishes instead. Katsuya also has a decent happy hour at the bar Mon-Fri from 5-7pm.

Creamy rock shrimp in Chef's spicy creamy sauce

I've had this dish before at their other locations but I don't remember the bright orange color of the sauce. The color was off putting initially, but the dish tasted good. The shrimp was nicely breaded and had a crunchy exterior. It was also cooked well and wasn't rubbery. A tasty dish but it was pricey at $15. You could get the same dish for almost half the price at an izakaya (such as Izakaya by Katsu-ya).

Crispy soft shell crab lightly flash fried on a bed of crispy seaweed with a side of citrus ponzu
I don't think I've met a soft shell crab this season that disappointed me. The crab portion was actually quite generous for a "Hollywood-esque" spot. The shell was crispy and the meat was tender and soft. I really liked the deep fried seaweed which sort of disintegrated once it touched your tongue. Everything was well seasoned so you didn't necessarily need the side of ponzu, although the citrus was a nice welcome.

I was so tempted to order another one of their delicious cocktails but decided on wine instead since the night was still young.

Yellowtail collar was quite a large serving. It was grilled and served simply with a lemon wedge. I love fish collar. It's so simple and all you taste is fish essence, in a good way. I would have liked for the fish to be cooked a little less because some parts were a little dry.

Stripped Baze (yes, they deliberately spelt it that way) half striped bass served with szechuan sauce
This dish was very mediocre and cost us $25. I thought the sauce was too thick and overly sweet. It tasted like something you would get from a cheap, crappy Chinese takeout. The fish itself was also slightly overcooked.

Profiteroles mini cream puff with creme anglais looked pretty but I thought the choux pastry was dry. It didn't taste like it came fresh out of the oven. I did enjoy the ice cream though.

The food wasn't horrible but it was very pricey ($170 for two but including drinks). The cocktails were the strong points, as were the appetizers. I know, I know... you're gonna tell me that I have no one to blame but myself. I should have known that it was going to be pricey and mediocre going in. But I guess.. I've been to the Hollywood locations and yes, the prices were similarly high, but I guess you were also paying for the "scene" and people-watching. There wasn't much of a "scene" at the Brentwood location. Granted we did arrive pretty early but even when we left, I didn't see Katsuya turn into a cool hot spot. When we left we saw tables filled with Brentwood WASPy families and kids. Seriously, if I ever have kids, I ain't spending that much on them. But then again, this is Brentwood. And this is the only "bar" in the area. And you know we ain't driving east of the 405 for anything.

Hits: cocktail, soft shell crab
Misses: pricey, dry fish
Rating: **

Katsuya Brentwood
11777 West San Vicente Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 207-8744
www.sbe.com/katsuya