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

Night + Market: exceptional pork-ilicious Thai street food

After returning from Bangkok a few months ago and experiencing some amazing street food, I was excited to check out Night + Market, the Thai restaurant specializing in street food and was opened by Chef Chris Yenbamroong, the chef-son of the owners of next door Talesai. The restaurant is located on Sunset Blvd, just down the street from Key Club and The Roxy.

The restaurant has vibrant orange colored walls, brown paper lining the tables, simple artwork, and a Woody Allen film projected on the wall.

We made it in time for happy hour which ends at 8pm (all night happy hour on Wednesday) which included small plates for around $5 and drink specials.

Pig ear with chile and garlic
I've had a lot of crispy pigs ears around town but this preparation was stir fried instead of deep fried. It still had a crunch to it but with a more gelatinous texture. I really enjoyed chewing through the pieces. The pigs ear was boldly cooked with spicy peppers, lime and basil. Lots of amazing flavors here.

Pork Toro
The fatty hog collar looked like simple pieces of meat but upon biting it, your teeth sunk into a very tender and fatty piece of meat. It almost reminded me of a very buttery kalbi. The pork toro was seasoned with BBQ flavoring and fish sauce.

Fried Pig Tail

Here's a cross section of the meat. The pigs tail was tender with chunks of fat (my favorite part!). The meat really came off the bone easily and there were quite a lot of bones which reminded me of an oxtail bone. It was a lot of fun to chew around the bones. The breading was well seasoned and was crunchy but not greasy. The sharpness of vinegar based sauce helped to cut the fattiness of the pork tail.

Prawn Satay
Four prawns were skewered and grilled. We could smell the lovely strong fishy and smokey scent. Such as simple preparation but lots of flavors here. Our favorite part was chewing up the shrimp heads just like you are supposed to do if you ate this on the street.

Nam Prik Gapi
We didn't realize that this dish was very similar to the last one. Once again, we got the prawn satay but this dish also included battered fried eggplant with a shrimp paste sauce. The eggplant was soft and paired well with the tangy sweet and spicy sauce.

Kar Moo Parlow
I love whole braised pork hock which is a familiar dish in Cantonese cuisine, except that the sauce here was on the sweeter side. The hock was slow cooked with 5 spice, dark soy sauce, and many other ingredients including pepper, sugar, lime and garlic. The pork hock was such a delight to eat with fall-off-the-bone meat, fatty sticky skin (heart attack!), and gelatinous tendon. We ate all the meat and chewed off all the tendon and cartilage, which I think is rather impressive. I also enjoyed the side of soft braised cabbage.

Pad Kee Mao
The flat noodles were fried with a spicy chile, garlic and basil sauce. Pretty standard Thai flavors which packed a punch. The pieces of short rib were fatty and really tender.

Dinner at Night + Market was really such a treat. I just love how Chef Yenbamroong utilized different parts of the pig (hock, tail, collar, ears). The food is unique, it's delicious, it's bold, and is not something you'll find at your usual Thai joint. I just cannot get over how flavorful and aromatic the food was. The prices were very reasonable too. We only touched upon the surface of the menu, and there are definitely a lot more dishes that I cannot wait to try next, but I will not be able to refrain from ordering some of the same dishes here.

Night + Market
9041 W Sunset Blvd.,
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 275-9724
www.nightmarketla.com

Daily Grill, the best HH in Brentwood

There aren't that many bars in Brentwood, let alone ones that offer good happy hour specials. Amidst all the fancy boutique shops and pricey restaurants, Brentwood is just not the type of neighborhood that you'd expect to find a good deal. So I was excited when I stumbled upon happy hour at chain restaurant Daily Grill. Happy Hour runs daily from 4-7pm. That means you get to partake of this on weekends too.

Daily Grill is primarily a restaurant, but they have a bar which can seat about eight people. I've never had a problem finding seats during happy hour because most people come to the restaurant for dinner.

Beers are $3.50 to $4, Well drinks are $5.50, select cocktails cost $9 and wines are $2 off.

Their happy hour food menu is what's amazing, with items priced at $3.95 or $4.95. These aren't measly portions of french fries. They include seared ahi tuna, sliders and pot pie.

Seared Ahi tuna was served with pickled ginger and wasabi. The actual plate actually had more pieces of tuna. This was a good healthy dish, something that is hard to find on a happy hour menu. It's not the best ahi but it's still decent.

The mini cheeseburgers were pretty standard with lettuce and tomatoes.

Grilled chicken quesadilla was filled with cheddar cheese, cilantro and salsa fresca. You can add another quesadilla for an extra $1. Lots of chicken in the quesadilla.

The winner was the Chicken pot pie. This was a nice large portion for $4.95.

The pot pie was pipping hot and filled with chicken, carrots, onions, peas and mushrooms. The crust was buttery, flaky and had a gorgeous golden brown. I was surprised to find that they didn't skimp on the chicken. There were huge chunks of chicken and they were tender white meat. The roux was also of a lighter consistency and not starchy or thick.

It's not a happening scene, but you can easily get full and drunk for cheap at Daily Grill's happy hour.

Hits: daily happy hour, great prices, pot pie, good selection of food
Misses: not much of a scene
Rating: ***1/2 (for happy hour)

Daily Grill

11677 San Vicente Blvd # 200
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 442-0044
http://www.dailygrill.com/

Chaya: (not really a) Happy Hour

I always knew that Chaya had a great happy hour. From what I remembered, food and drink options were pretty good and prices were very reasonable. When I heard that new chef Harutaka Kishi (London West Hollywood) was on board and had revamped the menu, I called up the restaurant to ask if they still had a happy hour. The hostess said Yes, and that happy hour ran till close. I was excited. What a great deal this must be, I so foolishly thought.

The fact is, Chaya doesn't really have a happy hour. They do have a separate menu (called La Petit Chaya) that they serve at the bar and patio. But there are no discounts on the menu during happy hour. That means you don't pay lower prices for that glass of wine if you sit at the bar at 6pm vs. having dinner in the dining room. Additionally, the prices don't really feel like happy hour prices (cobb salad at $13, meatballs at $12). I definitely don't feel like I'm getting a discount.

The dinner menu is no longer ala carte. Instead, Chef Kishi only offers two tasting menus- 3 courses ($39) and 5 courses ($65).

Aside from the non-discounted happy hour prices, the La Petit Chaya menu isn't too shabby. It's really an upscale bar menu with a few sushi options, small plates and a limited selection of entrees.

If there aren't any deep discounts on drinks, I might as well splurge on a glass of Champagne. They also have a strong beer list which includes Chimay, Duvel, Fat Fire, Guinness, Red Seal and La Fin du Monde.

Foie Gras and Chicken Parfait with Yuzu Jelly
This isn't your everyday bar grub but this is definitely right up my alley. The foie gras and chicken parfait was silky and light. It also had a rather mild liver flavor so most people would probably appreciate it. The brioche was buttery and toasted to a nice crispiness. I thought this was worth the $11.

Crunchy Shrimp Roll
This was probably the "best deal" on the menu at $5. The sushi was standard and didn't stray from what you would find at a Japanese joint. I appreciated that the tempura shrimp was cooked to order so it was warm and crispy when served.

Pommes Frite with fried shallot, garlic ($7)
I thought the portion was generous and the fries were crisp and well seasoned.

So yes, it's not the most ideal happy hour place if you are looking for a discounted deal. Most dishes were around $10 except for a couple rolls at around $5-6. It's not the most expensive bar food I've had, but it definitely isn't happy hour pricing. I only wished the hostess had been upfront when I called. She should have said that there is no Happy Hour per se, but that they do serve a bar menu. In a town where bars are offering great happy hour deals, some even offering two happy hours a night, I don't think I'll be back for apres work drinks. On the flip side, the foie gras ravioli with king crab risotto offered on their five course tasting menu might be reason enough for a return trip.

Hits: foie parfait, cheap roll
Misses: pricey for "happy hour"
Rating: **

Chaya Brasserie
8741 Alden Dr.,
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 859-8833
www.thechaya.com/beverlyHills/index.html

Happy Hour @ BLT Steak: Classy, Affordable and Satisfying

My favorite type of happy hour is upscale happy hour. Even though I'm always on the lookout for good dining and drinking deals, I'd rather pay a couple bucks more for a nicer glass of wine (thanks, but I'll pass on that Sutter Home) and good bar bites that do not include nachos and potato skins. I'd also prefer to hang out at a bar area that isn't crowded with college kids and that doesn't smell of puke. Lastly, valet preferable, please. BLT Steak hits the mark on all points. Plus its on my way home from work.

BLT (Bistro Laurent Tourondel) is the restaurant group with numerous restaurants around the country. Although Chef Tourondel is no longer with the organization, the menu still remains the same. BLT Steak focuses on upscale American steakhouse fare with French influences. It's Los Angeles outpost is located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.

The restaurant has a surprisingly decent sized bar area with seats at the bar and a couch area.

The dining area was empty when I arrived at 6pm but filled up by 8pm. That's pretty good for a Tuesday night.

Happy hour runs daily from 5-7pm with 5 drink choices at $5 each.

Their food menu also includes 5 options at $5 each. With three of us in our party, we ordered one of each item.

Banfi Maschio Prosseco and Santa Rita 120 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Popcorn with cajun seasoning and butter.

We asked for their signature popovers. I was blown away with the size of the inflated popovers, somehow I imagined them to be tiny, like gougeres. They were served with a tiny card with the recipe listed.

The popovers were warm and airy, with a light essence of gruyere cheese.

The popover should be eaten with a pad of their soft European butter and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Just be careful with the salt shaker. I caused a salt disaster which our awesome bartender Andrew had to clean up after.

Sweet Potato Frites, Rosemary, Sea Salt
This was a large serving of fries. I liked that the fries were thinly cut and not starchy. They could have been crisped up a bit more, because they were a little limp. The fries were served with a blue cheese sauce. Wish they had mentioned that because it looked like ranch dressing.

Cast Iron Black Mussels, Chorizo, Roast Tomato, Garlic Bruschetta
This was a pretty large serving of mussels for $5. The mussels were cooked well and plump. I also liked the smokiness from the chorizo and the sweetness of the tomatoes. The broth perhaps needed a bit more seasoning or butter, because it wasn't flavorful to the point that I wanted to dip the bread into it or drink up every last drop.

Gruyere Mac & Cheese, Bacon, Truffle

Surprisingly for someone that doesn't like cheese, this was my favorite dish of the night. The cheese was rather mild and was almost milky rather than cheesy. The mac and cheese was infused with truffle and salty bits of bacon. The best part of the dish was the toasted breadcrumb topping.

BLT Sliders, Aged Cheddar, Red Wine Onions
I thought my beef patty was cooked well, but my friend's was a bit charred. The aged cheddar added nuttiness and the caramelized onions really brought a sweetness and texture to the slider.

Short Rib Grilled Cheese, Pickled Ramps, Smoked Tomato Aioli
Even though I don't like cheese, I can tolerate aged cheddar. So I took a bite of the grilled cheese with much apprehension. I was quite happy with the dish. I really liked the sharp aged cheddar together with the tender shredded meat. My only criticism was that the bread was too crusty so you might get jabbed in the roof of your mouth.

Chocolate mocha brownies (complimentary from our bartender) was a nice sweet bite to end the night.

The happy hour at BLT Steak is really an awesome deal. Wine, and delicious and filling bar bites for $5 each is really a steal. It's so refreshing to find a happy hour spot that offers good wine and a selection of food that can sum up to a satisfying meal. Service at the bar was also friendly and helpful, not something you would expect from most upscale restaurants. So next time when you're looking for an after work bar, drive away from Cabo Cantina and head over to BLT Steak. I promise, if you end up with a hangover, it's because you can afford more glasses of wine with your paycheck. It won't be because of the crappy sweet margaritas offered at your nearby watering hole.

Hits: HH prices, mac and cheese, popover, service
Misses: fries
Rating: ***

BLT Steak
8720 West Sunset Blvd.,
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 360-1950
www.bltsteak.com