Baby Bistro (DTLAish). This is a newly opened restaurant in the same residential area as next door Perilla. We tried all main dishes plus the beans with nettle. Best dishes: fish and beans. Nice restaurant with promise.
7 Likes
Went last night:
Disclaimer that these are friends who I’ve been to their pops and have been stoked for them to open for a long time.
Think you’re underselling it - place is just an all around great meal that could seem simple on paper but there’s a lot of technique and interesting preps on all their dishes.
other things worth noting is a 50$ wine pairing for 4 pours.
Onion bread and squid were my favs but for the price point and the hospitality/coziness of the space it punches way above its weight.
A type of restaurant LA is desperately in need of - creative, unpretentious, accessible, but feels new.
12 Likes
I’d encourage people to try it. We both liked it more than Firstborn for what it’s worth.
3 Likes
Don’t know how those two are related but, if that’s the point of comparison you wanna make!
2 Likes
New nearby restaurant with a lot of posts. I doubt anyone is going to Firstborn for Chinese food.
2 Likes
I went to their Ktown pop up a couple of times and was pretty impressed with everything – the food, the wine, the friendliness of the team.
This is exactly how I felt after the pop ups.
Agreed. I’m looking forward to trying it.
5 Likes
Mensho Ramen opened up in Culver City. Line wasn’t too bad on opening day, but we’ll see after word gets out.
CC is a nice location for ramen now, with Mensho, Ippudo, and Afuri all within spitting distance.
Signature Ramen - very rich, strong smoky katsuobushi flavor, though there was some unnecessary truffle butter. Nice tender slices of meat; I liked the texture of the noodles; properly toothsome but not hard
Eringi Fries - very delicate with a nice texture
Mixed Wagyu Nigiri - couldn’t resist, was fine
Grilled corn - tasted a lot like elote - would order again; also fried chicken and eggplant with sweet vinegar - it was over sauced, but execution on the chicken was respectable
Vegan botanical yuzu ramen - clear, refreshing bright flavors combined with some umami from sun-dried tomatoes and the mushrooms
18 Likes
Tired or go for lunch today but was closed.
3 Likes
Went to Ippudo just down the street today: Very very respectable shio bowl…
Lord I just hope all these new Japanese eateries opening these days in Culver City don’t cannibalize each other’s business..
6 Likes
I had the good fortune to attend the Anders Steen/Anne Blauert dinner last night at Psychic Wines.
The wine was very good to excellent, if you like that sort of thing. I am a sucker for their oxidative cuvées of purchased grapes from Alsace but the standout of the evening was the Grenache Noir, farmed by Mazel and structured to age.
The surprise of the evening was the food courtesy of Natasha Price and her soon to be open Wildes LA. The influencer at my table commented that it was the best meal she has had in some time and I couldn’t help but agree. Standout bites for me were the salt cod pate and the fennel cream that accompanied the pork shoulder that tasted an awful lot like parsnip. Based on last night I will be following along their planned popups and future opening.
Really glad to see the early, positive experiences at baby bistro. I hope to take my wife next month on an honest to god date.
10 Likes
Soft serve at With Love on Las Tunas, in the shopping center with Southern Mini Town (go) and Golden Deli (sure).
I’ve never been to With Love before this, nor the comparator cited on its Google reviews, Somi Somi. But it was close to 100 degrees and this was creamy and dope
14 Likes
Carne Asada burrito from Taqui Taqui. Excellent. Their enchiladas and bowls are also very good. Several meats with sauces available and they are inKind!
Mar Vista farmer’s market on Sunday. Hit up FattyMart. Delicious bowls. Three cup chicken Fatty style (with veg & kimchi added).
12 Likes
Bar Etoile. We liked this restaurant. We recommend this restaurant.
3 Likes
ooooh any highlghts? on paper the menu looked pretty boring/standard to me but I’m curious as it’s right by my work
2 Likes
Bar Etoile probably deserves a separate thread. It is a loud, happening place – lots of people dining at the bar.
Olives: Better than average. Dry (not oily), so easy to eat.
Trout rillettes: The trout was pretty good, and the potato chips were very good.
Snap pea salad: Good.
Roasted chicken: Surprisingly good. Better flavor and texture than most places.
Polenta: Good.
Blueberry sorbet: Good.
Wine list: Good.
Service: Good.
Nothing really stood out as amazing – it doesn’t reach the high notes of board favorites like Saffy’s – but the food was consistently good.
Basically, everything about the restaurant was good unless you’re sensitive to noise. The most similar restaurant I can think of food-wise is Rustic Canyon, though I think Rustic Canyon is probably a notch better.
4 Likes
Domaine LA connection.
3 Likes
I agree with this overall assessment. Bar Etoile is an excellent neighborhood restaurant. The food is good, the space is nice, the staff is great. I think the Caesar beef tartare is especially good.
That said, it is not a destination restaurant. If you live in Santa Monica or the South Bay, for instance, I wouldn’t plan an outing just for Bar Etoile. If you live within a reasonable distance of the restaurant, then you are lucky to have it in your area.
4 Likes
Yeah this is very much a neighborhood spot. I’ve spent a fair bit of $$ at Domaine and know the team that opened this spot so I’m not entirely unbiased. The food has improved dramatically since they opened and I hope it continues in that direction. It’s a great spot to sit at the bar and sip on some good wine. I’d eat here fairly often if I lived close by, but it’s not worth a drive across town (yet).
2 Likes
how about from Glassell Park? lol.
1 Like