Melisse, Sonoma Wine Garden, Tasting Kitchen or Rustic Canyon Wine Bar + Venice Area Lunch Suggestion

[michelleats]

Hi LA Hounds, I'm visiting from NYC. I lived in LA a long time ago, so it'll be good to be back!

I spent a bit of time browsing this board and it looks like these four restaurants are favorites in the Santa Monica area. I only have one evening when I'm on my own for dinner (possibly, but doubtfully, two).

Question 1:

Of Melisse, Sonoma Wine Garden, Tasting Kitchen and Rustic Canyon Wine Bar, which restaurant would you choose on the basis of food quality, alone? Or do you have another suggestion?

Just so it's not on the table: I don't mind an expensive meal if the food quality merits the price, though I prefer something moderate.

Question 2:

I have one lunch unscheduled, which I'd like to take near (or on?) Venice Beach. I eat all cuisines, but am partial to Mexican, Venezuelan, Salvadoran (which NYC doesn't do as well as CA) and very traditional sushi (i.e. w/o gobs of may-based sauce). Again, price point is not as important as very good food.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

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Rustic Canyon Wine Bar
1119 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401

[Ciao Bob]

Answer 1: Melisse vs. Tasting Kitchen: Melisse has the best food, it is outstanding, but alot more expensive than Tasting Kitchen, which I would put second on your list.
Answer 2: Sushi Mori vs. Mariscos Chente: I cannot think of anything worth eating on VB, but these are close enough.

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Mariscos Chente
4532 S Centinela Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90066

[ns1]

massive downhill reports on MC (ie it is not what it once was) on the Westside so I'd skip that and head to Mori

[bulavinaka]

My last visit to MC was months ago, but their Pescado Zerandeado was still great. I'd skip the ceviches though...

[westsidegal]

the way to have the great food at MC is to go to the imperial highway location when sergio is cooking.
he normally takes tuesdays and wednesdays off, but i ALWAYS call before making the trip.
in inglewood on imperial highway near yukon
310-672-2339

note: this is NOT an upscale place. there are no tablecloths to be seen. it is all about the FISH and the FOOD..

[ns1]

I'm referring to the old westside location not the inglewood location.

of course if you had a great meal at the westside location then great ;)

[Ciao Bob]

Mine too, bulavinaka. I've had great mojarra fritta too since he left.
Marlin tacos rocked too.
If folks want to continue carping on Sergio's departure and MC's decline they will be missing the best Mexican Seafood in that part of town.

[bulavinaka]

Si amigo - I know Sergio was the man who could do nothing but great things in the kitchen, but this should in know way sway one from going to the Mar Vista location. Hopefully other Hounds will continue to visit and report back. I think instead of throwing caution to the wind as we did in the past, one just needs to select what they do best. Hounds reporting back will help in on this issue.

[westsidegal]

the last time i went to the mar vista location, the food was a disaster:

i ordered a relatively simple dish, the shrimp and octopus coctel.

the shrimp and octopus were WAY OVERCOOKED and tough.
the broth, i'm postive, was their dishwater.

i won't set foot in there again unless sergio returns.
i consider food that bad to be a personal insult.

[bulavinaka]

My coctel post-Sergio was forgettable as well - we've learned to just stay away from that part of the menu until we hear otherwise. The cooked dishes that have already been mentioned were still very good to me.

[westsidegal]

MC is only at it's best if Sergio is in the kitchen.
these days sergio only cooks at the inglewood location. (normally he takes tuesday and wednesday off. but i always call before i go to be sure he's there.
i would not take my chances on the other locations as they can be hit or miss.

Mariscos Chente
West Imperial Highway near Yukon
Inglewood, CA
310-672-2339

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Mariscos Chente
10020 Inglewood Ave, Lennox, CA 90304

[budlit]

For lunch, I recommend either Kiriko for sushi or Gjelina for seasonal, farm fresh, great food cooked in a wood fired oven

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Kiriko
11301 W Olympic Blvd Ste 102, Los Angeles, CA 90064

Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291, USA

[bulavinaka]

Gjelina has been very busy lately - reservations are a must if the OP is on a schedule.

[AAQjr]

Love it, and ya even in the rain recently was packed and ended up sitting on the patio by some heaters. The food was worth it.

Keep in mind it is VERY easy to miss driving by or in my case standing right next to it but walking around looking for it for 10-15 minutes. lol

[westsidegal]

i presume they still haven't bothered to put a sign up. . .
one time i went there, a person in the party arrived 20 minutes late after walking around the block several times not being able to identify the proper door. . .

[bulavinaka]

They recently put up a mural of an eye on the Milwood-side of the building . You can't miss it - look for it as it will be looking for you...

[hyacinthgirl]

While I think Gjelina is great, if Tasting Kitchen ends up being the dinner spot, I'd choose a different style of cuisine for lunch as they're rather similar in my opinion.

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Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291, USA

[michelleats]

You guys are great. Thanks for the suggestions / advice -- and keep 'em coming, as you think of them! I certainly do not have to have upscale food. Some of my favorite food in the world has been from food stalls or trucks by the side of the road.

[foodiemahoodie]

Melisse for your dinner - it'll be a great culinary experience. For lunch I would also say Mori - exactly the kind of sushi you're looking for.

Nothing on Venice Beach to speak of (Jody Maroni's sausage stand?) but a short walk away is Abbott Kinney - which is probably the most happening street in the entire city. It has a number of restaurants to choose from. Celebrity sightings (always fun for out of towners) can be seen at 3 Square, Hal's, Gjelina, Joe's or Axe. They might be at other places on that street, but those are the ones I'm most likely to frequent.

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3 Square Cafe
1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291, USA

[michelleats]

Thanks for the Mori suggestion! Celebrities are, sadly, completely wasted on me, though. =)

[Servorg]

Since you mention both Mexican and Salvadoran food then I would think that Gloria's Cafe in Culver City would be of interest to you. They do both, and they do it very well.

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Gloria's Cafe
10227 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034

[michelleats]

Ah darn. I tried to go for lunch, today, and found the restaurant closed for "kitchen renovations" according to the sign on the front door. Not sure how long that's going on for, since they didn't post a date on the sign. I noticed the restaurant is just down the street from Versailles (possibly an outpost of the Miami icon?), but ended up picking up Korean tacos from TnB BBQ truck on Arizona near 3rd St. Promenade, instead. (Fairly good) I should've called ahead. Sorry I wan't able to try the food.

[Servorg]

Sorry that you had that happen...I just looked at their Facebook page and the remodel snafu is covered: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glorias...

[michelleats]

Not your fault, Servorg; I should've double checked. It was a good suggestion. (I checked out the menu; it looked awesome.)

[Nicole]

I wasn't that impressed with Sonoma Wine Garden. Unfortunately, I haven't been to the other restaurants you suggested, although I can say that Melisse is the most expensive but also has the best reputation. Other options for relatively upscale dinner in Santa Monica, that is less formal and less expensive than Melisse, include Jiraffe, La Cachette Bistro, and Whist. Down a price tier, you might consider Border Grill (upscale Mexican, a Susan Feniger restaurant, if you are a fan of Top Chef Masters). More moderate yet, you might try Musha, a Japanese izakaya.

For lunch in Venice, I would go to Joe's. It's American food, not one of the cuisines you mentioned, but it's a great value for lunch and in walking distance of Venice beach. Very nice covered patio, and the food is consistently good (although not particularly special).

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Border Grill
1445 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401

Jiraffe Restaurant
502 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401

Musha
424 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401

[michelleats]

You were right about SWG, Nicole. I wish I'd been able to redirect the group.

[Nicole]

Well, you win some you lose some. I think you summed up SWG-well by calling it "forgettable." The food it totally fine, there's nothing wrong with it, but you aren't glad you went or eager to go back.

[michelleats]

"The food it totally fine, there's nothing wrong with it, but you aren't glad you went or eager to go back."

And you articulate my thoughts exactly. I think the biggest draw must be the outdoor seating, where you can watch the lovely sunset over the water.

By the way, I know this isn't the most insightful Chow comment, ever, but I did walk by Jiraffe, Border Grill and Musha at various points and they certainly look and sound like good suggestions to go by the menus and decor. I've tagged them on my LA map and will be back to try them on future visits. So even though I wasn't able to act on your suggestions this time around, they aren't going to waste. Thank you!

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Border Grill
1445 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401

Jiraffe Restaurant
502 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401

Musha
424 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401

[Nicole]

No worries! Hopefully you can not only see but also taste more restaurants next time around.

[michelleats]

You LA hounds make me so happy. I can't tell you how grateful I am for all this sage advice and cogent explanations of why certain restaurants would suit or not. Thank you so much for taking the time.

Hyacinth Girl, I think you're right about now hitting up both Gjelina and Tasting Kitchen b/c of stylistic similarities. BTW, there is a nice, brief blurb about Gjelina in this week's Bon Appetite, IIRC.

I'm loving the sound of Gloria's Cafe, Servorg and Musha, Nicole. I just realized I ate at Jiraffe on a previous trip, interestingly, and had completely forgotten about it (I remember liking, but not loving it, but not much about what I ate). I haven't had time to check out all the suggestions, yet, but I will look at every one of them. Thanks so much, all. I can't promise I know as much about NYC as you guys know about LA, but if you ever visit my city, let me know, and I'll try to reciprocate.

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Jiraffe Restaurant
502 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401

Musha
1725 W Carson St, Torrance, CA 90501

Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291, USA

Bon Appetite
7111 Lindley Ave, Reseda, CA 91335

[SarahM]

Axe is still closed due to the remodel after the fire they had this past winter, I believe.
Rustic Canyon is one of my favorites (in Santa Monica), and I think the food is similar in concept to Gjelnia, but better, IMHO. I enjoy Gjelina, but I can't stand the scene and the food can be very inconsistent. Rustic is always a great meal, but they are not open for lunch and perhaps don't have the same amount of variety that Gjelina does (pizzas etc).
But that all said, my vote is for Rustic!

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Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291, USA

[michelleats]

We went to Sonoma Wine Garden because a member of my party had a strong preference for it. I'll do a real writeup sometime down the line, but it was more or less forgettable. I did try to sneak out to try Melisse on my own, but couldn't make a reservation on a weekend evening one week out. Too bad, but I will be back!

The good news is that I got to try a few (lesser known) Korean taco trucks -- not Kogi or Calbi, but one very, very good one. There's accompanying food porn, here: http://www.girleatscity.com/2011/03/k...

-- Flying Pig: Duck, Spicy Pork Tacos; Pork Belly Bun

Flying Pig is impossible to miss. Aside from its rather garish color, there will probably be a large throng of people in front of it, if a recent Saturday afternoon was any indication. This is a good thing, though: You really don't want to miss it.

Flying Pig is so much more than a food truck. It's an incredible collision of high and low, fast and slow, the brain child of Joe Kim and James Seitz, two graduates of Le Cordon Bleu's Pasadena outpost, the California School of Culinary Arts. It's also not entirely accurate to call the tacos it serves up Korean tacos. Kim and Seitz describe their food as combining "Asian and Pacific Rim flavors with French technique." But all attempts at classification aside, the food is [insert emphasis word of choice]-ing delicious. If it were in NYC, I'm fairly certain I'd eat there every day.

I tried two tacos and a bao. In retrospect, I'm kicking myself for not ordering every item on the menu, including the crispy tofu tacos, which were featured in Food & Wine.

The tamarind duck confit taco with pickled red beets, toasted almonds, radish sprouts, mandarin orange, and tamarind gravy (pictured at the top of this post) was quite simply remarkable. The shredded duck meat was extremely tender and fragrant, with a great balance of flavors. Garnishes were very well thought out. Pickled beets, finely diced added a lightly acidic and sweet note, and a little bit of textural contrast. Radish sprouts were distinctly peppery, a beautiful addition that helped cut the sweetness of the other components. I worried that the mandarin oranges might overwhelm the other flavors, but all the ingredients really came together nicely. My only nitpick, if I had to make one criticism, would be that the almonds could have been more toasted to really bring out their aroma. (5/5

)

I also ordered the spicy pork marinated pork shoulder taco with green papaya, black sesame seeds, cilantro cream, and "death sauce" so I could compare it to the other pork tacos we tried this trip. It was not as good as the duck taco (I frankly can't imagine a better taco than the duck taco, though, so it was a hard act to follow), but it was head and shoulders better than every other pork taco I tried on this trip. The meat, neatly cubed and braised to the point that it practically melted on the tongue, tasted strongly of what I think were ancho chilis and paprika. Green papaya and (very non-Korean) cilantro added wonderful vegetal notes and helped cut the richness of the meat. Corn tortillas were, again, slightly crisp, soft and fragrant. I didn't get that much from the cilantro cream, flavorwise, but it did help temper the heat. The very light sprinkling of black sesame seeds was attractive, but did not add much in terms of flavor or texture. (4/5)

My final item from Flying Pig was the the braised pork belly bun with red onion escabeche and pickled sesame cucumber. The steamed bao bun was etherially fluffy and soft, and tasted like it was fresh from the steamer. The pork belly was slightly dry, but impeccably tender and beautifully flavored. The texture reminded me a bit of jangjorim, a beef dish that's often served as part of an array of Korean panchan. I don't think the texture is accidental or a result of poor execution. The gently acidic red onion escabeche and pickled sesame cucumber did add some pleasant moisture to the dish. (4/5)

In general, I really appreciate Flying Pig's attention to detail. All the corn tortillas on the tacos (petite four-inchers) were perfectly griddled until there were the faintest traces of brown spots on the bottom, which brought out the scent of corn. And the ratio of filling to tortilla, while generous, was not overwhelming or unwieldy as it was at some other taco stands. The folks who work the truck were wonderful -- sincerely friendly with a great sense of humor. Tacos were a little more expensive than at other taco trucks, but you're paying for the quality of the ingredients and it's very much worth it.

-- New York Gal Bie: Spicy Pork Taco

Unlike at Flying Pig, the corn tortillas on this spicy pork taco were not griddled or grilled long enough to bring out their corny fragrance. And though I am not one to run from fat or grease (I'm more likely to run towards it, actually :), this pork was an overly fatty cut for my tastes, given the thick cut and the preparation. The fat was tough and not enjoyable to eat in large quantities. On the plus side, it did help the meats stay very juicy and the meat was beautifully marinated, very nicely flavored and very tender. Construction was conventional: Meat was on the bottom, topped with shredded romaine lettuce, julienned red radish and a bit of yellow and white shredded cheese, which I won't try to identify more specifically, since it didn't taste like very much.

I noticed that both New York Gal Bie and TNB BBQ top their tacos with shredded cheese. I'm not sure the combination of cheese with Korean-style marinated meats (or kimchi or shrimp) really works for me. The cheese really only serves to muddle the flavors.

All in all, this was an enjoyable taco to eat for this New Yorker, though I'm sure it doesn't rank among the better tacos trucks in Los Angeles. (3/5)

-- TNB BBQ: Spicy Pork, Beef, Chicken and Shrimp Tacos

The day before, also on Arizona Ave, we stumbled across the TNB BBQ truck after an aborted attempt to lunch at Gloria's Cafe in Culver City (closed for kitchen renovations). I was so excited at our find that I ordered almost every taco on the menu: the spicy pork, beef, chicken and shrimp tacos. (The only one we left out was the tofu.)

As at the other trucks, each taco was served with a double layer of small, 4" corn tortillas (not long griddled). At TNB, however, the construction was unconventional: Rather than bedding the taco with meat, the base layer here included shredded cabbage and romaine lettuce, which was then topped with your selected protein, a layer of their secret sauce (which is lightly sweet and tastes like it includes banana and pineapple, among other things), optional kimchi and a light sprinkling of white and yellow shredded cheese. The problem with this construction was that though it was more aesthetic and you could see the meat overflowing from the taco, it was too top heavy to be structurally stable. Of the three taco trucks I tried, this was the messiest and most unwieldy to eat.

The kimchi was a mild, "fresh" kimchi, which hadn't been left to ferment. I love my kimchi ass-kickingly pungent, but for the purposes of crowd appeal, I understand why TNB serves it mild. They also marinate the hell out of their meats. These are of good quality for a taco truck, but if you're a Korean bbq snob, you would probably be disappointed that the heavy marination obscured the natural flavors of meat: You can't deduce much about its freshness. The spicy pork taco (basically dweji bulgogi) was not very spicy and a bit too sweet, but the meat was fairly tender. (2.5/5) The beef in the beef taco (basically a bulgogi) was again a bit too sweet for my tastes, though tender. There were a few pieces of gristle in the taco, which I don't personally get worked up about, but be forewarned if this kind of thing bothers you. (2.5/5) The chicken taco and shrimp taco included very moist and juicy proteins, which were laudably not in the least bit overcooked. The chicken was nicely marinated; shrimp had no hint of fishiness. (3/5)

My criticism of the tacos from TNB, generally, is that they are much too busy with far too many competing ingredients indiscriminately thrown together. Flavors are muddled. The sweet sauce was not necessary and though it distinguishes TNB from the many other taco trucks on the streets of LA, it was overwhelming in combination with the already sweet marinated meats and frankly clashed with the kimchi. There was too much moisture in the tacos from the sauce and kimchi, together, which made the tacos messy and difficult to eat: Liquid dribbled out the other end of the taco with each bite. Cheese was wholly unnecessary and flavor-wise completely overshadowed by the other components. If I were to redesign the tacos, I'd include only the vegetables, meat and kimchi.

Again, I have to admit that for a New Yorker who doesn't have much taco truck selection -- much less Korean taco truck selection -- at home, TNB's tacos were enjoyable to eat. I'm sure this truck would draw crowds in Midtown Manhattan. But in Los Angeles, it's probably forgettable.

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Kogi
Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, CA

Pacific Rim Cafe
113 Hermosa Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

[michelleats]

As promised, a brief blurb on Sonoma Wine Garden. Accompanying food porn here: http://www.girleatscity.com/2011/03/s...

If you could eat the view, Sonoma Wine Garden would serve one helluva meal. We went at exactly sunset and though it was cold enough that we didn't bother to battle the hostess for outdoor seating, we were able to watch the California sunset (prolonged by car exhaust) sink slowly, pinkly into the ocean, through a huge picture window. Breathtaking. The food that followed was unfortunately slightly less so.

It's not that SWG serves bad food; it doesn't. But the food is so generic and samey -- mall food, albeit high-end mall food -- that it doesn't leave any strong impression whatsoever. There was nothing we tried that was outstanding and nothing we tried that was actively bad.

We ordered a bottle of prosecco and a whole host of plates to share, which we asked our actress, I mean waitress, to bring in whatever order the kitchen made them ready.

The fried polenta with creme fraiche (not pictured) came first. I love polenta. I love anything fried. I even love pan fried polenta (a.k.a. grits), a traditional breakfast food in my home state. SWG's deep fried version came as huge, rectangular blocks, approximately the size and shape of sidewalk chalk. The outer layer was dripping with grease and obviously had not been blotted after frying at all. I'm personally not afraid of a little grease, but this might be a turnoff for many southern Californian health nuts who will all probably live longer than I do. I enjoyed eating that greasy, crispy outer layer. The innards -- which comprised 98% of the volume of each piece and 99% of the flavor -- were unfortunately wholly bland. Unless you did what I did and peeled off the outer layer of each piece to eat separately, individual bites were insipid, even with the creme fraiche dip. I think this dish would've worked as an accompaniment to a main course -- perhaps steak frites with fried polenta instead of frites or with a braise of some sort. But it didn't work as the main character.

Our next dishes came in quick succession: the roasted root vegetables with turnip, celery root, carrots and parsnip and the garden pizza with ricotta, arugula, maitake mushrooms and truffle oil (pictured above). I didn't try the pizza crust or attached ricotta, but the crust was very thin and I believe crispy, rather than Neapolitan-style chewy. The mushrooms were pleasantly "meaty" and the arugula fresh. The bites I tried did not taste of truffles of truffle oil at all. Root vegetables were, again, a little bit overly oil and wholly bland. There wasn't that nice, caramelized crust on them or the deep, sweet, developed flavors that you get from slow roasting in an oven, I think because they were finished too early or perhaps even boiled for part of the time, before roasting. The dish could've benefitted from the flavor of herbs or spices (rosemary, thyme, cumin) other than the tasteless green stuff (parsley) that seemed to've been sprinkled on more for aesthetic effect.

The salads all fared better. The Sonoma salad with baby head lettuce, grapefruit, avocado and shaved Parmesan included very nice, fresh vegetables, as seems to be the norm in California. For some reason, vegetables just taste better on the West Coast than they do in NYC, whether you're comparing locally grown produce or California produce that stays in California v. California produce exported to New York. In any event, the lettuce was tender and flavorful, the grapefruit sweet and juicy, and the avocado perfectly ripe, though proportions were a bit off. The salad included a lot of lettuce and not very much of anything else.

The beet salad with roasted beets, fennel and goat cheese was probably my favorite dish of the evening. It was both beautiful to look at and beautiful to eat eat. Roasted golden beets, some with a tinge of sunset orange and red, were tender and sweet and played well with the thin slices of shaved fennel, goat cheese and what I think were tender, baby basil leaves. Proportions of ingredients were balanced and I like that the restaurant wasn't too heavy handed with the goat cheese. It looked and tasted like a spring dish.

Our final plate was the pumpkin ravioli with brown butter and toasted pecans, which came simply plated on a long, rectangular plate. I tried a small bit of the pumpkin filling, which I found to be slightly sweet, and somewhat non-descript, by itself. But I could see how the plump ravioli would be wonderful popped into the mouth and chewed whole, so that the filling burst from the seams all at once and mingled with the nuttiness of brown butter and pecans. The ravioli "skin" appeared to be al dente when I cut into it. One of my dining companions raved about this dish, a variation of which is served with shaved truffles when they're in season.

In certain contexts, this meal would be a good one: on an airplane, in an airport, at a Californian restaurant in Asia. In west L.A., though, where California cuisine is strong, Sonoma Wine Garden ultimately does not stand out for its food in any way. I'd surely go back to sip cocktails, sit on the roof deck and watch the sun set. But next time, we'll go for dinner, elsewhere.

[Servorg]

A wonderful write up and the perfect thank you to the LA board for its taking your request to help with recommendations to heart.

[michelleats]

Thanks so much for your kind words, Servorg. I hope there's a chance for me to reciprocate the help!