A deadly combination.
I do remember the cocktails being solid and interesting, though.
Goat curry was awesome as were the boozy punches
Cool stories about old CC. Don’t forget about the old Ince studios as well, my dad worked many years there. This whole thread just blows me away that Culver City is happening. Back in the 60’s downtown Culver City was dead. Back then, the most happening place was the Elks Lodge down on Washington.
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Agree. Cocktails were about it there.
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I tried Sambar for the DineLA lunch. The food was pretty forgetful.
It’s an odd space. Someone needs to revamp it.
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i liked their food better than their cocktails.
the ones i tried were loaded with sugar.
after about three tries i just stuck to plain booze on the rocks.
Fair enough. Where are some of your favorite west side cocktails? (Bonus points for Culver City to stay relevant to this thread)
@President_Mochi - I used to really like the Manhattan, straight up, at City Tavern. They had a proper ratio of bourbon to vermouth, and very tasty maraschino cherries. But after our favorite bartender left, the drinks can be hit or miss. I’ve had to send them back occasionally because they tasted like straight whisky.
I don’t think there is much good drinking in Culver City, unfortunately.
cafe del rey in marina del rey is my choice for mixed drinks and wine.
the bartender of choice is NATHAN.
normally nathan’s days off are sunday night through tuesday night.
Wednesday, normally, he is back.
call before going, imho.
if i go to culver city, either:
- i get a traditional martini at dear johns.
(it’s a comfortable neighborhood joint that is always dark inside.
they have a rat-pack theme).
or - i get a margarita at kay 'n daves. i like that they squeeze their limes every afternoon (i.e. no bottled mix) and they are happy to omit the sugar syrup.
if you are searching for the best “buy” for wine by the glass, that would be found on tuesdays (before 7) at the wine bar in the El Segundo Whole Foods.
there is also a good wine-by-the-glass deal offered on wednesdays in el segundo at the salt creek grille.
the best selection of spirits, imho, was to be found at settebello in marina del rey. they DIDN’T focus on the megabrands, instead, they offered some very interesting spirits (i.e. brennivin). i’m not sure if it is still as special as it was since the bar manager who constructed and tended the whole thing left more than a year ago and, about that time, i rotated back to cafe del rey.
Not downtown Culver, it seems. I’ve had some good cocktails at Hatchet Hall.
I’ve always wondered about Dear John’s. Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to go now. Do you get food too or just go for the drinks and vibez?
I forgot about this. I always liked their margaritas too - especially if it’s happy hour.
no food for me at dear johns–martinis only (unless you count olives as food)
re: kay 'n daves
i like getting boozed up there before or after going to k-zo for food.
to me, the key is that they use FRESH lime juice and that they don’t premix it with sugar.
After finding The Wallace “fine,” but largely uninspiring about a year ago, we went last night after a reservation at Norah was cancelled due to a water main break. I found the food at the Wallace to be innovative and top rate, the service excellent, and the entire experience very enjoyable. The 4 of us shared a dozen dishes (gem lettuce salad with grilled peaches and pecan vinaigrette, parkerhouse rolls piping hot, roasted beet salad, japanese eggplant on top of lentils with a brisk thai chile sauce, scallops, softshell crab, albacore tartare, short rib ravioli, bone marrow and 3 desserts) and not a single dish disappointed. On the contrary, the gem lettuce salad, eggplant and short rib ravioli were among the best iterations of those dishes we’ve had. I now put this place above Akasha for “fine food” in Culver City, and way above Public School, whose popularity still has me stumped. We will still go to Norah, but I’m really happy that water main broke, because this was a fantastic meal. Sort of in the same vein as Odys + Penelope, but dare I say it, a bit better? The timing of the dishes was very professional and very much appreciated. One of the big issues I have with the small plates concept, is that there often doesn’t seem to be a lot of thought given to how and when certain dishes should be brought. At The Wallace, they figured it all out perfectly.
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Good to know. Will have to give The Wallace a go. Have heard good things elsewhere too.