Treasure LA

Barlo at the Hotel Erwin

Complimenting Hotel Erwin’s rooftop bar High is the full restaurant Barlo, which you may have guessed, can be found on the ground floor of the Venice hotel. Replacing breakfast-centric Hash restaurant, the new “barn to belly” concept opened last month with a small plates-heavy menu by Chef Jason Wiggin. Wiggin credits Brent Hammer, formally of the Viceroy Santa Monica and Westside Tavern, as introducing him to the wonders of French cuisine, and has been making a name for himself in Kansas City hotel restaurants and Maker’s Mark Bourbon House and Lounge.

Roasted Oyster Mushrooms $6

Chef Wiggin’s fine dining background was evident early in the meal when the beautiful roasted oyster mushrooms came presented on a bed of carrot cumin puree. The Barlo kitchen takes pride in its use of local produce, so I wasn’t surprised by the bright and delicious vegetables.

House Pickled Salad $7

The house pickled salad consisting of picked beets, eggs, mache, and Redwood Hill Farm feta. I appreciated the presentation, but it didn’t do much for me flavor wise.

Barlo “Deviled” Eggs $3

On the other hand, the simple dish of beet pickled eggs, chives, and horseradish proved to be a nice way to start the meal. It helps that they’re also a lot more visually appetizing than my grandmother’s signature deviled eggs that happen to smell a bit like her moldy house.

La Granja $10, Disappear $10, La Granja $10

Although the beer list consists of a couple bottled favorites including North Coast’s Brother Thelonious and Green Flash’s West Coast IPA, I decided to sample a few cocktails created by Ryan Wingo, who you may recognize from the shuttered 8 oz. Burger Bar. The La Granja consists of corralejo blanco, local berries, lemon juice, honey, and lavender  tincture. A previous iteration of the drink used oregano tincture instead of lavender, and since Ryan still had some oregano tincture left, he let me do a side-by-side comparison. The oregano was far more interesting, but the lavender was also solid. I’m not much of a vodka drinker, but my coworker loved The Disappear, made with Tito’s Vodka, Clear Creek Pear Brandy, and house made sour syrup.

Applewood $10

My favorite cocktail of the evening, and the past couple of weeks, was the Applewood made with Four Roses Small Batch bourbon, smokey apple butter, fresh apple juice, and lemon. It found the right balance of smokiness and light sweetness.

Fried Barajas Farm Green Tomatoes $9

Another small plate hit was the fried Barajas Farm green tomatoes with tomato confit, frisee, and whipped merlot which served as a creamy salad dressing, lending adding acidity and salt to a comforting dish.

Pork Belly Buns $10

Pork belly buns with chai “bbq” and crisp onions were the next colorful and messy small plate. I usually find pork belly a bit heavy for my palate, but there was nothing to fault in this dish. The inclusion of chai was a nice touch and the crispy onions added a nice contrast of textures with the pork belly, but I’d skip this dish in the future to save room for a couple lighter dishes.

Shrimp & Grits $14

The shrimp with Anson Mills grits did not disappoint. The brown butter jus and bacon lardon added a depth of flavor to the creamy grits, which served as a nice base to the large, perfectly cooked shrimp.

Barlo Burger $13

Chef Wiggin knew he was going to need a burger on the menu at a spot like this, but he wanted to add his own twist. The result: a thick patty with a nice crust, Drake Family Farm herbed chevre, tomato marmalade, bacon caramel, and arugula. It’s a damn good burger, and the accompanying fries were top-notch as well. I can definitely see myself coming to Barlo some week night, ordering the burger, chasing it with a Brother Thelonious, and then trying to walk it off along the beach.

Chicken Burger $13

As an alternative to the beef burger, you can get a chicken burger with mint “chimmichurri,”  Redwood Hill Farm feta, and arugula. It’s always impressive when a restaurant can make a tasty chicken or turkey burger that isn’t completely dried out, and the mint chimichurri with feta added wonderful flavor, but I’d still go with the beef burger every time.

Brussels Sprouts

My favorite item under “Greens and Things” on the menu has to go to the brussels sprouts with bacon (of course), dried cherries, and tarragon. Would definitely order again.

Entrance to Barlo

It’s not easy finding the balance between pleasing hotel guests and trying to draw in a locals crowd, but Barlo in the heart of Venice Beach is off to a solid start. It’s not the sort of place you’d drive across the city to visit, but it’s going to be my new go-to spot when I find myself wanting to meet friends in this part of Venice. Next time I’m going to round up some friends, take over the outdoor patio, and share a bunch of small plates and cocktails. I suggest you do the same.

Venice Beach

Barlo at the Hotel Erwin
1697 Pacific Avenue
Venice Beach, CA 90291

Note: This meal was hosted

Strand Flight: It's remarkable how close in color they all are

Each time I stop by for a pint at City Tavern in Culver City, I walk out liking the place even more than when I walked in. Last time I checked in, I declared it my go-to place when a friend wants to grab a drink in my neck of the woods. Now, it’s gotten to the point where I check their calendar weekly just to make sure I don’t miss anything.

Tonight starting at 6 pm, they have an event you don’t want to miss: Cismontane Brewery Pint Night. The Rancho Santa Margarita brewery has been getting a lot of love from fans and critics lately, and visiting their tap room has been high on my to-do list. Luckily, their tap room is coming to Culver City tonight where you can try these buzzworthy beers that are normally only offered at the brewery.

Charcuterie plate

In addition to special access to great beers, City Tavern Pint Nights afford you the chance to talk beer with Cismontane Brewmaster Evan Weinberg. You’ll even have a chance to go home with pint glasses and other Cismontane schwag.

Just last week, I attended the Strand Brewing pint night at City Tavern. The highlight of the event was a long conversation with Rich Marcello of Strand Brewing Co in Torrance. In just over  two years, Strand Brewing has gone from home brewers in Hermosa Beach to being in a bunch of your favorite restaurants (A-Frame, Umami Burger, Tender Greens, Father’s Office, etc…). They even have over 80 restaurants on their waitlist hoping to carry their beers. Fortunately, Strand is ratcheting up their production capacity and you’ll be finding them in more restaurants.

Their flagship beer, the 24th Street Pale Ale, was also their first beer. It’s a bit hoppy for a pale, which is interesting because their Atticus IPA isn’t as aggressively hoppy as most IPAs (I had it again at A-Frame last night). My favorite beer of the night was the 2nd Anniversary Braggot. Marcello told his partner to make whatever he wanted to celebrate their two year anniversary, and he chose this floral beer brewed with 300 lbs of wildflower honey. This beer is almost gone, so if you see it, do yourself a favor and order it, and then tweet me and I’ll run over. It’s that good. They currently do not have a tasting room, but one is in the works.

Cauliflower roasted with just the right amount of curry

Be sure to come hungry, because Chef Jessica Christensen makes a mean burger to go with all the delicious beer.

Tonight’s Cismontane Beers:

Brut Du Sauvin- 10.5% ABV – A Champagne clone designed to deceive the pallet by highlighting wine like aspects of the brewing process. This beer is fermented with Champagne and Saison yeast and hopped with entirely Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand. Notes of Sauvignon Blanc, citrus with a slightly spicy, tart finish.

Chardonnay Barrel Aged CismonTAPS – 7.4% ABV – This beer is a collaboration with the TAPS brewers. A traditional Saison with bright and spicy notes that has been aged in Chardonnay barrels for over 5 months. Subtle hints of vanilla and butter on the nose with a smooth finish.

Smokin’ Santiago Scotch Ale – 6.1% ABV – The official release! Smoked Scotch ales are warming and hearty. Malty, smooth with mellow smoke in the aroma and a nice sweet finish. Let the beer warm a bit to get the full experience of the complexity of the malt and smoke.

Double Rainbow All The Way IPA -8.7 % ABV- This beer is complex and overwhelms the senses, leaving some wondering what it all means. Its deep red copper tone is so intense that it is only matched by the array of flavors that waft all the way across the pallet. Malt, hops, caramel, and bite, this beer has it all. Heavily dry hopped with the latest and greatest of hops, Citra. To be perfectly honest this is almost a triple IPA.

Antigua Caturra Infused Citizen -6.0% ABV- Here at Cismontane we are not only serious about our beer, we are very serious about our coffee too. So another coffee beer has been a long time coming, and why not The Citizen? I’m mean Black’s Dawn is the obvious choice so we decided instead of coffee complimenting the beer lets have beer compliment the coffee. We are extremely fortunate to be within bike ride, albeit 10 miles, of our local roaster Green Earth. This has given us a leg up in getting the most out of the roasts that we use. For this beer we chose an Antigua Caturra from Guatemala. This bold, velvety coffee will be the forefront on the nose on the beer with hints of fruit and cognac. If you pay very close attention there may even be a touch of acidity on the finish.

Upcoming Pint Nights:

November 10: Ballast Point

November 17:  The Bruery

City Tavern
9739 Culver Blvd, Culver City

Poached striped bass

As I recently mentioned, we are now in the midst of National Fig Week. I admit that these food holidays are a bit silly, but I’m thankful for this one because it gave me an excuse to finally check out Fig & Olive. Last night was the first of three nights that Fig and Olive Melrose Place is offering a 3-course Fig Week menu for $44.

Scallop papillote in fig leaf

I’m always a bit nervous when ordering off a special menu, especially on the first night. I’ve been burned a few times by new dishes on these limited-time menus that are poorly executed because the kitchen isn’t used to cranking them out (or they are just ill-conceived). Fortunately, my anxiety was unwarranted at Fig & Olive.

Pumpkin sage ravioli

The meal started with bread and three olive oils to sample. The clear favorite was the fruity koroneiki Greek olive oil with a pleasant peppery finish. For the first course, I thoroughly enjoyed the scallop papillote cooked in a fig leaf. The seared scallops were well-seasoned with lemon and thyme, and artichoke tapenade and tomato were smart inclusions.

The only dish of the night that I had minor quibbles with was the pumpkin sage ravioli. The flavor from each ingredient in the house made ravioli was able to shine: free range chicken, fresh fig, roasted pumpkin seeds, Parmesan, charmoula and aged balsamic. My quibble: the raviolis were overloaded with chicken.

Crostini

It wasn’t part of the menu, but our server insisted that we try the crostini. Left: mushroom, truffle artichoke, parmesan. Middle: copa, goat cheese, honey, almond. Right: Gorgonzola, onion, cremini. I was impressed by all of them, so you will find me in the future sitting at Fig & Olive’s bar sipping a cocktail and ordering a plate of 6 different crostini ($18).

Fig and Olive tajine

The wild striped bass poached in olive oil pictured above had a nice crust to it, and topped with the perfect amount of fig tapenade that was not overpowering but a nice complement. It sat atop garden vegetables and the server poured Mission Olive Oil infused with fig leaf to further bring out the fig flavor.

The fig and olive tajine was another solid dish. Free range chicken marinatted in Moroccan spices, served with figs, olives, and apricots. A separate dish of toasted almond, couscous, cilantro and harissa was also served with the tajine, allowing you to tackle the dish however you liked. I especially liked the vegetables that sat on top of the chicken.

Fig and walnut julep ($14)

To get in the spirit of the evening, I ordered the fig and walnut julip: Bourbon, St. Germain, port, muddled black mission figs mint and fresh citrus garnished with shaved walnut. It was refreshing for a bourbon cocktail and a nice pre-dinner drink. If I was going to have it at the end of a meal, I’d probably ask for rye instead.

Crème brûlée cheesecake with figs

I almost passed up dessert I was so full, but my server thankfully talked me into the Crème brûlée cheesecake with figs. It was not overly sweet, the sage crisp added a contrast of textures, and I ended up cleaning the plate despite claiming to be “full.”

Fig & Olive

My two favorite dishes of the night were the scallops and bass, neither of which appears on the normal menu. I hope they consider adding them to the menu soon, but if not, you still have two more nights to try them on this very reasonable $44 menu.

Fig and Olive
8490 Melrose Place, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Note: This meal was hosted

This article originally appeared on LAist

FIG bars at FIG Santa Monica

Admit it, you dipped your hand into the Halloween candy bowl more times last night than you’re proud of. You enjoyed the immediate gratification that comes from processed sugary food-stuff, but if you’re anything like me, now you crave a wholesome treat. Thankfully, National Fig Week is here to remind you that mother nature can satisfy that sweet tooth with this often overlooked fruit.

Here are a few ideas for getting your fig on around L.A.:

Chef Jason Neroni at Osteria La Buca recently added a housemade rye rigatoni with braised duck leg, swiss chard, goat cheese, and of course, figs.

Public Kitchen and Bar will be serving a fig salad with black mission figs, duck prosciutto, whipped goat cheese, walnuts, and saba.

Are you starting to notice that figs are often paired with goat cheese? This Thursday, you can enjoy this classic combination in dessert form at blogger hangout Scoops Westside. Let owner Matt Kang brew you a delicious cup of Intelligentsia coffee as you enjoy the fig goat cheese ice cream.

If you opt to try FIG in Santa Monica’s take on the fig newton, you’ll get the added bonus of checking out the giant fig tree which gives the restaurant its name.

Figs top “The Padre” pizza at The Luggage Room in Pasadena, with prosciutto, maytag blue cheese, and arugula serving to balance the fig’s sweetness.

Drink your figs at Café Pinot with the Arbre Doux Cocktail featuring house-infused fig vodka, port, lemon, and topped with a champagne float

It should come as no surprise that Fig & Olive Melrose Place is the restaurant doing the most to celebrate the special week. They will be offering the following 3-course Fig Tasting Menu for $44 through Thursday:

First Course

• Seared scallop, artichoke tapenade, tomato, fresh lemon thyme, cooked in a black mission fig leaf
• Homemade ravioli with free range chicken, black mission figs, and roasted pumpkin seeds
• Salad of romaine hearts, mesclun, black mission figs, apple, manchego, dolce gorgonzola

Second Course:

• Free range chicken marinated in Moroccan spices, served with Figs, Olives, Apricots, Toasted Almond, and Couscous
• Seared veal tenderloin marinated with Herbs de Provence served with Celery Root Purée, Caramelized Endive, fig chutney
• Wild striped bass poached in olive oil, crusted with fig tapenade, served with garden vegetables

Dessert:

• Crème brulee cheesecake with figs
• Warm goat cheese with housemade lavender honey wrapped in a black mission fig leaf, served with fig chutney & black olive crackers

Want to celebrate figs for months to come? Consider making rosemary and port fig jam at home.

Figs have found there way on to many restaurant menus in recent years. Share your favorite fig dish in the comments!