Walking in LA: Part 1

Randy Newman and I both love LA.  And we have the same last name! Coincidence? *cue Twilight Zone music*

I recently drove the 5.5 hours down the lovely I-5 to Santa Monica where I spent the weekend eating, drinking, rowing and, well, I got my hair cut.  The drive down was gorgeous, thunder and lighting, everything green and in bloom...SPRING!!!!!

I got down there just in time to have a wonderful dinner with my friends at Joe's on Abbott Kinney in Venice.  Abbott Kinney is the hipster part of Venice, and of the Westside really, where the exact same thing is happening that is happening in many rundown cities across our great nation.  Gentrification.  Not a bad thing generally, as just blocks away, parts of Venice are known to be kind of tough and are indeed, rundown.  But all that is changing and hipsters and thirty-something couples and rising young actors need places to live and eat and drink, dammit, hence the revival of Abbott Kinney.  History time!!! In the 1900s, Abbott Kinney had a vision to create Venice-of-America, and set to building the city and the canals, using Venice, Italy as the model.  A few of the canals still exist today, many were paved over and are now roads (booooooo), but they are somewhat mucky and green, but they have paddle boats and arched bridges so I love that about Venice.  Venice was a huge resort draw for a while, but after a chain of unfortunate events, (fires, death, the usual) Kinney's vision of Venice-of-America started to fall apart.  *fade to late 1990s* Soaring housing prices to the rescue!

Despite my cynicism, I love Venice.  Perfect weather, close to the beach, a great walking town and a few very shining stars in the culinary world.

Joe's is crowded every night, but we were able to get a reservation for 8:30.  And like Spiderman, I arrived just in time.  Joe's does everything seasonally which is just how I like to eat, don't give me tomatoes in January please, just don't.  Keep reading for a few of the highlights...

Joe's Restaurant
1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291

Beet Risotto - Asiago Cheese and Grilled Asparagus - How beautiful is that risotto?  I am generally not a huge risotto fan, but this tasted as good as it looked.  This was part of the Beet Tasting Menu that included Dungeness Crab Salad, Roasted Lamb and Chocolate Souffle Cake (yes, with beets).

Broiled French Sardines - Beluga Lentil Salad with Parsley and Lemon Preserve, Piquillo Pepper Coulis - I never can resist fresh sardines on a menu, but this dish just missed the mark.  The lemon was tough and chewy and too strong and the sardines themselves were bland.  The lentils were good, however, but that was not enough to save the dish.

Roasted Sirloin of Beef - Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Artichokes, Brown Butter Balsamic Vinaigrette, Red Pepper Juice - I never order steak, but I had to taste this dish that my friend ordered.  I was wowed, this was steak as it ought to be, perfectly cooked, tender and a well matched sauce.  Possibly the best dish of the night.

Wild Striped Bass - Baby Fennel, Arrowleaf Spinach, Baby Cauliflower, Buckwheat Honey and Barolo Wine Vinegar Sauce - With what you ask?  Yep, with all that stuff, and it was awesome, I was sold at the Cauliflower but honey and vinegar sauce?  Exceptional, seasonal, and an incredibly happy marriage of flavors.

The Cheese Plate - a nice selection beautifully presented, my favorite being the Carmody.  I love a cheese plate that doesn't cheat you on the fruit, too.

Comments

[Fatemeh]

Wow. Yum.

Though, and I'm loathe to admit this, I am still not sold on the whole "sardine as haute cuisine" thing. I just don't like oily fish.

And I may have a bit of paranoia about bones (it's a childhood thing - my aunt once told me that if I swallowed a bone, it could make its way to my heart and kill me.)

But that steak... oh, for the love of red meat!

[santos]

(laughing) venice has been trying to gentrify for as long as i can remember, and i'm glad to see that despite best efforts, it never really gets as far as it would like (i never thought i'd say this but thank you, hippies! but not so much the gangsters and crack addicts).

bummer about the sardines, i'm a big fan of them when they are done right.

[sarah]

yay for the pictures! i like joe's (bruuuuuunch!), and just last night, tried beechwood, also in venice, at the very bottom of abbot kinney on washington blvd. different from joe's (beechwood is more "hipster" and the food more home-y) but still good.

too bad about the sardines. i like someone who can appreciate fishy fish like me ;)

[Di4cats]

Yikes! Is there such a thing as good sardines? Aside from those fishy fish grossing me out, the rest sounds wonderful. Thanks for this great post.