M Cafe de Chaya

Ever tried Macrobiotics? Didn't think so. If you're willing to give the Yin-Yang diet a shot, M Cafe de Chaya is a good place to start. As a rule, macrobiotic foods are not highly processed, so everything here is very earthy and mostly vegan, with the exception of a few fish dishes. I've tried it twice and think it's pretty good, but the lifestyle is a little expensive to keep up with. The first time I had the sushi, which was decent, though I wouldn't suggest making a trip specifically for the sushi since there is definitely better sushi to be had. The last time I ate here I went to the Culver City location which in my opinion is way easier than the Melrose location. I had the half sandwich soup combo with the panino provancale with the corn soup. The panino came chalk full of grilled veggies, arugula, balsamic, aioli pesto, and creamy tofu cheese (all cheeses are non-dairy). The corn soup was really creamy and delicious as well. Both were perfectly proportioned and I didn't feel too full afterwards. I was tempted to have a baked good because they looked so yummy, but this time around I had to pass. Even if you're not in to super healthy cuisine, this place is worth trying.

http://www.mcafedechaya.com/menu.html

Gyenari

With all of the new restaurants popping up in Culver City, it's a little hard to keep track, but Gyenari is definitely one to look for. This Korean BBQ spot opened its doors last month next to other newcomer, Rush Street. After eating both, go for the BBQ! Though no one, not even the Koreans I work with, know how to correctly pronounce the name of this restaurant, the food and the service is still top notch. The interiors are modern and beautiful with a small fountain and a wine bar to greet you. Once you stop for a drink at the bar (I highly the raspberry acai cocktail - so good!), move on to the dining area. The tables are quite large with a little pit to grill your dinner on right in front of you. The backdrop is a gorgeous lit panel showcasing natural elements and surrounded by dark wood walls. Since we were a big group we sat in the semi-private dining area which was essentially a long, skinny room with a couple of tables big enough to seat 10. The wallpaper in the room was beautiful, but it was really distracting to have flat screen TVs at either end playing ESPN. In my personal opinion, they should have left the TV's at the bar. The website says there is a partition to separate the tables if separate parties are occupying the room at once, but there was definitely another big group in the room and no partition to speak of. Having never had Korean BBQ, I left the ordering (and grilling) up to the experts. I certainly didn't mind ordering my own drinks though! Since we were there the Monday after they opened the bar was out of almost every beer, so I gave Hite, a Korean beer, a try and was pleasantly surprised. The table got a round of sparkling sake too, which was far better than normal sake to me. The term champagne of sake would truly apply here. As for the food, I can remember having bulgogi, wagyu beef, pork belly, and filet mignon. Everything was absolutely delicious! If you aren't into grilling your own meal, I think there are alternative options (black cod, salmon, or short ribs) though you'd really be missing out on the appeal of the place to just order one of these. Since I wasn't paying and I wasn't ordering, I've really no clue what the prices are like here, though I'm pretty sure it's worth it for the great food and all-around great experience I had here.

http://gyenari.com/

Wilson

You wouldn't guess it, but Wilson on Washington Blvd. in Culver City is an epicurean dream with a retro flare. I've had my eye on this place (and their menu) for several months - certainly predating eatingoutla, and had a date here with Chase last night. He had browsed an online menu somewhere and was really looking forward to a sausage dish he had seen, but it wasn't on the menu when we arrived. We started with a glass of wine (I wasn't crazy about either the pinot grigio or the saviognon blanc Chase had) and paired it with a sea bass carpaccio. The sea bass was a little tougher than I would have liked, but perhaps that's just the nature of the fish. For our entrees we shared the fig & potato tortelli with brown-butter sage sauce and the Dungeness crab mac & cheese with four or five cheeses (I was a little tipsy when I ordered and this dish is not listed on the online menu). I really only wanted one tortelli because I was so in love with the mac & cheese. Chef Wilson's choice of noodle was a penne so it really didn't feel like eating mac & cheese at all. We finished off the evening with a lemon cake topped by merengue and a Wilson cocktail. The cake was a little dry for me, but the cocktail was just right! It was a mixture of tequila, blackberry lemonade, triple sec, and pineapple juice in a sugar-rimmed martini glass. The restaurant seems really small from the front with their small front patio and interior, but there are several more tables in the back. The space maintains the theme of the neighboring architecture museum and is overall a really laid back atmosphere with a great menu.

http://www.wilsonfoodandwine.com/menus.html

Rush Street

So July was a bit of a hiatus for EatingOutLA, but August is back with a vengeance! Let's start with Rush Street, one of Culver City's newest pubs. I had heard good buzz from opening weekend, but didn't really know what to expect when I went with a group of friends. I was counting on more beers on tap, but instead the bar serves a pretty wide variety of 750 mL bottles. Being lovers of Hefeweisen, we were drinking the Pinkus Organic Hefeweisen, which was by far the best hef I've ever had. One 500 mL bottle fills about 2 glasses for $13. As for food, the boys both got burgers, I got the parmesan calamari and the baked mac & cheese, and my friend got the white pizza. I tried a bit of everything, but thought the only thing I'd get again would be the burger. Topped with bacon, cheddar, confire sauce and, natch, fried onions, the burger was just crispy and sweet enough. The shoestring fries that came with it were pretty delectable as well. The calamari batter was too delicate and kept falling off so we were just eating rubbery fish. The lemon aioli and marinara were both pretty bland and leant little support to the appetizer. The waitress claimed to swear by the baked mac & cheese, but I was unimpressed. The cheeses weren't entirely complementary of each other and it could have been much creamier. Lastly, the white pizza & truffle oil came with spinach on top, something that wasn't called out in the menu. The spinach wasn't good and overall the pizza was really tasteless, which was surprising for something with truffle oil. That's pretty hard to mess up. I'd prefer Johnnie's white pizza. When the time came, no one really cared for dessert, so I can't speak to that. Before we left, we spent a little time looking around the rest of the space since our table was right up front. Probably the best seats in the house are those on the front patio, but the majority of tables are next to the downstairs bar. The back area is reserved for big parties, and with bottle service you can reserve the upstairs bar area. The sofas make the upstairs bar space really inviting, but while we were there the outdoor patio only had one light for the whole area. Additionally, there's usually free parking lots in downtown Culver City, but they were all full when we were there and we had to valet. All-in-all, Rush Street is pretty overpriced for what it is: a bar with an underwhelmingly exaggerated bar menu. For $15 drinks and $15-20 entrees, it's just not worth it.

http://www.rushstreetculvercity.com/

Father's Office

Ever since I moved here people have been talking about restaurant and pub Father's Office. With a second location now open in Culver City (original location in Santa Monica), we finally gave it a try with a couple of our friends. While there were a lot of great things about Father's Office (i.e. ample free parking, tons of beers, I'll get to the rest later), the biggest inconvenience is the way you get in/get a table. Only a certain number of people are let in at a time, even though the place never seemed that crowded to me, and when they are at capacity, you have to wait in line outside to get in. Once inside, there is still no hostess, but rather community seating and you have to hover over people until they leave. Even if your friends have already gone inside and save a seat at a table for you, you still can't hop to the front of the line, but rather have to wait your turn with everyone else. And when you do get a table, be sure not to leave it unguarded because there are no waiters either, everything is ordered at the bar. The beer menu far outweighs the food menu here, but the food is pretty great for gourmet bar food. We all had the Office burger with the carmalized onion, applewood bacon compote, gruyere, blue cheese, and arugula, and of course, a side of sweet potato fries. Normally I feel like blue cheese overpowers whatever it's paired with, but apparently at FO it's mixed into the meat before they cook it, so it's pretty mild. Overall, the burger was fabulous and definitely worth the $12 or so that it costs (eat your heart out Carls Jr.). The bar has about 20 beers on tap and that's only the beginning. There is an entire selection of rare beers that come at rare prices (up to $75 for 750mL!). The strange thing is that a good portion of these pricey beers are described as "grassy." Yeah, not sure about that, and certainly not willing to spend $75 to find out. My advice for this place is to come early and don't come in a big group unless you intend to rent out the private space, otherwise, you'll never all be able to sit together.

http://fathersoffice.com/
http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/11416036#
(menu is only available on Citysearch)

Royal/T

I have driven by Royal/T on Washington about everyday for probably a year before I finally knew what it was, courtesy of MetroMix LA. This unique tea house also doubles as a Japanese art gallery and shop. A large portion of the menu is stuff I've never heard of but sound fabulous. I was here for breakfast with some coworkers and we tried a few of the teas and some items off of the breakfast menu. To cleanse our palates we started with a cup of the Moroccan Mint tea. From there, I had a chocolate croissant, which was terrific and unlike many other chocolate croissants, was drizzled with chocolate on top as well. Our waitress recommended that we all try the baked eggs, and for the most part, we all indulged. Baked eggs are definitely different than most egg dishes. They pretty much crack an egg in an oven-safe dish and the egg whites fluff while the yolk remains pretty runny, similar to sunny side up, except that they are prepared with extra ingredients. I wanted to try the tomato and creme fraiche, but they also have a prosciotto and mushroom and salmon and asparagus. For me, I think the lunch would be even better. The best looking item on the menu is the spicy tuna tar tar with avocado on sourdough toast. They also have some curry bowls, salads, and some additional sandwiches. As for the tea, the mint was only the first for us. We also sipped on the Royal/T Milk Tea, the house signature tea and the Ruby Red Rooibos. The Ruby Red was a fruity herbal tea that was right up my ally. I don't typically care too much for milk teas, but this one was alright. The most fun about the whole place is the atmosphere. There is so much fun art (like the port-a-party in the back), and the waitresses are all dressed up like French maids - so there is always a conversation starter. There's plenty of metered parking in the area, which is another bonus. Nothing on the menu is very expensive either, I would say you're safe with $10 a person. I will definitely be back here for lunch soon!

http://www.royal-t.org/cafe

Ford's Filling Station

Normally places named Filling Station are either a gas station or a burger joint. Ford's is neither and is owned by Ben Ford, the son of Indiana Jones himself. Ford's cuisine is not as adventurous as Indiana Jones, but you know that the Italian inspired cuisine will always be done right. I've only been to Ford's once, but I enjoyed it. I had what's probably the most popular at the restaurant, one of the flatbread pizzas. I went with the pretty generic 4 cheese, but it was still really good. They are pretty large, but not really big enough to share as an entree. Instead, I would recommend sharing a flatbread as an appetizer. Looking at their online menu it seems that they have added several new items since my last visit, perhaps in an attempt to spice up the menu. Some of the most intriguing dishes I saw were the meatloaf sandwich, the buttermilk fried chicken, and polenta cake with pearl onions, mixed mushrooms, tomatoes, and truffled marscapone (yum!). The atmosphere is really nice here with some cozy outdoor seating and a dark bar-like interior. Ben Ford himself is often there chatting with the customers, or at least he was there when I went. That may not so much be the case now that the restaurant is quite a bit older. The guy I had lunch with here had chatted with him so much that Mr. Ford sent out a free creme brulee. Clearly, I need to go back to try out some more stuff on the menu!

http://www.fordsfillingstation.net/newDesign.htm

Meltdown, etc.

Located in the heart of downtown Culver City is the lovely and delicious Meltdown, otherwise known as the grilled cheese place. But oh! do they have so much more. While you may expect to visit here and get a fistful of cheesiness, you should really just expect to get a great sandwich in which the type of cheese plays an integral part. The menu is short and accents both the sweet and the savory sides of cheese. Highlights on the savory side include the classic three cheese grilled cheese with the option to add tomato or bacon, the turkey melt, which features a brie and turkey sandwich with cranberry horseradish mustard on walnut bread, and last but not least the cheddar, ham & apple sandwich. All sandwiches are served as paninis with a fresh homemade dill pickle on the side. The sandwiches are pretty filling, so you may want to share a savory sandwich and then share a dessert sandwich. On the sweet menu is the PB&J or the PBH&J (peanut butter and strawberry preserves on egg bread, add honey for the second variation), the brie and apricot on walnut bread, the fig goat cheese, and honey on walnut bread, and the ever important banana nut (bananas and nutella on egg bread). The drink selection is varied yet specific, serving Calypso teas, Coke in a bottle (made with sugar not corn syrup), mint water, and the like. Come early because they're only open for lunch and seating is limited to about 25 chairs on the outdoor patio, which is completely full by about 12:30 when all of the Culver City workers are released for lunch. One of the sweetest parts about Meltdown, beside the dessert sandwiches and the sweet price of everything being under $9, is the sweet old man who delivers the food and helps you find a table. He's guaranteed to bring a smile to your face any time you visit, if the free parking doesn't do it first!

http://www.meltdownetc.com/

Tender Greens

If you think salad is all you can get at Tender Greens in the heart of Culver City, think again. While leafy greens are the staple of the restaurant, there are several other options as you go through the buffet style line. If you want to start with a salad but have an entree of a bit more substance you can choose a simple salad. Simple salads come in Caesar, spinach, arugula, red and green butter lettuce, and mixed green varieties. Heartier salads also have a Caesar, but have more options with a Chinese chicken salad, cobb, Ahi tuna, grilled veggie, bbq chicken, and flatiron steak salads. Many of the same items can be found on the entree menu as well, which can be served either as a traditional entree with a side of mashed potatoes or on a sandwich with a side simple salad. If you are in the mood for soup, Tender Greens has both chicken soup and tomato soup. The best part is that nothing on the menu is priced over $10, a small price to pay for the taste and quality of food that you are getting. A value this great doesn't come without some other price to pay and that usually comes in the form of long lines out the door during lunch hours. I've only been for dinner, when the line was not a problem and we were able to easily find a table. The actual interior of the restaurant is pretty small and I think there are only a few if any tables inside. The outdoor patio that backs up to neighbor restaurant Ford's Filling Station is where most of the seating is, so this is probably more of a fair weather place. Of course, Tender Greens also does catering, so there's always the option to enjoy it at a place of your choosing! With free 2 hour lots in downtown Culver City, there's really no reason not to try this place. It's worth it!

http://www.tendergreensfood.com/

And if you don't have flash on your computer
http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/41896189#

Fraiche

I am yet to meet anyone who knows how to pronounce the name of Fraiche with certainty, but most people seem to know that it's one of Culver City's most talked about restaurants. Ever since it opened last year I'd really been wanting to try it. For months I built the place up in my head, so when I finally got to dine here a couple of months ago, results were average to say the least. The atmosphere is cool enough, I guess, with a kind of East-coast pub feel to it, and the waiters, or at least the one we had, was pretty much consistent with that characteristic. When we asked for suggestions on the lunch menu, the waiter didn't really have any and kept saying "It really depends what you're in the mood for." Apparently he doesn't really get what a recommendation is because if you're in the mood for a certain something, you'll order that and won't need to ask for any assistance. It wasn't until we finally asked what the most popular dish was that the guy really came up with an answer - the Royale with Cheese burger. Four out of five of us ended up ordering that dish, but I can't really say that anyone would order it again. Don't get me wrong, but it was a very rich, flaky, burger that is just so far from what you are used to in the American classic. It's a beef burger with Gruyere and a kaiser bun that has had the inside of the top hollowed out and Gruyere baked in. Thus, the bun is extremely crispy and the Gruyere almost overpowers the rest of the dish. The fries that come with it are really great though and served with mayo. The one person who didn't get the burger (the only guy surprisingly) got one of the specials, and seemed pretty happy with it. We tried a few of the desserts, which are supposed to be one of the main attractions at Fraiche, but they were a disappointment as well. We had checked out the menu online before we went and really had our hopes up for some creme brulee and a cappuccino pudding. Unfortunately for us, the online menu was outdated and they no longer offered those items for lunch. So instead we got the pot of chocolate pudding and the assorted cookies. Neither were that great and we didn't finish any of it. I think probably the trick to eating at Fraiche is coming for dinner and enjoying a full blown gourmet French dinner. There was a lot of potential here, but like so many other places the real issue is having the food deliver the taste and quality that the menu promises. I'd say don't rule it out, but if you've $50+ burning a whole in your pocket, I'd try Fraiche for dinner, then let me know how the creme brulee is!

http://fraicherestaurantla.com/main_pages/opening_page2.html

Honey's Kettle

I'm from the south, no naturally, I enjoy some fried chicken and biscuits (i.e. love that chicken from Popeye's!). Now I haven't had much fried chicken out here with the California health craze, but Honey Kettle is probably the best fried chicken I've had ever. Period. Their secret? They use waffle batter to fry their chicken, and it's just perfect. I was lucky enough to get Honey Kettle today (for the second time) in honor of a coworker's birthday, and it wasn't just me who was excited, but everyone's been talking all week about how they can't wait for some Honey Kettle. Both times I've been here I've had the fried chicken, but I think I pretty much covered that in the above. Their biscuits are also quite scrumptious. The buttery flakiness just melts in your mouth (though I still think Popeye's has the best biscuits, except for maybe Bubba's in Dallas). I also partook in the corn on the cob (at least I got one vegetable) and it was decent. I prefer my corn grilled and this could have been cooked a little more. I also tried a hushpuppy, or a little fried cornbread ball, which are pretty hard to come by in LA, much like the rest of their Cajun cuisine family. To my delight, there were no jalapenos in the hushpuppies. Others tried the fried fish and said it was pretty good, but it didn't sound like it was much better than fried fish you'd find elsewhere. Honey Kettle is also known for their hotcakes, which come in the plain and blueberry varieties. It pretty much looks and tastes like a pancake, but if anyone knows what the difference is between the two, if one exists at all, please tell me because I'm curious to know. Prices are pretty reasonable here. Twelve of us ate on $80 or so, which breaks down to $6-7 a person. Obviously you get a better deal when you buy in bulk, but it's doubtful you'll spend more than $10 a person if you patronize the shop. The restaurant itself is certainly not ultra-chic and looks pretty much like your run of the mill fast food joint, but they do have some outside tables where they rival neighbor Ford's Filling Station for the loudest music. One of the best parts of going to Culver City is the ample free parking. For those unfamiliar, CC has several free parking lots, for the first 2 hours at least, that require no validation.

http://honeyskettle.com/