Why do all my pictures get cut off?? I'm no good at this!

OK, I’ll admit, I don’t always take the best food pics, this one’s pretty bad. I was in a hurry as not to embarrass myself and appear like a visiting tourist taking a snapshot of my fancy meal. The picture is both blurry and washed out. You’re welcome.

However…. I love this place! It passed all the tests! Food, decor, service, overall vibe. All get excellent grades.

Tavern is the new joint from Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne, the chics who also opened A.O.C. and Lucques, both of which I’ve been to and loved. Had my birthday dinner at A.O.C. Apologies again for all who paid for the meal that night. It was definitely not a “cheap eat”.

Tavern also replaces the ghetto and outdated Hamburger Hamlet in Brentwood. After you eat at Tavern, you won’t even remember the old place existed. The interior is a complete refreshing 180 from the prior’s wood panelling motif.

The friend I went with made the comment, “This reminds me of an upscale nursing home” But wait! Don’t be alarmed. He just meant the patrons, not the decor. This is a beautiful pad, folks. The “nursing home” residents were definitely upscale (we are in Brentwood after all). At least in their choice of plastic surgeons and designer, ill-fitting frocks. We were definitely amoung the youngest of the crowd.

I knew what I was ordering earlier this afternoon, thanks to the wonderful world of online menus. The Devil’s chicken with leeks and mustard bread crumbs. I never order chicken in restaurants. Too dullsville. This chicken, however, was cooked to perfection. It’s juices mixing with the plentiful mustard soaked bread crumbs, creating a wonderful mustardy stuffing. I’m shocked I took half of it home, since it was so damn good.

I have to admit, unlike my Craft experience yesterday, the portions at this joint were never in question. Even our appetizer, the asparagus with polenta, fried egg (the egg was breaded, nice!) and some kind of cheese (look it up, I forget and am too tired to do it my self) was surely enough for two.

My friend, an ex-bread maker, said the bread was terrific and almost wouldn’t stop talking about it. Dude, if you’re reading this, you’re a little obsessed.

I always tend to like a restaurant with a brief but focused menu. This menu was definitely not all over the place, and it was hard to choose what to order, every item looked so tasty and not in competition with one another.

If you go, make a reservation. I was unable to get in this weekend at a decent hour, hence my going on a Tuesday night at early bird special time.

11648 San Vicente Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 806-6464
www.tavernla.com