Culver City continues to hum along with eateries and pubs freckling the downtown area. This hive of activity feeds the foodie frenzy that continues to bring patrons to the area.
Tonight, we’re paying our respects to City Tavern, an offshoot of the ever-popular Rush Street, founded by Ken Kaufman and Brian McKeaney.
We were pleasantly wowed with this place, with its earthy vibe of distressed brick, reclaimed wood floors and walls. We piled into one of the many side booths, dangled our legs and waited for things to happen. It’s a little quieter than Rush Street, which is fine with me. I could actually hear myself think.
Craft beers are all the rage here, and thanks to their Table Tap Booths, you can simply slide in your credit card, and serve yourself one of three craft beers. The computer automatically keeps tabs on your libations. How cool is that?
General Manager Matt Meirs launched our journey with an arsenal of items from the kitchen, but first, it was time to drown the day with a few of their many beers. And it was “Hoppy Hour”, so what better way to begin? Thanks to our server, the wet way was paved nicely.
There are far too many beers to mention here, but thankfully we opted for the tasting sizes so we could sample more- ($3-4 a glass. ) Here are some of our favorites:
Triple Exhultation-Eel River, old ale-9.5% alcohol
Orange Wheat-Hanger 24, American Pale Wheat-4.6% alcohol
Hoptimum-Sierra Nevada, Imperial IPA-10.4% alcohol
Hefeweizen-Sudwerk, Hefeweizen-4.7% alcohol
Sip and savor these many beers that rotate on a regular basis.
Besides beers, there are a slew of specialty drinks that combine many seemingly incongruent elements. Jeremy Back, libations expert, took us on a tour of a few, although I don’t usually mix and match my alcohol. But those with an adventurous palate will stake their claim with these concoctions. Check out the Tequila Spritzer, or if you’re really adventurous, there’s a Savory Cocktail with bacon-infused Dickel.
The food? We were amazed. No pub food here. There’s a real flair coming out of the kitchen. Here’s our journey.
How about Oysters ($15)-splashed with a vodka mignonette and fresh horseradish? These slid down easily, leaving behind a bit of a kick.
We both loved the Burrata and Warm Butternut Squash ($10) a smooth mash of pepitas, sage and sweet anise crisps. This was enough to seduce me into a life of vegetarianism. More please!
A refreshing mound of Early Summer Salad ($9) followed, layered over a thick slab of heirloom tomato, succotash, mozzarella and balsamic vinaigrette. Loved the greens and all the veggies in this one.
The Buttered Bay Scallops ($14) had a bit too much heat for me, and could easily clear your sinuses, probably due to the Spanish chorizo, but we loved the grilled broccolini that accompanied it.
Hats off went to the Jidori Chicken ($14), a thyme-roasted half, with garlic butter, baby carrots and a nice side of buttermilk sauce. We doggie bagged this, as it was way too much food!
Steak lovers will rejoice in the succulent NY Strip Streak ($17) olive-oil-marinated with stout and fingerling potatoes. We demolished this entrée, although we had contemplated bringing some of it home.
Get a side of Baby Carrots ($5), Moroccan spiced and save room for bit of dessert.
We opted for their Warm Peanut Butter Brownie ($8) alamode with a bourbon caramel, and their half-pint of carmela ice cream ($8).
This place is a real find. Ignore the early Yelp reviews written by those looking to bring an establishment down. This place is busy and justifiably so. The food is great, and if you’re a beer lover, you’ll be lost among the many selections available.
9739 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232.
PH -310 838 9739
FX -310 838 9738.
Comments