ANYWHERE: We know they're opening in West Hollywood, heard they were still looking downtown, but the Tender Greens boys aren't stopping their salad train there. They're also looking at Burbank, Tarzana, Hollywood and maybe Santa Monica, but no dreaded 'C' words here: "We may have multiple locations, but we don’t see ourselves as a chain. Our goal is to build a company that believes wholeheartedly in sustainability. We’re not trying to build a behemoth." All they want are locations with lots of foot traffic from homes and businesses, outdoor space for sidewalk cafes, and plenty of parking. [GrubTrotters]
Yeah, sure, OK. It's been covered. But really, the only time you're going to see Sang Yoon's new Father's Office this empty is if you arrive right when the doors open. From day one---and we know---the place has been packed, there's almost always a line at the door, and with that patio, there's very little turn-and-burn. Without the hordes of beer (and burger) geeks, you can really see the details: The woodwork, the shiny cement floor with the word "beer" inlaid at the doorways, the leather chairs. The base for the bar? The same wood used for the top was used as a cement mold first, so all the grain matches. The picnic tables? All custom designed. You've heard it all before, but it bears repeating: 72 taps, 36 beers, plus boutiqe wines, cocktails made with select artisanal spirits, mixers on the side, no vodka; still no modifications on the menu, no ketchup, and the burger and fries in the little cart are as crave-worthy as ever, but so are the curry lemongrass mussels. Order at the bar, grab a number, commence eagle-eye stalking. Sit with a stranger if you must. We've been, Jonathan Gold's been, and it's been a blogger frenzy. Full coverage here.
Father's Office 2.0 Table strategies, no ketchup
3229 Helms Ave, Culver City-adj.; 310.736.2224 Mon-Thu 5pm-1am; Fri-Sat 12pm-2am; Sun 12pm-12am
Passing through downtown Culver City the other day, we noticed the new signage on Rush Street, but as you can see, there's still a lot of work activity happening in there. Plywood still up, no glass in those windows, etc. We're told there's still a couple more weeks of construction left, which makes it unlikely it bows this month. If it happens in May, it will be just barely. The former sign shop will have a large sidewalk patio, a 35-foot bar (the largest, they say, in Culver City), a lounge and dining room downstairs, and a second-floor lounge with CC's only roof-top patio, and that friends, everyone wants for summer.
· Plywood Report: Rush Street [~ELA~]
· Plywood Report Culver City Edition: Gyenari, Chipotle, Rush Street [~ELA~]
Jonathan Gold takes a bite out of Father's Office 2.0 at the Helms Bakery complex in Culver City-adjacent, and the review (the food isn't quite there yet, but there are some interesting and delicious bites, and of course, the burger and beer are tops) is chock-full of classic Goldisms. To wit:
"With Father’s Office, which inspires the extremes of behavior often described by scientists studying overcrowded animal cages, there is no middle ground."
"Yoon could probably get away with serving his goat-cheese gratinée in telephone booths if he felt like it."
"...a table should be at least as easy to command as a parking space at the Grove the day after Thanksgiving — if you maintain the necessary levels of attention and aggression."
"I have heard from several sources that when Yoon visited Osteria Mozza and asked whether he could order the pasta tasting for just two people instead of for the entire table, as was printed on the menu, Nancy Silverton said: 'Only if you let me order a hamburger without cheese the next time I’m at your restaurant.'"
He's softened on the FO experience, maybe because finding a seat in the bigger, splashier location, though still difficult, isn't as bad as the SM original. From Gold's 2004 review: "Father's Office is a perfect analogue to Bush-era America, a closed, mean, inward-looking place where tyranny masquerades as freedom, cronyism is taken for granted, and the powers that be talk a lot about hamburgers but ultimately deliver pâté." Ouchers.
· All Hopped Up at The New Father's Office [LAW]
· Fight Club [LAW]
· Eater Inside: Father's Office 2.0 Debut [~ELA~]
CULVER CITY: Because they just can't get enough fresh to-go salads in Culver City, M Cafe de Chaya opened yesterday and stays open 8am-9pm daily. The second macrobiotic restaurant for the Chaya group has basically the same menu as the Melrose original, but there's more grab-and-go plus seating inside and out. (9343 Culver Blvd, 310838.4300; website)
ECHO PARK: Holding true to his word, Josef Centeno opens Lot 1 Cafe tonight. The a la carte menu looks enticing enough: Wild arugula salad with guanciale and jidori egg; roast chicken with chard; English pea ravioli; pepper-crusted steak with bone marrow toast. Centeno---whose bacos and tasting menus made serious foodies giddy at Opus---continues the same themes: The flat-bread "bacos" are available during the day, there's brunch on weekends, and Tuesdays are reserved solely for the tasting menu. (1533 Sunset Blvd, 213.481.8400)
Time to revisit Adventures in Shilling, in which we fight shilling the best way we can, by shaming tasteless, unscrupulous shills into submission. Well, that's the plan, at least. Fight shills yourself by dropping offensive links here.
To some beer aficianados, comparing Father's Office I or II to the Yard House is like comparing apples to elephants---loud, raucous chain vs. intimate, independently owned bar; notable burger vs. chain food; classic rock vs. anything but classic rock; every beer under the sun on tap vs. well-rounded selection; beepers for tables vs. scrambling for tables. But here a Hound of few words, unless those words start with a Y and H, thinks the FO hype is for losers:
Went there [Father's Office] for the first time ever based on the postings here, the $11 Blue Cheese and only burger on the menu was ehh, the beer selection was no better than going to the Yard House, & more expensive for their IPA's. It's a busy place but.....for the price I just don't get it. Went with a friend, 2 IPA's (India Pale Ale, Stronger type beer served in goblets), 2 burgers, basket of sweet potato tasteless fries, and what I thought was actually very good were the tapas of olives w/ almonds in their special marinade...$55 bucks.
For that same amount I could have had more beer & food @ the Yard House...aka "Beer Lovers' Paradise" Never been disappointed with any food item I've ordered @ the Yard House. IMHO F.O. just doesn't live up to the hype! You hounds mislead & disappointed me on this recommendation!
It's that marketing jargon like "Beer Lovers' Paradise" that disappoint us. Shill Probability: 99.8%.
· Father's Office: What's the Big Deal? [Chowhound]
Pinkberry may have celebrated their 50th store opening today (Free T-shirts! Meet the founders!), the ooze that they created continues. See another berry-fruit-yo-color shop opening somewhere? The froyo tip line is always open.
BEVERLY HILLS: The photo and a note from a froyo watcher: "Noticed a sign on the corner of Brighton Way and Canon for Yogen Früz, which has been around (and has a trying-too-hard-to-be-cute logo) since 1986. That was the LAST froyo craze, right?" Well, trends are cyclical. Let's go back a bit. Last year, we got a puffy email claiming that Yogen Fruz planned more than 300 stores for the U.S. by the end of 2008. According to their corporate blog, that number has increased: Now they want to open more than 1,000 locations in the States over the next 7-10 years. Los Angeles County is a target market for them, and this BH store might very well be the first one. [EaterWire]
For those that lament the fact that LA really has nothing like the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco, hopefully by 2010, we'll have the Westside Market Hall. Backers of this 60,000-square-foot compound for food artisans and vendors, restaurants, farmer's stalls and other purveyors are David Paris and Dave Reiss, investor and owner, respectively, of The Brig, Beechwood, The Del and the Alibi Room. From the project website:
Using a smart environmentally-sustainable design, we envision the Westside Market Hall as a place where singular vendors can come together under one roof to sell high quality products. The idea is to target local vendors that are best in their category. This may include a top echelon purveyor of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie, a bakery, and various vendors selling locally and sustainably grown produce. In addition, select purveyors of diverse and international product lines will complement the local farmers and artisans. These outstanding tenants will be situated on either side of a central corridor within a high-ceilinged market hall flooded with sunlight from the street-facing windows. We will construct and maintain an attractive courtyard and plaza area for casual dining and community events.
This is an exciting thought, for sure. No tenant announcements yet (although Reiss will do a restaurant, concept still unknonw), but what would you like to see there? Comments board is all yours.
· Westside Market Hall [Official Site]
From our picnic table perch on the patio, it looked like things went as expected for the Father's Office 2.0 debut: The place filled to capacity after the first hour, people got pissed that they couldn’t find a seat, the bold sat with strangers, beers flowed freely. To those who still whine that FO should add a waiting list and servers, we'll channel owner Sang Yoon for a moment---It's a bar, not a restaurant, and bars don't have wait lists for tables. And really, if he hasn't changed it yet, there's little chance he will. There was a moment when we thought FO wouldn't open at all, even with 40 people waiting outside, but the doors swung wide a little after 6pm. By 7pm, all the tables were full, people were waiting in the wings to pounce; the line that started at the door continued most of the night and finally fizzled after 9pm. Part of the problem was those patio picnic tables. Totally made for lingering, they're comfortable, with heat lamps when it's cool, no car exhaust from a crowded street, easy access to the bar and good sightlines to see who's walking in and out. Prime property. You think the tables at FO, the Original, were coveted? Oh no, friends, not even close.
Father's Office 2.0 Waits, beer, burger, no ketchup
3229 Helms Ave, Culver City-adjacent; 310.736.2224 Mon-Thu 5pm-1am; Fri-Sat 12pm-2am; Sun 12pm-12am
When there's an anticipated opening such as one for the new Father's Office at the Helms Bakery building, there's only one thing to do: Liveblog.
5:39pm: Arrival. Doors closed. About 10 people waiting outside. One guy in nicely pressed white button down shirt: "They were supposed to open at 4, but now they said 6." Overheard nearby: "Let's just go."
6:00pm: Number of people doubles outside. Doors still shut. Will it open? What if it was all a big tease? Across the street: Let's Be Frank hot dog cart noticably absent. Closed on Mondays. Bummer.
6:04pm: Blinds pulled up, everyone files in. No chairs around the tables yet, just banquette seating. Bar stools are the first to fill. Booths next. Heaters juicing up outside, lots of picnic table seating. Beers pouring. 44 people counted in first wave.
6:05pm: First drink served: Aviation martini.
6:15pm: Our first Liberty Ale in, patio starting to get crowded. Sang Yoon and the entire FO staff at the ready. Lots of headset action happening.
7:05: Partners in crime arrive, sweet potato fries in tow. Hot, crispy outside, soft inside, perfectly salted. Second Liberty. All tables full, small line at the bar.
7:26pm: Time for the burger---not easy to eat and blog---and battery life not what it used to be. People now waiting in wings for first table opening, line out front door. Two deep at ordering stations in the bar. We'll have a full report/recap and photo gallery tomorrow.
MIRACLE MILE: From a hungry worker bee: "The long awaited opening of Samurai Sam's happened today. A line out the door of hungry diners were waiting for spicy tuna sushi and ultra spicy firecracker beef yakisoba bowls. Finally something different on the Miracle Mile." [EaterWire Inbox}
MID-CITY/BEV CTR: It's hard to believe, but Grace celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. To honor the occasion, chef Neal Fraser will offer a special five-course greatest hits menu for $55 throughout the year, starting in May. Dungeness crab salad with peas, sautéed skate with roasted cauliflower and raisins, bacon-wrapped saddle of rabbit, grilled leg of lamb, doughnuts for dessert. [EaterWire Inbox]
WEHO: What's up with the ID scanners at One? From a reader: "Was at that club across from Il Sole on Sunset, "One" on Friday night---and they were scanning everyone's driver's licenses into a handheld device. The Door Guy said this is how they keep a record of attendance, and they "always" do it, in case of "trouble..." Seems like the speedtrain to Identity theft, to grave violations of civil liberties...We go out A Lot and have never encountered this...have you? Is this a "Regular People"/velvet rope thing?" [EaterWire Inbox]
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To some beer aficianados, comparing Father's Office I or II to the Yard House is like comparing apples to elephants---loud, raucous chain vs. intimate, independently owned bar; notable burger vs. chain food; classic rock vs. anything but classic rock; every beer under the sun on tap vs. well-rounded selection; beepers for tables vs. scrambling for tables. But here a Hound of few words, unless those words start with a Y and H, thinks the FO hype is for losers:
