Gyenari Korean BBQ and Lounge, More Culver City Eats

On Friday, my wife and I had a date night. We decided to DVR the Olympics and went out for dinner and a movie. We were planning to see Dark Knight at the Imax at Howard Hughes Pkwy, but all early shows were sold out, so we decided to go and see what was going on in downtown CC.

On our way there, I remembered that Gyenari Korean BBQ and Lounge had just opened a few weeks ago, next to the movie theater in downtown. So we decided to check it out and see if we could get a table without reservations. The wait for a table inside the restaurant was going to be an hour, but fortunately we found a perfect table for 2 in the patio. They serve a full restaurant menu there, so it totally worked out. The service was pretty good, very friendly, and interestingly the wait staff was mostly female.


Since we had a movie to catch, my wife and I both ordered quick dishes. My wife ordered the Asian Tacos and a lemon drop martini, and I ordered the garlic noodles with a Sapporo. The food arrived promptly and smelled great. My food was delicious, all the flavors were there. However, I couldn't help but notice that some of the noodles were undercooked. I've heard of al dente but this was ridiculous. I couldn't break the noodle with my teeth. Since we were in a rush, I didn't bother to complain. Besides it tasted very good, just difficult to eat. I had a bite of my wife's tacos, and they were also good, very light and fresh. Hopefully we can come back soon and try more of the gourmet dishes.

Afterward, we went next door and caught Mama Mia. Yes, I know, what was I thinking? Surprisingly the movie was a lot of fun and I actually enjoyed it. I guess Batman will have to wait until we can see it on the Imax screen.

Staying Local

As mentioned in my previous post, my wife and I stayed local this last weekend. And aside from the carpet fiasco, which I have since fixed, it was pretty fun filled.

Saturday night, we had tickets to the Hollywood Bowl to see Chris Isaak... kind of a post anniversary date night for us. I had heard that Culver City had a park and ride bus that runs from the downtown area to the Bowl for $5. Considering the high gas prices and the hassle of HB parking, this seemed like a great option and we decided to try it out. From our condo to Downtown Culver City is about 5 minutes. So we arrived around 6:30pm, had time to pick up some pannini sandwiches at Ugo. Normally, I'm not a big fan of their food, but those sandwiches were delicious. I had the prosciutto pannini, and my wife had the sun dried tomato pesto pannini.

The bus left at 7PM and was a 40 minute ride, which is a little bit longer then if we would have driven, but this way I had 40 minutes to chill and relax. The show was great and after the concert we hopped back onto the Culver City bus and headed home. We arrived back just before midnight. My wife and I decided we were still not done for the night, so we walked over to a few old and new hot spots in the neighborhood.

First we checked out the tried and true Carbon. This place is a tiny no frills bar/lounge with a Hip Hop DJ. The drinks are very reasonable but its always packed, and on Saturday I was feeling extra claustrophobic. So after a beer we headed over to a new spot that just opened, Rush Street. I had seen this place boarded up for quite some time, so it was good to see it finally open. The ambiance was hip, comfortable and inviting. The lower level is a large open space restaurant/bar with really interesting Chicago inspired decor. The upper level is more of a loungey bar area with a space for dancing. The DJ on Saturday was great, he played a very diverse range of music that was fun and entertaining. Both my wife and I really loved this place and will probably be back with our friends.


Also this weekend, it was the grand opening of Culver City's Chipotle. This was another place I was anxiously awaiting. I know this place gets a bad rap for being a McDonalds concept, but hey the burritos are good and that's the bottom line. I discovered Chipotle when I lived in DC back in 2001, when I moved back to California in 2003 there were only a handful of Chipotles around. Now, they are slowly becoming a must have in every city. So on Sunday I headed to the new Culver City Chipotle, which is just 2 doors down from Rush Street. The line was huge and the service was slow. But I was entertained by little kids trying to pronounce Chipotle and the people in line, who were scheming how they were going to sneak their burritos into the movie theater next door. I tell you, its only a matter of time before the smell of carne asada replaces the aroma of buttered popcorn at my next moving outing. All and all, gone are the days of driving down to Marinda del Mar for my Chipotle addiction.

Eating Out During Kitchen Renovation

I am happy to announce that our kitchen should be ready today. Still some minor lingering issues left, but for the most part it will be done and we can begin to move everything back to our cabinets.

As you can imagine, not having a kitchen for a few days resulted in us eating out a lot. During this time, my wife and I visited two cool new Culver City restaurants, Pho Show and Father's Office.

Fathers Office was pretty good, they had an awesome beer selection and interesting sweet potato fries. My wife and I both had burgers, which were tasty, but not as good as the Albi Room (another nearby bar). The drawbacks, were waiting in line to get in and then the free-for-all seating arrangement. I think this place is probably better for drinks than dinner, but nevertheless we were quite satisfied with our visit.

Pho Show is a restaurant I have been anticipating since January. For the longest time the restaurant was an empty space with just a sign. So I was so happy to see it completed and open for business. Finally we have a pho place nearby!

Since moving to the the West Side, we've longed for a decent neighborhood pho place. For the longest time we kept going to Pho 99 in Brentwood, which was a good 10 miles out of the way. So last Wednesday my wife and I decided to take a walk and check it out. The results were mixed, the food was good but not impressive. I felt the broth and the noodles were missing something. I found myself adding more stuff then usual to my pho to get the taste I'm use to. Overall, I will definitely be back. The proximity and the price is just right, and the food will satisfy my occasional pho fix.

More Culver City Hype....I Came Here for the Food

Being the foodie that I am, I love listening to Good Food on KCRW, and last week they did a segment on Culver City's culinary revival. The show featured an interview with Patrick Kuh of the Los Angeles Magazine, who talked about some the culinary hot spots around town. His view of Culver City parallels the article in the New Yorker a few weeks ago. You can listen to the interview on KCRW's web site.

I have actually eaten at only one of the places mentioned, which is K Zo. Enjoyed the sushi, seamed to me a bit stuffy and pricy. My wife and I went there after it opened, but I will probably give it another shot.



Restaurant critic for Los Angeles Magazine, Patrick Kuh, reports on Culver City's diverse restaurant offerings. He dishes up a mélange of foods, from Beacon's affordable yet delicious Asian fare to the Industry Café and Jazz, which features a vegetarian-friendly Ethiopian menu and weekly live jazz. World-class chefs, magnificent wine selections, health-conscious foods and a wide range of international cuisine can all be found within Culver City.

Here are Patrick's picks:

Ford's Filling Station 9531 Culver Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 310-202-1470		Industry Café and Jazz 6039 Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 310-202-6633
Kaizuka 9729 Culver Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 310-253-5038		K-Zo 9240 Culver Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 310-202-8890
Tender Greens 9523 Culver Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 310-842-8300		Wilson 8631 Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 310-287-2093
X'Otik Kitchen 6121 Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 310-280-3961

Don't Hate on Culver City

In a prior post I talked about how booming our city (Culver City) is these days. Culver City is a part of the Westside that I have always been fond of. Maybe its because it was the only L.A. city that I've been to that mosts resembles my suburban hometown of Anaheim. My wife and I love living in Culver City, and lately we keep being reminded of why we chose to live in this hidden gem of a city.

A friend of mine sent my wife and I this article published last week in the New York Times, In Culver City, Calif., Art and Food Turn a Nowhere Into a Somewhere.

J. Emilio Flores for The New York Times

The article talks about why Culver City is becoming the place to be in Los Angeles.

My wife believes her moving to Culver City is the reason why its now on the map. Ah Truthiness, always keeping it real.

I Love My City

Ok before anything, I have to say that my hometown is Anaheim...and if I thought it would look good I would tattoo it across my back. I love Anaheim, I mean this is the place I grew up in and will forever have a special place in my heart.

However, our condo is in Culver City, which is 55 miles away in West Los Angeles. Its nothing like Anaheim, but I can't help myself from falling in love with Culver City more everyday. There is all kinds of development going on throughout the city, making it a very cool modern place to live in. In Sunday's L.A. Times I read that the City has invested about $65 million in improvements since the 90's. Thats some serious tax-payer cash, and it shows. All kinds of cool little places popping up everywhere.

One such place opened this weekend, Famima! Its like a supped up 7-11....better yet Famima! is to 7-11 what Gap is to Old Navy. The place is stocked with all kinds of goodies. I checked it out on Saturday and won a free Pannini, dang nothing tastes better than free food. While its a bit pricey, they pride themselves on their "Premium Experience," so I better go recycle my cans because I know this place is gonna bankrupt me.