Mosaic Tile House

Great way to spend a day immersed in art with living artists in residence! It took over 35 years to create this ever changing intricate, funny, profound, and life affirming house. Just email them for a reservation and show up with $20 per person (cash is easiest) to explore this lovely art sanctuary.

From the charming owners to their lively young volunteers and assistants, it is a pleasure to discover all the details all over the house.

Artists will appreciate access to the studios and seeing process unfold. I bought a piece to take home as a reminder to live with art everyday!

Willie Mae's Venice

I haven't been to New Orleans in decades, so I was thrilled to hear that Willie Mae's was opening up here in Los Angeles. I went to their first operation at the Colony in West Los Angeles, which is set up for take up, but there are picnic tables (with shade) on the side of the co operative restaurant operation, as well as plenty of city parking directly behind the building. 

On my trip there, I got the massive family portion with cornbread, with sides of greens and red beans with rice. The chicken was a bit spicy (which I like) and very juicy, but also quite greasy. I reheated the leftovers at home and that helped render out some of the grease. The red beans and rice were fantastic; I could have easily made a meal of just that one side!

I hoped the actual restaurant in Venice would do better; I am very happy to report that not only was the chicken perfect, with great crunch, tender and juicy, but also NOT greasy at all! They offer a side salad for $6.95, just to help all of us say we ate something fresh and green ;)

The gumbo was very salty, oily, and the crab was overcooked, so I would stick to the fried chicken. (Stevie's Creole on Pico still is my gumbo go to spot).

I got the wings with red beans and rice for $19.95 The red beans and rice needed some hot sauce this time, but they were still delicious.

My dining partner got the 1/2 fried chicken for $24.95 with cabbage side. 

Their cabbage is sweetened, so if you like yours that way, this is a good side for you. 

Note that the Venice location is closed on Tuesdays, so plan your visit during non rush hours (i.e., not the week-end), and you will find great service, excellent fried chicken with a bit of heat, and a taste of new Orleans without having to deal with jet lag.

American Beauty Venice

I went to American Beauty Venice to celebrate friendship and the holidays, kicking off a wonderful end of 2022 and beginning of 2023. Life is a beautiful circle of old and new and American Beauty was a perfect place to incorporate both with old friends and a new place. 

We shared many plates, some of which were eaten before I got a chance to take a picture :) The wood grilled flatbread for $12 with labneh and smoked honey was devoured before I could even pull my phone out of my purse! It was a sesame topped hit, with everyone at the table.

Heritage Pork Baby back ribs for $34 with sweet and spicy glaze, pickled daikon and kohlrabi. The ribs were very tender, and the slaw was a nice vinegary compliment to the generous serving of rich pork. It was good enough to take the leftovers home, but I would have preferred a bit more spice or seasoning to the pork.

American Beauty is known as a steakhouse, so we ordered one grass fed NY strip for $ 65 medium (table consensus) and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was so perfectly seasoned, that no one touched the side sauce.

As a non meat dish, I chose the grilled Orata (a type of sea bream) for $34 with ajo bianco, grape and leek. It was very nicely done, with crispy skin and tender flesh. Anyone with allergies should note that it is served with hazelnuts.

I did not get a chance to taste the lamb chops since the meat lovers at the table pounced on them as soon as they arrived, but I heard they were delicious!

I also chose the broccolini for $13 which were so good that we nearly ordered another serving.

The onion stuffed hash brown for $15 with sour cream was a perfectly done huge patty that we managed to divide without using knives ;)

I loved the oyster and shiitake mushrooms with cippolini onions for $18 and could have easily eaten this as my main dish.

We ordered the burnt cheesecake for $12 (which was eaten before I got a picture) along with the apple pie for dessert and the table devoured both, so if you have a sweet tooth, save some room for dessert!

Bianca and The Rose

I've enjoyed all my meals at Bianca, and brunch last week was no exception. Their seafood salad was one of the best I've ever eaten, with tender squid, shrimp, clams, and mussels, all perfectly seasoned and lightly cooked so that the pure flavors sparkled when hit with a squeeze of lemon for $26

The skirt steak sandwich was on special that day and a filling rendition with a nice balance of meat, vegetables, and bread, served alongside a small salad.

Eggplant parmigiana for $20 was exquisitely comforting in a vegetarian way ;) Service is always impeccable, and if you just keep your sights on the patio, you can image being in Italy instead of Culver City.

Since Bianca is not open everyday for breakfast or lunch, I went with a friend to The Rose in Venice. I think the first time I ate at the Rose was several decades ago, so the fact that this place is still open and still thriving is remarkable in terms of any business, but especially in the restaurant business, and even more so after the pandemic changed everyone's sense of what was necessary and what was valuable in life. 

Their side salad is a nice way to add some fresh greens when you order something that comes with chips or fries...

like their shrimp burger with a side of homemade chips! The shrimp burger had a nice shrimp shui mai texture, and the bun was good enough to eat on its own. I liked that they used a slice of heirloom tomato and a lively leaf of lettuce in the sandwich.

If you are coming from the gym around the corner, or simply want a power breakfast, they have a Gold's Special with egg whites, poultry sausage, great mushrooms, spinach, sweet potatoes, and half a ripe avocado!

Service was great from the wait staff and bus person, but terrible from the hostess made me give her my phone number to "waitlist me" and then seated us immediately since there was no one else  waiting for a table! It was a nonsensical move that added on to my displeasure of her ignoring us until we stood at the host stand for 5 minutes. On the plus side, they took care of a safety hazard at the front door that we mentioned upon arrival in the time it took us to eat!

Zinqué Venice Happy Hour

After trying Zinqué for dinner, I went back the following week for happy hour :)

Their pan con tomate with prosciutto for $6 was a wonderful introduction to their happy hour menu with a generous portion of prosciutto on marvelous toasted bread.

Perhaps my favorite item on their happy hour menu was the grilled artichokes with a saffron aioli for $11. I could have easily eaten another plate!

I was very impressed by their paté de campagne on poilane bread for $5. The picture is of only half the portion so that I could get a close up of the texture. Served with proper cornichons, all I needed was a little dijon to make this a truly French appetizer!

For the Americans who crave chicken wings, they offered a sweet version for $8.

I was still hungry so I ordered the grilled asparagus for $13

and the grilled shrimp for $17, neither of which was on the happy hour menu, but offered on the dinner menu. Both portions were quite substantial and perfectly done, not over cooked, and nicely seasoned. 

They offer several cocktails and glasses of wine during happy hour for $10-$11, so you might want to get a ride there and back home if you want to enjoy carefree leisurely sipping between 4-6pm M-F :)

Zinqué Venice Dinner

Zinqué has been on my radar for awhile, but until someone I know actually suggested going, I did not make it a priority. It has moved to my regular rotation list now :)

We started with ratatouille socca (chick pea flour snack) for $16. It was a nice version, but the socca was quite flat and crisp, making it more like a Roman pizza, but the flavors and textures were good, and it was a great appetizer to share since each socca is cut into 2 pieces.

My friend Liana ordered the mussels and fries for $23 and generously shared both her mussels and fries :)

Another friend ordered the short rib pappardelle for $26. A hefty hearty bowl that needed a bit more cooking time for the short rib to get to the point of tenderness that would have made this perfection. 

I was very happy with my branzino for $34, stuffed with lemon, and grilled until the skin was crisp while the flesh was still tender. It was a gigantic portion, so I shared it with my table mates who all liked it even though they had all demurred at first ;)

I am looking forward to trying their breakfast, brunch, and happy hour dishes soon!

Gjusta

I finally went to Gjusta and tried their famous tuna conserva sandwich for $18. Yes it is delicious and an excellent balance of textures, flavors, and quality ingredients. Would I buy it again? Not sure...It  did not wow me enough to spend that much for this again. It was also quite salty with the olive tapenade and the salted cucumber layers combined.

The brussel sprouts with toasted hazelnuts under a snowy layer of cheese was a hit, but not exactly "healthy", so sharing is the best option.

Chicken dumpling soup for $13 was a hearty filling bowl of goodness that would definitely be on my short list of comfort foods.

The kale salad was the favorite, with apple, celery, manchego cheese,  smoked almonds and a mustard vinaigrette for $18. This was probably the group's favorite dish.

Mosaic Tile House Venice Part 2

The artists live and work in the Mosaic Tile House, so the kitchen is fully functional, and their studio in the back is where they create their tiles and where their bigger pieces are displayed.

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