Checked out the brand-spanking-new Alibi Room on Washington Blvd. in Culver City (the part of CC in the middle of Mar Vista). It was very cool - they must have the same designer as Beechwood. Modern, yet warm and comfortable. And the best part is - it is walking distance from my apartment!! They offer a small bar menu, heavy on the fried food: fried zucchini with dill sauce,
the Canadian (Quebec) national dish: Poutine fries with mozzarella cheese curds and gravy (our favorite of the night at $6),
and, my favorite chicken part: buttermilk fried chicken oysters with honey mustard sauce ($7). The oyster is the little nub of dark meat in between the thigh and backbone of the chicken.
All of these dishes were good, just a tad undersalted. My friend got the burger, with just lettuce tomato, American cheese and shallot butter ($9).
She ordered it rare, and it came out medium rare, and she loved it. Just a straight forward, American style burger. No blue cheese or bacon here, just classic flavors. The menu also includes crudite ($4), fried mozzarella ($6), curly fries ($4), and a philly cheese steak ($9), with your choice of cheese whiz or American.
Luckily, my friend opted for American. The thought of eating Cheeze Whiz just makes my stomach turn. I am very excited that we Mar Vistaites finally have a very cool bar to walk to. All the food was served in sleek cardboard containers, making for easy clean up. The bar is trianglular, with a lounge area and a small outdoor smoking patio. Full bar, good wine, interesting beers (Boddington's, Red Stripe, Dead Man, and a couple Japanese beers, and a Czech beer on tap) and friendly service. Can't wait to go back.
10 comments:
Sounds like a cool place with down-to-earth food. Didn't know you could get cheese curds here in LA - very exciting indeed!
Yes! A Philly Cheesesteak with the whiz in L.A! Now we're talkin'.
I tried ordering one at that chain South Street in Westwood, and I was soooo disappointed when they gave me provolone instead. (I didn't have time to complain.)
Take a trip to Philly. You'll see that the whiz is the only way to be.
Sounds excellent, Bree. If you get to know the owner, please suggest the burgeoning Fairfax (btw Beverly & Melrose) district for their next trick. Despite the central locale and long list of great restaurants in the area, there really are no good casual to mid-rage bars to walk to, particularly ones with deep fried good stuff or a decent burger.
N.B. There was a rumor online that Ben Ford was gonna take over the old Black Sea on Fairfax and do an upscale burger/beer concept. But that rumor's long since turned cold and the Black Sea is still black.
The all-new Alibi is great. The Czech beer on tap is delicious for any lager/pilsner fans. Also had the Poutine fries and the Philly Cheesesteak. Both were excellent. Fast, friendly service make this a top-notch neighborhood bar. It could only be made better if it had additional beers on tap.
I wish downtown Culver City had a real bar like this.
Bree - I'm also walking distance to the Alibi and excited it's open (the old place was a real dive). Do you have any idea what their hours are?
Also, I saw yesterday Casa Sanchez on Centinela has a huge sign out front announcing their grand opening. I think it said Sept. 19. If they can do a real sit down restaurant like their tacos it's gonna be great.
I really was not looking forward to this bar opening. The last place, like Zero said, was a REAL dive. I live literally right down the alley and was not thrilled when I heard of its reopening. Couldn't wait to see the same bums sleeping it off in my alley.
UNTIL, i saw them start to remodel, WOW. The place looks great and I was wondering the same, when would they open. Saw a bunch of people out there tonight.
After reading the reviews it sounds a lot like Fathers Office.
I have yet to step foot in there, but sounds like I'll be in there tomorrow to check it out.
I just stumbled onto this site, and I think it's great! Thanks for the review.
I also live down the street from the new Alibi Room. Between it and Bharat Bazaar (Samosa House), this neighborhood is just starting to blow up!
Must try it out! The old place was horrible. Do you know if this is just a makeover, or is it under new ownership? I assume th elatter.
A few years ago, some frineds and I went on a "Culver City Pub Crawl" trying as many bars as possible on Washington, between the Sony Studio and the ocean (more territory that Culver City, I know). The Alibi was voted the WORST place we visited. It was depressing, the people were unfriendly, and they even turned down the volume on the juke box when our songs came on! Why would they have songs on there if they didn't want to hear 'em?
Ugh.
I ate dinner at Beechwood last night and found out that they own Alibi.
I visted The Alibi with a friend andd we loved it. Way cool with good food. The Burger is excellent and i loved the outdoor benches. Get there early for a good spot on the couches!
Post a Comment