All Hail The Hatchet Hall!

The wait is over ... Hatchet Hall opens tomorrow! We celebrated that fact over the holiday weekend with a friends and family dinner that was one for the ages. We ate. We drank. And there was no way to not be merry.

Co-owners Louie and Netty Ryan (of Temple Bar, Townhouse, Menotti's fame), and Owners/partners from the beginning, Jonathan Strader and Chef Brian Dunsmoor took over the old Waterloo & City space, and it has been beautifully transformed into the place that we're going to constantly be hanging out at. I was in there just about a month ago when it was completely gutted inside, and the incredible amount of hard work, elbow grease, and evident labor of love that has happened is truly impressive. The place is simply gorgeous.

From the airy entrance and outdoor patio that greets you, all the way to the back bar (our new headquarters) where the wooden walls and floors are so cozy and inviting, you will never want to leave. And that's without even talking about the food yet.

The FOOD. Chef Brian Dunsmoor is back with his Southern home cooking, and it's seriously ridiculous. Plate after plate of delights would show up, and disappear before I could even do that foodie take a picture of your food thing. We ate so many perfect and delicious oysters that one in my party said, "Uh oh, this is going to make me randy." Ha! True though.

As it was the friends and family opening, we just kind of sat back and let the kitchen bring out whatever they wanted to. The menu is big, and every last thing sounds eye-rollingly delectable, so we could not go wrong. In fact, in the partying that ensued in the back bar after dinner, when comparing notes with our fellow diners, almost all of us had a different favorite. Some other peoples' favorites were things I hadn't even tried, so there will be more than enough to keep each visit interesting to the palate. Oh my goodness, is it all so good.

Highlights for me that night were the dandelion salad, super flavorful and not at all just a boring salad. The chopped steak on grilled bread ... delish. The grilled octopus was one of the best things I've ever tasted, right up there with the ridgeback prawns with carolina gold rice, oyster mushrooms and bacon. WHAT?! Yep.

The skillet rainbow trout was perfection and made you feel like you were truly in the hunting lodge that the back bar feels like, complete with antler and taxidermy decor. The grilled carrots were among the best carrots I've had prepared, and the roasted game hen with bread salad was top shelf. That already sounds like so much food (we were sharing) but we hadn't even scratched the surface.

Other friends' faves were the lamb sausage ("My favorite thing BY FAR" - Nicely), the tea smoked duck, and the beef fat potatoes (simply an ecstatic groan from our friend who had them). Maybe the top best thing I had though was when Dunsmoor came out of the hectic first night kitchen to greet us, and bestow upon us thin, delectable, melt in your mouth like cotton candy slabs of country ham, followed with a bourbon chaser. Ham and bourbon! It was pretty decadent, and I instantly felt like a smooth old man ... in the best possible way. YUM! There is even a cocktail on the impressive drink program that is called the In Fashioned, and that one has ham bourbon and pecans going on, about as Southern as you can get.

Then we got to drinking ... and forgot about dessert (But I heard the blueberry peach crisp was Summer itself). Oh well, another among a million other reasons to go back. This is going to be our SPOT.

It's just so great, I can't say enough about how wonderful it all turned out, and how happy I am for the Ryans, Dunsmoor, Strader, and all the excellent Hatchet Hall staff (many of whom have come along from other the Dunsmoor collabs: Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, Hart and the Hunter, and The Ladies Gunboat Society). It's a hot spot before it even opens tomorrow!

Lacey Kay Cowden is also back with her exceptional art, adorning the walls, menus and the sign out front. Her whimsical animals are seen fishing and hunting and wielding their hatchets, all the better for us to eat with.

As the night wound down in the wooden bar, we all just went nuts. Laughing and celebrating and rejoicing in the fact that Hatchet Hall is open, and couldn't be more awesome. There is soul in this place, from the old tile ceilings laid in the walls from Menotti's, the taxidermy from The Townhouse, and the hearts of all the longtime Venice residents who all came together to make this a clubhouse for great food and great times, for years to come.

All Hail Hatchet Hall!!!

It all starts tomorrow.


Hatchet Hall
12517 Washington Boulevard
Los Angeles, 90066
310-391-4222

The Ladies' Gunboat Society at Flores - Starring Brian Dunsmoor

Ohhhhh, boy! The Ladies' Gunboat Society is about to set sail at the Flores site on Sawtelle Avenue, and that area just got a whole lot more delicious. The new restaurant from Brian Dunsmoor (of the Wolf In Sheep's Clothing pop up and Hart and The Hunter) opens to the public tomorrow, and we friends and family got to have a sneak peek the other night as they prepared to open for service.

It feels different and special even before you walk in, as the old-timey boat mural (painted by Dunsmoor's lady, the super-talented Lacey Cowden) lets you know that it's also going to be creative and fun once you step inside.

We were greeted by our friend, Jonathan Strader, the charming and friendly man in charge of the front of the house (and with Dunsmoor through both previous eateries), who set us up with the beer or wine of our choice in the candle-lit bar before we were sat down at our cozy patio table.

The dining room is gorgeous and homey at the same time, but very dark, so none of those pictures really turned out, so you'll have to trust me or see for yourself. We liked the patio, watching the action go by on Sawtelle, which we now have much more of a reason to leave Venice to head for. As soon as we sat down, the free for all began. We wanted to try everything ... and pretty much did, aside from things not available until the official opening tomorrow.

We were so busy eating that I didn't really pause much to photograph things, and/or they were devoured too quickly to capture. These are all brand new dishes to The Gunboat (which in my head I've shortened their name too). You won't find the famous biscuits from the first two places, but you will find the excellent Southern flavors and flair that Dunsmoor is known for.

Like the country ham appetizer from the "Pantry" section of the menu, served with lemon ricotta, spring peas, mint salsa verde and grilled bread. Or the Anson Mills Johnny cakes, with squaw candy, clabbered cream and topped with jewel looking salmon caviar. I've never really given a second thought to boring radishes, but this night, served with Santa Barbara sea urchin butter and sea salt ... I fiended for them. Who knew? Dunsmoor has done a lot to mature my palate throughout our friendship, and I'm sure my Mom wishes he was around when we were little. YUM.

"Field" brought us one fresh and tasty salad after another, all sourced locally and up to the minute seasonal. The Spring vegetable salad was truly Spring itself, with all its bounty, topped off with a goat cheese dressing that created the urge for plate licking ... though we refrained. It was not as civil with the Ricotte polenta with peas and asparagus and snails that was so much a favorite that it nearly stirred up a fork riot, as we all tried to scoop up as much as possible into our own mouths. Sublime.

We had beautiful fish, a pan-fried brook trout, the entire thing, that was just delicate bones on the plate two seconds after it was set down. Served with fiddlehead ferns and a bacon mustard vinaigrette, we couldn't get enough. Same with the blue prawns, doused in chili butter ... we all wanted more for sure. Scottish salmon collars were good too (I love just about everything from the sea), but a little oily for me, which salmon just is.

Speaking of those plates, Miss Lacey drew the design for the custom pieces created at Venice's own Luna Garcia pottery. Delicate flowers set the country table and go beautifully with the other mismatched antique dishes that this wonderful food is set upon. She also did the art for the menu and pieces hanging around the place, so it's a real friends and family endeavor, from top to bottom.

Every restaurant seems to have a signature dish that people tell people to NOT MISS. At The Ladies' Gunboat Society, I'm here to tell you DO NOT MISS the country fried rabbit. Rabbit! A day after Easter, we ate that bunny with no regrets and every one of us wanted a second order instead of dessert. I'm still salivating about that rabbit right now. Seasoned and cooked perfectly, and simply accompanied with spiced local honey and flowering coriander ... it was a total standout. Exceptionally delicious on a whole new rabbit level. The foodiest among us said it was the best he'd ever had, and I believed him. It's never even occurred to me to order it, and now I wouldn't miss it. Reserve your rabbit now.

We also shared the most giant steak I've ever seen, a 28 oz. rib eye, with its roasted marrow, grilled bread, and a warm mushroom and asparagus herb salad. We ate it like cave people, laughing at how good it all was. I mean, Wow.

There was only one dessert on offer this night, a Sweet Anson Mills cornbread with buttermilk ice cream and strawberries romanoff. Certainly Southern, but a bit dry for my/our taste, and again, we all thought about trading it for more rabbit. After all that gorgeous food, you didn't really need dessert anyway.

 The wine and beer flowed and friends clinked glasses and laughed our heads off. It already felt like a usual hang, and the warmth and welcoming, awesome service (even on the first night out!) was exceptional.

I peeked into the vastly larger kitchen that Dusnmoor has been set loose within, to find my friend cooking up a storm, while smiling from ear to ear.

It's so great when you get to see people really doing what they love to do, under optimal conditions. That's when you get food like this, both incredibly creative and stimulating (educational, even), but also so comforting that you could be dining in Dunsmoor's home (which you basically are, these days).

 His cooks and staff have his back, and if the first night was any indication of how things are going to go, you should probably get on the old opentable.com and get your reservation set in stone now.

I'm now a proud member of The Ladies' Gunboat Society at Flores ... where everyone is welcome.


The Ladies' Gunboat Society at Flores
2024 Sawtelle Blvd.
L.A. 90025
424.273.6469

The Hart and The Hunter - From Fable to Table

Trumpet blares! The Hart and The Hunter is here! The brand new restaurant from the dynamic duo of Brian Dunsmoor and Kris Tominaga (the guys from Venice's brief and beloved Wolf In Sheep's Clothing) opens for business this week in the Palihotel on Melrose. Yeah, it's Hollywood, but this is one destination we will happily cross Lincoln for. Anytime.

It was my distinct pleasure to be invited to the opening for friends and family (mostly Venice) last night, and it was a big, fun evening of celebration and total gluttony. Which cannot be helped at this place, so prepare yourselves. It is soSoSO good. I'm just starting to get over a hellacious end of summer cold, and my taste buds weren't firing on all cylinders, but I got a pretty good idea of food Heaven, nonetheless.  I also watched every person in there's eyes rolling back with pleasure after each bite, and even break into spontaneous applause after certain perfect bites (like the chopped steak and bone marrow on toast, for instance).

I went to Wolf In Sheep's Clothing as many times as possible during its existence, and have since become good homies with Dunsmoor, Tominaga and their cool girlfriends, Lacey and Kristel (Lacey Cowden does all the beautiful drawings for the restaurant, including their logo illustrating characters from the Aesop fable from which the new place takes its name), which is how I found my lucky self at their table last night. Delighted every second.

The room is off the lobby of the lodge style Palihotel, and it's all very cozy. The walls are a blue tile over black and white floors that lends it all a bit of a subway, urban feeling that is tempered by the warm art and exceptional drawings from Miss Lacey. The open kitchen looks like a Martha Stewart cooking show set, with Dunsmoor and Tominaga putting their flourishes on everything out front, while a harder core kitchen is accessed through a window. As busy and crazy as a restaurant kitchen (especially a sparkling new one) is, the guys are having a good time, and it shows in every aspect.

We began with little treats like fresh pickled things, and pots of pimento cheese deliciousness (about which one in my party said, "I want to rub that all over my body." I understood.) I was happy to see that one of our favorites from Wolf/Sheep was back on the menu here, the "fish in a jar" dish of smoked trout and egg on avocado toast. Improbably, impeccably delicious. So too are those ridiculous biscuits back, small bites of perfection and happiness ("It tastes like Christmas - without relatives.") Just like the raclette. OK, just like every single thing.

I didn't photograph any of the food, as each thing was gone pretty much the instant it landed on our table, but you can just trust me on all of it. SO good. The only issue was wanting more of it all, as when you split things with a big table, you generally don't get as much as you could handle. I may go alone next time. Oh, and it has to be soon, as the fryer conked out and we didn't get to have the things that needed to be fried - like green tomatoes and chicken cracklins! It is clear from this cooking that time has been spent in the South, and like Lacey said, "We're going for a ride!" It's best to enjoy it as such and save your caloric worries for another day, if you have to.

"Will you marrow me?" was asked after we had the dish of chopped raw steak with that bone marrow on toast. We were all just laughing at this point, every time we tasted something new. Even simple cornbread with maple butter was just beyond everyday good and in some whole new culinary land. The "Low Country Boil" was a delicious plate of shrimp and potatoes and corn that I want more of right now.  The hanger steak ... perfection. The venison (Hart!) carpaccio taught me that I like venison. And I'd say every word I'm saying if I'd never heard of the guys too. People that have never heard of these guys WILL be saying things just like this. You want to get there soon. And you CAN! They open tomorrow (October 2) for breakfast and lunch, and for dinner on Thursday, October 4th. It's pretty small (seats 48 inside, 12 outside) and they don't take reservations, so you just want to get there and be ready for a wait, that will be well worth it.

"They're really giving us a bite to SAVOR, to think about" .... "It's like the Kama Sutra ... you taste it and do a slow burn" (this accompanied by the appropriate moans) ... "Yuuuuum!" This is just some of the satisfaction I overheard during the course of our meal.

I can't say enough good about it, and strongly suggest you make plans to experience The Hart and The Hunter for yourself. Unlike the hart in the fable, I am able to recognize a good thing. And tell everyone about it.

The Hart and The Hunter
Palihotel
7950 Melrose Avenue
L.A., 90046
323.424.3055

*You can also catch Dunsmoor and Tominaga this Wednesday (October 3) cooking their rustic, locally sourced, super fresh awesomeness with the winners of the Farmers of the Year at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market from 10:30 am to 1 pm.

** To clarify - There IS going to be a Wolf In Sheep's Clothing in Venice - Same owner as before ... it just isn't going to have these terrific Chefs Dunsmoor and Tominaga - as they are now The Hart and The Hunter.  Kind of confusing, but now you know the real deal.

AK Supper Club - Concept over Chef

Well, I get back into town and it's right back into the swing of things. I returned to a message from my friend, Alona Cooke, that the AK Supper Club has a new chef, already! Gone is Kevin Kathman, after some what sounds like mutual disagreements about the concept (that, interestingly, he also had at his last restaurant gig in Minneapolis, at the end of my friends street, where I just was), and in is Benadicto Gell, formerly of The Yard, Joe's and Red Medicine.

I had an impromptu opening in the action and met Alona at AKSC (formerly Capri) to sample the new menu and meet Mr. Gell. Oh, MAN, was it good!  We discussed the vision for the space, and it's really more of a Pop Up CHEF concept vs. Pop Up Restaurant ... "It's an adventure .. it's never the same experience," said Cooke.

Well, she's right there. The first dish we tried was an appetizer of scallop crudo, which I described as a dish a Mermaid would make to impress the Fairy Godmother of her Prince Charming. Does that sound gushy? Fine, it's worthy. Raw scallops in their shell sit in a pool of soothing, cool cucumber and melon water. Scattered over and around this loveliness are pearl currants that pop with tartness and look like jewelry from the sea. Topped with Thai basil and Peruvian mint, the ladies at the table could only laugh and roll our eyes. "I want to jump in and swim around", said one friend. I just shook my head and uttered, "It's like alchemy." Yuuuuuum. Summertime perfection.

Equally yet differently delicious were the shell on salt and peppery shrimp appetizer special that you just ate with the shell on because to not do so would be just weird with all that flavor. GOOOOOD. It reminded me of the Virgin Islands for some reason, and came with little slices of grapefruit and tangelo and tiny slices of red pepper that just combined to burst into savory perfection in your mouth. I loved it obscenely.

As I did the ridiculous lamb entree served with black figs, wild mushrooms and blackberry mustard. Within that were these little crunchy bits that turned out to be rendered crispy lamb fat chunks that were so full of flavor, formerly civil friends began to eye one another's hands with an eye to stab them with forks if they took one of those little guilty pleasures. "Aromatic." "I don't usually gnaw, but I'm going to." (ok, that was me).

The braised pork with mangu (a mixture of mashed yucca and plaintains - "African.") was an autumnal dish that would go well with crisp evenings and fireplaces. It also featured little crispy pork bits, and we again searched like truffle hogs around in the plate for them. Holy moly.

I called the poached black cod in corn broth bland ... until I almost drowned from my watery eyes due to a peppery bite that I wasn't prepared for. Take that, the cod appeared to say. Burned.

After we finished up this "Bacchanal of Pleasure" with some "Best Ever" coffee ice cream, we sat around and chatted with the talented new chef, Benedicto Gell. He's from Boston with Dominican heritage, so he's got flavor influences from all over. It's fun to talk to people about food when they so clearly love it dearly and want to share that with you. It's like Alona said, "You follow your instincts and your nose, not a Michelin guide." True. And you only have two weeks to get in on the current action starring Gell. Then it will be a new adventure, and I'm sure I'll tell you all about it, and try not to drool on you while I'm at it. Go. Now.


AK Supper Club
1616 Abbot Kinney
Venice
310.392.8777
Tuesday through Sunday, 6 - 11ish


*I also spoke with lovely Kailani who is taking over the former Wolf In Sheep's Clothing daytime operations. They're opening soon on Melrose and Fairfax and will be called The Hart and The Hunter. It promises to be out of this world again, and you can say you had it first as Wolf In Sheep's Clothing in Venice. Mmmm.



***UPDATE  - AK Supper Club is now closed for good. Will let you know about what goes into the Capri space, which we will all miss.

AK Supper Club Open - And Delicious

Well, Alona Cooke has done it again, friends. Quickly becoming known as the "Princess of Pop Ups", in a blink of an eye, gone from her Capri site is the outstanding Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, and in is AK Supper Club, which just opened for service last Saturday.

I joined Ms. Cooke at her table last night to hear about the latest and eat some food that is pretty much all I'm talking about today. As I told Alona, her recent project collaborations have single-handedly made my palate mature. I'm serious. I have never liked mushrooms in my life, and there was a mushroom/polenta dish at Wolf/Sheep's that I still think about. Same for their rainbow trout in a jar, that sounds disgusting and was probably my favorite thing there. The same thing happened last night, when I put myself in Alona's wise ordering hands, and all of a sudden, I like previously thought disgusting beets. Beets! Whoa. I may just officially be a grown up.

Taking over the stove at AK Supper Club (operating through July, as it stands now, so get there!) is Kevin Kathman, an alumni of Thomas Keller's French Laundry, and also a Minnesota native, I found out after the fact. (No wonder it's so good!) I chatted with him in the kitchen for a minute while he shook delicious smelling pans, and told him about my growing up that he'd contributed to. He said, sagely, "The reason you might not have liked something before is that is wasn't given to you properly." True that, and could be applied to pretty much everything in life, if you think about it.

We drank a big, delicious rioja and ate those beautiful, fairy tale looking beets. And a fresh, summery tasting leek dish. And some ridiculous lime-y shrimp.  And some cod brandade, that is basically smushed up to porridge consistency fish you smear on bread. Again, it sounds filthy, but in actuality is so good I was laughing.

Alona decided we needed some red meat with our red wine and we split the perfectly cooked steaked with fingerlings and shallots. I felt stronger.

This savory parade had to be followed by a sweet finish, of course, and we went for the peak of summer peaches and the passion fruit panna cotta that we agreed was more than vaguely sexual in how very, very good (and complex) the contrasting flavors of the passion fruit, blueberry, grapefruit and basil were. More laughter.

And that's what makes for a delightful evening out. Talking, laughing, enjoying delectable tastes, trying new things, sharing wisdom, learning from each other ... I want to be a part of this Club.

Make a point of joining yourself ... and soon, as you never know how long you'll get to with these pop up deals.


AK Supper Club
1616 Abbot Kinney
Venice
310.392.8777 for reservations

*Open daily at 5:30, Tasting menu on Mondays.

The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

I've been going to and enjoying my friend, Alona Cooke's restaurant, Capri, in Venice for as long as I've lived here. It's always been great and reliable and a wonderful neighborhood hang. Alona always hosts interesting wine tastings, and cook book signings and art openings, even weddings, but it just got real exciting in there with the arrival of the "pop up" restaurant within a restaurant, Wolf In Sheep's Clothing.


Two chefs and best friends, Brian Dunsmoor (formerly of Hungry Cat) and Kris Tominaga (Joe's, Axe) have taken over Capri's kitchen for an experiment that has now turned into an extended stay, and they're clearly having fun together, while also turning out food so good that I believe I coined a term the first night I was there ... it was "emotionally delicious". Meaning the bites I had were eye-rolling, chill-inducing, rapturous morsels of joy. No hyperbole.


The joint has been jumping since they opened for biz a few weeks ago, and it's an absolute Who's Who of Venice every time. Waves and hugs and happy smiles are exchanged between neighbors and strangers alike ... when I was there last week, I think I knew almost everyone in there. And we were all STOKED.


It's pretty small plates, and there's a lot to choose from to try (and reluctantly share). You MUST start with the biscuits (of which there NEEDS to be more than two on the plate, Guys, c'mon!). Piping hot butter biscuits served with Southern style pimento cheese, apple butter and persimmon got us off to a mouth-watering start. I'm drooling on my keyboard right now at the mere memory. Now I'd never think I'd be into cold fish in a jar (!) but the rainbow trout served with avocado toast, sliced egg, and herb salad with little chunks of salt was so good I didn't know what to do with myself. Shows me.


Other highlights I shared: Lots of wine. Broccoli and pork cheek. Hanger steak with escarole. Sand dabs. Bay scallops. Brussel sprouts. Persimmon salad. Kale salad ... (We all shared it all, ok) and the delish apple pie with cheddar cheese (high praise because I consider myself fairly authoritative on apple pie. In fact, both meals I've had (so far!) were shared with Alona, and when I asked her what the best thing about the whole deal was for her, she said, "Having friends over for pie". Delightful!

The whole thing is just a joy, from the super friendly and informative staff to the signs and art drawn on butcher paper by Brian's girlfriend, Lacey K. Cowden.


Wolf in Sheep's Clothing ... remarkable! They're open for a completely great evening all nights but Mondays, from 5:30-ish to 10:30/11-ish (Venice hours). No reservations unless it's 6 or more. You should get there, have some fun, and know what it means to have an emotionally delicious meal. Soon - while it lasts!


***Update - Wolf in Sheep's Clothing is now open in the former Lilly's space on Abbot Kinney. It is the same in name only, as the original Chefs Dunsmoor and Tominaga have now opened their own place on Melrose, The Hart and the Hunter. Get there!