la.foodblogging

I just had a wonderful experience tonight at Nook Bistro, and I couldn’t wait a second longer to do a write up for y’all. I’ve been hearing so much about this place for the last year or so and I FINALLY got a chance to go. Boy o boy did I eat well! My still bulging belly can vouch for that! However, before ordering I was a little worried about the portion size of the dishes… on the menu there are small and big plates to choose from for dinner. But when are “big plates” really ever that big? And you know “small plates” translates to tiny miniscule portions of microscopic food stuff. Would they be able to feed me and keep my wallet from being raped and abused? Or on the other hand, would I have to leave with my wallet intact, but with my stomach screaming in unsatisfied hunger pains? (Would I even get so desperate and stumble around the corner… and resort to eating the grease laden tacos at Benitos??? OH NO!) Because my first impressions of the restaurant were “hmm… it seems a bit chichi…” with all of it’s modern-y looking lights and decor and claims of “American Bistro” fare. Just the word “bistro” can be a little off-putting to me, unless it’s a real bistro–IN FRANCE. I just love how American restaurants can take words like “Tapas,” “Fusion,” or “Asian influenced” and then charge a ridiculous amount for their food. (What do you mean I owe $40 for “Asian style Rosemary-infused Chicken breasts”???? How hard is it do sprinkle some chopped up green things over poultry boob parts? AND there’s nothing Asian about it!) So now you can see the reservations I had before going in… but I’ve heard a lot of praise for this “Bistro” and my curiosity won out.

I knew that Nook was located in a strip mall off of Santa Monica Blvd. which meant that it might be a challenge to find. The sign on the street said NOOK BISTRO, but the only clue I had to its whereabouts was this:

Yes, ladies and gents, a blue arrow. You will at least know that you are in the right strip mall from the street sign, but here is there store front sign. It’s blue. And and arrow. So yeah, let me tell you this place was a welcome breath of fresh air when compared to the chaotic “strip mall-ness” that lies just outside it’s doors. We were greeted quite warmly and were seated at a cozy little table for two… and when I say cozy I mean COZY. Don’t be bringing your huge Hermes bag and expect a seat to place it in… unless you want it to be molested by your neighbor (which I’m sorry to say that I did… I just love rubbing my butt up against other people’s fake “Prad-O” bags). They even have a communal type table in the center of the restaurant for the people who are too late to grab a real table.



See? Communal. Nice interior, eh?

This sharing of space would be fine as long as your company is friendly enough. But sitting next to a smelly, beer-guzzling pervert? Not so much. Anyhoo, back to the food experience. We were presented with single-sheet printed menus, one for food and the other for wine/beer.



Small foods… and sides



Big foods.



And of course, the ALCHY-HOL. Not a bad wine list.
After deciding on what to order we were given this:



WOAH… Peanuts! I guess they’re trying to be different by offering these boiled spiced peanuts instead of bread. My only gripe about them is that they were a bit overcooked. But taste? Just like Chinese boiled peanuts that I used to devour as a kid… except spicier. Be careful when eating these because they might squirt peanut-y juices unexpectedly onto your clean white shirt. And that would be very impressive in front of your hot date right?



Cup of Nook’s lentil vegetable soup w/feta and lemon mint relish ($3). Mighty tasty for a lentil soup. The mint relish was like a surprise party in my mouth… shocking, strange and exciting all at the same time. The feta added a saltiness that paired awesome with the lentils… and then the lemon mint kicked in. Oddly good it was.



Shiitake and gruyere bread pudding ($6).

YUM. I worship shiitake mushrooms (besides the fact that shiitake is a funny word… haha I giggle as I type this) and there was a lot of thinly sliced mushrooms in this savory bread pudding. I loved that the top was nicely browned too. Crispiness and tenderness with each flavorful bite. I know that Nook is known for their Mac & Cheese, but I’m saving that for my next visit. I have to prep myself for that one (if you know what I mean). *wink*



New Zealand Green Lip Mussel Pan Roast w/Linguisa Sausage, oven-dried tomato, garlic, herbs and white-wine saffron broth ($11).

OH. MY. GOODNESS. This was AWESOME!! I loved this so much that I’m typing in CAPS!!! Mussels swimming in the awesome broth, served with awesome focaccia to dip into sauce… I was in food heaven… my mouth is watering like crazy at this moment as I dream about these mussels. And let me tell you, this may have been considered a “small” plate, but it was HUGE! I think there were about a dozen or so large mussels. Tender and moist too! I sopped up that broth like it was soup. That’s an idea… they should make a soup just out of the broth and name it after me! Hey, I thought of it first alright? “Janice’s Mussel Broth Soup–Minus the Mussels.” I can just see it now! I’m going to be freaking famous!!!



Damage for two.

Not bad at all. Mind you I ate almost all of the food myself (my fellow diner was not as famished as I), but there was still food left over. Leftover food you ask? YES. Well, not a ton of food, but enough to let me reminisce about my uber fah-bulous meal tomorrow. Or tonight. My stomach will determine that. =) Nook Bistro was definitely not your typical LA restaurant and I am ever so grateful for that. It rocks! If you have trouble finding Nook just follow the big blue arrow…

Nook Bistro
11628 Santa Monica Blvd. #9
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310.207.5160
www.nookbistro.com

By Manja Manja (see more of her posts).