la.foodblogging

[photo by Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times]

After learning from Daily Candy and Chowhound about this hot new watering hole in my ’hood (that had replaced the rather cool Sapphire lounge) we strolled over to Laurel Tavern one Thursday, just over a week ago, to see what the fuss was about.

We sauntered in around 6.30pm and found the place buzzing and almost packed. Luckily, there were some empty tables right up the back, in the corner. But I was wistfully eyeing the primo tables near the large front windows that open up onto Ventura Blvd., deeming them perfect for people watching. (There isn’t all that much pedestrian traffic on that section of Ventura, but still…)

Anyway, after we snagged our table and checked out the chalkboard menu, one of us went up to the bar to place our order (Father’s Office-style – pay as you go).

I noticed it was all American fare…

… meaning they have local wines by the glass, spirits available and sixteen or so beers on tap. I ended up imbibing several glasses of decent Pinot Noir ($9) and my guy sampled a few of the beers ($5-6), including the Lost Coast Downtown Brown (a little too sweet for his liking) before he settled on the Anderson Valley Boont Amber as being the best of the bunch. His preferences: a dark, flavourful ale – not sweet and slightly bitter.

Other draft beers available are:

Bayhawke Honey Blonde Ale
Hollywood Blonde (those are the two $5 ones)
Craftsman 1903
Lost Coast Apricot Wheat
Green Flash West Coast IPA

I wanted my guy to try the Stone Arrogant Bastard, purely for its cool moniker.

As far as I can tell, the food items look to be chosen to complement the beers, which fits in with the whole pub ethos.

SIDE NOTE:
A brief word about “Gastropubs.” Gastropubs originated in Britain in the early 90s and are so-named because the food they offer is a marked improvement over your usual dodgy pub fare of limp fries and soggy pies. Gastropubs have been described as the Anglo-equivalent of the French brasserie or the Japanese izakaya, where the food still takes a back seat to the drinking.

Interestingly enough, in the LA Times article [link below], co-owner Will Shamlian appears to be nervously downplaying their menu:

“We’re not restaurateurs,” Shamlian says. “We’re not trying to compete with Gordon Ramsay… We’re just doing solid food that goes well with a drink.”

Well, the food is much better than merely ‘solid’ and the vibe is lively and fun. The groovy decor certainly helps with the ambience. Laurel Tavern is a cozy, New York-style bar with exposed brick and stripped back wooden floors allegedly salvaged from a 1920s Nebraska industrial warehouse. Exposed wooden beams cross the ceiling and wooden benches line the walls, accented by a chic, dark brown padded leather head rest (reminiscent of a Chesterfield sofa). The butcher block tables are accented by metal chairs and bar stools painted a jolly blue.

Anyway, on to the pub grub. All items were priced from $6-$12.

I’d read some rave reviews about the spicy maple-glazed Pork Belly Skewers ($6). The six, succulent morsels were every bit as delicious as expected, and, as the chowhound OP (holla!) had mentioned “the skewers idea allows you to eat a small portion of this highly indulgent food.” True.

MENU:
Includes:
Burrata with Heirloom Tomatoes ($12) – large platter– I’ll have to get that next time.
Roast Marrowbones ($9) – served with toast points. Sounds rich and intriuging.
Basket of Fries – They offer standard fries ($5) as well as steak fries cooked in pork fat ($6); the latter were very crispy, delicious and decadently evil!
Or, for an additional $3, get a half serve of fries with your $9 burger (recommended)
Croque Monsieur ($6) – these were mini baguette rounds, toasted, containing ham and melted cheese (probably gruyere, which is traditional, but possibly just some American cheddar). These were just ‘okay’ and too dry so I wouldn’t order them again.
Grilled Artichoke ($11) comes with lemon dipping sauce and apparently somehow contains nuts, which is important info for the nut-wary. Again - something to try next time.

BURGERS:
Old School Burger ($8): basic meat, bun and ketchup
Hickory Burger ($9): caramelized onions, Tillamook cheddar, iceberg, hickory sauce

Of the three burgers on offer, we all ordered the Laurel Burger (aka their house burger, $9) which was beyond perfect. Small in size, the white bun housed a medium-rare cooked beef patty with melted gruyere, fresh arugula and caramelised onions. Superb!

VERDICT:
Laurel Tavern is really great! We had heaps of fun and it’s a lively, cool place with inexpensive food and drink.

*** Insider note – Valet parking – $3.50 – is available right next door, at Teru Sushi ***

Laurel Tavern
11938 Ventura Blvd., (just E of Laurel Canyon)
Studio City, CA 91604

tel: (818) 506 0777
fax: (818) 506 1629

Mon–Fri, 4pm-2am
Sat & Sun, 12pm-2am

*Kitchen Hours 5pm-11pm*

Their website is currently under construction.

More info here:

LA Times reviewed Laurel Tavern the same day we went.

Also, you might wanna check out radman’s original chowhound post.

I urge you to check out Laurel Tavern soon and post a comment about your experience!

By MaxMillion (see more of her posts). Max Million is the nom de 'net of Pauline Adamek. Born in Sydney, Australia, Pauline has lived in Los Angeles for the past thirteen years and finds it agrees with her. She has been reviewing films and filing celebrity-based interview articles since 1991, and has filed stories from various international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance. She completed a family cookbook and has also written novels for 8-12 year olds. She is the creator and host of ArtsBeatLA.