I am 5 minutes early, and I get that the ONE other person in my party of two is not here yet, but is it really necessary to herd me into a holding pen until she arrives?
At least I get unlimited phone calls and a drink menu. I order a glass of wine because there's literally nothing else to do, and then I sit on the uneven wooden bench twirling the stem because there's nowhere to set it down.
Friendless me on a wooden bench, fenced in by an iron rail, guarded by a hovering hostess...she's here. That was the longest ten minutes of my life. They set me free and herd us to our table...five steps away. That table has been empty and just waiting for us, but apparently it was too much trouble to let me sit in a comfortable seat and put my drink down while I wait.
I need a cool-down by the time I get to this tiny table because my arm muscles are burning from holding up that glass of wine and a pinch of cold Crab Toast does the job. The crab is sweet, and it always goes with avocado. Pickled onions and citrus on top; nothing that hasn't been done, but they do it very well.
It'll take more than crab-on-toast to make me less crabby about that holding pen...oh damn, the Oxtail Dumplings are giving me amnesia. They're so perfect I can't even handle it. Soft and gooey-chewy on the outside - someone did that wonton wrapper so right! They're impossibly soft and gooey on the inside too - small meaty shreds with the texture of melty ricotta cheese, highlighted by the san bai su which is a perfect mashup of sour-salty-sweet.
Heavy meat needs a vegetable so I go with what I'm feeling: bitter. Brussels Sprouts are charred just right, and they're flavored reliably with go-to pancetta. Then a pleasant surprise - creamy-sweet chestnuts provide a creative contrast to the previously bitter-savory-crisp. A bit too heavy on the mustard, though. The dish was great without it.
My berating brain goes quiet by the time the Bone Marrow comes out. Bring on the running rivers of oily, buttery, gristly chunks. I'm practically drooling into the onion marmalade, which makes a nice pairing.
No a lot of small plates, but they're rich and we're already full...wait, did someone say sticky toffee pudding? Not full. No way. Our stomachs have a separate place for dessert. It's a no-frills space...like a holding pen. (No, I'm really not letting that go). The Sticky Toffee Pudding is not sticky. But it is intensely sugary and moist, with vanilla ice cream melting all over. Definitely among the best I've had
Sticky toffee pudding hits the spot, but wow, the Strawberry Ricotta Crostata steals the show. Flaky crust that twists curls without shedding crumbs, cradling a warm well of ripe berries in a ricotta cloud, even better when drizzled with ice cream and a honey crunch.
Downside: they're snooty and the service sucks. The Santa Monica location isn't the most convenient, and the food is safely delicious. They serve the things we know are good, and but they do cook them well. It'll be a long time before I go back to be corralled like a wayward sheep, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the food.
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