The York...Highland Park's very own Cheers

5018 York Blvd.
Highland Park, CA 90042
(323)255-9675
Open Daily 5PM-2AM

I've been noticing a recent pattern of gastropubs in my posting. Maybe it's the cheaper food, maybe it's the desire to try newer beers with friends, or maybe it's to see who's stepping up in this LA dining trend. Whatever the case may be, I'm glad this trend is happening. There are lots of plusses and very few cons to deal when it comes to gastropubs. One of the precious parts about it is the fact that it brings people together without the pretension of only having beer and getting wasted.

One of the newer (only a couple months old) installations to the scene is The York (that just so happens to be on York Blvd). I will attempt to round out this post with a quick concise review.

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When you walk in you have one big room divided down the center by the bar. To your right is the main bar side (stools, counter and tables for 2) and to your left is the more "sit down and bring a party of people" side.

The beer selection is decent and while not extensive they have everything that most people would enjoy and a great staff looking out for everyone. The food is a mixed bunch including small AND large plates. By far, not your average prepared dishes. Whoever designed their menu was obviously trying to turn a few heads. Shown above for instance is their "take-on-a" Pulled Pork Cuban sandwich which had ham, gruyere, pickles and mustard aioli. While not Cuban in the purest sense (which I'm glad about), this was fantastic rendition of the "worker's lunch-time special". It was very well balanced and the fresh ham and gruyere made for a repeatable item on my list.

For something more familiar, here's there cheddar burger, and for their customization, they included spicy harissa aioli and pickled onions on it. This is a pretty killer burger. The patty is pretty thick and the bun is super soft. We ordered ours medium rare and guess how it came out? Perfectly medium rare...practically text book. I can still smell the fresh beef in my nose. Quite a memorable plate indeed. To round out the plate, they throw in their rocket fries which have steak fries sized taste in much thinner fries (if you want to just have a lighter snack when you're there, their fries are perfect) . If you come here and eat meat, this is a must try!

Their menu changes seasonally but some of the other items worth mentioning are their blackened catfish, the cheese and salami plate, and for sure their truffle grilled cheese with tomato salad. All incredibly good and the prices are easy on the pocket.

The environment is super friendly and heck, they even had someone with their kids having dinner. It's loud but not unbearable and they've got great taste in music spinning throughout the tavern. They've really done a great job in creating an environment that you'd want to stay at and yet not even worry about how much you're spending.

Small announcement: My next post will be on my next giveaway!

Free Refills: No
Entree Price ranges: $8 to $14

Father's Office...that burger is definitely one for the books

1018 Montana Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310)393-2337
Mon-Wed 5PM-1PM (Kitchen 5PM-10PM)
Thurs 5PM-1PM (Kitchen 5PM-11PM)
Fri 4PM-2AM (Kitchen 4PM-11PM)
Sat 12PM-2AM (Kitchen 12PM-11PM)
Sun 12PM-12AM (Kitchen 12PM-10PM)

I had a good talk with a friend of mine who I meet with once a week at 5:45 in the morning to talk about everything. It's seriously one of the more productive times in the week that I have, as my life is filled to the brim each and every day. I rarely have a free moment and getting me to go to something often requires booking me in advance like you were booking Osteria Mozza..."Yeah I can fit you in...how's two weeks from tomorrow sound?". The topic turned to Father's Office and how European pubs don't have the stigma that American ones do. In America we have this automatic view of people going to go get wasted and pick up on people. This is only the case some of the time. In Europe you have pubs where people go to meet friends and hang out, and sure you have some beer and often food, but it's typically more than that. It's more a place to hang with like-minded people and grab a bite to eat. Father's Office has been trying to change the way we think about American pubs and take away that stigma that we have about them.

Seeing as this is still a pub you'll have to be over 21 to get in, but once you're in you're treated to one of the warmest gastropubs with some of the best burgers in America. The place has become quite the "after work" spot for unwinding. The crowd is typically a mixed bunch with some there to check out sports on the tele, some there with friends, and some just popping in for a quick bite and to shoot the breeze with the young as well as the old.

The food is some of the best you'll ever have in a pub in California and maybe even in America. There's a limited number of tables and the bar is not the biggest but it's worth the wait if you ever have to. To order just go up to the bar and yell it out. The bar keeps there are super sweet and quite the characters sometimes.

Last time through here we started off with one of their specials which was an heirloom tomato salad which have become pretty trendy lately (we had a stellar one at Sona the other night). Chunks of big red, green, and orange tomatoes were topped with basil cucumber vinaigrette and sheep's milk ricotta, and garnished with fresh herbs, cucumber slices and halved grape tomatoes. It's a great appetizer (especially if you've ordered a wine), but I'd advise sharing since that was a generous serving of creamy and almost sweet variety ricotta.

Next we of course grabbed their Father's Office burger with a basket of sweet potato frites "a la cart" (notice the cute shopping cart). The fries were just just barely soft which was wonderful. So many fries in and of themselves can be tiring on the palate and it was nice to have a side of tartar sauce to relieve you in between bites.

And here it is folks. A burger which few can truly compare to. A huge medium rare piece of dry aged beef that sits upon a fluffy French bun, topped with caramelized onions, applewood bacon compote, gruyere, maytag blue cheese and arugula.

Upon further inspection you'll notice that this may induce sleepiness or possibly hunger pangs. The meat is just together enough that it starts to fall apart in your mouth, the gruyere and maytag add complex salty flavors and the caramelized onions balance it all out with the arugula giving small hints of spice to it here and there. This burger kicks some major butt and though it may not be for everyone (I mean heck we all love an In-N-Out burger sometimes) you would be doing yourself a disservice by not having one at least once to know how burgers are being transformed from your family reunion bbq to a gourmet art form. Wash this bad boy down with a Red Seal Beer (as recommended by the barkeep) or their Cider on tap, which Celeste very much enjoyed, and you have yourself a formidable meal that can satiate many an appetite.

There is little not to like about Father's Office. Located in a great part of town that has plenty of street parking and a great mix of people this place has an incredible thing going for it. How could they be even better you ask? By opening a second location in Culver City on Helms. This my friends is how one truly spreads the love around.

Free Drink Refills: No
Entree Price Range: $5 to $12

"TASTE"-ing at Wine House...one more thing in LA made ULTRA-accessable

Though not at the top of my lists for wine shops in LA (Wally's you know you have my love), I will say that this freaking rocks the Casbah. As just mentioned in today's post, we just came from Santa Ynez for our 5 year anniversary and wine tasting. When I opened my mail today low and behold I see this! Wine House has gotten their own automated wine tasting area. Think Intellegentsia for wine lovers. I am so going over there to sample the tastings. Me and Celeste's wine tastes have expanded since this weekend and this is the perfect way to add to it. Here's how it reads:

Starting AUGUST 21st, 2007
Hours of Operation:
11 AM to 6 PM Mon thru Sat
12 PM to 5 PM Sunday
32 Different Selections at
Our Card Activated Sampling Stations



TASTE MENU:
Wine Selection Country TASTE Cost
WHITE WINES
2006 Hanna Sauvignon Blanc Calif./Rus. River $1.40
2005 Kunin Viognier 'Stolpman' Calif./Santa Ynez $2.60
2005 Patz & Hall Chardonnay 'Hyde' Calif./Carneros $4.50
2005 Terredora Dipado Greco di Tufo Italy/Campania $1.80
2005 Boxler Edelzwicker Reserve FRA/Alsace $1.50
2005 Schmitt Wagner LMH Riesling Kabinett Germany/Mosel $2.20
2005 Collet Chablis 'Montde Mileau' FRA/Chablis $4.30
2005 Domaine de Puy FRA/Gascony $1.00
RED WINES
2005 Rosenblum Zinfandel 'Sauret' Calif./Paso $2.20
2005 Carmel Road Pinot 'Monterrey' Calif/Monter. $1.60
2006 Mark West Pinot 'California' California $1.00
2004 Whitehall Lane Merlot Calif./Napa $2.50
2004 Dominus Red Blend Calif./Napa $10.10
2004 Brown Cab/Zin Blend Calif./Napa $8.20
2004 Waterstone Cab Sauv. Calif./Napa $2.00
2003 Long Meadow Ranch Cab Sauv. Calif./Napa $3.80
RED WINES
2003 Parusso Barolo Italy/Pied. $4.90
2001 Talenti Brunello Riserva Italy/Tuscany $8.00
2002 Planet Waves Terrazze Italy/Marche $5.00
2003 Mattei Barbera Italy/Piedmont $1.00
2004 Casamatta Rosso Italy/Tuscany $1.10
2005 Boislauzon Chat. du Pape FRA/Rhone $3.30
2005 Vatican Chat du Pape 'Res Sixt' FRA/Rhone $5.90
1996 Guigal Cote Rotie 'D'Ampuis' FRA/Rhone $14.00
RED WINES
2005 Sarrazin Givry 'Sous La Roche' FRA/Cote Chal. $2.50
2005 D. Mortet Gev.-Cham. 'Mes Cinq Terroirs' FRA/Burgundy $10.00
2005 Yangarra Estate Shiraz Australia $1.80
2003 Charmes de Kirwan FRA/Bord $2.50
2003 Lassegue FRA/Bord $4.50
2005 Durigutti Bonarda Argentina $1.00
2005 Wither Hills Pinot Noir New Zealand $2.50
2005 Borie la Vitarele 'Ter. Blanches' FRA/Lang $1.30

Wine House
2311 Cotner Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90064-1877
Phone: 800-626-9463 x260
Email: wine@winehouse.com

Venue Food: Leela Thai

1737 Silverlake Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90026

(323) 660-6100

Mon-Thurs 11:30AM-10PM

Fri-Sun 11:30-11PM

(Press play on the youtube above so you can get in the mood for this post.)

A new section for you lovers of music in LA...where to eat that's close to music venues. Last night I went to go see the gentleman up there on the youtube (that you're hopefully listening to) who's name is Ferraby Lionheart. He was playing in Silverlake at Spaceland for there second slot of the night. Great show and it was nice to hear some new songs from his next album due out later this year. With that being said, a great place to try when you want to eat before popping into Spaceland is literally steps from the place. And I mean steps. It couldn't have been more than 100 steps from the entrance of Spaceland to the restaurant entrace. Leela's Thai is beloved by many a "Silverlakian". Great "healthier" Thai at great prices. I say healthier cause they have vegetarian conscious plates for those who would rather murder plants then animals...I'm more of a strict carnivore though I'm learning to stab carrots and corn as of late. Just kidding but not really.

We had the Pad Thai (which was super yummy), the "Secret Spice" which had a sort of coconut based chili sauce, some soup and the appetizer sampler (the shrimp and spring rolls stood out above the rest of the appetizer items). If you enjoy Thai Iced Tea, there's is pretty tasty (of course there will always be those that argue that they taste like wind instrument reeds). The entire meal was perfect for a pre-show dinner. A small word of warning and it really is small...it's a cash only place. Also I'd like to share with you the unique fact that they have a one dollar per person corkage fee in case you'd like to bring your own wine...which we love doing! We'll be back...with a bottle of wine...or maybe even two.

Free Drink Refills: Only on Iced Tea and Lemonade (can you say Arnold Palmer?)

Entree Price Range: $6 to $8