See: http://www.offvine.com
I had the opportunity to travel to LA this week to do some work with some amazing people at UCLA. Even in the absence of good food, that would have been enough for me. But, my colleagues were gracious enough to take me to dinner, and we had a lovely meal at Off Vine. Off Vine is housed in an old bungalow, and serves as a little oasis among the chaos of this Hollywood neighborhood. We were lucky enough to sit on the patio, surrounding by a wall of jasmine blossoms. In addition to a delightful dining experience, I learned a little bit about LA culture. Like, our waiter was a WAM (wannabe actor model). It was like living my own, live version of Vanderpump Rules! Also, when I walked inside to use the ladies room, the very fabulous host with amazing glasses called me "doll". I loved him instantly.
I started with a glass of the Voss sauvignon blanc (they also offered a New Zealand option, but the whole when in Rome thing). Like my favorite sauvignon blancs, this one had elements of grapefruit with a mineral-ey finish, and was perfect for a warm LA evening (did I mention we were surrounded by a wall of jasmine blossoms?).
We were served fresh bread with an herbed olive oil while we waited for the kitchen to open, and opted for the buffalo mozzarella salad as an appetizer. The tomatoes were bright and crisp. (What is worse than tomatoes that have the texture of styrofoam? And so many of them do!) The salad was drizzled with olive oil and a medley of fresh green herbs... and we opted in to the offering of fresh ground pepper.
I was tempted to order the vegan Stuffed Red Pepper, which is stuffed with yummy deliciousness like quinoa, asparagus, mandarin oranges, and dressed with a truffle oil and orange dressing. BUT, then our WAM told us about the specials, one of which was a seafood risotto. As Ina might say, "Who wouln't like that?" The risotto was a little untraditional, and was served with a tomato cream sauce. The shrimp were the highlight of the dish, while the calamari were chewy and tough. There were also chunks of salmon and fresh asparagus, which managed to play nicely with the rest of the dish. The risotto was cooked well and overall was well flavored.
We shared a chocolate soufflé for dessert, which we had to oder at the start of the meal. Unfortunately the edges were a bit overdone, but the middle was pudding-like and nice -- not overly sweet and you could taste the chocolate. It was also quite large and perfect for sharing among four people.
While this wasn't one of the top ten meals of my life, the atmosphere, wine, and the service made it a great experience (also, it helps if you can dine with some incredibly smart and funny researchers from UCLA). The restaurant also has some really neat history, so it felt like a real LA experience.
As an aside, if you get to go to LA, stay at the W in Hollywood. It. Is. Amazing. The roof-deck bar and views are gorgeous, and every night is Saturday night there, even Tuesdays. My room also had a window seat where I could gaze out at the Hollywood Hills when I needed a break from my laptop screen. And Bliss beauty products in the bathroom! (Don't think for a second that I left any of those behind.)
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