365 Places to Eat

Some friends suggested that we meet for dinner at Hal’s Bar and Grill on Abbot Kinney before heading over to a photographer’s showing down the street. Always eager to try a new place, we agreed.

By the time we arrived, our friends were already at the bar enjoying a cocktail and a glass of rose. The long bar rides the entire length of the south wall and there is a small area with tall tables near the hostess stand. I’m not sure if Hal’s serves the full dinner menu at the bar, or just their bar menu, but I did see a number of people eating at the tables.

Our 7:30 reservation was waiting for us when we arrived. Apparently, the main dining room was full until 9:00 so we were seated upstairs. Both seating areas are nice, but very different. The main dining room has very high ceilings and is well decorated, but was very crowded and very loud. The upstairs area was a bit more minimal in design, but much quieter; not in a somber way, I actually liked that we didn’t have to yell across the table to be heard.

On to the food.

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If I haven’t been to Mao’s Kitchen for a while, I crave it. Luckily, it’s so cheap that my addiction is easy to feed. I hesitate to call Chinese food healthy, but Mao’s does give the option to order most dishes vegan, vegetarian, or carnivore (shrimp/chicken/beef). I have been to Mao’s enough that I have sampled the entire menu and there are only one or two dishes that I wouldn’t rave about.

If two of you are dining start with a bowl of soup. I prefer the Hot and Sour Soup which varies in spiciness depending on the day. My partner in Mao’s dependency prefers the Peace Not War Wonton Soup which comes absolutely packed with goodies, including mushrooms, shrimp, chicken, zucchini, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, carrots & chicken wonton dumplings in a chicken or vegan broth. For the main dishes, especially the first time you go to Mao’s, sample the Orange Ginger Chicken (or beef), “lightly batter-fried slices of beef or chicken served in our renowned sauce of fresh oranges, fresh ginger, dried tangerine peel, green onions & Sichuan peppers, garnished with blanched broccoli” and order a side of Long Life Beans, which are succulent green beans braised with a black bean sauce.

If you are dining with three people, certainly add an appetizer and another entree. The Bamboo Steamer Dumplings are great for sharing and come with a delightfully tangy dipping sauce. If steamed dumplings aren’t your thing, the People’s Potstickers are a great alternative. Odds are that one of the three of you is into noodles. My favorite dish is the Bok Choy Over Chow Fun: “Wide rice-flour noodles, bok choy, bean sprouts, onion, tomato, green onion, shredded carrot & choice of protein - most popular street food in Canton Province.”

Don’t limit yourself to a party of three at Mao’s though, there are tables long enough to accommodate 10 or more (although your wait will increase, obviously). My absolute favorite dish at Mao’s is the Sichuan Eggplant, and while not everyone enjoys eggplant, most people I have introduced this dish to say the same thing. “I don’t normally like eggplant, but that is really good”.

As if the food wasn’t enough of a reason to go to Mao’s their drink policy is unbeatable. Basically, the rules are that there are no rules. You can bring in whatever you want; wine, beer, a group of Russians were sipping vodka next to me one time. There is no corkage fee and the servers have wine openers on hand.

Speaking of service, there was a time when we went to Mao’s specifically to be ignored. It was comical how long it took to get a server’s attention and dishes would come out at random times, rarely within five minutes of each other. That seems to have changed though. The last year or so has seen a marked improvement, so much so that I even commented to the owner as we were leaving that we had some great service.

Other reviews of Mao’s Kitchen:

• Eco-Vegan Gal
• Yo Venice
• Ann Merry’s Blog

Mao’s Kitchen
1512 PACIFIC AV
VENICE, CA 90291
310.581.8305
(Open until 3am)

When you walk into La Cabana in Venice, just west of Lincoln on Rose, you will think that you found an undiscovered gem serving Mexican feasts. You would be half right. La Cabana has some great food, and margaritas, but it is far from undiscovered. It’s not uncommon to have to wait a half hour or more on a crowded night. Fortunately the place is deceptively large and they have a closed of bar in the back where you can snack on chips and salsa and have a drink.

On your way back to the bar, you can’t miss the indoor tortilla grill, or the ladies standing around the grill crafting home made corn tortillas, which you will undoubtedly order once you get your table. I personally prefer flour over corn tortillas, but when they are hot off of the griddle, it’s impossible to resist. When you do sit at the bar, you might decide to order one of their exotic margaritas, beyond just strawberry they also have mango, pineapple and any combination of their flavors. On the other hand, I’m happy with a basic margarita on the rocks with salt. Although the bar can be crowded at times, turn over is constant and people are generally friendly enough to share stools and table real estate.

Once your table indicator lights up and the host seats you, you are faced with making the decision of what to eat. Consider starting with the cevice and a side of guac for your chips. Service tends to be relaxed but accommodating. For first timers, you may as well start with their taco plate, served in the home made tortillas with rice and beans. I also enjoy the Sopes, essentially tostadas served on a hearty base of masa, a dough made of dried corn that has been soaked in limewater then rinsed and ground (pictured). The two sopes should be more than one person can eat, unfortunately the masa does not save well, so find a friend and split this dish with something else and do some sampling.

Parking for La Cabana is a bit scarce, so everyone parks in the shopping center across the street. As far as I know it is common practice, but don’t blame me if you get ticketed or towed.

La Cabana
738 Rose Ave
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 392-6161

3 Square, five nights ago, Hans Rockenwagner brought forth on the plates in front of me, a new dining experience, conceived in his newest kitchen, and dedicated to the proposition that not all meals are created equal.

Now we are engaged in an internal struggle, tasting whether that bread, or any other bread delivered, can live up to Hans’s long enduring reputation. We are met with a great menu. We have come to dedicate a portion of our stomach, as a final resting place for three dishes. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate our entire appetite to meats and cheese and bread, we cannot pass up this bounty from the ground — white peaches, arugala and almonds — we hallow this salad.

The brave wife and I, who struggled with the menu, have cooperated, far above our poor power to narrow down choices, we split two dishes. The world walking down Abbot Kinney took little note, as we bit first into the flank steak. This was divine dining, rather, this new dedicated location for Hans looks somewhat unfinished in its simplicity.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that we eat the steak, and the fries, and the spatzel — that we here highly resolve that these dishes will not clog our veins — that these delectable morel mushrooms and white asparagus in the spatzel shall be eaten before we are at last full.

This restaurant, under Hans is a new birth for him — and that restaurant is priced for the people, with food for the people, shall not let his cuisine perish from the earth.

(my apologies to Abe)

3 Square Cafe + Bakery
1121 Abbot Kinney
Venice, CA 90291
310-399-6504 (P)
310-399-6518 (F)