365 Places to Eat

Joe’s has been one of my favorite spots for a long time. When Joe Miller opened his small Spanish Tapas themed wine bar last year, I immediately added Bar Pinxto to my list.

It’s a tight space, with a max capacity of 30 people inside and a few tables outside. Bar Pinxto isn’t meant for lingering though. It’s a faced paced service of small dishes eaten on bar tables and small stools. You will get friendly with your neighbors, or in my case receive a few elbows in the back from the guy behind you.

The tight space sort of lends to the ambiance though. It makes you feel like you are in a much more central urban spot than being a block from the ocean in Santa Monica.

We tried the happy hour special, which runs daily from 4-7pm if you believe the website, or 4-6pm if you believe the sign outside of Pinxto. You get six small tapas for $6, plus $3 sangria or $1.50 Stella. Everything is small, but tasty. The drinks are 6-8 ounces? And the tapas are different specialties of the house served atop small pieces of grilled bread.

We sampled:

• Crimini Mushroom, Jamon And Diced Vegetables
• Jamon Sofrito With Fried Leeks
• Esparragos Blancos Con Romesco
• Endive, Roquefort Cream, Anchovy & Walnut
• Radish, Jicama, Avocado, Cilantro and Lime
• Fresh Tomato, Serrano Ham, Grilled Bread

And followed up with some full orders of:

• Dates Wrapped in Bacon with Cabralas Cheese
• Costillas De Cordero - Lamb Chop, Chorizo Crust, Small Salad
• Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with grapes
• Grilled White Shrimp with garlic and lemon

With a few glasses of sangria, the bill for the whole dinner for two was around $65. I would definitely go back, although not with too many more people. If there are more than four in your party, it’s too tight quarters.

Bar Pinxto
109 Santa Monica Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.458.2012

If you’re not familiar with dineLA Restaurant Week, a number of local restaurants offer fixed price three course meals for lunch and/or dinner. Restaurant Week is actually two weeks, starting January 25th and ending February 6th (not including Saturday).

Some places offer good deals, others seem to fill the menu with some of their lower priced items to fit within the price confines of the promotion.

Daily Grill has a good menu, priced at $26 for dinner and returning around $40 of menu food in return. Also, Daily Grill has offered up some of their best items, even giving the diner four choices for the entree, rather than the required three.

Here’s your recipe for a great dinner at Daily Grill:

• Bowl of Manhattan Clam Chowder
• Black Berry Pork Chop
• Key Lime Pie

Not only will you have a delicious dinner, but you should have almost half your meal left over for lunch the next day. The chop is huge and juicy with a mild blackberry sauce. Even the Key Lime Pie is big, I think I got a quarter of the whole pie. It’s great Key Lime pie too, with just the right amount of tang with whipped cream and blueberries on top.

While Daily Grill is a chain, the food is still good and they have a nice menu. It’s a little overpriced, in my opinion, during normal days. The dineLA menu is a nice option to give them a try.

Plus, go on a Wednesday and all bottles of wine are half price for “Wine Wednesdays”. It’s sort of an unbelievable deal. With bottles listed as low as $25, you can really cut costs down.

Daily Grill
Various locations

Wine Expo is about one thing, amazing wines at low prices. You will not be impressed with the fading “Champagne World Headquarters” sign on Santa Monica Blvd. You may be suspicious at the lack of proper shelving inside, the proprietors have eschewed them in favor of stacked boxes with just enough room to shimmy down the makeshift aisles.

The first time you come into Wine Expo looking for something specific, the payoff begins. I went in looking for a special bottle of Antinori Tignanello, or a reasonable facsimile. I was pointed to a wonderful Montecalvi Toscana at a third, or less, of what I would have paid for the Tig.

Since that first trip, I wander in on a whim, drop a few keywords of what I’m interested in (bold, oaky, everyday, special, gift, dry, $30, $20, $10…) and then enjoy my quick guided tour of the store while I am handed a bottle here and there. I still haven’t had a dud and always feel like I am getting more than I pay for.

A word of caution. On more than one occasion I have had a bottle or two that I love and the next time I go back, Wine Expo is sold out. They buy from smaller growers at times and get good deals. There is no guarantee that the vintage will be in stock next time you go. If you find something you like at the right price, stock up!

WINE EXPO
2933 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, Ca 90404
310-828-4428
1-800-WINE EXPO