When I heard the name of this restaurant; The Tar Pit, I didn’t know what to think as far as theme was concerned! The name conjured up im-
ages of dinosaur excavation and The La Brea Tar Pits located down the street. Upon entering, my dining companion, Janet and I quickly figured out that the name was all about contradiction. We were immediately enthralled by the attention to detail of this four-month old, stunningly beautiful, sparkling place and its classy deco-replication of a 1940s supper club. The lighting design was perfectly cozy and the votive candles on each table added to the ambience. We were guided to a corner booth by the cordial General Manager, Joseph Sabato and given a bird’s eye view of the entire restaurant.
Our eyes immediately were drawn to the unique Specialty Cocktail Menu. The
artwork on the menu of well-dressed, prehistoric animals emerging from the tar-pits was totally amusing and the creation of cartoonist, David Silverman, who has worked on “The Simpsons.” This establishment is already known as a hot spot for its specialty drinks, which come in the categories of sours, aromatics and Champagne cocktails. There were creative and exciting options such as The Prude’s Demise with Jamaican overproof Rum, Kumquats, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Black Pepper Agave, Velvet Falernum and Lime Juice or the Fashionista containing Gin, Syrup of White Pepper, Juniper Ber- ries & Coriander, Peychaud Bitters, Balsamic Vinegar, Tarragon, and Luxardo Cherries. We decided on samples of the awesome Warsaw Mule, a mix of Polish Vodka, Lime, and Home-made Ginger Beer and the Daisy de Martinique with Rhum Agricole, Lime, Cane Sugar and Green Chartreuse, which was a great combination, stiff and designed for the non-driver. Luke, the mixologist on duty did a great job in creating a pleasing presentation and
a delicious finished product. It got me thinking how fun it would be fun to eventually taste all of the ingenious drinks. We also sampled the Champagne Cocktails, the clever French 95 consisting of Bourbon, Lemon, Sugar and Champagne and the Georgia O’Keefe which blends Hibiscus Infused Gin, St. Germaine, Orange Bitters and Cham- pagne perfect for a palate that enjoys a flavorful bitter finish. Our server, Natalie, a pretty actress from Wisconsin took our appetizer order of Cala-
mari served with Fried Parsley Rouille, Fried Oysters with Remoulade and Crisp Ginger and the Maryland Blue Crab Cakes which were outstanding and in the company of Pre- served Lemon Remoulade over Celery Root Coleslaw. We went on to sample the soups; the exquisite Sweet Pea Soup topped with Walnut Pesto Croutons and the Black Bean Minestrone made with Tomato Concasse and Summer Vegetables. The fresh Salads all sounded tempting, but we went with the Green and Red Tomato Salad served with
Sliced Red Torpedo Onions and pungent Russian Dressing. The Spinach and Mushroom Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette Dressing sounded good too. The wine list is very worldly and smart. They offer all of the interesting, eclectic wine
selections for $38 a bottle with the idea that the diner doesn’t discriminate based on price. As we tried to decide on an entrée, I found the selections a bit avant garde and limited with only 12 choices. If you have a taste for the unusual, you might consider the Braised Pork Cheeks and Ears, Wild Boar Meatballs or the Steamed Mussels in Wheat Beer with Pork Sausage and Grilled Bread. Nonetheless, I played it safe this time and went with a familiar dish, Steak Diane with Green Peppercorns, Sautéed Mushrooms, Cognac Lemon Butter, Parsley and Madeira, it was adequate. We had sides of Lemon Salted French Fries and Roasted Asparagus. Janet ordered the Sautéed Black Cod Belle Meuniere which was undercooked. Although, the dessert selections sounded tempt- ing, we didn’t try any which was probably for the best since we had a sufficient amount of food and drink. For those with a sweet tooth, they offer Cherries Jubilee, Bananas Foster Parfait, Spiced Pound Cake, Chocolate Caramel Tart or Fresh Baked Cookies and Ice Cream. On the night we were there, the head chef was not present and in spite of that, I
found the presentation of the dishes to be spot on, but the preparation in need of some consistency. All in due time as I am sure the young restaurant will smooth out com- munication issues and menu development as they continue to establish themselves as one of L.A.’s hot spots. Every Sunday night, this supper club features a French cabaret style performance by singer, Annie Trousseau starting at 9:00 p.m.
THE TAR PIT owned by renowned head-chef, Mark Peel. Location: 609 N. La Brea Ave. (between Beverly and Melrose), Los Angeles Reservations: 323. 965.1300 or
tarpitbar.com.
JUNE 2010 | RAGE monthly 79
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92