Beacon is in the Helms Bakery District in Culver City.
Notwithstanding the "bakery" part, this complex includes mostly home furnishings retailers.
My $6 cocktail.
I came here with a very large group during dineLA. A three-course dinner cost $26 -- sort of a waste of a dineLA meal to tell you the truth. To me, dineLA is all about maximizing my savings, so it's always a better deal to go to a restaurant that is more expensive.
Appetizer #1: Pulled pork tostadas with Asian slaw and hoisin BBQ sauce.
Like Chinese sopes. Sometimes fusion succeeds. Good job here.
Appetizer #2: Roasted beet and apple salad with toasted almonds and goat cheese.
Pleasant, fresh, and light.
Entree #1: Grilled yellowtail with creamy polenta and salsa verde.
Nicely done, but I prefer yellowtail raw or only slightly seared. Polenta was great.
Entree #2: Duck confit with fingerling potatoes, frisee, grapes, and plum ginger glaze.
Disappointing. But I have high standards for duck because I love it so much.
Entree #3: Miso-marinated black cod with sesame green beans.
My favorite of the three entrees. Like buttah.
Some members of our party ordered from the regular menu.
Spring rolls. Chicken pad thai. Fish and chips. Big fat meh to all of it.
Dessert #1: Warm apple tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
I appreciated that this was really hot. That is pretty much all I appreciated about this.
Dessert #2: Rice Krispies sundae with chocolate and caramel sauces.
Only ok, as this could be easily made at home. Well, at least made by somebody other than yours truly.
Beacon is a decent restaurant, but I doubt I'll return. I feel no need to repeat "decent" when there is plenty of "awesome" in this town.
But the company was good:) Not sure how I missed the miso cod...I usually go for miso...oh well.
ReplyDeleteMango-infused sake sounds good -- too bad it didn't live up to its name.
ReplyDeleteI do need to give our waiter some credit for allowing me to taste one of their "exclusive" wines before making a decision on what to buy. One look at my face after I sipped & he gave me other suggestions. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your approach to DineLA! When Restaurant Week hits NYC, I just sort the list of participating restaurants in descending order by price and start making reservations.
ReplyDeleteyeah, "decent" doesn't fly anymore. l.a. sure has a bunch of great eateries.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't look like anything special....
ReplyDeleteI want that duck drumstick something fierce.
ReplyDeletemeh. too bad. but nice photos!
ReplyDeletei loved that cod. it was delish. but yeah, nothing to go back for when there are so many other places to try.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I order there is the cod. I don't remember what else I ate that night. Dine LA will be back again before you finish these recaps. hehe hehehe
ReplyDeleteThe company was better than the food. =) The drinks were not strong at all. I didn't even buzz after 3!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you regarding yellowtail - raw please!
ReplyDelete*sigh* so sorry you didn't have a good time. The burger is fan-fuggin-tastic, the chef/owner is classical trained under Wolfgang Puck, and is the gentleman who basically brought braised short ribs to LA. We're going to check out the $20 Sunday prix fixe soon, and I think we'll be happy.
ReplyDeleteI'll take decent if it means I'm in LA!
ReplyDeleteThose pics are awesome - was it the lighting or something else that made them even more focused and crisp?
Hi weezermonkey,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review. I've been curious about this place, but you've just saved me a trip. :)
If you like Duck Confit, have you tried RH at the Andaz yet? I have some pics if you want to see what it's like (delicious! :).
I've heard the miso cod is the only really great thing there. Looks gorgeous, but kind of a small portion! Makes me think a trip to Matsuhisa is a better move when I get a craving for some miso cod.
ReplyDeleteI, too, love duck! Well, I love to eat them. I don't love them so much when I see them at the park.
ReplyDelete