08 Jul Shared Plates and Fresh Flavors at The Wallace

Tucked among the busy Main Street in Culver City, sandwiched between Venice Blvd and Culver Blvd, is The Wallace. The restaurant concept may not be new, but former SBE corporate chef Michael Teich and his wife Carol are doing it well! The Wallace is industrial with large floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the patio area. And if you are facing away from the patio, you can look at the open kitchen so that you can watch the cooks at work. The modern decor includes Edison bulbs dangling above, wooden tables and metal and wood chairs and a long bar that seats 13. The Wallace looks like many restaurants opening today. But unlike most restaurants today where you can’t hear yourself think, the noise at The Wallace seems under control and you can have a nice conversation with your friends without yelling. We began with cocktails. Greg Bryson is now running the bar and served up one of his new creations – Get Lucky – a refreshing play on a bramble made with Old Tom Gin, peaches and mint) and the Teepee (Campari, chamomile, grapefruit, cava). Both drinks were a great way to start the night but also perfect for summer.   In addition to cocktails, there is a nice wine list with a food-friendly wine by the glass offering. The Wallace features a farm-to-table menu that is fresh and seasonal. In fact, many of the ingredients come directly from from the Culver City farmer’s market that is just outside their door. The items are broken into five sections – Jarred, Cheese/Cured, Vegetable, Sea and Land. And the best part is that the menu is filled with small plates so you can try lots of things and share with friends. Jarred Roasted Artichoke and Crap Dip with root vegetable chips ($10) Smoke Trout with cucumber, radish, celery, yogurt and almonds ($9) Cheese/Cured Ricotta Dumplings with morel mushrooms, peas, pea tendrils & spring onion ($14) Vegetable The largest section on the menu is vegetables and we would have ordered them all but since we were trying to get at least one thing from each section, we decided to just order the Grilled Cauliflower this time. Grilled Cauliflower with creamy Parmesan, almond bread crumb & rosemary ($9) Sea Lemonfish Crudo with pickled plum, avocado, serrano and nicoise ($13) Land Short Rib Ravioli with braised greens, crispy rice, satsuma and pomegranate ($13) Dessert Salted Caramel Pudding with sugar cookie, dulce de leche and whipped cream ($9) The Wallace 3833 Main St., Culver City 310-202-6400 The Wallace also offers a “Social Hour” from 4-6pm, Monday-Friday