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!
Venice Blvd. in Culver City is lined with ethnic restaurants. Every time I drive down Venice, trying to avoid the congestion on parallel streets, I look at the restaurants as I drive by, and wonder how to chose one to try. So recently, I checked out Tara's Himalayan Cuisine, serving Nepalese and Tibetan cuisine.
Behind the vine covered fence, you enter a space with a tarp covered ceiling, that has lighting coming from behind it. While the decor and ambience are nothing special, Tara's serves authentic Himalyan cuisine from Nepal and Tibet and 10% of any profit earned goes toward education in Nepal. It's a nice idea knowing that we can go out to eat and some of the money we spend will impact the life of women and children in Nepal.
When a friend asked me to meet him for drinks in Culver City at the end of January, he suggested East Borough. I had not yet heard of the restaurant and learned that it had been open for less than a week. I found the restaurant on Washington Blvd., just east of Sony Studios and next door to City Tavern, and we enjoyed a few tasty cocktails. I knew I had to return soon for the food, which I did.
East Borough is a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant with a first location in Costa Mesa. John Cao and chef Chloe Tran from Costa Mesa have partnered with Paul Hibler (Pitfire Pizza, Superba Snack Bar) and chef Jason Neroni (Superba Snack Bar) to offer Vietnamese flavors and the French-influenced side of Vietnamese cuisine. The staff is exceptionally friendly and very well versed in each dish on the menu.
Starting with the cocktails, they are all made with fresh juice and house-crafted items. The cocktails incorporate Asian flavors and spices, such as thai basil, tamarind, ginger and lemongrass. The Saigon Soda (gin, kiwi, vinegar, lime, thai basil), In Eastern Fashion (bourbon, pomelo, chocolate chili bitters), Tamarindo (reposado, tamarind, lime, sriracha salt) were refreshing subtle cocktails. But, the subtlety was enhanced when paired with the spicy flavors of the food.
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!
Behind the vine covered fence, you enter a space with a tarp covered ceiling, that has lighting coming from behind it. While the decor and ambience are nothing special, Tara's serves authentic Himalyan cuisine from Nepal and Tibet and 10% of any profit earned goes toward education in Nepal. It's a nice idea knowing that we can go out to eat and some of the money we spend will impact the life of women and children in Nepal.
