Living Deliciously in SoCal: Maybe Eat: Wood & Vine, Los Angeles, CA

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Maybe Eat: Wood & Vine, Los Angeles, CA

One of J's foodie friends told him about this new place that opened in Hollywood that was supposed to be fantastic. When I found out chicken and waffles were on the menu, I was sold. For those of you who don't know me, fried chicken is one of my favorite comfort foods. When pies and thighs in Brooklyn NY closed down, I was heartbroken. They had the BEST chicken biscuits I've ever tasted. I did eventually find very good fried chicken at Tupelo in Cambridge, MA... but now that we're in LA, I have to find a solid fried chicken spot here!

The menu at Wood and Vine was well thought out, and reminded us of some of our other favorite places on the West Side - Venice Beach Wines or Gjelina. The back patio reminded me of summer nights in Brooklyn, NY with the string of lights and fire pit. We were off to a good start...

We started with the "Avocado and Grapefruit Salad - butter lettuce, cilantro, champagne vinagrette." $8. When it arrived at our table, we could not help but notice the lack of grapefruit (1 sliver in the left lower corner) and avocado (J almost couldn't find it!). Maybe they were trying to be subtle, but it was too subtle for our tastes. To put it bluntly, the description was a lot more exciting than the actual taste of the salad.

The next dish we tried was the grilled scallops with truffled grits and wild mushrooms. With a name like that, we were expecting a party in our mouths. Alas, it was not. The flavors didn't really come together, and it tasted boring. Definitely overpriced at $16.

Fortunately, the fried chicken and waffles did dazzle. The house made waffles were a perfect compliment to the nicely fried chicken and the maple roasted squash tied it all together. One of the best interpretations of this southern classic dish. Bravo! While $14 seemed a bit steep for the amount (I think I could have eaten two of these by myself, and I wasn't even that hungry!), at least this dish was something exciting.

So in the end, we liked it, but didn't love Wood and Vine. This is great spot to grab a bite if you're heading to a show across the street at the Pantages Theater, but we both agreed that we wouldn't make a trek out from the west side just to eat there.