Wilshire
2454 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA
25th Street
310-586-1707
In a restaurant landscape where menus all start to read the same, Chef Christopher Blobaum has developed some unique dishes. How about crispy poached egg with baby purple artichokes, black-eyed peas and smoky bacon? As odd as it sounds, the contrast between the crisped golden breadcrumbs on the outside of the egg and the molten yolk, with the nutty artichokes and earthy peas, is beguiling. His duck confit salad isn't shredded duck, but the real thing, salty and moist, a large piece of duck perched on arugula strewn with persimmons and pistachios.
-- S. Irene Virbila
Times Restaurant Critic
Nov. 9, 2005
Hours: Mon.-Thu., 6-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 6-11 p.m.; Sun., 5-9 p.m. Bar menu available Mon.-Sat., 5 p.m.-1 a.m.; Sun., 5-10 p.m.
Fax: 310-586-1742
Venue Details
| Cuisine |
American
|
| Rating |
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| Ambience |
High-concept American restaurant with a glamorous two-tier garden patio with an outdoor bar at one end, candles and fire elements everywhere and a focus on organic produce from local farms. The bar menu is served till late.
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| Best dishes |
Red squash and Asian pear soup, beet salad with roasted hazelnuts, crispy poached organic egg, duck confit salad, pork chop with creamy polenta, spit-roasted leg or rack of lamb, braised boneless beef short ribs.
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| Best table |
A dark, corner one in the upper part of the patio.
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| Desserts |
House made ice creams and sorbets.
|
| Of Note |
Private dining room in its own little building adjoining the patio can be rented for special occasions.
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| Prices |
Dinner appetizers, $9-$22; main courses, $26-$34; desserts, $6-$9.
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| Service |
Amiable and helpful, if sometimes inexperienced.
|
| Wine list |
Good all-around list that covers California, with a nod to Old and New World regions. Corkage, $25.
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