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Waterloo & City
Categories: Restaurants Gastropubs Restaurants British Gastropubs, British [Edit]
12517 Washington BlvdCulver City, CA 90066
Neighbourhood: Culver City
(310) 391-4222
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5 pm - 12 am
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 1 am
Sun 5 pm - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot, Valet
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
559 reviews for Waterloo & City
Review Highlights
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"The Chicken Liver & Foie Gras Mousse is fantastic." In 35 reviews -
"sticky toffee pudding was delightful." In 68 reviews -
"The shrimp and zucchini blossom fritters are delicious." In 10 reviews
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559 reviews in English
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Review from Chris C.
Manhattan Beach, CA
5/25/2012
I week or so ago I was searching around on Yelp for a good restaurant to take on a decent-sized group event (my B-Ball buddies and I were celebrating 28 years of playing hoops every - and I mean every - Sunday).
As I was searching around I stumbled upon W&C and shot them an e-mail asking if they could take on our group (~15). They answered back quickly and we were off and running. We got a large table in the enclosed patio and Camille (the events director for W&C) gave us some suggestions for the pre-fix menu they would set up. The suggested selections looked so good we just went with it.
When we got there, we started at the bar area with a bev. Great draft beer selection and decent enough bar area. Downside - only 1 TV in the bar area (really?) and there had to be a little negotiation to switch between the basketball playoffs and hockey. Just 1 more TV and it would have been just fine...
Dinner on the other had was fantastic from the start. The enclosed patio was great and quiet enough so that we could all talk/mingle etc without annoying others. I started with the Arugula, Grilled Bartlett Pears, Smoked Almonds, Parmesan. My buddy next to me had the same salad and we both agreed we would have been perfectly happy with it as a dinner salad it was so good. My entree was the Salmon, Nettle Risotto, Green Garlic, Grilled Calamari, Pickled Meyer Lemon. This was a great combination of flavors and I really enjoyed the grilled calimari with the salmon. For dessert since I lo-ve toffee, I had the Sticky Toffee Pudding, Salted Caramel with Vanilla Ice Cream and I was not disappointed. W&C also has a good wine list both by the bottle and glass. My other dining partners were as impressed as I was with the food and service and we all agreed that this place was a great find in the Culver City area. Certainly is now on my short list of good dining places on the West Side of LA. -
Review from chris t.
Venice, CA
5/23/2012
Such a solid place. Friendly. Really well-executed food. Reasonable prices for the quality of the food. Zero pretentiousness. My new favorite place on the border of Culver/Venice. (I'd pick W&C over any place on Abbot K these days for the above reasons).
Here's what went down:
Dark and Stormy to start. Bueno.
Yellowtail crudo. My favorite dish of everything I ate. Fresh. Bright. So good.
Gnocchi with Oxtail ragu. Gnocchi were light and the ragu was delicious.
Doughnuts with lemon curd, bourbon glaze and vanilla ice cream sides. This dessert is insanely good. You get about five perfect doughnut balls so this one is enough to split with about three people.
I'll be back to try to sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel which also sounded very promising.
My co-pilot had:
Grilled peach w/burrata and (was it?) mint. Amazing.
Scallops with green pea ravioli. Tasty. Maybe a touch too much salt for my taste on the scallops.
W&C also has some great food/drink deals during Happy Hour.
Go.
p.s. Check out the cool wallpaper in the dining area. Definitely modern Britain. -
Review from Francesca B.
Los Angeles, CA
5/21/2012
I've been here twice now, and I haven't been disappointed yet! The menu is very interesting, the atmosphere is great, and the service is efficient and friendly.
Food:
Arugula, Pear, and Almond salad is fresh, light, and delicious. Definitely a tasty appetizer without making you too full for the main course.
The Butter Chicken Pizza has an Indian flavor to it. It's an easy to share, good quality, flat pizza. The flavors are great, though I could have used a few more pieces of chicken. But I had it as an appetizer, so I didn't want to get too full!
The Duck Breast Main Entree is delicious. The bing cherries add a sweetness to the dish, as you may often find paired with duck, but it's not overpowering at all. And it's a perfect size portion. Not like a place where you pay $30+ for a tiny bit of food at the center of a beautifully prepared plate, but not a Cheesecake Factory portion.
The Pasta Special: Truffle Linguini. This dish is very simple - homemade linguini with mushrooms and truffle oil. If you love truffle oil, then you'll love it! But it's a little overwhelming for me (I don't LOVE mushrooms). It's not paired with anything on the side, so all you get is that truffle flavor, which is why I say it's overwhelming. My group split the dish, so a little was perfect, but I don't know if I could eat the whole thing, unless I also ordered on of their side vegetables and really LOVED mushrooms.
The ambiance is like a fun, upscale pub, and the bar has a nice beer selection different from what you normally see. I had a glass of Pino Grigio, and it was fine, but not great.
I'll definitely go back! -
Review from Jennifer I.
Santa Monica, CA
5/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
I'm torn between at 3 and a 4 on this one. Went last Saturday night with the bf. It was fancier than I expected, which isn't a bad thing, just a little unexpected. I had the recommended grilled peach and burrata salad. It was delicious. So so so good. The bf had the wedge salad. On the wedge salad was bacon, as there usually is. But this bacon. Oh my heavens, this bacon. It was magical. Amazing. Spectacular. It was thin. Very thin. Crispy, oh so crispy, but not burnt. And smoked. Oh god was it smoked. It was the best bacon I've ever had. But back to the rest of the salad. Slices of blue cheese, not crumbles, which were creamy and smooth and delicious. It was the best wedge salad ever. The bf was really pleased.
We were both looking forward to our entrees. The bf got the brisket with peppercorn sauce. It also came recommended by our server. It looked really yummy when it came out. And it fell apart when he put his fork in it. Then he tasted it. Totally tasteless and dry. Really disappointing. IT was accompanied by some sort of greens and fried spinach and cheese risotto balls. They were also tasteless. I got the diver scallops with the sweet pea ravioli and white asparagus. Mine was delicious. The sweet pea ravioli was great, creamy and rich, the scallops were perfectly seasoned.
I was really satisfied with my meal, but the bf's entree was so not good that I'm left unsatisfied. But i'm going to stick with 4 stars. The salads were amazing, and my entree was great. Really I just don't recommend the brisket. :) -
Review from Tanya D.
The menu: Varied
The setting: Quite British
The service: Attentive
The food: Delicious!
Waterloo & City was saintly for giving us a spot (albeit one of those taller ones at the communal table near the bar) as we walked up on a Friday at 8. A legit table would've been a longer wait but at this point I was famished. And my oh-so-lovely boyfriend pulled out all the stops, with a lovely bottle of wine and letting me order starters:
Cured Meats Selection (standard) and Rabbit & Pistachio Terrine (why not?). The former was a good selection. All, well... meaty. The latter was rich, with a great texture. I also remember being impressed by the bread that accompanied the dishes. Nothing was overlooked.
He had the lamb belly and I tried the bone and marrow pie. The presentation of each was, of course, lovely. The bone and marrow pie comes in a black skillet with the bone poking out of the center of pie. With beef, potatoes and plenty of mushrooms, this is such a comfort food with the indulgent bone marrow to top it off. From what I heard, the lamb belly was also enjoyed.
So the food was, indeed, a reason alone to return to Waterloo & City, but the staff is so friendly, making plenty of recommendations and doing a great job of engaging us in our meals. The maitre d' was also an utter delight with a huge smile and doing a great job charming the entire dining room during the evening rush.
The lighting is nice and dim, yet with a laidback ambience. A great spot that I would recommend for someone trying to get rid of some spare cash. -
Review from Kristin K.
Los Angeles, CA
5/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Well, it is the most I've ever spent on a Happy Hour per capita. Ever.
The signature drinks were great. The mushroom pizza was very flavorful and thin. The Scotch Egg tasted like leftovers you shaped into a ball and wrapped it in day-old French fries straight from the fridge. The other Scotch eggs I've had have been warm. Maybe this preparation is the legit one but I'll take it warm from now on, thanks.
I've had the sticky toffee pudding from their catering service and I'm guessing it's exactly the same, and it is definitely delicious. I also had some mean shepard's pie. So I'm sort of on the fence about this place. It's quite expensive for pub food (albeit very decent pub food).
Their parking lot is valet only so be warned. I live close enough to walk here and I just might do that next time. -
Review from Hye Min Amy S.
Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 5/4/2012
LOVE!
Went back for the 2nd time and it is most definitely one of my favorite places in LA.
First off, all the staffs are AMAZING. Super nice and likable. Very attentive, even the water servers. And they all do it with a smile. What a nice place. Always nice to find a nice restaurant without the attitude.
Food... sigh. so amazing. I had the special, rabbit stew with ravioli in foie gras butter. At first i was concerned the food would be too heavy, being this a stew with foie gras butter. It was just delectable. The portions weren't too big, which I preferred. I wouldn't know what to do with a humongous pot of buttery stew. It wasn't too salty. just the right amount of decadent rich flavor. anyway, i LOVED.
My friend got the beef and marrow pie. I had a chicken pot pie before, which i believe was also a special menu, but beef and marrow pie is definitely the winner here. Beef of course is very tender. the whole pie was just packed with great flavor. and the pie crust which i can only describe as a yorkshire bread pudding, was crunch and chewy. beautiful dish.
One thing i would not recommend is their steak. Maybe it was just a bad batch, but the bone-in steak another friend got was tough and lacked flavor. Pass on the steaks for an actual steak house.
Dessert, the donuts. I wanted to give them a try again because the donuts look so delicious. the taste? one bite feels like i just dunked myself in a tub of sugar with my mouth open. Maybe someone likes to do that, but i prefer my desserts to be more subtle and delicate in taste so it wouldn't just overpower everything i had for dinner. I had to get a cup of coffee to wash down the suger overload. If my review means anything to the restaurant, i just WISH the restaurant would put a little less sugar in their dessert. Easy on the sugar powder on the donuts please.
Still, one of the best. great ambiance, wonderful service, and amazing food.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/10/2012
I LIKE!
First, I like their decor. it's just kind of cool. lol. i guess it's a bit hipster-ish with… Read more »
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Review from Ema S.
Culver City, CA
4/23/2012
Well I gave it another shot...actually another 3 shots lol I guess i was too quick to judge after being open less then a month...I should know better!
Came into the bar area with a few friends and ordered from the happy hour menu. they have an amazing and i mean AMAZING burger on the menu. The bartender was very knowledgeable about the beer list which was very helpful and was very attentive.
Second time I came in had the pizza and my bf had the salmon which he said was delicious. The service was top notch and the rest of the staff was very friendly.
This is a great gem on the west side! -
Review from H M.
Los Angeles, CA
4/28/2012
I am very pleased with this restaurant, as must be Gordon Ramsay. Because he was there. With his entourage. (rolls eyes)
The decor is modern and hip and pretty great for groups, but I will warn you, it does get pretty loud at this joint.
Customer service is impeccable. The host was gracious and friendly and our waitress was super sweet. The way she was able to recite ALL of the specials (and there were A LOT) so flawlessly was quite impressive. The other wait staff were very attentive, always on the mark about filling our glasses, clearing our plates and even folding our napkins when we excused ourselves from the table.
We weren't feeling particularly hungry, so we ordered the Wedge Salad, the Wild Mushroom Pizza and the Broccolini to share.
Wedge Salad - fresh and flavorful. The bleu cheese and ranch combination gave the salad a very intense tangy flavor. Portion was just right as to not overwhelm the palate.
Wild Mushroom Pizza - Ok. Honestly, nothing out of the ordinary. Standard but solid.
Broccolini - I ordered this to serve as my weekly intake of vegetables. I didn't enjoy it much. Perhaps because I'm averse to greens or maybe because I don't like ginger. My partner, however, did enjoy this side dish.
Happy hour is also great here. Good selection of alcohol at a reasonable price. Try this place, you won't be disappointed. -
Review from Cecilie R.
Los Angeles, CA
4/17/2012
1) We had a babysitter booked 2) We wanted to eat somewhere new to us 3) We wanted to go to a gastropub kinda place. Per yelp, Waterloo & City seemed to fit the criteria.
We showed up around 6p without reservations. We opted for the patio near a heater. The dining area did fill quickly after we arrived so I guess if you want to sit in the dining room proper reservations would be a good idea.
Our waiter seemed nice enough though I felt like he was high or buzzed. When my husband asked what Scotch they had he seemed like was trying to remember the quadratic equation. He did kindly repeat one of the specials for me as they had about 5 or 6 "specials."
The bread basket was amazing! I don't usually comment on the bread but it was so good. I assume they have a bread guy/gal because bread seemed to come with everything. Even my salad.
My husband got the tuna tartar to start and the rabbit stew as a main course. To me the tartar was bit too acidic but otherwise forgettable. The rabbit stew was good and my husband adored it. I got the pea + fava bean + goat cheese salad. To me the flavors weren't super balanced. The goat cheese was so mild that it didn't add much to the peas. And the peas didn't seem to be as sweet as I thought they would be (perhaps not in season). For my entree I had the white corn ravioli with serrano ham. It had a lemon sauce. This seemed like a balanced dish with salt, sweet ,and sour.
My husband and I shared the doughnuts with dipping sauce. They were unsurprisingly good. How can fresh doughnuts NOT be good?
I felt like the courses were a bit rushed. Perhaps I am spoiled from some upper scale places but as soon as we finished our appetizers/salads they cleared out plates and brought our entrees. And it wasn't like we had lingered a long time over the appetizer course.
I would go again as they had a lot of entrees that looked interesting, particularly in the pasta section which is not an inventive arena. -
Review from Matt L.
Los Angeles, CA
5/6/2012
The restaurant lived up to it's rave reviews:
The signature cocktails were great, and the wine/beer list was as extensive as can be. You'd be hard pressed to not find what you are looking for.
The food was amazing - as a group we had tuna tare tare, Cesar salad, arugula salad, salmon entree (x2) and the two different cappalini dishes with and without seafood. For dessert - the rice pudding and sticky toffee something or other - all was amazing!
The dining room was a bit noisy - but we were still able to connect with old friends and enjoy our two hours together.
All in all - we will definitely be repeat diners. Don't expect to have an inexpensive meal - but definitely expect to have a great experience and excellent food. -
Review from Vince S.
West Los Angeles, CA
4/22/2012
Been here twice already for their happy hour. It runs from 5pm to 7pm daily and I believe from 10pm til close as well.
Menu changes. Overall decent food for the happy hour price. Very attentive servers and busboys. Had their house burger. The sauces were great. Burger so-so. I have tried pub burgers from Umami, A-Frame, Father's Office and Library AleHouse. Rating as such:
Waterloo (8/10)
Umami (6/10)
FO ( 9/10)
A Frame (9/10)
Ale House (8/10) -
Review from Julia b.
4/2/2012
I had been hesitant to try waterloo and city for awhile, mostly because everyone told me how non-veggie friendly it was (they are right, but luckily i eat fish). I finally came here this weekend and was completely impressed with this place!
To start, there is a great list of unique cocktails to begin your meal with. The bar here is no joke, and I would gladly come here just for drinks alone. We were given a great breadbasket, which i normally don't comment on, but this bread was grainy and rye-ish and awesome. My dining companion knew to ask for beef drippings with the bread (not listed on menu) which she said was her favorite thing to order there. I guess its some top secret item....
Our waiter spent about 10 minutes rattling off the specials, so don't get your heart set on anything you see online before you order. Like the beef drippings, my companion seemed to know several other items not listed on the menu, such as her eventual dinner, the Chicken Pot Pie. It's worth it to ask your waiter about these items because I get the feeling they can do a lot in that kitchen if you ask for it.
I myself went for the Sea Scallops. Cooked perfectly atop a bed of foam and pea ravioli, I absolutely loved this filling and unique dish. There were about 4-5 ravoli's at the bottom of the dish and wow- they were perfectly cooked and very pillowy. The filling was a flavorful pea combination, which was light and wonderful. The foam added just the right amount of salt to this dish, and made it feel contemporary and unique.
The real highlight of this meal was the dessert- Sticky Toffee Pudding. This was hands down one of the best desserts i've had in LA and I definitely recommend it. Served with a dollop of ice cream atop a salted caramel and toffee warm pudding- really, there is nothing like it! -
Review from Christine O.
Los Angeles, CA
4/17/2012 2 Check-ins Here
GREAT food!
My favorites: BBQ Tri-Tip Pizza, Yukon Potato Gnocchi, Capellini Pasta, Diver Scallops, and Brussel Sprouts w/bacon.
Definitely a calorie splurge, but well worth it!
Nice selection of wines by the glass, too.
Street parking can be hard to find on busy nights, but they have valet as well. -
Review from Mateo L.
Culver City, CA
3/27/2012
Easily the worst service I've experienced in a long, long time. We came to celebrate two birthdays and never even made it to dessert.
The restaurant itself has a bit of an identity crisis. The patio says "Hamburger Hamlet" (for those that remember the near-extinct chain), but the main dining room feels more like Country French. We were seated in a drafty third room, in back, with barren walls and cold, hardwood benches that kind of said "saloon".
When our salesman--ahem-- waiter arrived, he was noticeably disappointed that we had already gotten drinks from the bar. He half tried to push another round on us, though it was fairly obvious we had just begun our first. So he swallowed hard and brought us water.... Just regular old tap, to his dismay.
Now, I'll admit that a grazer like myself is probably not the ideal customer for a place like this that specializes in huge portions of heavy, filling food. But, knowing this, I decided to skip an appetizer. Little did I know I wouldn't be seeing my entree for well over an hour.
3 out of 7 of us ordered appetizers-- and the three that ordered them finished them quite quickly. After that, it was as if we hadn't ordered anything else. We just waited and waited and waited and nothing came. Our salesman had disappeared entirely. We asked the busser if the food would be out soon and he kind of shrugged and walked away. Finally we caught a glimpse of our salesman and asked him what was going on. "Oh, it'll be just a minute."
10 minutes later, I got up and complained to a manager, telling him we were ready to give up and leave. No apology, no concern, nothing. Just "Oh, I'll check that".
Food finally comes out with no apology and no acknowledgement of how unbelievably long it took to get to us. At this point, my appetite had mellowed quite substantially and I just wanted to get out of there. The food was fine but one thing that surprised me was how soft and mushy the batter on the onion rings and fried pork belly was. If you are going to deep fry things in batter just for shock value, you may want to come up with a half decent batter that is light and crispy rather than heavy and mushy.
Anyways, like I said, we had 2 birthdays at the table but we all agreed that ordering dessert wasn't worth risking another hour in this place. So, we sang happy birthday, they blew out the candle that was sitting on the table and we left.
Needless to say, won't be coming back.
EDIT: after reading other reviews and looking it up, I have now discovered that the disinterested "manager" I complained to was actually the owner! What a disgrace! -
Review from Sandee T.
Beverly Hills, CA
4/17/2012 4 photos
Dish (& its star ratings):
- Crab gazpacho (4): nice chunks of crab, refreshing base
- Maine scallops w/ corn ravioli (4.5): nicely seared scallops and savory corn "pasta"
- Miso-glazed grilled albacore w/ citrus dressing (4): really fresh fish and marinated-creamy fish + light crisp sauce
- Salted toffee cake with caramel ice cream (4): oh, salty + sweet is the BEST combo! decadent dessert
Decor: British gastropub.
Crowd: Long lines for a weekday. Waited at the bar with pre-dinner drinks.
Service: Fair, 3.5 stars
Overall: The food is fabu. Group dining here seems fun. -
Review from Carolyn P.
Westwood, CA
4/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
Definitely a fan!
Every encounter with Waterloo & City was a good one -- from making the reservation to the service and the food -- it was all great! Making a reservation was easy -- Shannon answered the phone right away and was able to accommodate my party without any problems. Even when I called a day later to make a change, she was friendly and accommodating. The restaurant itself is pretty unassuming from the street but when you pull into the parking lot, it's really quite cute with a great heated outdoor patio with twinkling lights welcoming you.
My friends and I decided to order family-style and our waitress was very helpful. Our meal was split into 4 parts (as listed below) and our waitress and servers came by between each part with fresh plates and utensils for all of us.
Some side notes -- there is plenty of street parking as well as valet parking. The restaurant also has a great drink menu but also allows BYOB with a $15 corkage fee.
Onto the food...(faves in all caps)
Charcuterie:
My girlfriends and I went crazy for the foie gras so we decided to go for all three options that night. Our favorite was definitely the CHICKEN LIVER & FOIE GRAS MOUSSE. The Hudson Valley Foie Gras and the Eel and Foie Gras Terrine were also good but paled in comparison to the mousse. Portions for all 3 were generous and each came with its own specialty toast.
Pizza & Pasta:
WHITE CORN RAVIOLI -- al dente ravioli shells filled with ooey-gooey burrata and white corn. Sweet and savory and absolutely delicious. Must order!
WILD MUSHROOM PIZZA with smoked mozzarella and truffle oil -- a solid dish. Who doesn't love truffle oil?
YUKON POTATO GNOCCHI -- served with a lamb cheek ragu and topped with manchego cheese. The citrus in the tomato based sauce really cut the richness of the lamb cheek and nuttiness of the manchego cheese. The gnocchi were perfect little potato pillows.
The special that night was a homemade linguine in a truffle sauce topped with freshly shaved black truffles. Sounds like heaven right? While it was good, it wasn't great. I was expecting more...a lot more and honestly, it was a bit bland. I was definitely disappointed with this last pasta dish.
Mains:
ROAST PORK CHOP -- YUM. Served with Fuji apples, pork belly, a squash puree, and onion rings. The pork was so juicy and tender and seasoned just right. Another must order!
WATERLOO WELLINGTON -- to be honest, I have never been a big fan of beef wellington but Waterloo & City really took it up a notch. The beef was very flavorful and the pastry shell was amazingly flaky.
Australian Sea Bass -- this was the biggest disappointment. I had checked the online menu before the meal and I was really looking forward to this particular dish. The old menu had the bass served with ricotta and truffle gnocchi. I asked our waitress and she said that they had just changed the menu a few weeks ago and the sea bass was served differently now. It was just okay. Honestly, it was so unremarkable that I can't even really remember what came with the bass.
Desserts:
STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING topped with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream. Order this!
WATERLOO DOUGHNUTS -- deliciously fried dough served warm with orange curd, bourbon glaze, and vanilla ice cream. Drool...
Strawberry rhubarb tart -- the strawberry rhubarb filling was tart and tangy but the pastry crust was a bit soggy.
Bottom line...Waterloo & City is a hidden gem on a relatively industrial strip of Washington Blvd in Culver City. I am a BIG fan and will definitely be back...hopefully soon! -
Review from Laura A.
Los Angeles, CA
This place is too good! I had their Roast Pork Chop, Caramelized Peach, Spinach, Potato Cake, Onion Rings. Mmm Mmm Mmm. Filled me right up! The pork chop had the perfect balance of tender and juicy. The caramelized peach went well with the more thicker part of the meat. Plus, what ever they are using to deep-fry the onion rings is awesome. One of the best onion rings I've ever tried.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/2/2012
I ended up at Waterloo & City because of my steak/meat craving only to end up ordering the complete… Read more »
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Review from Vicki C.
3/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
BIG FAN of this place. Slightly trendy yet casual, with varied level wooden seating and hanging lights. There is a lovely out door patio area that would be perfect for happy hour on a warmer day.
Our waitress was super perky and helpful with our ordering - advised us on the perfect amount of food for our table. She was very accommodating to our "family style" meal, replacing plates and utensils for all 7 of us multiple times throughout our meal.
Will definitely be back!!!
To the food, in order of yumminess, CAPITALIZED are MUSTS!
WATERLOO WELLINGTON, Grilled, Onion Marmalade, Red Wine - Was very pleasantly surprised at the tenderness and flavor of the beef. Seriously, how good could a chuck of beef be?! SO AMAZING!!! I have never ever had beef Wellington before, and I feel I have my bar set way too high now.
ROAST PORK CHOP, Fuji Apples, Pork Belly, Squash Puree, Onion Rings - I concur wholeheartedly with other reviews - you have to try this! I was worried it would be dry, but this was cooked perfectly. I loved the presentation - pork stacked with potatoes, pork belly, and onion rings?! Yes please!
WHITE CORN RAVIOLI, Serrano Ham, Burrata Cheese, Thyme - The ravioli is (surprise!) sweet, but goes perfectly with the ham and cheese. This really is a special dish you need to try.
Chicken Liver & Foie Gras Mousse - My group was adamant about trying ALL the foie gras dishes (before the dreaded ban), and this dish topped the list for me. Smooth, creamy, with a touch of sweetness. Yum.
Eel & foie gras terrine - A very interesting combination. You are expecting foie gras, but you get... sushi! Seriously, that's all I could think of while eating this dish. I liked it, but I could see some people being turned off by the fishy taste.
Waterloo Doughnuts, Lemon Curd, Bourbon Glaze, Vanilla Ice Cream - I really loved the donuts just by themselves. They were warm, covered with cinnamon and a drizzle. Perfect with a bite of ice cream.
Strawberry rhubarb tart with buttermlk ice cream - I love strawberries and rhubarb! Fantastic marriage of sweet and tart.
Wild Mushroom Pizza, Smoked Mozzarella, Truffle Oil - Can't go wrong with mushrooms and truffle oil.
Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Armagnac Prunes, Brioche - My favorite part of this dish was the brioche... =\ Among the foie gras dishes, this was my least favorite. Tough to stand up to good foie gras, this one falls to the bottom of the list.
Sticky Toffee Pudding, Salted Caramel, Vanilla Ice Cream - Definitely on the sweeter side. Perfect with a cup of coffee.
Beef ragu gnocchi - This is the chewy type of gnocchi, which I don't like as much. The sauce was hearty. Solid dish, but not something I would order again.
Truffle linguini special - We were drawn to this special for the truffles, but it was a little disappointing. Not much flavor to the pasta - could have used a little salt... =\
Bass - Just OK, not really memorable. -
Review from Amy K.
Moretown, VT
4/7/2012
This place is amazing! From start to finish, I wouldn't change a thing! We were a group of four, with eyes that were obviously bigger than our stomachs.
We started with the charcuterie... duck & walnut pate, wild boar pate, chicken liver & foie gras mousse, cured meats, and the smoked salmon with potato terrine (topped with an egg). While all of it was amazing, the mousse was the standout! Insanely smooth, rich and delicious!
They has a pasta special... linguine with sweetbreads, prosciutto, and chanterelles. I'm not normally a fan of sweetbreads, but this dish was amazing - definitely order it again. Others at the table had the wedge salad, with a light ranch dressing with blue cheese - perfect level of richness. The fish and chips had the perfect batter (and they have malt vinegar).
For dessert, we had the strawberry rhubarb tart with buttermilk ice cream. It bought out the natural sweetness from the strawberry rhubarb. The rice pudding was AMAZING! It had a scoop of rich creamy chocolate hazelnut ice cream.
While the 4 of us couldn't finish everything, it was totally worthy trying everything. Go, enjoy! -
Review from Scott C.
North Hollywood, CA
4/1/2012
One of my new favorite restaurants! Awesome for the adventurous eater...
I will be back, and back, and ...
And the service was great. -
Review from P T.
Whittier, CA
3/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came here on a whim for a beer and something to eat with friends after work. Had no idea that the food would be so good, and the beer I had was pretty awesome too.
I tried the wild mushroom pizza and had a couple of glasses of a beer call North Coast Scrimshaw, which I had never heard of but was really good.
I am not a big fan of mushroom but I enjoyed the pizza. The mushrooms had a real smoky flavor, which might have been enhanced by the truffle oil. Overall surprisingly good. Wouldn't mind coming back here for happy hour. -
Review from Em L.
Santa Monica, CA
5/5/2012
Really high prices for mediocre food.
There were crumbs all over the seat, so when I sat down I was extremely uncomfortable. Had to get up and wipe the crumbs off myself. It was a little disgusting.
Waiter was nice and friendly, but didn't really stand out much. Didn't think much of it.
In summary, we had to pay a lot to eat average food and sit on bread crumbs. Never going back. -
Review from C T.
Los Angeles, CA
3/12/2012
I like this place...they don't spare the truffle oil that's for sure. My friend got the truffle parmesan pasta. They commented it was a little salty this time compared to the 1st time they tried this dish - and I agreed w/them but the truffle oil was very strong, maybe too strong. The wild mushroom pizza w/truffle oil was perfectly cooked with oil, however. It was delicious and could be shared between 2 people. The potato gnocchi w/oxtail was also a good balance with all the truffle oil we were having. And then my friend got the rabbit stew which I thought was good to try once, but it was a little heavy and the rabbit didn't have much taste. It came with smoked bacon which didn't really rub off on the rabbit.
Overall, this place serves heavy, filling, good food. The sticky toffee pudding cake was delicious (it compares to Westside Tavern which I thought had THE best toffee pudding cake). The duck pate w/orange marmalade and walnut spread was good. I think all of their appetizers would be tasty and good to share among people. Since their pasta, appetizers, and entrees all sound AMAZING, I would come back with a group again and share and try a bunch of different dishes. It was really tough to make a choice. There is parking on the street so no need to valet. Bread basket was really good. -
Review from Sam C.
Monterey Park, CA
2/13/2012
PATE PATE PATE!!!!!!!
this is my first experience w/ multiple types of pates...we got the Prince $28.00 pick two..note: u cant pick the foi gras one if you do the choices =(....i picked the duck and the rabbit...both were excellent...i think i liked the duck more...the mermlade spread was a good complement to the dish, it also comes w/ mini side pairs like nuts and pickles..and also some priscotto slices....my group was basically full just from this dish...
for the main dishes we got a beet salad...too much of the beets on the dish, but it was very refreshing...
the pork chop was a house favorite so had to get that...i dont like to order pork chops at restaurants but our server highly recommended it to us.....and i was glad, it was pretty unique that it came w/ a side of pork belly too....there were thick slices of the pork chop and then the bone part on the side w/ extra meat....26.00 was not overpriced for this dish, very filling....
i'm excited to come back and try the other pates though!!!!!! -
Review from Maggie R.
3/5/2012
This would normally be a 3.5 star, but it's getting the 3 because I think it's a solid performer, but not a standout.
This place is cool. A little upscale, with some really nice gastropub food. For the more adventurous, you have your pate, your sweetbreads, all that good jazz... for the less adventurous, they have a pizza/pasta section, and their entrees are interesting but not too esoteric.
Their beer list isn't massive, but it's pretty impressively curated for being so (relatively) small. The wine list is also small, but also quite decent.
We were in a bit of a rush, since the kitchen was closing early for the annual staff party, and I had to get to LAX anyway, so we skipped the appetizers and went straight for the food. Since I was about to be on a plane for 4.5 hours, I decided to not be too adventurous on the food and went for the Butter Chicken Pizza. Indian food as pizza? I was sold. Friend got the Wild Mushroom Pizza, which is something he usually gets, so nothing new there.
The food was served quickly, and it was dang tasty! Decently sized for individual pizzas, and the crust was surprisingly good for a place that isn't known for pizza. Chicken was fresh, mozzarella was fresh, sauce had the perfect kick. Friend's Wild Mushroom Pizza was equally fresh and tasty; I don't really love mushrooms so I wouldn't have the same appreciation for it that others do. Still good, though.
We decided to do dessert, since we skipped appetizers. I ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding; Friend ordered the Apple Tarte. I was... a little disappointed in the toffee pudding. It was almost oppressively sweet and caramelly. This wasn't my first time ever having the dish, so I knew what to expect, but this was almost overboard. Suffocating. The apple tarte was mega delish, but suffered a little of the same tenacity in the level of caramelly sweetness. Almost overkill.
Would I be back? Absolutely. The ambiance is nice, the servers are SO nice, and I saw a couple entrees that I was definitely craving for next time. -
Review from Arielle R.
Los Angeles, CA
2/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
Went after a Super Bowl party near by and was delighted at how amazing my meal was from start to finish. The wine is reasonably priced and the sauv blanc our table split was delish.
The Corn ravioli with buratta is one of the most inventive dishes I've had in forever and is such a huge must order I want to reach through this computer screen and force you to take a bite. Such an amazing mix of flavors and creamy sauce covering rich pillowy ravioli stuffed with fresh corn. Ravioli heaven and totally vegetarian.
The mushroom truffle pizza (which is always my jam: see Gjelina) was really good too. More traditional thicker crust as opposed to the thinner wood burning oven types of pizzas at Mozza or Gjelina etc. but it was still good. Not sure I would die for it again cause I like the other sytle of pizza better but if you like thicker crusts then this will be your fav.
Their dinner deals on sunday and monday are a ridic value as is there happy hour specials. Like dirt cheap, so def def get on that.
Although the atmosphere feels a little formal/old, I would for sure come back here with a big group, get rowdy and make a night of it..... also we came on a Sunday so who knows what the prime dinner times on weekends are like. The service was two thumbs up too.
I will def be back to this surprisingly affordable gastrobup for a happy hour or ravioli snack attack :)Listed in: Oh You Fancy, huh?
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Review from Jay I.
3/4/2012
I went to this place with a friend who used to go to culinary school, who recommended this place. He said their pate is pretty good. I didn't know anything about that so I decided to try what he orders for us. I actually liked the pate. It was sort of a ham, but more was in it. I liked the tuna tartare appetizer, too. However, I didn't like their confit entree. Somehow I just couldn't eat it because it wasn't good enough. Too heavy.
Also, the reason I was highly attracted to this place was because they have beef wellington as their special. However, it wasn't on the menu and the server never talked about the specials when we ordered. We found out about it later when we overheard another server serving the next table talk about beef wellington. I was sort of pissed. It could well have been a 5 star night. Instead I had to engulf that confit I really didn't like. -
Review from Jemma K.
Los Angeles, CA
5/3/2012
I love me a gastropub. LOVE their burger! Oh, and the beers? Good selection to choose from and they will help you find the right beer for your mood if you need the help.
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Review from Samantha M.
Marina del Rey, CA
2/17/2012 3 Check-ins Here
Oh Waterloo,
Where do I even begin? You're perhaps one of my most favorite restaurants in all of Los Angeles. Every time I return, my experiences get better and better.
This is the kind of restaurant where it isn't important for me to make suggestions on the menu. Everything I have ever tried here is beyond sensational (on the regular menu and on the specials). Not to mention, the specials are always changing.
If you come here, which you should, my suggestion would be to take advantage of your waiter/waitress. I have yet to come across a staff member at Waterloo who didn't provide me with the most excellent of service; they are always happy and obliged to make suggestions as to what you should order and what you should skip for the night.
As for your dining, please share. I know this isn't necessarily tapas style food but you will have a much more mind-blowing dining experience if you have the opportunity to try as many things as possible. After all, the menu is always changing, you may never get to try it again!
As for dessert, I will tell you that you need to order the doughnuts. I think they are always on the menu, and the dipping sides change with time. I usually order them and, well, I eat them all by myself. I'm kind of obsessed. -
Review from Jake L.
Santa Monica, CA
3/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
Slowly becoming our go-to place.
A couple of favorites I'll point out:
-The arugula salad. A great value, large portion, tasty.
-Charcuterie plate - any of them. Some great in-house productions
-Cocktail special. Get whatever it is that day. -
Review from Ray E.
3/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Waterloo what you do, what you do! Wow, this establishment is amazing! From the high quality dishes and spirit/beer/wine selection, to the extravagant interior ambiance and the staff- very impressive. I can see why this spot takes the crown for Culver City gastropubs.
I went in during a weeknight and popped a squat at the ole brass countered bar. Sir Tanner was of excellent service. Ordered the infamous Chicken Liver Mousse..!!! YES YES, DO IT!! The reputation holds up, you will not be disappointed. Not to mention the dish was very beautifully crafted.
Next was onto the Australian Bass..Boom! Wonderful dish that included truffle gnocchi! Well dressed as well.
Overall, this place is a definite must on the bookmarks if you are in Culver City. -
Review from Angela C.
3/1/2012
Out of curiosity.... what are these guys gonna do to their menu once the foie gras ban is put in place? Aren't their top 10 dishes like foie gras based?
Anyhow, I came here with some friends. I have to say, I'm a fan of their wine collection! Mainly because they had some delicious rose' on the list, which I don't always get to find when im out dining.
We ordered a slew of dishes family style, and I have to say, I enjoyed them all. I'm not particularly a huge fan of foie gras. I'm one of those people that loves the taste, but once I found out how they got to my plate, it forever tarnished my desire for it. (I know.... beef is worse, but for some reason, this resonates differently with me)
My top dishes so far were easily the tuna tar tar, the brussel sprouts, and the fava bean and goat cheese salad. -
Review from Maggie H.
2/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
I came here for DineLA. We didn't all order the DineLA menu, so I was able to try different dishes here.
First off, parking wasn't too bad. Theres a few street parking spots and they have valet for $2.50 in their own lot.
Waterloo and City looks like they took an old school diner that was turned into a gastropub. Theres lots of space for tables, but a small bar area. I'm not sure what it is about the place, but its incredibly LOUD. I wouldnt recommend taking people on a first or second date here because you can barely hear the person sitting across from you.
Food wise:
Appetizers!
We got the Tuna Tartare, Fried Piquillo Pepper, Avocado. It was surprisingly yummy! I was surprised because its a british pub style kind of food so you wouldn't think they would make an asian influenced dish that well, but it def was good.
We also got the Chicken Liver & Foie Gras Mousse. This was ok, very buttery and not much chicken liver or foie flavor. I would recommend trying their other charcuterie dishes instead.
Also got the Caesar, Poached Organic Egg, Dried Prosciutto, Anchovies. This was very delicious. I just love it when they used anchovies on a caesar salad. They played it beautifully. Instead of croutons, it was served incased in a crouton cup. THe egg was cooked perfectly with the yolk running out.
Main course:
My favorite of the main course is actually one of the specials, Eel and foie gras terrine! I've had this terrine before at a french restaurant in Portland and LOVED it so i was very excited to see how they would make this dish here. You would never have thought eel and foie goes well together, but they do. TRUST ME. they do! I think Waterloo and City did the best foie terrine I've had in a while. Better than Le Pigeon in portland for sure. They packed it with layers of eel in between the foie. It was just soo well balanced because the eel cuts into the fattiness of the foie and helps balance out the terrine.
Roast Pork Chop, Fuji Apples, Pork Belly, Squash Puree, Onion Rings was next. This was a little bit too much for me. It was a giant cut of pork chop, huge onion rings, and large pieces of pork belly. I just couldnt really how much food they piled onto that plate. I didnt even realize there was a fuji apple on there, cus it was burried among all that meat. I couldnt eat too much of this dish cus it was just too heavy for me. THe pork chop was cooked PERFECTLY. For such a big cut of meat, it was really impressive that they kept it moisted the whole way thru.
We also got the Calves Liver with mashed potatoes and onions. I couldn't eat this dish either. The calves liver was HUGE. It took up half the plate. I probably couldn't even hold it in one hand. And it was very livery for me. I can't do liver, thats just me. I had some of the mashed potatoes and it was buttery and creamy and scrumptious. If youre a liver lover then get this! everyone at my table who loved liver devoured this dish. It was also REALLY heavy though. I think thats just the style of food they serve here, but its all big portioned and very heavy. I'm surprised people really can finish a dish on their own let a lone a dineLA 3 course set.
Special of the day was rabbit stew with root vegetables and dumplings. The broth it was cooked in was sooooo goood. The veggies were tender and tasty. The rabbit dumpling was great! The only turn off was eating the pieces of rabbit meat in the stew. They weren't deboned (which is usually ok), but in this case it was not for me. They had several cuts of teeny tiny ribs. They kind of freaked me out, cus they were the size of tiny toothpicks and shaped like a regular rack of ribs. It wasnt appetizing to see that on my dish at all. I just ate the veggies and the dumpling and gave the rest to everyone else. They would have been more thoughtful with presentation on this dish. Seeing how SMALL the rabbits they killed for the dish wasn't something I wanted to think about there.
Onto Dessert! my favorite part of every meal:
Crepes Suzette, Navel Oranges, Ice Cream. I did not like this dish.The crepes were layered on top of each other and sitting in this sauce and melted ice cream soup. It was a soggy wet dish, not at all how i expected a crepe to be. There was no filing inside the crepe, just some navel oranges placed on top for flavor. I wouldnt recommend this.
Waterloo Doughnuts, Raspberry Sorbet, Bourbon Glaze, Cream Anglaise. My favorite dish of the night. The doughnuts were hot and delicious. It was covered with a light coat of sugar. You can dip it in the bourbon glaze or cream anglaise, or Raspberry Sorbet. I personally did a combination of all three at each bite. They give you a pretty big helping of doughnuts too. Its a must get!
overall. Heres is the impression i have of this place. BANG FOR YOUR BUCK. pretty heavy food, but GREAT Charcuterie dishes!
recap:
1) Charcterie
2) Doughnuts
3)LOUD -
Review from Richard P.
Alhambra, CA
2/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
I have had Waterloo & City bookmarked for some time now, but I have never found a proper time or occasion to go. However, last night I had planned to meet up with a date for the first time and so I started my search for the perfect place. I took many factors into consideration and Waterloo & City seem to fit the bill:
She's a Pescatarian -- Waterloo and City had a wide variety of veggie and fish options. [Check]
Location -- I work in El Segundo. She was coming back from a business trip at LAX. So naturally the El Segundo area seemed the most logical. However, there aren't too many options around here. Manhattan Beach was an option, but it's in the opposite direction of her home bound commute. Culver City seemed like the way to go. It's in the right direction, but not too far (allowing us to avoid traffic). [Check]
Parking -- Parking seemed easily accessible. They have a parking lot with valet. I wanted to avoid going to a place with only street parking. [Check]
Food -- I had never eaten here before. In the past I have gone on dry runs prior to taking a date, but I did not have the chance to do that this time. However on paper the restaurant sounded great: Yelp reviews were awesome, House Manager previously from Per Se, Chef from Melisse! Sounds Great! [Check??? (see below)]
Based on the above criteria I ended up choosing Waterloo optimistically hoping it was great. I am happy to say they did not disappoint.
Service -- We arrived slightly earlier than my 7:30 reservations, but were quickly seat. The servers were also helpful and attentive.
Food -- The food was exceptional! I ordered the Tuna Tartare to start and the Australian Bass. While my date ordered the Arugula Salad to start and the Truffle Pasta entree. Everything was delicious. My Bass was cooked perfectly with a nice crispy skin and a super tender (almost silky) meat. The gnocchi that accompanied my fish was also pretty good - light and not too heavy. I also thought the Truffle Pasta was very good. I'm a huge fan of truffle and this dish was topped with fresh black truffle, shaved table side. Now I can confidently say [CHECK]
Overall great experience! I personally though the food was delicious. My date seem to enjoy it as well.
I can't wait to return! -
Review from Chuck L.
Los Angeles, CA
3/11/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Went for sunday dinner.
The place was packed.
Service, our waitress was very attentive. She came to check on us every few minutes.
Food: The Fois Gra and the Beef Wellington was excellent. The food was really nice. Will definitely come back to try other items on the menu. -
Review from Allison Y.
Saratoga, CA
2/28/2012
I came here for dineLA. this place is well worth the second price tier ($34 for dinner).
*Foie gras mousse - interesting take on foie gras, tastes great on the toast and with the apricot jam!
Tuna tartare - average but good! if that makes sense.. haha
*Pork chop, fried pork belly, scalloped potatoes - I don't usually order pork chops when I order meat cuz I'm a steak/seafood lover but damn this was freakin bomb
Salmon - it was good, but it was just salmon..you know?
okay this place freakin BLOWS dessert out of the water. a lot of nicer restaurants usually give some crap mousse thing to finish off an amazing meal, but this place finished with a bang. the warm donuts with three different types of sauce [bavarian cream, raspberry sorbet, caramel rum] were SPECTACULAR. the english toffee pudding a la mode, albeit SUPER sweet, was awesome. can you tell I'm obsessed with dessert? Anyways that's what really made me love this place! -
Review from angela k.
2/9/2012
Came here on a thursday night for our 6pm DineLA ($34/pp) reservation. We came here at 5pm to start off the night at their happy hour. Valet parking is $2.25 with validation and $5 without. The HH area isn't just the bar area but the tall tables before you get to the bar. Ask the server when in doubt.
At HH, 3 of us sat down and ordered:
++Cured Meat and Salami Plate $8 - 5 stars: Can't go wrong w/ Charcuterie&Cheese
++4 Cheeses Plate $8 - 5 stars: 2 different types of goat cheese, brie, and something that's similar to parmasean cheese. Ask server for suggestions.
++Sangria $6 - 3.5 stars: Meh I've had better. It was very spirite-y
++Dark & Stormy $6 - 3.5 stars - Ordered 2 of these. First one was good but the 2nd time, it was very very sweet. Not very consistent with the flavoring.
++Beer of the Day $4 - 4 stars: $4 beer!
At 6pm, we were seated for DineLA and 3 of us ordered:
APPETIZER
++Chicken Liver & Foie Gras Parfait w/ sweet potato jam- 5 stars
WOW! the spread tastes like cheese!! It was sooo good. I'm not a huge fan of chicken liver and foie gras but man this was DELISH!
++Tuna Tartare - 3.5 stars
Waterloo did a different play on tuna tartare adding avocado and pepper. It wasn't amazing but it wasn't horrible.
++Wild Arugula Salad - 4 stars
Not drenched but lightly dressed. The salad was perfect for an appetizer. But the portion was huge. Two people probably could share it.
ENTREE
++Sea Bass - 3.5 stars
Bass was tenderly cooked. It was a wonderful tasty dish though the creamy sauce at the base seemed a bit bland.
++Roast Pork Chop & Fried Pork Belly - 3.5 stars
It was good but not great. Kind of disappointing since the presentation was pretty nice. Came with two huge onion rings. The pork chop was well cooked and tasty. the Fried Pork belly, not so much. I've tasted many types of pork belly and I love pork belly but the fried pork belly portion of this dish, not so much.
++Pan Seared Calves Liver - 3~4stars
I don't like liver.. I don't like the texture of it and the aftertaste it lives in my mouth. However my bf who loves liver said it was wonderfully cooked. If you enjoy liver, try it?
DESSERT
++Sticky Toffee Pudding - 5 stars
BEST DESSERT EVERRRRRR. Someone has to order this. It is really sweet but it's a perfect dessert to end the meal. The warm chocolate cake, toffee, and ice cream...omg~~
++Doughnuts - 3.5 stars
Hmm i don't really like doughnuts. I think the doughnuts could have been more fluffy inside. However the presentation is fun, served with 3 different dipping sauces.
++Crepes - 4 stars
Blood orange ice cream. YUM!
Glad I finally got to try this place in Culver City. Overall, I'm not so much impressed with the dineLA menu buuut I think I would give this place another try when they are not doing dineLA. Also would love to come bak for the cheese and charcuterie plates!Listed in: Taste of LA
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Review from sue r.
Pasadena, CA
4/9/2012
Excellent find! What a gem this place is. I love the British gastropub feel with the fresh delicious food and attentive courteous staff. Amazing! I started with the bean salad and it was out of this world. Then I tried the mushroom truffle pizza and it was incredible as well - so rich that I only made it through a couple slices! I am so happy to have stumbled across this place. I'll be back!!
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Review from Francine L.
San Gabriel, CA
5/7/2012
This place is amazing. Food was great, you MUST order the Chicken Pate and Foie Gras plate...great beer selection as well!
