Sunday Dish

A Great Mexican Joint and a Blog Worth Checking Out.

Hey all!  You can check out more Valley Restaurant reviews at an awesome new blog I'm working with:  My Daily Find.  

It's full of stories about the cool people who live in this part of So Cal and all kinds of interesting and fun things to do here.   Give it a click - this review I wrote is on the front page today!  Read on...

Sol Y Luna sits on a quite stretch of Ventura Boulevard right in between Tarzana and Woodland Hills. It’s easy to cruise by, notice the artistic sign, and keep right on going. But as I found out on two separate visits, it’s worth a stop. 

 The first thing you’ll notice is the old school Mexican Cantina décor, complete with Virgin Guadalupe statues, Sombreros and twinkle lights, think campy and you won’t be too far off. 

 Both times at Sol Y Luna, the joint was jumping, the crowd a nice mix of families celebrating special occasions, couples, and groups of ladies doing a girls night out. The bar area was small and cozy and the large selection of handmade margaritas tempting. Their house hand blended margarita was bright and tangy with a liberal, yet not heavy handed, portion of quality tequila. 

While at the bar we tried the Ceviche ($9) which was chock full of shrimp, white fish, tomatoes and lots of cilantro. The clean bright flavors of fish and lime were enhanced by a sweet squeeze of orange juice. 

 A little more unusual, but equally as delicious, was the Rajas Con Crema ($6). Rajas, pickled green peppers, are the main ingredient of the dip that also includes corn and onions all bubbling in a tasty cream sauce. It was rich, gooey and comforting in the same way a good spinach artichoke dip is. 

 The main restaurant area is similar in feel to the bar, in a word, festive. Our server was cheerful and very attentive and the strolling guitar players a nice touch. 

The Chili Colorado ($13) was loaded with lots of tender meat and the sauce had a great depth of flavor with an unexpected hint of allspice. 

The Chili Verde ($13) was smothered in a delicious tomatillo sauce that had great layered flavors. One down size was that the meat and sauce were undermined with too much salt and way too much cheese. In this case less would have been much, much, more. 

 Fairing a bit better was the Halibut Poblano ($19). The sauce had a nice kick and didn't over power the light fish in any way. 

I always feel soup is a good a test as any to see what kind of strength a kitchen has and the Albondigas ($6) a traditional Mexican meatball soup, didn’t disappoint. The meatballs were full of the flavors of cumin, garlic and cilantro and they, along with lots of veggies, were all happily swimming together in a zesty broth with lots of citrus notes. 

We took a chance with a seasonal specialty of the house the Green Corn Tamale ($10). While it had good flavor, sadly it was a bit dry, a common pitfall with tamales. The roasted poblano plantains they came with saved the dish from being a total loss. 

 In the end we enjoyed our cocktails, appetizers and soup more then the entrees, but would not hesitate to go back again and try more dishes. The service was very warm and attentive, the atmosphere decidedly festive and the food prepared with enough love and attention to merit many more visits.

Laurel Tavern

Personally, I was pretty bummed out when I found out one of my favorite low key, dimly lit bars, Sapphire in Studio City was history.

But, that’s the way of things, and when I heard that Laurel Tavern had been opened in its stead, of course I was curious.

The first time I walked in I barely recognized the place.  Gone were the dark brown, velvety couches, the array of votive candles and the "let's go make out in the corner" vibe.  In their place were big windows flung open to the street, exposed brick, large chalkboards and a decidedly convivial atmosphere.

I've been back a few time now and all I can say is sorry Sapphire, but after putting one toe inside Laurel Tavern I forgot all about you, the way a sexy new date makes you forget that old flame.

My friend and I scored a spot at the bar, the other choices being a long communal pub height table down the middle of the room or one of the 20 or small tables lining the walls.

We ordered a glass of wine and a beer. If you are a beer lover they have a pretty interesting selection of craft beers.  Of the 16 offerings all but one are California creations.  I am more of a wine lover and was less impressed with the choices on that front.  But, as my date pointed out, it's a tavern, not a wine bar. Duly noted. 

No matter where you are sitting you'll have to fend for youself and belly up to the bar to order food and drinks - a nifty trick on a crowded night. If you are ordering something to eat, they assign you a number and a server delivers  your food.

The menu takes standard pub fare to a higher level.  We tried the arugula  salad ($7) and loved it.  It was a decent portion, with lots of shaved parmesan, and a simple, citrusy vinaigrette. But my favorite part was the roasted tomato, which was cooked to perfection.  We also tried their grilled artichokes ($10) which were smoky and fork tender. I’ve been trying to recreate it at home ever since  and I think I finally came up with a recipe that comes close.   The Chorizo Fondue ($9) is not for the faint of heart. In a word, it's RICH.  We dove into with abandon, and while it was a tad on the greasy side (hard to avoid with chorizo) the nice spicy kick and yummy bread made up for it.  

We also took a whack at the Bacon Blue Cheese Burger ($10) and while it was an okay size, and a perfect medium rare,  it wasn't anything to write home about.   The only thing that was a true disappointment was the Grilled Cheese Sandwich ($8) .   DOn't get me wrong,  it was tasty, with crunchy sourdough bread and good stinky cheese.  But the portion was silly in it's smallness.  For what it costs to slap some bread together  with some cheese (no matter how good) I feel they could pony up a bigger serving.   But, in the scheme of things, we finished our meal feeling like we'd had some really tasty food and all the plates were under $12.

I left Laurel Tavern that first time feeling rather enamored and subsequent visits have only reinforced that it's doing it's thing and doing it well.  The vibe is nice, the crowd a sociable mix of industry types, the service friendly and attentive. Sorry Sapphire, I'm officially over you.