Archive

November

"The Tar Pit"

"Ciudad Downtown"

October

"CraftBar"

"My Baby Blues"

Septemper

"Chaya Can Stand Under my Umbrella"

"Katsu-Yeah"

August

"Barney's Beanery"

"The Cat & Fiddle"

"Nic's Martini Lounge"

July

"Six Degrees of Belmont"

"The Hudson"

"The Lobster"

June

"Been There, Den That"

"La Boheme"

"St. Felix"

"Waterloo & City"

 

Dear Love,

 

I have been trying to get to Waterloo & City for a couple of months now. The English Gastropub inspired Bar and Restaurant, is cleverly named after the London underground railway. It certainly has a more refined ring to it than, "The Tube," don't you agree? It's about time London arrived in Los Angeles!

 

After several failed attempts, like the time I tried to go to their happy hour on Labor Day only to find they were closed, this Thursday evening I made, but, I almost didn't. Samantha jumped out of the car at 6:56 (happy hour ends at 7) so I could park and she could get us ordered. I trust her taste and wasn't going to miss another attempt!

 

Winded from sprinting in stilettos, I found Samantha, sitting comfortably on a stool at a long wooden table, drink in hand. "That was fast!" I said, taking the stool across from her. "Yeah, I ordered us the same cocktail, the mushroom pizza with truffle oil, the arugula salad with parmesan, grilled figs, and smoked almonds and then I told the waitress to throw in a surprise, her choice!" I nodded with a look of great impression then took a sip of the cocktail next to my famished wrist. A good happy hour partner clearly makes a difference.

Before the food arrived a very suave man with a suit and shaved head greeted us ( we obviously looked important...or just very hungry.) "Hello ladies, my name is Carolos, I am the manager, how are you doing this evening?" "I'm Tara and this is Samantha and we're very well thank you!" Just as a good partner should, Samantha added, "We might be critiquing you!" He smiled and said, "Wonderful, I'm going to find your server and add some things to your order." We had no problem with that!

 

Our cocktail, "The Westside," was a vibrant mix of Gin, Lemonade, Mint and fresh Watermelon. The perfect cocktail for the Indian Summer we had been feeling!

 

Just as I was about to gnaw on some ice cubes, our mushroom pizza was placed in between us, from oven to table! The mozzarella was still bubbling, but that did not stop us from biting into it, risking tongue burns. Truffle oil is the liquid equivalent to bacon. Whatever you put it on, it makes it better!

 

The arugula salad quickly followed. Parmesan and grilled figs...who knew what a delicious combination these two would make?! I think we both forgot about the actual lettuce and just started to hunt through the green for the next cheesy fig bite.

 

I was so in love with the food in front of me I had completely forgotten we still had more bites on the way! Our waitress brought us her personal favorite plate, the Smoked Salmon Terrine with a Fried Egg and Gribiche. You can't get more English than that! Fish and eggs aren't something I would've ordered had I seen it on a menu, but I was glad to try something out of my comfort zone.

 

My fork clinked down on my plate for what I thought would be the last time, but, then came out Carolos with the food he had ordered for us! Shrimp and Zucchini Blossom Fritters, Tuna Tartare, and Maine Scallops with Lemon Marmalade! It was an epic, never ending feast. We definitely got more than we bargained for and could't have been happier about it!

 

It was evident that no matter how hungry we had been, there was no way the two of us could clear all of the plates. To-Go boxes were soon on their way to save the remaining feast and when Carolos appeared again we thanked him for the amazing additions he had brought to the table. He had been beyond generous! Waterloo & City isn't London, but it comes pretty close for my taste!

 

xx, Tara