It was an interesting weekend, to say the least. I went up to Studio City to try the much-hyped (and sometimes derided) new BBQ place Barrel & Ashes on Friday night. The place has been packed with long waits nightly since it opened, probably on account of the chefs’ pedigrees (The French Laundry, Bouchon, et al.). Also, BBQ is kind of hip in LA right now what with Bludso’s and Horse Thief and Bigmista’s and Robert Earl’s and the sundry fresh restaurants that have debuted within the past couple years.
Upon arriving early for my reservation I hit the bar and tried a drink called Bee’s Nuts, which was a mixture of Elijah Craig bourbon, lemon, walnut, honey, and Cismontane Imperial Stout. It was borderline undrinkable, but I managed to get the whole thing down. I’m all for bars that can navigate the pairing of spirit and beer in a cocktail (Laurel Hardware’s Boilermaker with Buffalo Trace and Magic Hat #9 springs to mind immediately) but the drink at Barrel & Ashes was not so good. The wait wasn’t long (since we arrived early) and shortly after being seated the food began to arrive. A pear and endive salad with goat cheese, walnut and a maple bacon vinaigrette was solid. The hush puppies were so-so compared to the classic examples you’ll find in the South. The shells and cheese were quite good and deliciously creamy. The brisket had a great smoky essence to it and was fatty and juicy…for about five minutes. Maybe it was because we moved on to the pulled pork and the sausage and the sides only to return to the brisket later, but somehow it became quite dry after an unreasonably short period of time. Meanwhile the pulled pork was outstanding, very juicy and tender. The sausage was fine but probably the weakest meat on the table. Washed down with an Imperial IPA from Victory (Dirtwolf) it was a fine if not exemplary meal. Flavors mostly on point, solid preparation, with a few little black marks detracting from the meal as a whole. One of the big sticking points/talking points about Barrel & Ashes is the included 18% gratuity on your bill, which I could care less about, and in fact if more restaurants start adopting this they’ll probably lose money as I generally tip closer to 20% on most meals. No, I’m not made of money or anything, I just hate math and it’s easier to calculate 20% than it is 15% or 18% or whatever.
The rest of Friday night sucked.
Last night I had a fun night out in Sherman Oaks at the Local Peasant, even though their beer list turned out to be completely different than what was posted online. I made do with the slim pickings, got myself pretty buzzed, made some new friends — at one point sprinting a half-mile down Ventura Blvd. to return a coat to someone who left it at the bar – then got home and took a couple shots of bourbon and passed out. Work sucked today but, then, what else is new?
Here’s your mix tape.
RULES for uninitiated noobs: I give birth to a weekly Mix Tape to be deposited on your iPods or Zunes or Kingklangs or whatever the industry is currently pushing on you. Sometimes there will be themes that link all the songs together, other times I’ll just throw songs at a wall (not literally) and see what sticks. Of course there is a very subtle theme this week. See if you can figure it out. The goal of this endeavor, as always, is to pique your interest in these artists so you’ll support the artists and buy their albums.
Sunday Mix Tape – Number 370
I Cut Myself Up
01. Cloakroom – Paperweight
02. The Go-Betweens – The Devil’s Eye
03. Ariel Kalma – Almora Sunrise
04. Noveller – In February
05. This Will Destroy You – Serpent Mound
06. Amen Dunes – I Can’t Dig It (China Street Blues)
07. Nordvargr – Ambient Spiritual Obligation
08. Mica Levi – Lipstick To Void
09. Lana Del Rey – Off To The Races
10. Vic Chesnutt – Coward
11. Stelios Kazantzidis – Efuge-efuge
12. Ruth White – The Clock
13. Electric Wizard – Another Perfect Day
