Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Flickering Beacon

********THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED.********

Beacon is in the Helms Bakery District in Culver City.
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Notwithstanding the "bakery" part, this complex includes mostly home furnishings retailers.

My $6 cocktail.
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Mango-infused sake, I think. Didn't leave much of an impression, as it was pretty weak.

I came here with a very large group during dineLA. A three-course dinner cost $26 -- sort of a waste of a dineLA meal to tell you the truth. To me, dineLA is all about maximizing my savings, so it's always a better deal to go to a restaurant that is more expensive.

Appetizer #1: Pulled pork tostadas with Asian slaw and hoisin BBQ sauce.
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Like Chinese sopes. Sometimes fusion succeeds. Good job here.

Appetizer #2: Roasted beet and apple salad with toasted almonds and goat cheese.
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Pleasant, fresh, and light.

Entree #1: Grilled yellowtail with creamy polenta and salsa verde.
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Nicely done, but I prefer yellowtail raw or only slightly seared. Polenta was great.

Entree #2: Duck confit with fingerling potatoes, frisee, grapes, and plum ginger glaze.
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Disappointing. But I have high standards for duck because I love it so much.

Entree #3: Miso-marinated black cod with sesame green beans.
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My favorite of the three entrees. Like buttah.

Some members of our party ordered from the regular menu.
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Spring rolls. Chicken pad thai. Fish and chips. Big fat meh to all of it.

Dessert #1: Warm apple tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
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I appreciated that this was really hot. That is pretty much all I appreciated about this.

Dessert #2: Rice Krispies sundae with chocolate and caramel sauces.
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Only ok, as this could be easily made at home. Well, at least made by somebody other than yours truly.

Beacon is a decent restaurant, but I doubt I'll return. I feel no need to repeat "decent" when there is plenty of "awesome" in this town.

17 comments:

  1. But the company was good:) Not sure how I missed the miso cod...I usually go for miso...oh well.

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  2. Mango-infused sake sounds good -- too bad it didn't live up to its name.

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  3. I do need to give our waiter some credit for allowing me to taste one of their "exclusive" wines before making a decision on what to buy. One look at my face after I sipped & he gave me other suggestions. :)

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  4. I love your approach to DineLA! When Restaurant Week hits NYC, I just sort the list of participating restaurants in descending order by price and start making reservations.

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  5. yeah, "decent" doesn't fly anymore. l.a. sure has a bunch of great eateries.

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  6. Doesn't look like anything special....

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  7. I want that duck drumstick something fierce.

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  8. i loved that cod. it was delish. but yeah, nothing to go back for when there are so many other places to try.

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  9. The only thing I order there is the cod. I don't remember what else I ate that night. Dine LA will be back again before you finish these recaps. hehe hehehe

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  10. The company was better than the food. =) The drinks were not strong at all. I didn't even buzz after 3!

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  11. I'm with you regarding yellowtail - raw please!

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  12. *sigh* so sorry you didn't have a good time. The burger is fan-fuggin-tastic, the chef/owner is classical trained under Wolfgang Puck, and is the gentleman who basically brought braised short ribs to LA. We're going to check out the $20 Sunday prix fixe soon, and I think we'll be happy.

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  13. I'll take decent if it means I'm in LA!

    Those pics are awesome - was it the lighting or something else that made them even more focused and crisp?

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  14. Hi weezermonkey,

    Thanks for the review. I've been curious about this place, but you've just saved me a trip. :)

    If you like Duck Confit, have you tried RH at the Andaz yet? I have some pics if you want to see what it's like (delicious! :).

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  15. I've heard the miso cod is the only really great thing there. Looks gorgeous, but kind of a small portion! Makes me think a trip to Matsuhisa is a better move when I get a craving for some miso cod.

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  16. I, too, love duck! Well, I love to eat them. I don't love them so much when I see them at the park.

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