FOOD REVIEW: The Venue

3470 Wilshire Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90010

213-221-1251

thevenuela.com

Price: $$

By MICHAEL AUSHENKER | Contributing Writer

Photos by Rich Schmitt | Staff Photographer

It’s easy to overlook The Venue, the latest addition to Koreatown’s vibrant nightlife.

Facing out of an office building from a diagonal angle on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, the new restaurant and karaoke bar doesn’t jump out at you amid the neighboring signage.

However, The Venue is not a destination that you want to pass by.

Here’s what it’s not: Another upscale Korean restaurant—even though Executive Chef Kayson Chong does add Asian touches to his menu.

It is also not a traditional nightclub. There is a corridor devoted to small private dining rooms where some hardcore karaoke goes down, complete with flat screens telegraphing the lyrics to your favorite songs over some humorously cheesy filmed randomness.

Admittedly, it is also not easy to cross the Westside to Koreatown.

What The Venue is, though, is totally worth the schlep.

Why? Because Chong, who has been with the restaurant since its Jan. 26 opening, has established a diverse, delicious and, above all, very creative menu.

Our winning meal began with a bunch of terrific starters. For us, the standout from the first course was Nonna’s Meatballs, six hearty spheres comprised of beef, pork and veal in a house-made marinara with thyme, topped by a fuzzy heap of Parmesan shavings. Dazzling to behold, this dish, a conscious approximation of good, old-fashioned Italian meatballs, tasted as wonderfully savory as it appeared.

Farro Toast introduced to our table featured pickled sunchoke purree, golden raisons, capers, olives and cranberries. For a different direction, Three Cheese Fried Mac, four fried fingers filled with fontina, cheddar and blue cheese, comes with an accompaniment of chili dipping sauce topped with cheddar shavings. The Fried Mac is as “sports bar” as the food here gets and the ground beef chili tastes pure but surprisingly spicy.

The main attractions came in the form of delicious entrees. Ample and mouth-watering, 3 Day Short Rib comes smothered in a horseradish cream and flanked with black radish and chervil. For a different steak dish, try the 22 oz. Bone-In Rib Eye, with confit tomatoes and braised chard. This prime rib, with its spectacular mélange of flavors, arrives as a platter of ample meat—about a dozen slices, plus the meat off a hulking bone. It’s flavorful and saltier than its predecessor, and accompanied by a nice, light dipping sauce.

We very much enjoyed the Striped Bass, sea bass served with pea tendrils, sunchoke chips and romesco sauce. Once again, the quality of the fish matched the pizzazz of the presentation.

There are many sides to choose from, from Grilled Brocolini (with golden raisins, pickled shallots and white balsamic vinegar) to the loaded Braised Kale (bacon, caramelized onions, sherry-molasses). I recommend Brussel Sprouts, a smoky bowl topped with cranberries, almonds and red wine, which makes a great argument for anyone contemplating going vegetarian.

Complementing Chong’s menu, mixologist Devon Espinoza has whipped up a specialty cocktails program that goes down nice and easy.

There’s the Mic Drop, featuring New Amsterdam gin, raspberry Bonal Gentiane-Quina and fresh lime; Seana contains Absolut Elyx vodka, yellow Chartreuse, eucalyptus lemon, passion fruit and angostura bitters—all colossally and colorfully showcased inside a brass pineapple pedestal.

Sip a Whiskey Houston and you’ll taste the Jameson Caskmate come together with clover honey, lemon and kumquat as smoothly as its namesake’s singing voice.

There’s even a drink here called La La Land (chicory smoked Barcardi Superior rum and Giffard Banane Du Bresil Liqueur with pineapple and lime) that may or may not be evoking a recent multiple Academy Award-winner.

My favorite libation here: Stop Screaming, made of Old Overholt Straight Rye whiskey with a spiced pear liqueur infused with cured plum and plum bitters.

Like Chef Chong and his cuisine, Espinoza gets his ingredients from local farmers markets, including those in Hollywood and Santa Monica.

“Every cocktail list should be well-rounded,” said Espinoza, who described his cocktail program as “fun, whimsical and upscale.”

Yet as fun as these cocktails were, dessert is an area where The Venue excels.

Investigate the Caramel Popcorn Cake, a buttermilk-based confection topped with salted caramel popcorn and feuilletine. Yes, it’s as sickly sweet as it sounds and it’s also irresistible.

Rivaling this cake is the Blueberry Tart, a pitch-perfect pastry, topped with scoops of blood orange sorbet and vanilla ice cream. As stuffed as we were by this point, that tart did not make it off our table alive.

In addition to the good food, you get plenty of nightclub-ish atmosphere—charcoal walls, dim lighting, comfy seating—and a friendly, competent staff who do not miss a beat.

The Venue is just getting started, Chong said.

“I’m going to have Korean influences,” the chef added, including an Apple Bacon Fritter with a kimchi puree and white balsamic. “Seasonally, the proteins will stay the same but the vegetation will change.”

So consider it an adventure
and go seek out The Venue.
Chances are you won’t be sorry … unless someone in your party can out-sing you!