8022 W. Third St. (Crescent Heights Blvd.)
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel.323-653-6359
Opening Hours: Mon: 6-10pm, Tues-Fri: 6-11pm, Sat: 5:30-11pm, Sun: 5:30-10pm
Credit Cards: All major
Prices: Moderate
Located on a quiet section of Third St. this wine bar is usually crowded and well it should be; it made tapas-style small plates of basic Mediterranean fare fashionable.
I have brought many Japanese people here and they just love the great variety of small portion choices. For everyone else it is great fun to be able to pair different dishes with their diverse selection of wines available by the glass.
This operation is the brain-child of Susan Goin and Caroline Styne of Lucques fame.
Look for interesting items such as: brandade (A pounded combination of salted cod fish, olive oil, garlic, milk and cream), boudin noir and a large selection of charcutrie and cheese.
One evening as I sat at the bar, I looked up to see in the middle of the back bar a Cruvinet Wine Preserving Machine, being put to very good use. The original company Cruvinet I founded along with partners Jean France Mercier, presently owner of Tixa Wine Cellars the top custom wine cellar designer in the U.S., and Nick Bassill Luxine Ltd., a cutting-edge manufacturer of induction cooking units for commercial and home use. We put together this company in the early eighties, and it was, from the onset the quality leader in the industry, with as many as nine copy-cat competitors turning out inferior and less costly machines within one year. We all went our separate ways, for individual reasons, five years later.
This machine is ideal for this type of situation however, one of the employees after all of us dispersed, and basically without permission, usurped the technology, therefore I cannot vouch for its integrity today.
