Brentwood Restaurant & Lounge

Brentwood Restaurant & Lounge Restaurant Review:

Westside restaurateur Bruce Marder has successfully created a restaurant with the look and feel of an intimate neighborhood club, appealing to an upscale crowd that likes its comforts. Banquettes and booths line the walls, one of which is mirrored to visually double the cozy space. A well-stocked bar with a plasma-screen TV occupies the street side, changing art displays add interest, and jazz and blues play subtly in the background. It all adds up to the ideal ambience for sophisticated takes on classic grill food. Steaks and chops star, among which we like the 14-ounce Kansas City veal chop, Prime flat-iron cut and New Zealand rack of lamb. But we've also been lured by seafood specials, pastas and burgers, not to mention intriguing variations on home-style favorites like meatloaf with mushroom gravy, Maple Leaf duck tacos with pomegranate salsa, and fried Jidori chicken. Mac 'n' cheese is also available. Desserts include old-fashioned strawberry shortcake and chocolate bread pudding. A lengthy wine list has hard-to-find gems like Peter Michael and Kosta Browne. Specialty cocktails feature an elegant Aviation and a rye Manhattan.