Rustic Canyon Wine Bar & Seasonal Kitchen
1119 Wilshire Blvd. (Eleventh & Twelfth Sts.) 
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Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-393-7050 | Make Restaurant Reservations
 Don’t be misled by its name; dining at Rustic Canyon is not at all rustic. Owner Josh Loeb, after organizing regular wine dinners at his house in Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica, opened his own place so we can enjoy the wines he personally chooses. Rather than having an extensive wine selection, Loeb offers twenty options by the glass, concentrating his picks on small-production boutique wines from all over the world. He rotates the wines, so from one visit to another, you can be sure to discover something new. The same goes for the kitchen. Though chef Samir Mohajer has departed, Evan Funke, formerly of the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills and Spago, has taken over the stoves, and he will continue to utilize seasonal ingredients for the home-cooking-style menu based on Californian-Mediterranean flavors. Try the sautéed wild mushrooms over crispy polenta, the mussels in a tasty white wine broth, or the sliced filet mignon with horseradish cream for appetizers. Fish aficionados should sample the seared ahi, whose flavors are enhanced by a few drops of olive oil. The grilled New York steak comes with sautéed pea tendrils, while the lamb chops are accompanied by fresh white beans. Finish with the apple-huckleberry crisp or the Meyer lemon panna cotta (a tad too sweet), unless you are tempted by a cheese plate. The décor is set in brown and beige tones, with bamboo flooring and three long communal tables which seem to raise the noise level by too many decibels; but Loeb and his partner, Pamela Kasdan, report that they are working on toning it down. |
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