 In this part of Santa Monica where dining options are scarce, we are always happy to see new restaurants, especially when they are interesting. And that is the case for Upper West. Friends and mixologists Elad Benisti and Eyal Raziel, who have worked around the world, opened their venture in the former Violet space, next to Valentino. We are not sure where they found the chef, Nick Shipp, but he was definitely a good choice. Shipp, who hails from Dallas, uniquely enhances every dish with an unexpected twist. Taste the basil and chamomile salt with the creamy burrata cheese, green apple-blackberry panzanella and blistered tomato, or the plantain shell wrapping the ahi, rice crackers and sprouts to create a crispy taco seasoned with orange-chipotle vinaigrette and jícama-cucumber salsa. Also among the appetizers, try the braised Colorado leg of lamb rolled into curry crêpes served on a bed of lavender demi and topped by Israeli feta. Move down the menu with the skillet-cooked wild salmon accompanied by haricots verts, Israeli couscous and sweet tomatoes, and spiced with chile. We liked the fresh red onions in the smoked bacon-McDaniel slaw that comes with the Prime sirloin steak and its bourbon-balsamic demi. If you are in the mood for a burger, there is a juicy one on a toasted Portuguese bun, made of house-ground dry-aged beef with balsamic-Walla Walla onion marmalade, arugula and pasilla-goat cheese spread, served with very good pommes frites. Shipp's attention to detail is also visible in his desserts. Try the Meyer lemon and vanilla bean panna cotta in an orange-rosemary broth, with Rainier cherries and brûléed grapefruit, or the cappuccino brownie paired with horchata ice cream and rum-braised apricots and sea salt. The globally sourced wine list is short, and the beer selections are interesting. The owners’ creative cocktails attract a crowd along the 27-foot bar that can make the modern dining room, with its 28-foot ceiling, very lively. (In other words, if you want to enjoy Shipp's cuisine more quietly, come early.)
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Upper West Restaurant is one of our 2012
| Top 10 LA American Restaurants
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Go behind the scenes of Upper West restaurant! Watch our exclusive interview with chef Nick Shipp.
Hungry for a hamburger? From simple patties with a pickle to gourmet takes by top toques, we've compiled lists of the Top 10 Burgers in cities across the USA, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.
