No. 164: Sips, Snacks and Shots at Hatfield's (Mid-City)

Having a little time to kill in Mid-City around 5 p.m. but not wanting to spoil my dinner appetite, I decided to check out Hatfield's for a drink and a light bite . . . remembering that Mattatouille had recently tweeted that its bar is a surprisingly pleasant space to sit, sip and snack (of course, he also finds it a great place for a full-meal too!)

Arriving right when it opened at 5:30 p.m., I was easily at least a decade younger than the other early bird diners that came in at the time, not to mention the only one sitting at the bar instead of the dining area. The bartenders were still busy doing prep work, but was pretty friendly in making cocktail and food recommendations.

After soaking up their three menus (one for drinks, one for bar food and one for their regular dinner service,) I opted to start off with a Ginger Grant ($11), a seasonal specialty with Alma reposado tequila, lime & grapefruit juices, housemade fresh ginger syrup and a float of Bundaberg ginger beer in a salted rim glass. It was a pretty light and mellow drink, being only mildly fizzy, spicy, sweet and tart (reminds me of a margarita with a spritz of ginger ale to lighten and spice things up) -- not a bad beverage to sip on for a warm-weather late afternoon/early evening.

I'm more impressed by their complimentary bar snack -- fresh popcorn tossed with garlic-shallot oil and rosemary sprigs. So decadently aromatic with the herbs and just buttery enough on the palate -- despite what I said about not wanting to ruin my appetite, I easily chowed down on a whole bowl's worth (and had to muster some willpower to avoid finishing a 2nd bowl when the bartender refilled it!)

Off their bar snacks menu, I was intrigued by their Soup (of the day) Shots for $5, which turned out to be Fennel - which was a nicely portion serving (the two shots combined was equivalent of a cup of soup at most restaurants.) The flavor was pretty straightforward and clean, the occasionally anise-y spiciness balanced by a root vegetably body & texture. It's squarely solid soup, though personally I would have preferred a little more pizazz (even if it's purely for show -- an herb sprig or a dollop of cream would've given it a nice visual appeal.)

Alas, my brief bar time ended on a bummer note when I ordered their Manhattan ($15 made w Michter's Rye). First, my specification of Michter's Rye got misinterpreted as "Maker's [and] Dry [vermouth]" so I corrected the bartender midway through making the drink after I saw him pouring from that bottle of bourbon. Then I got distracted, so didn't notice that the Manhattan was shaken until it's been presented to me with its telltale microbubbles and ice shards. Ah well, while it was passable -- and I didn't feel like sending it back for a 2nd correction -- I kept thinking how much better it could've been, like the one at Bazaar's Bar Centro (which uses Michter's as their standard rye but is wonderfully stirred -- that magical spherified liquid cherry is just, well, the cherry on top.) However, I do give props for the trio of delightful Maraska cherries to nibble on, worlds above those bright-neon-red, overly sugary "Maraschinos."

Despite the less-than-stellar final impression, I'm intrigued enough by the rest of their menu to make a return trip, try a few more things and form a more definitive opinion. At the very least, there's always some delicious gussied up popcorn waiting for me . . . I just gotta keep a better eye on how the drinks are made.

Hatfield's
6703 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, California 90038
(323) 935-2977

Mini Foodventure #156: Larchmont Larder (Hancock Park)

Thanks to Groupon, I finally got a chance to check out Larchmont Larder, a Hancock Park casual eatery and specialty food marketplace that's been on my to-try list for months. When I realized the 50% discount offer I bought months ago would be expiring this past weekend, I seized the opportunity to snag a lunch for my snowboarding trip yesterday.

And am I ever glad I did -- after hitting (literally! OW!) the slopes of Mt. High for three hours, their assorted gourmet foods were the perfect pick-me-up for my bruised bum. The miso-marinated salmon with miso-sesame aioli was firm, meaty and flavorful without being crazy-sweet like some of the miso salmons other places serve and side dishes of oven roasted root vegetables w shallots and sage and Asian noodle salad were great too, filling without being heavy and absolutely satisfying even when eaten chilled in the cold. And absolutely better than any of the stuff the ski lodge is serving up!

I also got some of their curious sounding lemongrass-coconut rice with cilantro and orange zest, but didn't have a chance to try over lunch since their portions were very hearty!

And so I had that, and some leftover roasted veggies, for dinner. I just popped them in the oven along with some Soyafarm Tofu Delights for a simple, light and great-tasting meal with minimal effort (much appreciated after 6+ hours and ~20 runs.) The rice was wonderfully infused with the fragrance of the other components, and even more interesting than the lemongrass-coconut rice served at Thai places with the zippy additions of citrus and cilantro.

In any case, I definitely look forward to returning to Larchmont Larder to try more of their gussied up prepared foods--maybe even have a deli dishes faceoff with the nearby M Cafe de Chaya.

What Do Others Say?
- Both FoodGPS and Eat: Los Angeles highlighted their "Humpday Dinner" special
- Eating LA likes it as an occasional luxury for "when you're too rich to cook"
- Stuffy Cheaks will also return here, finding their offerings "healthy . . . yet appetizing"

Larchmont Larder
626 N. Larchmont Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90004
323.962.9900
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