Feeling in a bistro mood
Bruce Marder is on the move. After opening Cafe Capo in the old Opaline space last summer, he’s now taken over the Beach House in Santa Monica Canyon and turned it into a French American brasserie. The choice spot at the corner of West Channel Road and PCH is now called Brass.-Cap. -- short for Brasserie Capo, in case you were wondering.
Marder, who started his career in L.A. with the long gone and much lamented West Beach Cafe in Venice, is a master of atmosphere. He’s given Brass.-Cap. a great look. At the back is a gorgeous zinc bar so long and heavy it took 20 men to carry it in. Chairs and barstools are classic French bistro in style, with woven black-and-white seats. Even the flower boxes on the sweet little patio out back match the chairs.
The lighting is soft and flattering, and the art is the real thing. The soundtrack is laid back and evocative, a little Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett followed by Madeleine Peyroux crooning in French and then Shirley Bassey belting out the theme to “Goldfinger.”
The restaurant already feels as if it has been here forever.
Brass.-Cap. is meant to be more casual, more family-friendly and less expensive than Marder’s other restaurants, though his idea of inexpensive is a small salad for $12 or $14 and lemon chicken for $26.
To start, the kitchen sends out an amuse -- maybe a swatch of spinach quiche, or some pinkie-sized breadsticks to dip in a small crock of fondue. Frisee lardon is a salad of curly endive, fat crisp lardons and cherry tomatoes in a mustardy dressing. (Oddly, it doesn’t include the traditional poached egg.) There’s a fancy version of pissaladiere, made with puff pastry and a delicious topping of anchovy, olives and caramelized onion. But gougeres, the Burgundian cheese puffs, taste as if they’ve been reheated, not freshly baked.
Steak tartare is perfect bistro fare, and here it’s nicely seasoned and served with toasted mini-baguettes. You could stop right there, or decide to splurge on dozens of oysters. But if you want something more substantial, look to the plates of the day listed at the bottom of the menu. On any given day you might find meaty frog legs (how big were those frogs?) or a Muscovy duck confit with pomme puree -- that’s French for mashed potatoes.
The menu has something for everybody. Kobe beef hamburger. Veal liver with leeks. Steak frites. Cassoulet. Choucroute. Postage stamp-sized ravioli with a lovely potato filling (though the kitchen couldn’t resist gilding the lily with some truffle oil).
Braised lamb shank with fluffy couscous embellished with dried fruit makes a comforting supper. Not to mention pommes frites heaped into a tall stainless steel container. They’re dark gold and skinny, begging to be dipped in ketchup.
To be honest, the one dish that would lure me back is not that lamb shank but the dreamy creamed spinach, presented in an individual cast iron casserole with a lid.
Desserts are delightful, too. I love the individual lemon curd tart with a dollop of softly whipped cream on top and the classic tarte tatin paired with that same perfectly whipped cream.
For everybody on the far Westside, West Channel Road is restaurant row. Now there’s one more place to hang on a wind-swept night.
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Brass Cap
Where: 100 W. Channel Road, Los Angeles
When: Open 6 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Valet parking.
Cost: Appetizers, $7 to $16; salads $10 to $16; entrees $16 to $32; sides, $5 to $8; desserts, $7-$9.
Info: (310) 454-4544; fax (310) 454-4425