Dining Review: A place that does small town right

I fell in love last week. Not with a person or a thing but with a place, my hometown. Technically I live in La Crescenta but I’m talking about Montrose, the adorable shopping and eating district just down the hill. I’ve always liked Montrose, but last Friday night, after seeing and hugging no fewer than six old friends around town, I realized I loved it. And no place captures that essence better than the brand-new Montrose Town Kitchen & Grill.

Montrose Town Kitchen & Grill, or Town as it likes to be called, is the brainchild of husband and wife team Jim and Angela Collins. They live in town. Their kids go to CV High. He runs the Chick Magnet Cooking School and blog, teaching local young men the art of wooing women through food. Their restaurant exudes the unique energy of this community. It’s not something I can put my finger on, but locals know it when they see it. It’s an authenticity, a down-to-earth-ness, laced with humor and informed by an appreciation for lasting things like friendships and mountains. Our proximity to the trendsetters of L.A. gives us a curiosity about the New, an interest in the Latest, but we’re not slaves to It.

Town serves fine-quality food and drinks in a comfortable space. Not so comfortable you want to come in jeans. We like a good reason to dress up here. We also like a good cocktail. Town’s libations are upstanding. The Too Cool Cucumber Mint Gimlet is a refreshing blend of Hendrick’s gin, fresh lime, mint, cucumber and soda. My husband enjoyed the Old “Town” Fashion with Buffalo Trace bourbon, orange & and lemon zest, quality bitters and good ice ($14).

Fourteen dollars is pretty steep for a drink, so why didn’t I mind paying it? I think because I had such a positive feeling about the place. It’s in the old Cucina Rustica, which I always liked. I struggled, though, with that restaurant’s Mardi Gras mask decor. Those images are gone, the vintage brick is exposed and the walls are painted a soft, chic shade. The lighting is perfect, the acoustics are soft and the seating at the tables and the sizable bar is conducive to conversation and relaxation.

We ordered an appetizer to share, Corey’s Crab Cakes. I was having so much fun running into people I hadn’t seen in years, I wouldn’t have minded getting your standard, run-of-the-mill crab cakes. But these wowed us. Lump and blue crab meat shaped into thick, velvety patties were panko-crusted, fried and served with chipotle aioli and shredded Granny Smith apple slaw with Champagne vinaigrette ($14).

Winter Spinach Salad sounded good to us. Again it was better than expected. Beautiful organic baby spinach came dressed in a warm bacon vinaigrette, with heavenly warm goat cheese (if it was from some trendy, locally sourced cheesemonger, they didn’t mention it) and red onion ($11). We were in the mood for pizza so we opted for the TEO, named after Jim’s son, made Ramani Style. Ramani Style means adding bacon and jalapeno for $2. On top of the pepperoni and house-made, hand-tossed dough, it was pretty awesome. We ate every piece.

Sadly we had no room for Town’s grilled specialties. The rib eye, the lamb chops, the short ribs, the burger — they all sounded great. The prices are close to fine-dining levels ($14 to $29) but the quality, decor and service more or less warrant them.

I’m trying to think of a criticism of Town (that’s my job) and I really can’t think of one. I admit I didn’t cover the menu as thoroughly as usual and I couldn’t go back for lunch because they’re not serving it yet. I could complain that Town doesn’t do molecular gastronomy or mind-bending flavor combinations — but as I say, that’s not what this town is about. We like genuine classics that stand the test of time. Like Montrose.

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LISA DUPUY welcomes comments at LDupuy@aol.com.

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Infobox

What: Montrose Town Kitchen & Grill

Where: 2276 Honolulu Ave., Montrose

When: Daily, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Prices: starters and salads, $8 to $14; pizza, pasta, grill, $14 to $29

Contact: (818) 248-1881