Why I Eat at the Bar — 5 Best West L.A. Restaurant Bars for Dinner
It must have something to do with being a gin-mill rug rat — of early memories kneeling on a bar stool watching my parents pour shots, draw draughts and change ash trays with the fluidity of a blackjack dealers while little Jerry sipped sodas from a cocktail straw.
The juke box blared the Platters, Aretha and Nancy Wilson as the tinkling National Cash Register rang up sales at the G Bar — the George and Gallagher family goldmine.
While other Philly suburban kids tucked into milk and cookies after tumbling from the school bus, I bellied up to the bar for a Coke and bag of Wise Potato Chips.
In the background, off-duty truckers rolled in from the Pennsylvania Turnpike and lined quarters on a red-hot pool table for cue-ball rumbles. They drank the local suds — Schaeffer, Schmidt’s and Rolling Rock.
However the REAL money, for my folks, was in their chasers — double-shots of Seagram’s Seven, Canadian Club or Chivas Regal.
Years later I knew I had it made when I interviewed for a coveted reporters spot at a national tabloid. I breezed through the standard interview questions. But the final test came when the hard-boiled Fleet Street editor looked sternly over his glasses at me and hit me with one last hurdle.
‘What I’m looking for,” burred the bloated, sweating Scott, “is for a reporter who knows how to go out to a bar and buy someone a drink. Just listen. That’s how you get the story, lad.’ My mind screamed: ‘Holy Shit! Buy someone a drink? Dude, that’s my best thing!’
Needless to say I got the job.
Years later and a hundred bar-side interviews behind me, I still prefer to eat at a restaurant’s bar (when I’m alone, of course) whether I’m at home in L. A. or anywhere across the U.S. There’s something smug-making about breezing past parties of two, four or ten waiting up to an hour to get a table.
While they cool their heels, I can hop on a stool order a drink and ask the barkeep for a menu.
Nine times out of ten they can’t be more accommodating. And for me, dining at a restaurant bar automatically turns whatever’s on the menu into comfort food.
Bartenders tend to welcome the lone diner. Chat them up and the odds are they’ll tell you the best entrÃ?©e, the latest score and where (other than their bar) you can get a decent nightcap.
Serving dinner to a bar patron ups the ante for bartenders. It’s your basic 20 percent tip on a $50 dinner tab versus a $10 bar bill. Do the math.
Granted, if you’re an out-of-towner you won’t always stumble into ‘Cheers’ where ‘everyone knows your name’. You may be a stranger to the barkeep, but you’ll never eat alone at a bar.
Here are five of TOP RESTAURANT BARS for dining on L.A.’s Westside:
1) The Galley
Capt. Ron offers one of the best Filet Mignons in town in a funky, nautical setting. But the Galley Burger is also superb as are the steamy pots of East Coast Clams. There’s a killer Spinach Salad With Filet Mignon Tips and authentic Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake for dessert. The jukebox is a 60s and 70s jewel, plus it’s free!
The Galley — 2442 Main Street, Santa Monica. 310-452-1934
2) Billingsley’s
Beaver Cleaver’s mom Barbara is real-life mother to owner Glenn Billingsley who’s been running this Westside landmark for years. Bartender Phil pours one hell of a martini. The menu ranges from Lobster, Steaks and Prime Rib to Monterey Cod thick with Jack Cheese and Avocado to a sumptuous Wedlock sandwich that fills in handily for a Philly Cheese steak any day of the week. All this and Green Goddess salad dressing, too. Who knew they even made Green Goddess anymore?
Billlingsley’s Restaurant — 11326 W. Pico Ave. West L.A. 310-477-1426
3) Vito
East Coast neighborhood Italian charm. Pasta, Gnocchi, and Ravioli rule. But so do Classic Sand Dabs, Rack Of Lamb and a classic Shrimp Scampi. Ask for the decadent dessert cart known as the ‘Pope Mobile.’ It’s the perfect ending to a perfect meal and they’ll wheel it right up to your bar stool.
Vito — 2807 Ocean Park Blvd. Santa Monica
310- 450-4999
4) Fat Fish
East meets West at this trendy West Hollywood hot spot. But this place is a classic example of skipping the half hour wait for a table only to be served dinner quickly by the hippest barkeeps in the town. If Sushi or Sashimi isn’t you bag, Fat Fish also offers a hearty Soft Shell Crab entrÃ?©e or wonderful Chicken in a sherry glaze sauce.
Fat Fish — 616 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood 310-659-3882.
\5) El Cholo
The only chain to make our list, but with 75 years in the business we’ll cut them some slack.
I’m a sucker for their Crabmeat Enchiladas, but El Cholo’s Sizzling Fajitas. Green Corn Tamales and Chicken Chimichangas will knock you out. Killer Margaritas. But try an impressive house cocktail called the L.A. Lemonade, hand shaken and served up. I want one right now.
El Cholo — 1025 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 90401 310-899-1106
