Sunday, April 26, 2015

ODYS AND PENELOPE (FAIRFAX, LOS ANGELES, CA)

Odys and Penelope
127 S. La Brea 
Los Angeles, CA 90036
www.odysandpenelope.com
Tel: 323.939.1033
$$$ ($30-$45)
Thur, 04/09/2015, 7:30pm reservation
    (3.5 Piglets)





Goodbye Hatfield's! Hello Odys and Penelope!

The once fine dining restaurant created by Chefs Karen and Quinn Hatfield is now a distant memory. The Hatfields duo have moved on to produce a more industrial, rustic, yet sophisticated establishment. Tables are spread out and the overall atmosphere is unimposing. The restaurant is quite large, with a full bar and an open kitchen. Waiters are bustling tables throughout the night. For a Thursday night, the restaurant is packed with beautiful people standing at the bar. It seems like this is the new restaurant to see or be seen. A perfect place for a girl's night out. 

The interior


Odys and Penelope is a churrasco and grill that uses free range meat and poultry. The menu is rich Californian, using fresh aromatics and ingredients that meshed well together. Dishes are simple with delicious complex flavors. Somehow, Odys and Penelope got it right with the food, but the service could use some improvement. 

SMOKE STACK COCKTAIL ($12.00): Chipotle infused tequila, lime, agave, smoked salt. The drink had a salt rim and was smokey and spicy. It was refreshing. If you want a drink with a kick, this is a good one. 
HOT SKILLET FOCACCIA ($7.00): Ricotta, Roma tomato, gruyere. This was an unbelievably tasty dish. The focaccia was crispy on the outside, with a chewy and moist texture on the interior. The tomato gave a nice acidity and the olive oil to top it off was the icing on the cake. It reminds me of a delicious, hearty pizza.
HOUSE MADE PAPPARDELLE ($19.00): Pork belly bolognese, fried sage. The pasta had the perfect consistency and cooked al dente. A little on the spicier end, the bolognese was hearty and rich, coating the pasta well. This is a really good dish.
MY FAVORITE DISH. DRY RUBBED SMOKED SHORTRIBS 16 oz ($42.00): Western sweet. This was my favorite dish of the night. Why? The meat literally fell off the bone. No knife was needed.; just a simple fork to pull off the meat. The shortrib was juicy, moist with a smokey flavor.  It had a good ratio of fat and meat. Although sauce was offered (which was quite tasty), it was unnecessary. The meat was good just the way it was, and that's when you know you found a good piece of meat. 
CREAMY CAULIFLOWER AND MILLET ($6.00): Walnut pesto. The cauliflower and millet was on the plainer side and needed a bit more seasoning. The walnut pesto was a good touch and tasted better when mixed well with the cauliflower. Texture wise, it reminded me of congee. 
A table of food and drinks
CHOCOLATE PIE ($11.00): Rye crust, peanut crumble, vanilla-malted ice cream. The chocolate pie was light and airy. I felt it just needed a little more denseness for texture. The ice cream was delicious, but I preferred just a little more to go along with the cake.
CORNMEAL RICOTTA FRITTERS ($10.00): Salted local honey butter. These crispy pillows are light, hot and airy. The honey butter was delicious. This was probably my favorite dessert out of the two for the mere fact that its unique and light. 
Overall, Odys and Penelope delivers great food. The flavors are spot on and the variety of dishes are prominent in the menu. If you want meat, salad, seafood, vegetables, or pasta, you can find it at Odys and Penelope. My only complaint, and it's a big one, is the service. The hostess sat us 30 minutes after the reservation and the food simply took ages to get to our table. It was difficult to flag down our waitress as well. For these reasons, the restaurant earned 3.5 Piglets. 

Notable dishes: Dry Rubbed Smoked Shortribs and Cornmeal Ricotta Fritters. 

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