We’ve all been there. You’re sitting around with some friends or perhaps already in the car with your partner and the idea of getting something to eat is proposed. Naturally, after endless questions about what everyone is interested in, every potential hero of the day reaches for their phones and begins digging through Yelp or any of a hundred other sources. The reviews you find are either overly mean or are far from descriptive enough to give you a sense of a restaurant’s potential. Time and time again, this has been my experience. For my own mental health and my stomach’s happiness, I decided to do something about it. With that, my new restaurant series, Gnaw, was born. Enjoy!
The Stage
Century City Mall is a mall unlike any other. Ranging from high-end department stores to brands native to LA, it is a rare blend of something for everyone all in a beautiful outdoor setting. For my first culinary/writing adventure, Yelp recommended “Bar Verde” on the top floor of Nordstrom. Now, this is a restaurant at a department store which isn’t usually a combination for the height of culinary excellence, but even people who spend the day shoe shopping can work up an appetite. I, on the other hand, have decided to review everything Yelp recommends for me… So, Bar Verde, it is.
The Service
Our waitress was attentive, hilarious, and engaging. She was present to our needs without lingering. As a former waiter, she made me proud.
The Food
What I ate and drank is pictured above. If I were to use five adjectives to describe the food, I would say inventive, crispy, spicy, approachable, and balanced. I started with the “Hummingbird” cocktail which was a mixture of Sombra Mezcal, Olmeca Altos Plata Tequila, pineapple juice, fresh lime juice, agave syrup, and club soda. It was refreshing, relaxing, and strong; the perfect end to a warm summer day. Next, we moved on to the Brussels Sprouts. They were slightly overdone for my taste. We still devoured them, though. It made me think, why did we all wait so long to start eating these things. Finally, I finished the evening with a spicy and blackened chicken sandwich with a side a fries. Nothing out of this world, thousands of restaurants in LA serve this dish. Sometimes, familiar is the best way to go.
The Price
For two people, our total bill was $70+tip. Based on what we ate and drank, this is slightly overpriced in my mind, but then again this is a restaurant in Nordstrom, so when in Rome.
The Takeaway
For what it is, Bar Verde is a decent escape from the hectic world several floors below. If you run across it and need some solace, I recommend stopping in for a quick bite to eat. I just wouldn’t go out of my way for it.
Be good to each other,
-Nathan
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