I had high hopes for
Corner Door, yet another gastropub in Culver City, literally next door to
Waterloo & City that I recently raved about (oh, the chicken liver mousse...).
The space was on the tight side to begin with. If I'm not in New York, I'm not as ok with being elbow to elbow with the patrons next to our table. That's Balthazar, darn it! I love me an authentic bistro feel but this was too close for comfort.
I had heard good things about the burger so got that with rosemary sage fries. The burger was cooked medium rare but the patty texture wasn't as good as I'd like, and the flavor was on the bland side. The works were nothing special -- caramelized onions and a house-made blend of cheeses that seemed to have lost its identity in the mix. As you can see, the bun looks thick, dense and dry. And it was. It's hard to get it just right where the bun is warm, fresh and soft yet can hold the patty and the works. I wouldn't get the burger again.
The rosemary and sage fries were crispy and hot, just the way I like them. I almost wanted more salt on them but appreciated that it hadn't jumped on the
sodium overdose bandwagon. The grilled radicchio and peach salad with walnuts was not bad but the deconstructed aspect made it cumbersome to eat. I don't want to have to do all the work of cutting the green and peach for each bite!
The wine list was not great and the service was on the curt side, although I did appreciate our server taking my first wine back because it tasted like soap to me. Cramped space, decent crowd, food that didn't blow me away and just ok service. I don't think those will compel me to return anytime soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment