I get asked, frequently, for restaurant recommendations in LA and I’m always thrilled to delve deeper, go the extra mile, and come up with the best options for each curious individual. Sometimes my answer is based on food restrictions, sometimes it’s cravings or specialties, and sometimes it’s simply narrowed down to an area of town. Because I live in Culver City, I can state in all truthfulness that I have wined and dined in just about every single restaurant from our downtown area to all the way down part of Washington (blvd). What can I say, this hood is just full of great food. So because I live in this part of town, and because I write a blog about Los Angeles, and because I’ve tried everything this special little nook of LA has to offer, “what’s your favorite place to eat in Culver City” is a question I’m often asked. But no matter who is asking, and no matter what they actually want to eat, one of our latest additions to the downtown Culver area, East Borough, is always, no exaggeration, is always… one of my first recommendations. It’s my first for all my foodie people, because they may appreciate it most, but even for the not so adventurous, the simple inquisitors, “East Borough” is an excellent representation of the food culture we got goin’ on in Culver City.
A few months ago I watched East Borough slowly but surely come to life, literally from the ground up, and like anything new in Culver City I couldn’t wait to be one of the first people to try it, no matter what the hell they served. Living in Culver City I often find myself not having many reasons to go elsewhere; I can walk to restaurants, coffee shops, etc., and with spots like East Borough serving meals worth repeating time and time again, it seems like a no-brainer decision to stay put. There was something special about East Borough though, despite the fact that it already esthetically speaking fit in perfectly with the rustic, hip, gastro, Culver City vibe, there was something totally different going on inside this place. As it turns out East Borough was the city’s new “French-Vietnamese” cuisine restaurant and as it further turns out, we’re all crazy about it.
I am personally a huge fan of the E.B. “communal hour”, which is 3 :00pm – 7pm everyday and back on again 9pm – 10pm sun-wed / 10pm-11pm thus-sat. I’ve almost had one of everything on all of the menus, and if you were hoping to narrow down what to order based on this post, good luck because good news/bad news: it’s all worth ordering. But. I will say, the one item that I find myself craving on a regular basis is their Pho Baguette (beef brisket, basil, onions, hoisin sriracha aioli, pho broth), which they offer on the regular menu as well as the communal. (“Pho Baguette about it”… see what I did there…) It’s like a French Vietnamese ‘French dip’, but like 2095805295 times better. No matter what you get though, you will leave with a warm tummy and the satisfaction of having tasted incredibly unique and innovative dishes – ones only East Borough have created. And as usual, do not forget dessert – the “French” in French-Vietnamese won’t let you down in this area.
If you’re thinking about coming to Culver City, stop in. It’s restaurants like this one that make me proud to live here. That is so sappy but it’s so true.
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