Overview | Welp. Seriously didn’t see that one coming. SMYC, as the like to say for short, is officially in my opinion one of Santa Monica’s best new restaurants. Despite the fact that it feels like a new restaurant let alone a new seafood restaurant is opening up on a weekly basis in beautiful and sunny Santa Monica, there’s something about SMYC that most certainly stands out. It may have something to do with the fact that the people behind it have an excellent track record with Santa Monica favorite Tar & Roses, or it may be the location and the beachside/yacht-chic (but like cool yacht-chic…) decor, but SMYC is already creating quite the buzz and they’ve got the goods to back it all up. I expected good, decent, enjoyable, but I wasn’t exactly expecting holy-lobster-may-I-have-another-of-everything or I-don’t-care-how-much-I’m-spending good. I’m easily swooned by decent decor, a nice bar, and a good patio, but none of these elements are what should truthfully bring you to SMYC, because the creative seafood dishes are what truly make this place a gem. I’m particularly partial to their more small plate/tapas approach to the menu because that way you get to try more, and this is one menu you’ll have a difficult time deciding what not to order.
Favorite Drink | Bramble – gin, lemon blackberries (I switched out the gin for bourbon and it was delicious.)
Must Order | The Lobster Toast or BUST and the Peach Crostata for dessert. If you were curious about who makes the best dessert in Los Angeles look no further, I almost ordered two and unfortunately I’m not kidding! It might have something to do with the fact that I actually had the Peach Crostata before I ordered dinner in this particular instance, but we don’t have to get into that.
Perfect Spot For | Dinner – with whomever.
Pro Tip | Make your reservation through the Reserve app, and I’ll buy your first round of drinks. …just keep reading.
Fun Fact | Chef & owner Andrew Kirschner is also chef + owner of Tar & Roses right down the street.
Reserve App | I’m not all that up with technology and I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m an app lover, but with that said in my small arsenal of awesome and actually helpful apps I have become a huge fan of one I think you’ll enjoy too and it’s called Reserve. Reserve is a reservation concierge service of sorts, similar to Open Table, and they offer a way simple to book tables with the best of the best restaurants in LA (also in SF, Boston, Chicago, and NYC!) along with making paying the tab as simple as possible – you imput your credit card info, what percentage you’d like to tip, and the bill is taken care of in-app with zero hassle. Not to get too geeky and design-y on you here but the interface itself is what really sold me, the restaurant options are easy to scroll through, the photos are gorgeous, and I love that you can trust that who ever they’ve got on board inside the app is a damn good recommendation! I used the app three times to book meals in NYC when I had no idea where to go, but I knew that Reserve wouldn’t let me down. Reserve is a budding a blooming business and they’re constantly adding new clientele, if you want to know how to keep up with the Jones’ in LA, take a look at the Reserve roster.
Drinks on Me | If you think you want to try the app out, which is free to download, I have a code for you to use on your first outing that will give you $20 off your bill! Just use the code ‘LYBG6O‘ and you’re good to go!
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