Maple Block Meat Co.

In connection with our barbecue crawl [last September] and after our first BBQ pit stop, our group moseyed our way up Sepulveda Boulevard to the next barbecue joint, which was a whopping 5-minute walk away.  Not having paced myself too well during round one, I found this short "exercise" a nice way to jump start my digestive system for round two.  Much to my dismay, but perhaps also unsurprisingly, Maple Block was bustling with folks at 8:00 p.m. on a Friday night.  So much so that our group was left standing around for over an hour... thankfully I was in good company.

Really nice touch with the mirror at the top so you can see the magic happening on the counter.

True magic.

Limited Indoor Space -- a couple of tables and bar seating.

Maple Block is not a large restaurant.  I also made the amateur move of not making a reservation for our large group (two strikes on me).  But the staff could have better communicated our wait time or at least have given us honest status updates.  The fact that they kept promising that a group was leaving soon because they had paid the bill was off-putting when, to our dismay, that group showed no intention of leaving anytime soon (lingering groups at busy restaurants are the worst!). Needless to say, by the time we were finally seated, my patience was truly tested.

Another blow was when I learned that the restaurant was out of prime rib.  My heart was lifted only after we were greeted with a large steel tray of sliced beef brisket and massive ribs.

Meat presentation.

Smoked Beef Brisket -- served with pickled onions, red & green chimichurri-like sauce-- 1/2 lb; $14 and 1 lb.; $27.

Full Rack of Pork Ribs  (plus some)-- meaty. 

Mac N Cheese with crumbled cheddar -- $11

Buttermilk biscuits with honey butter -- $7

Banana Pudding with Peanut Butter and Bacon Sprinkles -- $9

Comparing our first BBQ stop with Maple Block is like comparing apples to oranges.  They're part of the same "family," but they each offer different tastes, different vibes, and different price points. Maple Block offers a more sophisticated flair to barbecue whereas Holy Cow is a more of a roll-up-your-sleeves kind of place.

Even without trying the prime rib (I'll come back for you!), Maple Block's brisket and the buttermilk biscuits with honey butter really hit the spot.  Maple Block's menu also includes chicken, pork, fish and veggies. Less conventional barbecue offerings, but without losing the comfy quality of that familiar smoky goodness. Definitely worth a visit.



 


cuisine: Barbecue
location: Culver City
hours: Daily; 11:30am-3pm (lunch); 5pm-10pm (dinner)
websites: { MBMC | yelp | facebook | twitter | instagram }
parking: Small lot; street parking
attire: Casual
how it works: Get seated; table service
notes: Lunch menu is different. You can also order online! If dining in for dinner, make a reservation.

Holy Cow BBQ

Just within the last couple of years, Culver City really upped its barbecue game with several different barbecue joints, including one still to come.  Yessir, some of the gems of the South are getting some legitimate representation here in Southern California.

In an effort to get to know these places better, some friends and I ventured on a slow barbecue crawl, hitting up two restaurants.

First up, Holy Cow BBQ.  Like its first location in Santa Monica, Holy Cow Culver City offers some smoky, lip-smackingly delicious 'cue in a casual atmosphere.  If you like MessHall in Los Feliz, you'll likely enjoy the vibe at Holy Cow (think rustic with just the right amount of homeyness).  Loosen up your belt a notch (or wear stretchy pants like me) and dig in!

As anticipated, their menu caters mostly to omnivores, but there are some options for non-meat lovers, too.  In fact, there are plenty of menu options, period.

Menu: Meat & Meat Combos.

Menu: Salads and things.

Menu: Sammies

Menu: Sides.

Indoor seating, great for groups.

Bar seating with beers on tap.

Order at the counter; get your number and grab a seat.

Since we were a large group of 10, we ordered a couple of meat combos, a number of shareable side dishes with a round of delectable desserts to follow.  Needless to say, we kicked off the BBQ crawl strong and without any restraints.

Buttermilk Cornbread with honey, chives and maple butter -- $3.50

5-Cheese Mac N Cheese (Aged Vermont, White & Yellow Cheddar, Bechamel, and Monterey Jack) -- $7

Oh yea.

4 Meat Combo (L to R: brisket; tri-tip, baby backs; pulled pork) -- $22

Texas Brisket, paired with housemade Texas red sauce

Santa Maria Tri-Tip

Baby Back Ribs -- the best!

Carolina Pulled Pork, paired with housemade Carolina yellow sauce.

Hand-rubbed Beef Ribs -- $12

House Slaw -- dressed green and red cabbage, celery seed, aioli, roasted garlic

Collards -- slow braised in vinegar, ham hocks, sweet onion, pork belly -- $5

O-Rings -- sweet onion, spicy buttermilk, seasoned corn flour -- $6

Idaho Potato Salad -- Russets, vinegar, egg, celery, chive, dill, mayo -- $4

Kettle Beans -- medley of beans, cured bacon, braised peppers & onions, house spieces, Q-sauce -- $4

Warm Peach Crumble -- sweet peaches, brown sugar & oats -- $7

Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding -- brioche, vanilla bean cream, chocolate, sugar & spice, fresh whip cream -- $7

Banana Cream -- fresh vanilla bean custard, banana brulee, whip cream, toasted almonds, wafer -- $7

After stuffing our faces, the verdict was in: (1) the Baby Backs define Holy Cow's modus operandi -- Slow Smoked Goodness; (2) the brisket is tender and especially tasty with their housemade Q sauce; (3) Collards are slow-braised in pork belly and Kettle Beans are cooked with cured bacon = winning;  and (4) that Peach Crumble will warm your heart and belly.  Would I return?  With such fair prices, generous portions, and tasty shareables?  Yes ma'am!  So if you're in Culver City looking for a quick bite to eat (in or for takeout), definitely check out Holy Cow for a satisfying meal.






cuisine: Barbecue
location: Culver City
hours: Daily, 11am-10pm
websites: { HC | yelp | facebook | instagram | twitter }
parking: Lot
attire: Casual
how it works: Peruse the menu, order at the counter, take a number and grab your seats.
notes: Some of the best things on the menu are the Baby Backs, Kettle Beans, Peach Crumble, and Banana Pudding.

Humble Potato

With a second location which opened less than two months ago in Culver City [the original location being Westchester], you'd think Humble Potato is out-growing its humble ways.  The good news is that it's not, so we can continue to love Humble Potato in all of its cutesy hipster glory.

Cute + hip.  But importantly, does it serve good food?... yes.

Humble Potato is a casual, Japanese-fusion "hambuga" & hot dog shop that "introduce[s] savory Japanese flavor twists to American comfort food."  What does that even mean?  Check it.

Take the classic American hamburger, hot dog, and fries and add some curry, ginger, yuzu, and other Japanese spices to add some Asian flair.  It's like when I was a kid, I'd add gochujang on my cheeseburger.  Too bad I didn't/ don't have enough business savvy to open up a Korean-style hamburger place (I'd call it Simple Yam).  But lucky for us all, we have Humble Potato.

Kare Fries -- Sunny egg and Japanese curry with carrots over crispy potatoes -- $6

The Kare Fries are kind of similar to poutine sans the cheese, but with thicker gravy/ curry and a sunny-side egg.  A concept that is delicious, mind you.  And the sweet curry compliments the crispy fries quite well.  These will go fast.

Sweet Potato Fries -- $5

Jack'd -- 1/4-lb Angus beef patty, melted pepper jack cheese, caramelized onion, applewood-smoked bacon, avocado, soy-pickled jalapenos on a sweet brioche bun -- $11

Battle Royale -- 1/4-lb Angus beef patty, melted cheddar, caramelized onion, smoked bacon, garlic jam, romaine, tomato, avocado, Japanese spices, spicy HP sauce, and sunny egg on a buttered brioche -- $13

With so many different ingredients, trying to eat the burger without creating a mess will be a true challenge.  Messy or even messier, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that one particular ingredient didn't really overpower the other, complimenting each other quite well to create a satisfying party in your belly.  If you prefer your burger a particular way (i.e., meat cooked well-done), don't be afraid to let them know.

Runny. Egg. Yolk. -- gross to some, but fantastic to me.

For those who want to stick to more simpler dishes, try the Hambaga, their signature burger with less accroutrements, or the classic Japanese chicken katsu with kare.  For the vegetarians, there are a couple (literally, two) salad options, fried potato served in four different ways, and a Japanese-style grilled cheese that includes a hash-brown crisp (carbs, dairy, carbs).

Unlike its Westchester sibling, the Culver City location is now serving up a wide variety of beers (Ichiban and Sapporo on tap!), wine and sake to help wash down every bite of your tasty meal.

Plus, Humble Potato's haiku-esque vision/ mission/ pledge is wholly worth supporting:

Simple Food.  Happy People.

Humble Lasts. Hunger Shouldn't.

Where There's Good Will,

There's Good Eats.

Eat Well.  Feel Good.

Live Humbly.

cuisine: Japanese-American Fusion
location: Culver City
hours:
websites: { HP | yelp | facebook | twitter | instagram }
attire: Casual
price: $10-15
notes: Good for brunch, good for lunch, good for dinner and good for late-night/anytime snacks.

Wildcraft Pizza

“Our pizza is made from our slow-rising sourdough and blast-cooked in a 900-degree wood-fired brick oven.  This process locks in the sourdough’s natural aroma and produces a deliciously soft and chewy crust that’s mildly sour and smoky in all the right places.”  

If you're a sucker for sourdough pizza, make your way to Wildcraft Pizza in Culver City.  If you're not a big fan of sourdough like me, Wildcraft is still worth a visit because of all of the other tasty offerings.  But give the sourdough crust a try, at the very least, in the form of their "15 minutes" of fame garlic knots.

Online menus here. 

Indoor seating.

Outdoor patio seating.

Bar seating.

Hamachi Crudo -- orange, avocado, Serrano peppers, lime vin' -- $11

"15 minutes" of fame garlic knots, seasoned with asiago cheese and oregano, with marinara sauce -- $6

Brussels sprouts -- with almond brown butter, lemon, parmesan -- $8

Our Red pizza (with marinara sauce) choice: Spicy Sausage

Spicy Sausage -- fennel sausage, fior di latte mozzarella, garlic chips, provolone, calabrian chilis -- $13

Our White Pizza choice (not being racist): Burrata Pie

Burrata Pie -- squash blossom, provolone, burrata, fried rosemary, shaved pistachio, orange oil -- $15

My favorites of the night were the Brussels sprouts and the Burrata pie.  The Brussels sprouts salad is served warm and the citrus and almond flavors blended so well together.  As for the Burrata pie, not only does it contain two of my favorite foods in its name, but there is pistachios involved, too!  Really great combo of ingredients. The garlic knots were good, but not the best I've had.  This might be due to my general partiality toward sourdough.  

Wildcraft also offers a wide array of beers and wine selections.  Good food, good drinks, grab a few good friends and you're set for a great night at Wildcraft.

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dine date: May 2, 2013; 6:00 pm
what to get: 
cuisine: Pizza
location: Culver City
hours: Sun-Mon, noon-9pm; Tues-Thu, noon-10pm; Fri-Sat, noon - 11pm.
websites: { Wildcraft | yelp | facebook | twitter | instagram }
attire: Casual
parking: Street or paid lots
notes: Restaurant is a bit tough to spot, but it's located near the Starbucks at the corner of Washington and Culver.  Great happy hour deals from 4-7pm.
other reviews: { serious eats slice | LA Weekly | Thrillist }