Lou on Vine

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FOC Johnny Hong Kong sends along his review of Mr. Manola Dargis's new restaurant, Lou on Vine. Rest assured: JHK has both the cinematic and culinary chops for the job.

Christopher Walken brought us together, if you must know. See, our friendship was born--back in our salad days--over a missing copy of The Prophecy. At the time, the cinetrix was slinging videos, and JHK was slinging hash at a restaurant down the road. Good times.

Take it away, Johnny:

The place is totally trippy, sort of like walking into a David Lynch movie. It's in a strip mall (of course), and there are these crazy floral print curtains separating the convenience store-style glass doors and the dark interior of the restaurant.

The first thing we see when we walk in is a group of older folks sitting in the northeast corner, drinking wine and laughing loudly, which contributed to the David Lynch-y feelings, calling to mind the scene in Mulholland Drive at the end where Naomi Watts's "parents" are laughing into the fisheye lens. Then you see the "crazy tree wall paper," which makes the whole place feel like an Elks Lodge. Our waiter (and Lou himself, who tended bar) both look like they could be extras in a David Lynch movie, too. Come to think of it, their signature dish, pig candy, also calls to mind a Lynch movie (which one is it where someone runs around with a pig mask on? Was it Blue Velvet? or Wild at Heart? If there's not a Lynch movie with a guy in a pig mask, there should be. Amen to that--ed.)

 

The wine list is impressive, with servings coming in tasting, glass, and bottle sizes. 

 

The menu is small with a bunch of tapas-style offerings, charcuterie and cheese plates, and only one traditional entree on the menu. Mary Milan and I decided to work through the small plates and forgo the beef roast.

 

Here's the set list and impressions:

 

1. Wine (grenache, merlot, etc.): Good. Both wines, light and spicy.

2. Olives and almonds: Fabulous. The candied almonds with sweet and salty flavor were key. Any dish that contains Lucques olives can't be bad. 

3. Pig candy: As good as they say. Hints of strawberry jam. Divine. 

 

Interlude

 

4. Wine (pinot noir): Easy, much more mellow. Just in case Dennis Hopper wheeled his ass out from the back, our palates would be in a much more relaxed space.

5. Crostini trio: Mushrooms, red pepper puree and truffle salt, canellini beans: 2/3's of greatness.  The mushroom one, while good, failed to live up to the the standard of its brothers. 

6. Mac and cheese with fleur de sel: A must have. The fleur de sel sets off the texture difference in the baked, browned top nicely. Plus, it's a nice surprise for the palate. The cheese is yummy. 

 

Interlude

 

7. Pig candy: Just like New York City, it's so nice, we had it twice.

 

Interlude

 

8. Pecan tart with vanilla ice cream: I was suspicious at first because I'm not a big fan of pecan tarts - they are usually sickly sweet and gross, but this was not. Packed full of pecans. Definitely good.

 

Final judgment is that this wine bar serves really distinctive food, better than some restaurants I've been to in the city. Eating in a David Lynch movie is not the most settling experience, if you catch my drift, but the wine list, pig candy, and mac and cheese make the place a keeper.

 

(And on the Dargis front, there was a customer there dining with a gentleman who looked like a younger, prettier version of our favorite Pulitzer nominee. Lou gracefully stayed behind the bar).