And no, that title is not engrish. The last few weeks for me have been overwhelming: meeting, eating, and greeting.  When my close friend, Bethany Kenyon, offered to write up a review on a new spot, I said ‘why of course!’ There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to hit the gym to work off all the eating I have been doing. It’s like you start a food and design website and everyone you know wants to eat with you. And eat and eat and eat….I’m a foodie that still believes in fitting into my skinny jeans. So please, enjoy the following review written by Bethany and be sure to see much, much more from her to come in the form of her entertaining know-how, unique recipes and food perspective. I can’t wait to try The Park. Did I mention how funny she is? xo camille.

 

The Park is one of a new crop of restaurants to join us here in Echo Park. Last Saturday, I went to check it out with my boyfriend. When we entered the restaurant the staff was very hospitable and they made us feel very welcome. 

 

You know how it can be sometimes in this city, when you go to the new hot restaurant-you’re treated like you don’t belong.  Certainly not here.  It was relaxing and very friendly.  We chose to sit outside.  It was such a gorgeous night…why not?

 

The place is BYOB, and yes, we brought our own bottle.  Everyone else that entered did the same.  The best part, no corkage fee.  

 

We started off with a plate of the calamari.  It was flavored nicely with a sweet and spicy Szechwan sauce that had chopped up roasted chili peppers.  We squeezed on some lime and… HELLO.  This, I have to say, was one the most delicious plates of calamari I’d every had, and a lot of tables around us also ordered it.  I guess the word had gotten around…”get the calamari!!!!”

 

For an entrée, I got the fish special: black cod with a frisée salad, roasted potatoes, and chopped hazelnuts.  Cod is a buttery/oily fish, and the dish was a little on the greasy side, but still cooked perfectly.  My boyfriend got the burger, where you can choose your toppings, like bacon, choice of cheeses, grilled onions, etc. He chose cheddar cheese, and apple wood bacon.  I love when restaurants let you build your own burger. 

 

 

And when it came I almost wanted to switch… my mouth was watering.  This burger was yummy, yummy, yummy.  The fries were homemade, and seasoned to perfection.  I had to stop myself from devouring all of them. 

 

 

The desert choices are limited.  Although, we still had a hard time choosing which to get, because the few they did have looked delicious.  We settled on the butterscotch pudding tart. It was good, although it could have used a little more butterscotch flavor and a little less whip cream. It did have candied almonds on top, and those were a great touch. I think I will try the warm apple crisp next time. Other popular dishes at The Park include hanger steak and chicken jidori.

 

 

All in all, I would say this place is a gem. I believe this is chef Joshua Siegel’s first restaurant, so bravo to you chef. The Park is open for dinner everyday and brunch on Saturday and Sunday. I will be returning…

 

xo Bethany 

 

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The Park 

1400 Sunset Blvd.  corner of Douglas

213.482.9209

Los Angeles, CA 90026

 

casual

BYOB-  no corkage fee as of now

Hours:  Wed/Thurs/Sun 5:30-10p dinner

Fri/Sat 5:30-10:30p dinner

For brunch hours- please call since not listed on their site