Doing More Than Win-Dow Shopping in Venice - CLOSED

 The Win-Dow

1827 Ocean Front Walk

Venice, CA 90291

Before I met and married Katie, I had never really been an LA guy. Instead, I was content to go about my regular routine in OC. Sure, I had made a couple of trips to LA; visiting Universal Studios, going to Pasadena for the Doo-Dah Parade, watching our friend run the LA Marathon, and then going to Philippe's for a French dip sandwich. But that was really about it. 

When I told her I had never been to the Valley, Katie was flummoxed. It almost rocked her to the core that I had never been there. She was even more shocked when I rattled off that I had never been to Santa Monica, Malibu, Westwood, or Griffith Park. We have since crossed most of these off this list, and it was time for another initial visit to an LA tourist spot, my first trip to Venice Beach. 

We were on vacation this week and decided to take advantage of the light midday traffic and try some burgers in Venice Beach. I had an excellent burger at Great White for lunch. As we walked the famous Venice Boardwalk, I spied The Win-Dow, which has gotten glowing reviews from the good folks over at Eater LA, with a well-researched article by Farley Elliot, which you can read here. I've also seen this spot featured on local TV, and even though I was not precisely hungry when we walked by, I felt obliged to stop and try it out because who knows when I will get back up this way again. 

The Win-Dow debuted in 2019, serving burgers from a window at American Beauty from 11-5pm on weekdays and 8am to 5 on weekends. They have since expanded to two other locations, one in Silverlake and the one we were visiting on this day, on the Venice Boardwalk. The Win-Dow is part of the same restaurant group as Superba, The Tasting Kitchen, and American Beauty, all of which have gotten glowing reviews in their own right. 

The menu at this beach location is very simple and straightforward. There are three burgers: a fried chicken sandwich, a grain bowl, a kale salad, and fries. They also have shakes and dipped cones for dessert. Nothing on their menu is over $7.95, even cheaper than Carl's Jr. Even though we had just eaten, I was excited about my first Win-Dow experience. Let's check it out. 

My plan was that I was just going to have a single bite of whatever I got here and save the rest for later. However, after my first taste of the Double Cheeseburger ($6.50), I knew things would not go as planned. Nevertheless, I could not stop myself from eating the whole thing. The Angus patties were grilled on the flattop, allowing a bit of crispiness to surround the outer edge of the burger. This contrasted with the melted American cheese, grilled onions, pickles, and house sauce. The soft and pliable potato bun was structurally sound enough to keep everything together nicely. Everything on this burger worked in perfect harmony to create an excellent sensory experience. I had wished I got one more to go, but I wasn't sure it would have lasted the hour's drive home. 

The second of my two sandwiches was the Fried Chicken Sandwich ($6.25). This was on the same bun as the burger and featured a very well-made fried chicken, coleslaw, and a small amount of what I assumed to be mayo. The chicken had crunchy breading with tender chicken inside. It's just what you want with a chicken sandwich. This just needed more mayo and coleslaw added to it to make it stand out more. It's not awful, but you should bring your own jar of Best Foods mayonnaise if you order this sandwich.  

I was impressed with The Win-Dow. Not only is their food reasonably priced, but their stuff is also high quality. It makes you think that national fast food places are serving subpar food to us at inflated prices. For them, it's all about making money, unlike The Win-Dow, which is about making their customers happy by serving them a delicious burger at a more affordable price. We experienced good service this afternoon and got our food promptly. I'm glad I could cross the famous Venice Boardwalk off my list, but even more happy that I got to experience the burger at The Win-Dow. 

Out of five dumbbells (because this restaurant is close to Muscle Beach, the famous spot where many renowned bodybuilders get their start lifting dumbbells), five being best to zero being worst, The Win-Dow gets 3.5 dumbbells. 

For more information about The Win-Dow, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.thewin-dow.la/

Swimming With the Sharks at Great White in Venice

 Great White

1604 Pacific Avenue

Venice, CA  90291

I get my restaurant tips from many sources. It used to be that I'd read other people's blogs, but there aren't that many people blogging these days, except for yours truly. So that means I usually get my tips from Instagram, local press, and magazines. However,  most of my restaurant suggestions come from my readers and people I encounter daily. Almost everyone has an opinion on where the best food is, and they are not shy to give me their recommendations, which is awesome and welcomed. 

So who got me off my comfy couch to drive 62 miles north for lunch? It was none other than Phil Rosenthal. If you have not watched Somebody Feed Phil, which airs on Netflix, put it on your list of things to watch. His joy in eating and life is infectious. I usually binge the whole season within the first week of its release. It's that good, and the places he visits are definitely some I'd like to try one day. 

Anyways, Phil tweeted a picture of a burger he had, and it looked so good that I decided I had to try it. Both Katie and I had taken a vacation day, and it was the perfect time to visit Great White in Venice Beach. I had never been to Venice before, and with the light midday traffic, we made it up from South OC in under an hour. Parking was no problem this warm early June afternoon as we walked the few blocks to Great White. 

Great White is self-described as an all-day, casual cafe focusing on coastal Californian, fresh, and seasonal cuisine. This Venice location opened five years ago, followed by a Larchmont spot just under a year ago. The two Australian owners have created a light and breezy resort vibe in their dining room. Wicker basket light fixtures, white painted walls, and arched entryways are the dining area's focal point, attracting a young, hip, and good-looking clientele. 

The menu at Great White has a little bit of something for everyone. They serve breakfast from 8 to 3pm, lunch begins at 11, and the five main entrees are available after 3pm. The lunch menu is broken into six sections; salads, bowls, sandwiches, share plates, pizzas, and desserts. Most items on their lunch menu are around the $20 price point, which is reasonable these days. Let's see if the 50 minutes drive for lunch was worth it. 

Up first for us was some Avocado Dip ($14). The smashed avocado was combined with diced red onion, a sprig of cilantro, and some Aleppo pepper, which is moderately spicy, but added a tinge of cumin flavor to this dip. I liked the originality of this guacamole. It was fresh, and the Aleppo pepper made it a bit unique. This was served with some taro chips, which I would usually turn my nose to, but these provided a lightness that let the guacamole shine through a bit more. An excellent and light start to our visit to Great White.  

Chicken sandwiches are all the rage right now, and Great White has a very good one. Their Crispy Chicken Sandwich ($18 plus $2 for the sweet potato fries substitution) is not of the spicy Nashville variety. Instead, it's a straightforward version with cabbage slaw, pickles, and a secret sauce added to the nicely crisped breading coating the moist chicken. This was a very clean-tasting chicken sandwich, which was fried well and lacked the greasiness one associates with other inferior chicken sandwiches. The brioche bun held together nicely, but I would have asked for a little more of the secret sauce if this was my meal. Sweet potato fries are not really my thing, but Katie found these to be enjoyable. 

Here's why we came up to Venice, the Tremendous Burger ($18) I saw Phil Rosenthal having on Twitter. It was just as good-looking as what I remembered in that photo. The glossy bun with the wonderfully melted American cheese covering the two smashed burger patties is finished with some shredded lettuce, secret sauce, and caramelized fennel. This burger was worth the drive. It reminded me of a higher-quality In-N-Out burger, made with better ingredients and seasoned way better than anything that has come out of the kitchen at the aforementioned overrated fast food favorite. Due to all the cheese, it was a little messy to eat but worth getting dirty for. The fries were crisp, salted, and made even better when I asked for a Side of Garlic Aioli (.50). 

With just this one lunchtime visit, it's apparent that Great White is not only a beautifully designed restaurant, but they have some delicious food here too. If we lived closer, I could see us eating our way through their rather extensive menu often. I've heard good things about their breakfast burritos; the fish tacos, pasta dishes, and pizzas look worth trying. We experienced friendly service on this visit, as our server was pleasant but did not make a habit of sticking around our table too long. I'm sure he will never read this, but thanks, Phil, for posting the picture of your burger. I can't wait to see where you are going to eat next. 

Out of five beauty school dropouts (because the movie Grease was filmed at nearby Venice High School, and Beauty School Dropout is one of the songs in that movie), five being best to zero being worst. Great White gets 3.5 beauty school dropouts. 

For more information about Great White, head to their website by clicking here: https://greatwhite.cafe/

Eating a Blue Streak at Baby Blues

Baby Blues Bar-B-Q

444 Lincoln Blvd.

Venice, CA 90291

We stayed the night near LAX before our trip to New York. Not wanting to let this rare night in Los Angeles go to waste, I did a little research and found a highly rated restaurant, Baby Blues Bar-B-Q.

Baby Blues has been on TV shows, Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives and Food Paradise.  Baby Blues has been open since 2004. It was started by two guys that describe their barbecue as a hybrid of barbecue from all across the US. The sauce is reminiscent of sauces from North Carolina, the rest of the menu draws on barbecue techniques from Kansas City, Memphis and Texas, among others. Needless to say I was pretty excited to try the food, so let's see how it turned out.

Starting us off was my Mom's choice for dinner, the Carolina Style Pulled Pork Sandwich. My Mom was pretty pleased with this dish. She found the meat was really moist and liked the Cole Slaw. Out of the five sauces that were on the table, she liked the sweet chili sauce the best with this.

My Dad is not a big rib guy, so he ordered the Beef Brisket Sandwich. On the positive side, my Dad felt that the meat was tender and moist, and he liked the BBQ sauce best on this. The only negative thing that my pops said about the sandwich was that the meat could have been cut thinner. My Dad also wanted to try a side item, so he got the Mashed Sweet Potatoes, which he called very good. I am not really a sweet potato fan, but I liked the smooth consistency of these and the flavor was pretty good as well. 

Our sandwich parade rolls on with Katie's option for dinner, the Shrimp Po Boy. Katie raved that this sandwich was delicious, with more than enough shrimp on it. She also wanted to try two sides, so she got the Mac N' Cheese and the Blues On the Cob. The mac n cheese was very good, with just the right amount of cheesy goodness. I did not try the corn, but Katie really liked the cheese that was on this. Not sure what kind it was, looked a little like Parmesan.

I was at a barbecue restaurant, so you know that I was definitely going to get some traditional barbecue items. I selected the Bones and No Bones Platter. This dish came with half a rack of Memphis ribs and a half a pound of pulled pork, served with two sides. The ribs were very good. Some of the best I have had in awhile. The pulled pork was equally good, because it was so moist. I experimented with the different sauces on the table. I believe that the regular barbecue sauce was my favorite, but it was also nice changing up the pace with some squirts from the hot barbecue sauce as well. The mashed potatoes were okay, but the collard greens stole the show for the side items. Served in a brown sauce, that I am not even sure what it was, but it really added to the collard greens. Very good plate of food here.

Baby Blues Bar-B-Q is a small, kitchy joint serving up big platters of barbecue favorites. The prices were decent. Sandwiches were in the $9 to $11 range, while the dinner platters were going for $18 to $25. The service matched the southern charm of this place. Our waitress was very sweet, even giving my Mom her cell phone number, so she could give us some restaurants to try in New York. Something unheard of in LA. I was also surprised there was no wait when we arrived at 5pm on a Saturday night. Guess we got lucky in more ways than one by coming to Baby Blues. 

Out of five police cars, (because for a short time in the late 70's/early 80's police cars in San Fransisco were painted baby blue for some reason), five being best to zero being worst, Baby Blues Bar-B-Q gets 4 police cars.

For more information on Baby Blues Bar-B-Q, click here: http://www.babybluesvenice.com/#/home