I went to these places last Wednesday on my way home from the airport.
The Osprey Tavern - I found this place by chance. I thought I was going have Italian, but, I realized I had been there before (La Bella Luna). This place just opened (three weeks ago) across the street. It had a decent crowd and interesting menu, so, I bit. It's run by what looks like the son of the Seito Sushi people. Maybe he runs that too and is just a prodigy. This place is like a cross between Hamilton's and Cask and Larder. It has a large, central white marble bar and dining areas on either side. The ceiling is white with a black area over the bar. The walls are grey and white. The booths are tan and black.The tables are light wood. The chairs are grey wood. The have all sorts of turn of the century (20th) nick knacks as decoration. High ceilings. Very tasteful. The menu is limited. Not because of fashion, but, out of necessity. They don't have a head chef yet and I would bet they are letting the three sous chefs try and find a groove. The menu now is predominantly American with fire oven pizzas and a raw bar/seafood. They offer alot of trendy ingredients such as fiddle heads, kale and rapini. I had steak tartare for $14 and a sausage pizza for $16. The tartare was anything but predictable. No egg or onion or capers. They used currants (too sour) in place of capers and celery leaves and a red oil. A shattered cracker topping of pounded and dried sardine. The crostini were a little too thick. Nice plating. A nice attempt, but, I prefer the traditional method. The pizza was a little tough and burned (just a half minute too long). It was topped with shaved fennel, savory sausage, chard, manchego and dollops of fresh mozzarella. It could have used a tad more mozz and probably tomato sauce. It doesn't have to exist without tomato sauce to be fancy. It was a pretty big pie. The rest of the menu was intriguing. They had a good craft beer and wine selection. Sodas were only $2. They didn't big time me at the hostess desk though I was dressed from my trip from Canada and unshaven and had no res and the place was kind of full. The crowd was a good mix of ages and mostly affluent. The staff was well schooled, polite and efficient. They were dressed in grey button downs and ties. The stemware and cutlery were hip. It has an open kitchen. The place seats about eighty. All in all it was great surprise and I really hope they survive for years and years. Alot of love, thought and effort seem to have been exhausted in bringing this place to fruition. Not many things make the drive to Baldwin Park desirable. However, this may be the thing. If this is their potty training phase, I can't wait for ... (this is an unfortunate analogy and I'll stop myself here). I would have liked a better name. It's kind of unevocative. Maybe there is a good back story.
Caddyshanks - Had a beer at this bar/pub that has been open for four years. Fine. Like an adult arcade that doesn't look like a Dave and Buster's. It is across from Osprey.
There is also Gator's down the street. I've eaten at other locations, so, they won't be reviewed.
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