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Page 26 Palisades News November 18, 2015<br />
DINING WITH GRACE<br />
BEL-AIR BAR & GRILL<br />
662 N. Sepulveda Blvd. (<strong>at</strong> Moraga), Los Angeles, CA 90049 • (310) 440-5544<br />
The Bel-Air Bar & Grill is not only<br />
remodeled but also has a new<br />
chef, Chris Emerling, who has<br />
cre<strong>at</strong>ed a sparkling new menu. Owner<br />
Susan Disney Lord is happy to report<br />
th<strong>at</strong> most diners are very pleased.<br />
Certainly the lunch I enjoyed recently<br />
was excellent and filled with flavorful<br />
food combin<strong>at</strong>ions.<br />
Menus change with the season, so my<br />
lunch was on the Fall menu which may<br />
well change for the Holiday menu in<br />
l<strong>at</strong>e November/December. My lunch<br />
began with one fish taco. This taco is<br />
served cold with house-cured tequila salmon in a<br />
grilled tortilla with a jicama-flavored ginger slaw and<br />
three sauces. It was delicious. (As I do not e<strong>at</strong> much, I<br />
only ordered one taco. Normally one may order two<br />
tacos for $16, or three for $23.)<br />
My next tre<strong>at</strong> was the tom<strong>at</strong>o-and-persimmon salad.<br />
This fascin<strong>at</strong>ing combin<strong>at</strong>ion of flavors put together<br />
l<strong>at</strong>e-season, vine-ripened tom<strong>at</strong>o with early-season Fuyu<br />
persimmon in a Modena vinegar dressing topped with<br />
parsley. The pungent yet sweet combin<strong>at</strong>ion of flavors<br />
made this salad exceptional and tasty to the last bite.<br />
The salad is served in a smaller size ($11), or larger ($16).<br />
The Buc<strong>at</strong>ini pasta (slightly hollow long strands, like<br />
spaghetti) with a parmesan infusion along with a fourminute<br />
farm egg all accented with black pepper and<br />
salt-rind Pecorino Romano cheese had<br />
vibrant flavor. This was a most intriguing<br />
pasta th<strong>at</strong> was also good to the last bite.<br />
As a main course this pasta is $22.<br />
Other entrée dishes varied from a<br />
quesadilla ($14) to quesadilla with grilled<br />
chicken ($18) to pan-roasted chicken or<br />
grilled salmon ($24) to risotto for $20.<br />
If lunchtime sandwiches are your<br />
preference there is a cheeseburger or<br />
turkey burger ($18), as well as a chicken<br />
sandwich ciab<strong>at</strong>ta with mushrooms,<br />
Gruyere cheese and a shallot herb spread<br />
($18). Vegetarians can have the avocado<br />
sandwich on grilled sourdough with house-made doubly<br />
rich mascarpone, full avocado and tom<strong>at</strong>o, plus chili<br />
along with a bit of cilantro and avocado crunch ($16).<br />
These sandwiches all come with a choice of skinny fries,<br />
corn chips plus salsa, a green salad or Oaxaca fruit salad.<br />
And of course, there are soups, a grilled shrimp<br />
cocktail and several salads. I can’t resist a taste of<br />
something sweet after any meal so I tried the Fig Corsican<br />
tart with almond filling and black fig. Very tasty and<br />
interesting, plus I could take half home. Desserts are $9.<br />
The Fall dinner menu offers several of the same<br />
starters and salads, but has a number of other entrees<br />
such as grilled salmon ($28), a Pacific Blanquette of<br />
shrimp, calamari, scallop, salmon, braised endive, fennel,<br />
mushrooms, all with a Normandy cream sauce ($32)<br />
th<strong>at</strong> sounds most intriguing, as well as slow-braised<br />
pork cheeks ($30) or a grilled prime filet mignon ($48).<br />
In other words, Chef Emerling’s menu is quite<br />
fascin<strong>at</strong>ing here, as is the setting which is pleasant and<br />
relaxing. As proprietor Lord is also involved in CalArts,<br />
the walls are adorned with intriguing student artwork,<br />
some of which is for sale.<br />
Lunch hours are Monday through Friday from 11:30<br />
to 3. On Sunday, brunch is added to the lunch menu<br />
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner is served from 5 to 10<br />
p.m. Monday through Friday, until 11 p.m. on S<strong>at</strong>urday,<br />
with an early closure on Sunday <strong>at</strong> 9 p.m. Valet parking<br />
is $6.50. As this is a bar & grill, there is full bar service.<br />
— GRACE HINEY<br />
Sunday, November 22, 2015<br />
Purchase Tickets online: www.ThePPWC.org<br />
or call: (310) 454-9012<br />
This year’s 30th Annual Pacific<br />
Palisades Home Tour fe<strong>at</strong>ures four<br />
architecturally disnct homes, one of<br />
which is the historic Villa Aurora.<br />
Designers will transform each home<br />
and bring their creave visions to life.<br />
All proceeds from this event benefit<br />
charitable and service organizaons<br />
of our local community.<br />
PRESENTED BY<br />
SPONSORED BY<br />
SERVING DINNER<br />
NIGHTLY<br />
4:30-10 Sun.-Thurs.<br />
4:30-11 Fri.-S<strong>at</strong>.<br />
Sunday Brunch 11-3<br />
Early Bird Menu<br />
Special Menu<br />
Complete Dinners<br />
4:30-7 Mon.-Fri.<br />
Presenng Sponsor<br />
Media Sponsor<br />
Magazine Sponsor<br />
eden LA • Cindy & Jack Jones • Structure Home • The Toppel Family<br />
170 W. Channel Road, Santa Monica Canyon<br />
310.230.0402<br />
GOLDENBULL.US
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