Michele StuevenA new American seafood menu by chef Jason Fullilove and a full bar plus a 40 tap self-pour system in an airy restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows that open up to a bustling Washington Square, the newly opened Beach and Brew is a perfect fit for the recovering Venice Beach scene.
One of the most extensive and diverse seafood selections west of the 405, raw bar options include oysters, shellfish platters and an artful aguachile that is a canvas of hamachi, rock shrimp, Santa Barbara uni and salmon roe with cucumbers and avocado.
B&B aguachile (Michele Stueven)
Handhelds include lobster rolls, the Nashville hot fish sandwich and Fullilove’s take on the traditional boardwalk hotdog on a stick – the crab cake corn dog, a crab cake sausage resting on silky lemon aioli. Another specialty inspired by the chef’s soul food background at L.A.’s Barbara Jean restaurant is the cheddar biscuit, a heavenly creation served with honey butter. It’s worth a visit for just biscuits and a beer at the brew hall-style back bar.
The state-of-the-art self-pour beer wall and wine dispenser are all data-driven. Each tap has an ethernet line attached to it which feeds to two 24 port routers on the roof that go to a server. Owner Daryl Dishluk monitors exactly what is being poured, when it’s being poured, and how much is coming out of the tap which is all kept track of on a database. In addition to a glass, tasters and testers can also tap their own flight selection.
Lobster with garden pea agnolotti (Michele Stueven)
“The system will tell us when we’re getting low and what’s being served,” says Dishluk, who co-owns the restaurant with Sirigade Jetaporn, who warmly greets guests at the door. “It all goes through iPourIt, this huge data company that produces the beer wall. They capture everything that’s being sold around the country and tell us specifically what is popular in L.A., so we can tailor our tap selections. It’s all about data.”
There’s meat on the menu as well, including crispy pork knuckles and steaks, and plenty of salad and vegetable options. But the fish is foremost, like a whole grilled sea bass on top of wilted escarole and braised cannellini beans or a whole fried pink Hawaiian snapper with citrus supremes in a Vera Cruz sauce. For pasta lovers, the lobster stuffed pasta with garden peas and butter-poached lobster is one of a kind, playfully topped with delicate pea tendrils. And even if you don’t have room, share the warm and comforting cast iron chocolate toffee cookie for dessert.
The self serve beer wall (Michele Stueven)
It’s a perfect 37 degrees behind the beer wall (Michele Stueven)
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