Los Angeles: Barbrix
06.05.09
Maybe it’s that the outside of Barbrix, located in hip Silver Lake, looks like a burnished version of the 1940s-era house it once was; or that owners Claudio Blotta and his wife, Adria Tennor, have a way of waving hi to every diner as if they’ve known them forever. But some say that the overwhelming success of this 50-seat wine bar, just three weeks old, has more to do with the fact that the neighborhood has long needed a spot that serves good food and affordable wine. Either way, as the sun set the other night, it seemed that half the community’s residents began threading their way down the hill towards Barbrix as if by mass decree, primed to enjoy the clean, distinct flavors of chef Don Dickman’s seasonal menu. We loved our small—but not still-hungry small—plates of delicate Sicilian veal meatballs; a Turkish salad of diced vegetables and tangy dabs of Greek yogurt; and grilled New Zealand lamp chops with mint pesto and eggplant purée. Blotta, whom locals know as the Argentine charmer from Campanile and La Terza, has a way with personal touches: He helped pour the cement in the front dining patio, showed the landscaper where to plant the lemon and olive saplings that will someday grow into fruiting trees, and made sure customers wouldn’t have to spend more than $50 for a bottle of wine. “We want Barbrix to be a home away from home,” beamed Blotta. “We had regulars the first week we opened.”
Barbrix 2442 Hyperion Ave., Los Angeles (323-662-2442; barbrix.com)
Barbrix 2442 Hyperion Ave., Los Angeles (323-662-2442; barbrix.com)
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