Friday, October 23, 2015

The Little Door in Santa Monica

by guest blogger @btsunoda

Driving through Brentwood on 26th Street, you would never know that a restaurant exists at 246 26th Street. The front wall of the establishment is beautifully wood stained with decorative wrought iron and grape ivy. With the absence of a sign, it wasn’t apparent that a restaurant is just behind the little door in front.


Walking inside The Little Door, it’s almost like a protected oasis within the city. The covered patio area offers a lot of indirect light and you immediately feel like you’ve arrived at someone’s home. A decorative wall mounted water fountain and an abundance of greenery accentuated this feeling.
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The Little Door is a French restaurant and a group of us were there to experience their new Sunday brunch menu. They first opened up in West Hollywood and due to popular demand, they decided to open another location in Santa Monica.
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We were treated to a champagne brunch featuring Veuve Clicquot. Most champagne served in restaurants is really sparkling wine because France regulates what can actually be called champagne. Veuve Clicquot Brut (a.k.a. Yellow Label) garnered a 90 point Wine Spectator rating and is the real deal. This is a dry champagne with hints of fresh peach. I was surprised to learn that each glass of champagne only has 72 calories.

Veuve Clicquot Rosé is blended with approximately 50% pinot noir and gives it a pink hue.
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Wine Spectator also awarded this with a 90 point rating. I actually enjoyed this more than the Yellow Label Brut. It was a bit drier and had notes of red berries. After nibbling on the assorted Cheese, Nuts and Fruit plate, I quickly realized that sometimes the simple things are best.

While the Smoked Salmon and Mini Waffles didn’t appear to be interesting to me at first, I really enjoyed it.
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The waffle was crisp and I appreciated the warm premium dark maple syrup. The saltiness of the capers with smoked salmon nicely offset the sweetness of the syrup. The black heirloom tomato was meaty, sweet and very enjoyable.
There were quite a few reasons why I selected the Moroccan Crab Cake Benedict and the dish did not disappoint.
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I was most curious to see what a muffinless benedict looked like and whether it held up well. The crab meat was very moist, fresh and full of flavor. While this dish included the popular harissa chili paste, it didn’t overpower the crab cake.

Duck Confit Hash was my second choice.
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What caught my eye was the green peppercorn hollandaise sauce. The next time I’m in a group, I need to be more vocal about wanting a bite. Lesson learned. I’ll have to plan a return trip.

Many types of dining experiences are possible at this one location. Al fresco diners will enjoy the covered patio. A small enclosed bar area with a kiva fireplace makes for cozy winter evenings. Outside the bar area, is a small private area that seats about 8 people - great for small parties. There is a private room in the rear of the restaurant that serves well for corporate gatherings.
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 A baby shower was just held in their outdoor small private area.

Wine lovers will appreciate the fact that the Little Door offers over 20 wines by the glass and three different champagnes by the glass. If you enjoy French wines, The Little Door has you covered. The wine list was separated by regions like Bordeaux and Loire Valley in France. I was impressed that they had 3 bordeaux wines from the Saint Emilion region. In addition, the bar features signature cocktails made with premium spirits. The cocktail list contains a nice mix of sours, bitters and fruity libations enough to satisfy the most discriminating person.

The Little Door - Santa Monica
26th Street, Santa Monica
(310) 310-8064
 http://thelittledoorsm.com/
Little Door Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Disclosure: This event was hosted.

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