Single in L.A.

So I know I’m about two weeks too late. Remember the post about me realizing that I’m not so young anymore? Well before bumping and grinding and then fizzling out at The Roosevelt, the girls decided to have dinner at BLD (located at 7460 Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles). The initials stand for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner – the name alone tells you this place is all about the food. And we could tell. The décor is very simple yet inviting. No shellacked dark wood floors or faux marble that you can barely slide to your table on in your heels. To the contrary it reminded me more of the housing of an art gallery in the Eastern Market district of Detroit. Simple so that you can focus on what’s important. In this case, it was the food.

I chose the wrong week to go meat free (I’d eaten chicken twice a day for 3 weeks straight and decided that I hand a flesh hangover). Tuesday nights just so happen to be fried chicken night. Initially I didn’t care that I couldn’t indulge. Honestly Los Angeles restaurants version of fried chicken is bare bones. It’s chicken and it’s fried. Eat up. Sooooo not the case at BLD. My Strozzapreti Pasta with goat cheese and grilled vegetables was pretty amazing. Even Giselle and Liza oozed allover their clams. But Kendra, who clearly knew better than the rest of us, got the night’s special.

The fried chicken breasts (they were far from stingy with the helpings) came along with collard greens, cornbread and a heap of cheese grits. I’m always shocked by how many upscale SoCal haunts specialize in the southern treat. Anyway, according to the girls the chicken was juicy and marinated from tip to tip. Apparently the breading was to die for. I sampled the grits and nearly jolted right out of my seat! The food was so good we had the chef come out so that we could personally compliment her.

The wine was good, the service was great and the food was even better. If ever you’re in L.A. and looking for good food without all the fanfare, give BLD a try.

Photos courtesy of Best of L.A. and Gayot