Where Los Angeles
May 2012
American comfort fare meets house-made specialty cocktails and nightly live entertainment at a sexy restaurant and bar in Santa Monica. Transporting diners to the Jazz Age, The Charleston features a studded white leather bar, red-upholstered booths and vintage beaded chandeliers. Chef Jet Tila, noted for his appearance on Iron Chef America and his cooking at Wazuzu in Las Vegas, delights with shareable plates such as short rib tacos with shaved Brussels sprouts and Korean salsa and Manchego-stuffed piquillo peppers with toasted pine nuts and pesto. There are also flatbreads, salads and entrees including the five-spice pork belly bao buns, cheese-crusted filet mignon crostini and the Charleston Burger, made with cheddar, argula, onion marmalade and sun-dried tomato aioli. Monthly pop-ups showcase local and national chef talent and nightly entertainment includes ’80s cover bands and dueling pianos.
Former Encore Vegas Wazuzu chef Jet Tila’s The Charleston wants to be everything to everyone. Restaurant? Check. Bar? Check. Monthly pop-up series? Check. Nightly live entertainment spanning genres from 80s cover bands to dueling pianos? Check. What can’t The Charleston do? Starting tonight at 10PM, yes 10PM, Tila plus partners Mike Lee, Jack M.Y. Lee, and Trey Martin open doors to the slightly modified Angel’s on Wilshire. The 1930s-style aesthetic may look quite the same, but Tila’s reasonably-priced $13 and under new American fusion comfort food