Tag Archives: Poison Rose

News for Restaurants in Los Angeles

Gayot
April 2012

Celebrity chef Jet Tila is partner and food and beverage director at Santa Monica’s new nightlife venue The Charleston. The lounge-style space sports 1930′s décor and features live entertainment nightly from burlesque to bands, DJs, and dueling pianos. The culinary scene spotlights pop-up restaurants with special menus from guest chefs and Tila himself. From the regular menu, expect small plates of haute American comfort food like bacon-wrapped dates; short rib tacos; flatbread with Nueske’s bacon, quail egg and smoked cheese; smoked cheese; and orange-buttermilk panna cotta. Specialty cocktails range from classic Sazeracs to the Cucumber Cooler and Poison Rose. Dinner nightly.

Craving cocktails? The Weekend April 13-15, 2012

by Sara Altshul
Craving Cocktails
April 11, 2012

The Charleston is a sexy new nightlife venue from Chef Jet Tila which just opened in Santa Monica. With nightly live entertainment from 80’s cover bands to dueling pianos, a bevy of housemade specialty cocktails, a dynamic culinary program featuring Chef Tila’s American comfort fare as well as monthly pop-ups showcasing local and national chef talent, The Charleston is sure to provide show stopping satisfaction on all fronts.

The Charleston’s diverse bar program features wine, beer, and specialty cocktails including the Ginger Kiss with Beefeater Gin, Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Fresh Ginger & Habanero Chili; the Jet 75 with Gin, Simple Syrup, Lemon Juice and Brut Champagne; the Kaffir Lime Pie with Stoli Vodka, Stoli Vanilla Vodka, Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Egg White & Kaffir Lime Garnish; and the Poison Rose with Beefeater Gin, Monin Rose Syrup, Lilet Rouge & Lemon Juice.

The Charleston is located at 2460 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, CA and is open Sunday and Monday from 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., and Tuesday to Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Valet or street parking is available. The Charleston is available for private events.

Day One at The Charleston

by Merrill Shindler
Zagat
April 2, 2012

The Charleston Day One at The Charleston

The name is from the 1920s, and the nightly live music leans towards retro jazz and rock, but the cooking at The Charleston is as modern as celebrity chef Jet Tila (ex Wazuzu at The Encore in Las Vegas) wants it to be. Which can be very modern, indeed – the amuse-bouche of sea urchin bocadillo that arrives soon after you sit down lets you know that. The Charleston space has been an assortment of bar/restaurants over the years, including the venerable Roundtable (where every bite tasted like cigarette smoke and bourbon). As The Charleston, it’s attracting a trendy crowd who might otherwise be hacking their way through traffic to get to a Hollywood club – and are glad to find a stylish joint on the Westside. We were there on opening night to check out the scene:

The Space

The room is mostly about the bar, which tends to get very crowded as the evening goes on, with various stand-up tables for drinks and food surrounding a small stage. There are a handful of booths and two-top tables. But mostly, this is a space built for those who drink and eat either standing up or sitting on a bar stool. There’s a large graphic of Parisian jazz singer Josephine Baker on one wall, setting the mood for the room.

The Food

Tila calls the concept “gastrolounge,” and the menu reflects that – gastropub food in a musical setting. He’s fond of giving a twist to familiar dishes: his edamame are sautéed with butter and roasted garlic. His chicken wings are bathed in a Sriracha sauce that’s both hot and sweet. His tacos are filled with slow roasted short ribs and topped with roasted Brussels sprouts with a spicy Korean salsa on the side. His mac ‘n cheese is made with smoked cheddar and gouda. Easy eating dishes that don’t distract from the music onstage.

The Drinks

Josephine Baker would be happy to find a selection of five absinthes on the small drink list – a tip of the hat to the drink of choice of L’ Belle Epoque. The cocktails range from classics like a Sazerac and a Sidecar to newer bits of mixology like the Cucumber Cooler, the Poison Rose and the Kaffir Lime Pie – which is good as a cocktail or dessert.

The Crowd

On its first night, The Charleston seemed to be a prime destination for small groups of women, dressed in designer jeans and LBDs for an evening of cocktails, small dishes and music. Guys trickled in as the evening went along. But mostly, it was girl’s night at The Charleston – even though the Lakers were playing on big screens over the bar.

The Vibe

Upbeat and trendy, with a crowd that seems glad to have discovered a stylish destination in the neighborhood (one with easy parking, no less).

The Charleston in Santa Monica now open

With a menu created by chef Jet Tila

by Tiffany Wang
Taste Terminal
March 30, 2012

flat bread 250x163 The Charleston in Santa Monica now openOffering food, drink, and live entertainment, The Charleston in Santa Monica opened its doors last night. This nightlife venue boasts of a culinary program created by chef Jet Tila (as seen on Iron Chef America) and will host occasional pop-ups, an extensive bar program featuring wine, beer, and housemade specialty cocktails, and live entertainment from DJs, jazz, dueling pianos, hip hop acts, rock cover bands, and comedy and karaoke nights.

Chef Tila’s menu showcases his style of American fare with a twist as his menu offers shared plates such as Slow Roasted Short Rib Tacos with Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Korean Salsa and the Welsh Rarebit-Welsh Cheese Bread, Country Toast Smothered in Cheese Sauce then Broiled, his flatbreads menu include Bacon, Egg & Cheese and Sausage, Arugula and Fennel, a wide variety of salads and sides, and his selection of entrees including Five Spice Pork Belly Bao Buns and the Charleston Burger with Cheddar, Arugula, Onion Marmalade and Sun Dried Tomato Aioli. And to complementing the cuisine is the bar program, which features specialty cocktails such as the Ginger Kiss- Beefeater Gin, Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Fresh Ginger & Habanero Chili, the Jet 75 – Gin, Simple Syrup, Lemon Juice and Brut Champagne, the Kaffir Lime Pie – Stoli Vodka, Stoli Vanilla Vodka, Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Egg White & Kaffir Lime Garnish, and the Poison Rose – Beefeater Gin, Monin Rose Syrup, Lilet Rouge & Lemon Juice.

 

A step back in time, via an Iron Chef vet

Thrillist
March 26, 2012

charlestonnew horizontal main A step back in time, via an Iron Chef vet

Grand opening Thurs in Santa Monica, The Charleston is a ’30s-era supperclub-cum-sippery in Santa Monica run by former Iron Chef challenger & lauded restauranteur Jet Tila, whose decked out the old Angel’s space in decade-appropriate beaded chandeliers, a studded, white-leather bar, and plush, red booths, which’re probably the first place to look for left-behind dead presidents.

2601699a inset web A step back in time, via an Iron Chef vet

The food will work in two ways: they’ll do popup dinners by famous chefs like Angeli Caffe exec/KCRW “Good Food” host Evan Kleinman, as well as a there-all-the-timemenu w/ upscale-y bar goodness like short rib tacos w/ shaved Brussels sprouts & Korean salsa; sausage, arugula, and fennel flatbread; and grilled salmon w/ roasted tomatoes and chickpeas, ironically served by a second chick with a cup. Drinkiness leans classic, w/ specialties helped along by a master ‘tail-mixer (who’s developed booze programs at Vegas’ Bellagio, NY’s Po, and SF’s Starlight Room): there’s the Minted Mule (vodka, lime, ginger beer, mint sprig), the namesake Charleston (whiskey, green chartreuse, Dom Benedictine, bitters), and the gin-fronting Poison Rose, which’s really what Leo should’ve done if he wanted a place on that life raft.
2601699c inset web A step back in time, via an Iron Chef vet
They’re also going to have tons of entertainment going on, from ’80s cover bands, to burlesque, to dueling pianos, to karaoke — which, like John Wilkes, you’ll probably straight murder.