Salt Air Venice
1616 Abbott Kinney Blvd.
(310)396-9333
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Just like the trendy and eclectic Venice scene, Salt Air is a beachy bistro on the famous strip of Abbott Kinney. Easy to find, near the south end of the street, Salt Air sits just in front of the famous Tasting Kitchen – and it hopes to become as famous as the latter.
First opening in June 2013, the eatery focuses on local seafood and elevating classic dishes to cater to the trendy tastemakers who often visit the neighborhood. Suited for local hipsters, the interior design plays with contemporary and industrial finishes, brick walls washed in all white against marble tables with steel chairs. Don’t make the mistake of wearing black jeans to dinner, because they only provide white linens to match the all-white interior décor – at the end of my meal, I was wearing white-lint-covered-pants.
Despite the cool concept and lack of dark linens, their menu offers an assortment of both land and sea dishes, with an array of French, Italian and Californian wines to pair. The restaurant’s signature Cornbread Fritters are tiny bites of crispy deliciousness on the outside, and filled with gooey cheese and fresh scallions on the inside. Their offerings of Small Plates include a Grilled Octopus, seared to perfection over a bed of chorizo and lentils, and the quite popular Fish Skin Chips, which are so delicious, they always seem to run out if you’re late in the dinner crowd.
The Olive Oil Poached Salmon is my favorite – delicately drowned in a bowl of olive oil, accompanied by melted cabbage and butternut squash, every bite is exquisite. With the exception of the Pan Roasted Chicken (which has perfectly crisped skin), stick with the sea options – there’s a reason why they claim specialty in seafood instead of pork chops.
The ultimate must-try at Salt Air has to be their Monkey Brain (one of the dessert options, also known as Monkey Bread). A bit kooky on the exterior and visibly slimy with chunks of supposed brain mass, this gnocchi-like pastry is a bite of delicious heaven! With a dessert like this that makes you happy all over, you won’t mind the 90’s love songs they play during dinner. Heck, you might even dig them.
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Now in her fifth year as a broker, Hana Cha has quickly established herself as one of the region’s most accomplished young agents, skilled in all aspects of the industry and representing a wide class of residential properties and high net worth individuals from both the U.S. and abroad. A foodie at heart, Hana loves to explore the region’s food scene, trying new cuisines and restaurants, and she always on the lookout for the best new local eats.
Should you need any assistance on on finding or selling a home, please feel free to contact Hana.
