A+ at A-Frame

I can’t remember the last time I truly enjoyed new restaurant quite as much as A-Frame. I’ve been to a lot of new places lately and usually I end up thinking it’ll be great in a month or two after things settle down. Of course, it’s true I didn’t get to A-Frame right away. We had made plans but they kept getting postponed.  I finally went last week. By this point, A-Frame had been open for a few months.

Maybe that’s the trick. I shouldn’t immediately go to a new joint and then be bemused why it was so hyped. Then again, maybe A-Frame is just that good.

I should compare it to Chego or even Kogi as A-Frame was started by Roy Choi. There’s definitely that Asian influence.  Described as picnic food, it really is very close to Asian comfort or truck/ street food. However, I couldn’t help but compare it to its neighbor, Waterloo & City. I wasn’t super thrilled with W&C when I first checked it out, despite being seated next to my food writer crush, Jonathan Gold. It was a little bit better the next few times I went and now I will grudgingly will go but I have decided the drinks are terrible and rather get drinks from nearby Alibi Room.

That is, until A-Frame came along. I probably should have gotten a cocktail at the bar while waiting for my friend to arrive but opted to wait until she got there. I started with a Downtown 81 (rye, benedictine, apple, lemon) and also had a Pek Pek (bourbon, Dolin blanc, St. Germain, house fig bitters). My friend had the Fine Print (rum, hibiscus, falernum, lime, orange bitters) and also the Only One (vodka, cucumber, agave, lime). We both agreed we liked our first cocktails more.

We started with the furikake kettle corn. It’s a good sized portion and we ended up with enough for me to experiment trying to roll the “thick ass ice cream sandwich” around in it to coat the sides when it came time for dessert.

I had two things on my mind when I looked at the menu; the peel and eat shrimp and the beer can chicken. I would definitely order the Cracklin’ beer can chicken again. It was succulent and for the first time,  I liked the red salsa more than the green.

We had more than enough food and yet we wanted to try the baby back ribs too. Baby backs are my fave kind of ribs and it’s hard to resist these tender ones with air-dried chili and hoisin sauce. Everything went great with the kitchen fries (Okinawan purple sweet potato, Korean sweet potato and yam fries) with the kimchi sour cream. Amazing!

The big ass ice cream sandwich is cinnamon ice cream with oatmeal cherry cookies. It’s a nice twist and was a great way to end our indoor picnic.

I know what I’m getting next time; chicken, fries and more cocktails! The only thing I probably wouldn’t get again are the blue crab cakes. They were fine but didn’t seem as great as the other food we enjoyed.

Besides, I need get the lamb chops next time.

A-Frame

12565 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90066
(310) 398-7700