Cahuenga Corridor: St. Felix Hollywood

 

St. Felix recently opened another location in the Cahuenga Corrider in Hollywood. I’m familiar with the petite boite in West Hollywood and was a bit surprised to learn the new location took over the space of the old Citizen Smith. It’s easily twice as large. This good news means a much bigger bar. While the WeHo location feels more like a restaurant, this posh Hollywood venue feels more like a lounge, especially with the outdoor patio and soon to be finished Green Alley.

The cocktail menu was heavy on the vodka drinks but they will happily make you anything you want. I first tried the Pear Manhattan (pear vodka, bourbon, sweet vermouth) which was a tad too sweet. I would later try a plain Manhattan which was much more my speed.

I also liked the Adam’s Apple (Stoli Gala apple vodka, ginger liqueur, blueberries), Stockholm Syndrome (Miller gin, strawberries, rosemary, mint, lime, pomegranate juice)  and Firecracker (grapefruit vodka, jalepeno, cranberry juice).

 

Cucumber Dilettante is also on the sweeter end. Made with vodka, cucumber and dill, I expected it to be a bit more savory.

If you have a large party, I’d suggest getting the St. Felix cocktail. The $25 carafe easily pours enough for five which makes this quite the affordable party beverage. It’s made with champagne, elderflower liqueur, blueberries, raspberries and soda. Other crowd pleasers are the mojitos and sangria. For the sangria, you may order by the glass or pitcher.

Happy Hour is daily from 4 to 8 p.m. The specials include half off beer, wine, and specialty cocktails.

But what about the food? The menu is from Chef Bryan Vacarella, named one of six best new chefs in LA by Food and Wine magazine at an event. He has cooked for everyone from President Clinton to film and music industry parties. His private catering company catered events for Sony, New Line Cinema, Miramax and many others.

We started with the goat cheese gratin with slow roasted fennel and spinach. It came with roasted red pepper coulis and artisinal bread. I found the fig bread interesting with the goat cheese gratin.

Being not a big fan of bleu cheese, the Bleu salad with big chunks of Maytag bleu cheese, arugula, blueberries, roasted red bell pepper, candied walnuts and tossed with a champagne vinaigrette wasn’t quite my cup of tea. I’d probably get the Boulevard chopped salad next time.

 

We started with a couple Asian-influenced appetizers; steak skewers which were wonderfully tender and an ahi tuna slider. The slider reminded me a bit like Umami’s ahi burger as it also had seaweed. Fine by me as I love that burger and seaweed.The slider is part of the sample platter which also includes Kobe sliders, grilled asparagus Cubano tacos, Moroccan chicken, steak skewers and sweet potato fries.

St. Felix had a crazy amount of sauces. I dare you to find one or more you didn’t want to dip all your fries into.I particularly liked the roasted garlic aioli. Some swear by the coconut ranch dressing and others may find the spicier chipotle aioli or salsa roja more their style.

For our mains, we tried the pan-seared maple chili salmon and the braised short ribs. The salmon comes with beluga lentils and a mango, blueberry and avocado salsa. A nice twist on a salmon dish. Traditionalists may like the boneless short ribs with goat cheese mashed potatoes (!!!).

Do we have room for dessert? Of course we do! I nibbled on the chocolate bread pudding, presented with Chantilly cream in a martini glass.

St. Felix brings another welcome spot in the busy Cahuenga Corridor. My picks would be the steak skewers, ahi slider and made to your taste drinks. When St. Felix realized I didn’t care for sweet cocktails, they were very willing to help me find that perfect cocktail.

 

St. Felix Hollywood

1600 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

323-469-5001