Pardon The Punctuation...Anyone who's read my blog before knows that I'm a slut for ham from Spain. The Village in Studio City has Jamon Iberico on the menu so of course I had to check it out for dinner this week. What a pleasant surprise. They have a huge covered patio with a great view of their massive wood fire pizza oven. Just a gorgeous space. Great place to go for a bite or just for some cocktails as their mixology menu is extensive and has some innovative cocktails on it. I wasn't vibing cocktails so I went with a glass of Rioja to accompany my meal. Our server Sarah was sweet, prompt, and made sure everything was tip top with our night. Here is what we had.
Antipasto for Two: with oven roasted peppers, burrata, jamon iberico, and asparagus. If you've never had Iberic had ham get your ass over there now. So amazing you just wanna rub it around your lips to taste the natural oils in the meat and every bite is an explosion of flavor on your tongue. The peppers were nice and the burrata was fresh on the palate and worked well with the roasted peppers. That ham is so good you could eat it with ice cream.
Brussels Sprouts: they're oven roasted and sauteed with a sweet cider glaze. I've never had sprouts like this before. I'm so used to eating brussels sprouts cooked with some kind of bacon or pancetta. It's a nice departure to have this sweet salty version. These guys are a definite must.
Black Mussels: with coconut milk, fennel, Thai chiles, cilantro, and a pinch of Pernod. I expected the portion to be a little bigger but that aside this was a tasty dish. The fennel with the hint of licorice from the Pernod was a nice combination. You'll want to soak up the sauce with some toasted bread. Yummy.
Churros Con Chocolate: A spin on a traditional dish from Spain. Traditionally this would be a viscous hot chocolate with freshly fried churros to dip in the chocolate. Here the churros come laid across the plate and covered with a generous dollop of hot chocolate poured over them. A sweet stuffing of vanilla sauce balances out this dessert perfectly.
I'm definitely heading back to The Village ASAP. Can't wait to try their fresh pizza with Iberico and one of those creative cocktails. Also their patio taking up a nice chunk of real estate on Ventura Blvd can't be beat.
