Did a small California-French restaurant in Mar Vista realize it would perfectly capture the French bistro revival restaurantzeitgeist? It’s hard to know, but one could say veteran chef Craig Hopson has struck the right nerve with a place the Los Angeles
neighborhood sorely needed. Hopson, previously of the Hollywood Roosevelt’s well-executed but deeply undercovered (and now closed) Shirley Brasserie, hails from Perth, Australia, but has cooked at legendary restaurants such as Le Cirque in New York. He’s partnered with Emmy-nominated art director Mai Sakai in a bustling corner bistro space on Centinela Avenue, where he serves tightly curated Frenchish fare at prices that might rise just a notch above the level needed to be a weekday regular. Still, the restaurant, open for just a year now, has quickly become a community darling.
What to order
- Start with the warm, crisp baguette wrapped in parchment paper and served with soft French butter. Nothing will transport you quicker to Paris. Except maybe a pâté en croute — pork terrine wrapped in a pastry crust — that could please any proper French chef taught in the old-school ways. I wished the slice were 50 percent thicker for a more substantial portion, but that’s nitpicking.
- Hopson’s miso Parmesan tart is another French dish infused with a healthy dose of California sensibility — this one topped with grilled figs for a roasty, comforting contrast to the silky custard filling.
- The steak au poivre arrives with a textbook presentation: a properly seared slab of flatiron steak pre-sliced and placed over a rustic peppercorn sauce. Take note: it doesn’t come with frites and costs $41. So do the $11 frites merit their own separate order? Yes. They’re dusted with Hopson’s signature chicken salt that gives them a rounder, almost lusty dimension. Ultra-crisp and golden brown, they will be difficult to put down as you move through the meal.
- Rabbit and bacon sausage with corn purée and chanterelles could be the Electric Bleu dish that best encapsulates Hopson’s cooking: pristine technique and seasonal produce presented with unexpected whimsy. The combination of late spring sweetness with the meaty sausage was excellent to the last spoonful.
- Roll cake comes by the inch, and you’ll want at least three inches for the table (two inches cost $18, another inch is $4). Covered with chopped Wong Farms mango pieces, the lightness of the cake feels like the Kobe-born Sakai had a strong influence on this dessert.
Best for
Mid-week dinners where someone’s willing to put down $100 to $150 for a bistro night; wine-fueled group gatherings on the sidewalk patio (the indoor space is slightly tighter); Francophiles who miss Paris but aren’t able to go until next year.
Insider tip
The $79 tasting menu is a good foray into the Electric Bleu menu, and there are plenty of options in the mid-courses, such as escargot topped with Parisian gnocchi or poached wild King salmon with summer vegetables. However, the entirety of the tasting may still leave you feeling hungry afterward, given its modest portioning. Just order fries, a baguette, and maybe another appetizer like the pâté en croute to complete the table.
The takeaway
Hopson and Sakai have just rounded their first year running Electric Bleu, grounded by a strong menu and equally charming space. They might have to continue to balance the cost with the excellence of the local produce, as dinners here can run into finer dining pricing territory with the addition of wine or cocktails. Still, you can tell Hopson relishes the Ratatouille-esque experience of an open kitchen: shouting out orders to cooks, touching tables as the night goes on. It’s all pretty damn romantic, if you think about it.
