Sophisticated Linden brings a taste of New York to Hollywood
CAESAR SALAD with half-finished lemon drop and mango martinis.
Housed in a simple, clean-lined cream-colored building with a dark green awning on an unassuming corner of Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Linden doesn’t fully reveal itself until one steps inside the inviting dining room. The first thing one notices is that the clientele is impeccably dressed. Crisp white tablecloths are welcoming rather than stuffy. Candlestick lamps on every table cast a warm glow and flower-patterned wallpaper adds a homey feel. A living ceiling of ferns and tiny flowers are delightful and a stunning long bar peeks out from behind a white brick arched wall. Lovely. I couldn’t help but smile.
The Black-owned restaurant is a tribute to New York neighborhoods and specifically the melting pot of cultures found along Linden Avenue, which stretches from Brooklyn to Queens and embraces eateries with foods from the Caribbean, Jewish culture, the Asian diaspora and Italian nonnas. Linden’s menu also reflects Chef Jonathan Harris’ Costa Rican and African American roots along with his years spent in Alabama and Long Island. Diverse flavors meld into a welcoming community and the spirit of Linden is, indeed, warm and welcoming.
We started with cocktails; a mango martini for me, a lemon drop martini for my husband, both excellent. Linden also has a small, well-curated wine list with 11 by-the-glass options and beers.
We started with their highly touted Caesar salad. A split romaine heart was slathered with savory dressing and toasted breadcrumbs then crowned with a flurry of shaved parmesan. It was delicious, but not as unusual as we had been led to believe. We considered lemon pepper tempura-fried Brussel’s sprouts, which was being devoured on a nearby table, but I think I’ve had my fill of Brussel’s sprouts since they and broccolini seem to be the stars of every vegetable section of every menu around town.
LINDEN’S DINING ROOM marked by white tablecloths, individual table lamps and a living ceiling of ferns.
The food offerings are so varied, that it becomes difficult to decide what flavor profile to try: prawns and polenta? half-fried chicken with collard green puree? lobster-and-crab knuckle? What about a hamburger? Although a burger is quintessentially standard-issue American and not a reflection of the menu’s ethos of diversity, it was one of the dishes our server recommended. Since every other table had a burger on it, we decided to try one as well. It was a good choice. The hamburger was perfect—a towering stack of grilled ground beef patty, perfectly coated in melted white cheddar, scallion slaw, onions and lemon garlic aioli on a potato bun. We cut it in half for ease of sharing and the bun immediately began to disintegrate, leaving us no choice but to eat it with a knife and fork. I prefer a handheld burger, but the flavor was spectacular. The burger was juicy and deeply meaty, the accompaniments enhanced the taste wonderfully. We ordered a side of fries, but we should have upgraded to duck fat fries with lemon caviar aioli.
One of my food weaknesses is that I’ve never met an agnolotti I didn’t like. Until now. Corn, truffle and pea agnolotti in lemon beurre blanc, should have been delicate little pasta envelopes stuffed with pureed vegetables and licked with a lemony butter sauce. Instead, a rough paste of corn and peas appeared both inside and outside of the thick, rubbery pasta.
Moving on, we ordered dessert. We loved the bread pudding, redolent with cinnamon, brightened with lemon zest and topped with a mound of whipped cream.
A perfect ending to an almost perfect meal of mostly stellar dishes surrounded by great ambiance.
Linden, lindenlosangeles.com, 5936 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-244-2700.
Category: Entertainment
