Treat yourself to an exquisite French feast at Regalade Bistro
Blink in Los Angeles and a beloved restaurant will close—and a new favorite will sneak onto the dining landscape. Give a hearty bonjour to Regalade Bistro, who replaced Connie & Ted’s at 8136 W. Third St. Regalade means “treat” or “feast” in French, an apt name for this warm and inviting restaurant, with its deeply satisfying bistro fare. Owners Joelyn Bulow and Alessandro Iacobelli, who also own the popular Italian restaurant Oste on the same block, wanted Regalade to exude authentic French bistro charm, with a welcoming atmosphere and a menu of delicious Gallic hits, from escargot to beef tartare to duck confit—and they succeeded. The appealing room features an antiqued mirror behind a zinc-topped, well-stocked bar, a mix of comfy leather banquettes and tables with bentwood chairs, and a plethora of hanging white glass globe lamps. The restaurant gets noisy when full, but a large front patio is a quieter option.
REGALADE BISTRO has classic French bistro appointments.
We decided to sit inside because we liked the energy there and leaned into the Frenchified experience by forgoing our usual cocktail orders for glasses of aperitifs—one each of blanc and rouge lillet, which made for a delightful sip while we perused the extensive menu. Regalade specializes in seafood, and our ordering reflected that. We started with oysters from both coasts, served with mignonette and cocktail sauce. Briny and bright, they were fresh and fabulous. We also tried scallops on the half shell, served with mashed passionfruit and a tinge of chili oil, a unique and wholly successful marriage.
BASQUE GREEN PEPPER AND TOMATO SAUCE flavors grilled squid.
Determined to include greens in our meal, we regarded the five salads on the menu, including endive, pears, walnuts, and saint augur blue cheese, and a marinated beet salad with herb crème fresh and orange blossom essence. We decided to go simple, and the little gem salad, with fine herbs and mustard vinaigrette was exactly what we craved. The dressing was balanced, the crisp greens refreshing, and the fresh chives and tarragon took what looked plain into another realm.
French onion soup was on the menu, of course, and the rich broth packed with silky onion strands didn’t disappoint. Toasted croutons were smothered in stretchy, oozing Gruyère. We appreciated that Regalade’s cheese layer was not so thick that it took a knife and fork to cut through. It might be the most flavorful version of this classic that I’ve had outside of Paris.
ROAST CHICKEN is a perfect bistro dish.
Something we never saw in France was the grilled calamari in a piperade sauce from the Basque region. Fried calamari, though delicious, could be fried anything—the success of the dish depends on the seasoning of the batter and skill of the fry chef. Grilling calamari allows the flavor of the mollusk to shine, and the squid pieces swimming in a sauce of sweet peppers, tomato, garlic, onion, and the mild ground chili pimenten tasted of sea and sunshine. This might be our must-order dish when we return.
For our main, we considered duck confit with cherries, truffled mac and cheese, branzino with chive butter, or one of the four different steamed mussels on the menu, from a shallot, garlic, white wine and cream version to green curry. Instead, we tried roasted half chicken, which came with a choice of fries or mashed potatoes. I can never turn down the opportunity to indulge in a good mash, and this was a good one. The chicken was classic bistro fare but didn’t rise to the level of revelatory tastes that the other dishes achieved.
We ended with a beautifully executed tarte Tatin, because who can resist a French apple tart?
Regalade; 8136 W. 3rd St.; 323-272-9943; regaladela.com.
Category: Entertainment
