While tooling around town today, my husband and I decided to try the new brasserie on Ventura Blvd. in our little Studio City, Calif. hamlet.
It’s name: Bokado Market-Brasserie (Bokado is Spanish for little tastes or something like that) –
Anyway, the restaurant is a Spanish influenced brasserie with an elegant, but simply designed room and a large outdoor patio with a canopy of umbrellas surrounded by a lovely array of potted plants. Inside there’s a long bar with its own tapas menu on a blackboard which includes a paella on Tues. and Thurs. Two long bar-height tables with tall chairs for a communal eating experience are set up end-to-end in the middle of the room, and regular restaurant tables line the front window overlooking the patio and blvd.
The lunch menu is diverse – My husband had the burrata panini, with handmade burrata cheese, serrano ham, tomato, basil, tons of garlic and market greens… My taste buds did a happy flamenco when I had a bite! The sandwich came with terrific skinny, string french fries and fresh, homemade ketchup.
I had their ‘classic’ Caesar salad with chicken, though I take issue with the ‘classic’ adjective since the salad had no anchovies which is a traditional ingredient and the original salad never had chicken, but I digress. This version of a ‘classic’ Caesar was pretty good, even though the tender, moist chicken was cold and when I touched the plate it was apparent it just came out of the refrigerator. I prefer my Caesar with those anchovies and the chicken hot off the grill. So, as good as it was, it still was a miss for me.
One of the side dishes for lunch or dinner on the menu is mac & cheese with manchego – a Spanish cheese that I can’t wait to try — hopefully after I lose 100 pounds.
Dinners include a variety of salads: from a Jess salad comprised of oxnard, strawberries, Asian pears, romaine, croutons and grilled chicken to an heirloom beet salad with triple cream cheese and market greens. Soups include onion soup gratinee with caramelized onions and manchego crustini (I really have to try that when it’s not 100 degrees outside)… then there are crab cakes, steamed mussels in pernod with saffron & fennel and a cheese tasting — all appetizers. Among the entrees is a selection of certified angus steaks (a petite filet, a NY strip, and a rib eye) with a choice of sauces from bearnaise to chimuchurri to maytag blue cheese. For fish lovers, there are scallops with a vegie relish, squash and charred calarmari (ok, my taste memory is dragging me out the door and back to the restaurant to try this dish), seared Alaskan halibut in a bed of white bean cassoulet with a jamon serrano (basically a Spanish prosciutto), a few other fish and chicken dishes, lamb and pork chops and sides of creamed spinach, potato gratinee, wild mushrooms, broccoli parmesan with bacon, market vegies and those hand cut fries among them.
There’s also a ‘deli’ counter with artisan cheeses and all kinds of breads/baguettes.
I really liked this place.
Bokado Market-Brasserie
12345 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
818-752-9222
laloggia@earthlink.net
“My Dinners With Richard & Other Musings”
www.myspace.com/othermusings
