First Lunch at Le Saint Amour

grubtrotters — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:10:28 +0000

Culver City has a new French brasserie with a lovely sidewalk cafe called Le Saint Amour, a couple doors down from the Starbucks on Culver Blvd. From the chef/owner of Angelique Cafe, which closed in 2006, Le Saint Amour opened three weeks ago, and I stopped by for lunch yesterday to check it out. Glad I did. Culver City continues to impress as one of the best spots in the L.A. area for casual foodies. The lunch menu has all sorts of bistro items — salads, hot and cold sandwiches and French classics such as escargot, croque monsieur, pate and tarte flambee. Mixed in were some interesting choices such as spicy Moroccan sausage with tomato, bell pepper and harissa. For dinner, you can try pig’s feet, seared sweetbread and tripe sausage.

Duck Confit at Le Saint Amour

I went for one of my all-time French favorites, confit de canard, or duck confit ($15). For lunch, the main dishes come with a choice of French fries or “lettuce,” which you can see from the picture to the left is a simple mixed green salad with a smattering of tomatoes. The dish was delicious. The duck was so tender and juicy it fell right off the bone. The skin was nicely seasoned and the portion generous for lunch. I almost took half of it home, but it was too good not to finish on the spot. What could have been a boring salad was kicked up a notch with pungent dressing and very fresh greens. Fabulous.

Nicoise Salad

My friend Vanessa ordered the Nicoise salad ($14), which looked amazing. (I didn’t ask for a bite). It came with tomatoes, seared pepper tuna, white anchovies, eggs, red onions and olives. She gave it a thumbs up. The service was friendly, albeit a little slow with the check, which is fine for a leisurely lunch. You won’t feel rushed. But it could pose a problem for the nearby studio crowd with only an hour to spare midday. All the waiters at Le Saint Amour had French accents, and many diners spoke French, too — always a positive sign if you’re looking for authenticity. The decor is not quite as grand as you’ll see at Anisette in Santa Monica, but this place feels homier, less crowded, more casual — at least for now. When the foodies discover this jewel, all bets are off. — Jenny

Le Saint Amour: 9725 Culver Blvd., Culver City, 310-842-8155.

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First Lunch at Le Saint Amour