Parking: Limited neighborhood parking, $8 valet (behind the restaurant before 7 pm)
Days: Monday–Friday
Time: 5-7pm (M-Th); 12pm-7pm (Fri)
Drink Deals: $5 Global cocktails, wines, and beer
Food Deals: $2-5 select appetizers
As ya’ll food bloggers know/have come to realize, I’m not technically a foodie. Neither is JG. I know what I like and sometimes I know what flavors will go well together, but my palette isn’t hyper-developed. I love good deals and good ambience above all, so when the food is super-tasty and original, that’s icing on the cake. This is the case for Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken’s Border Grill and Ciudad restaurants in Santa Monica and downtown, respectively. And, after a recent visit, I’m happy to report the same for Feniger’s new-ish solo effort, Street, a Hollywood-based eatery that’s inspired by international street cuisine.
First things first, Street’s happy hour is at the bar only – and there are roughly ten chairs at said bar. It seemed like this might be problematic, but my buddy, Booze, and I were each able to grab 2 stools, asking our seatmates to scoot down one. We had to do this again when our 2nd Boozer pal joined us. This arrangement did get a little awkward as the line to sit down formed behind us, which wouldn’t have been that bad had a group of 7 not arrived without reservations (recommended for dinner on the weekends) and stood behind us for a good ten minutes. Not really anyone’s fault of course, just felt a little claustrophobic.
Peppadew Poppers & Shrimp-stuffed Shitake Mushrooms
Overcrowding at the bar aside, I’m glad to report that Street has a handful of eclectic bites for their happy hour menu. We went for a couple orders of the Curry Popcorn “Cracker Jacks” (with Thai spiced candied coconut and firecracker peanuts) for $2, the Peppadew Pepper Poppers (fried North African chile peppers (sweet) filled with herbed cheese (creamy and rich)) for $3, and Shrimp Stuffed Shitake Mushrooms (savory) for $5. To round out the HH menu were non-Vegetarian/Pescaterian items: Spicy Korean Hot Wings ($4), Vietnamese Pulled Pork Sliders ($5), and Braised Brisket Taco ($5).
Yanjing Beer w/ Cuba Libre and Curry Popcorn Cracker Jacks
For HH drinks, they offer $5 specialties: Calimojo (red wine w/ a splash of coke – supposed to be world-famous, but sounded a bit strange!), the Jamaica Ginger Cocktail (gin, red wine, splash of orange juice, ginger extract), the Cuba Libre (Rum, Coca-Cola, fresh lime), and the Moscow Mule (Vodka, fresh lime, ginger beer). They also offer a red wine, white wine, or beer at the $5 happy hour price – the selection changes weekly. Booze and I went for the weekly beer (Yanjing from China) and Cuba Libre (so refreshing for a hot summer day!), respectively. Boozer 2 arrived just in time to for a $5 Cabernet Sauvignon (I believe it was from a bottle of “The Cab”).
Street is definitely a fun spot to check out and the happy hour deals are a-ok, but I’d also be interested in coming back for dinner sometime to try something like the Brazilian Acarajé (small black eyed pea fritters with palm oil, garlic, and cilantro; stuffed with citrus cabbage slaw and malagueta chile sauce) or the Mandoo Vegetable Dumplings (Asian vegetables and sweet potato noodles with roasted honey yam and sesame dipping sauce), and a selection of salads, noodles, vegetables and grains, and more. Dang ya’ll, I’d be a veritable foodie in no time!
--JB
Rating: 3.75 Martinis (close to 4 sans the $8 parking and limited HH seating)
Very helpful - I couldn't find a HH menu for them online. Thanks!
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