Lou's

Recommends

cliorouge

Joined 5 years ago

Dinner diners delighted by Lou. What a truly lovely time we had at Lou last night. I opted for the charcuterie and cheese plank accompanied by the flight of wines (2 organic and one traditional from Languedoc) and he had the Peking duck with beans and it was smashing. The menu was interesting and varied, the ambience relaxed, the service sublime and the conversation scintillating. And all for $70. We?ll be back.

Recommends

jasoncoberfest

Joined 5 years ago

Great well hidden spot. This place is typical LA-- pull into a strip mall parking lot right off Vine and right in between a laundromat and a fried chicken place is this little gem. Walk in the door and it is a totally well decorated and nice scene-- you'll forget your neighborhood immediately. Excellent wines by the glass (my wife loves the small taste glasses) and the food is outstanding. They have a small menu with simple dishes (kind of like Ino or Cafe Gitane in NYC) but all the food is excellent.

Recommends

rc5247

Joined 8 years ago

cool place,good food. My husband and I tried Lou last night and really liked it. The portions were very generous, not at all small plates. The halibut and flat iron steak were excellent!! We loved the cheese plate and there is a nice selection of organic wines. The tables are a little close together, but thats the only negative. Service is good and friendly. We will have to go back for dessert we were too full this time. Odd location, but don't let that stop you from trying this unique wine bar.

Recommends

ocdiner2008

Joined 5 years ago

Excellent food and wine. Loved this restaurant and definitely want to go back. Small portions of food that are very reasonably priced allow you to sample more of it. Had the goat cheese tart, which was the best dish I had. Also tried the trio of salads and the lentil stew. Delicious. The server helped us choose various wines, so we were able to try six different wines in the 2 oz. taster size. I wish we had room to try the cheese plate, but we'll have to go back for that. The atmosphere of the restaurant is chic, even though it's located in a typical strip mall. They do a good job of keeping the exterior from creeping in by having a heavy drapery covering the windows. Be prepared for communal dining and a long wait if you arrive after 6:30 on a weekend because they don't take reservations.

Recommends

haute_latte

Joined 6 years ago

Great Place..unexpected surprise due to location. LOVE this place. The owner, the bartender girl and other waitress were super nice and cool. We did not need to "consult our banker" or "park the Brinks truck outside" - a fresh, welcoming experience not found on the Westside. This is quality food, no B.S. or counterfeit. Interior reminds me of somewhere cool you'd find in San Fran or NYC. The location is entirely weird (in a has-been small Hollywood strip mall, next to the clinically-well-lit laundromat). A very unromantic curbside appeal - no valet, you park yourself and wonder if LOU is even open for business - a dark curtain hanging inside keeps this gem private and the interior view protected. Once you open the door, you are transported out of LA, and will feel trivial for having ever judged it by the exterior. The place was full house, but the noise level was minimal. We were able to enjoy conversation within the dimly lit room. Tables o.k., a little cramped, could be worse. Bar has limited seating, maybe 4 seats. Small place overall, cool people, great wines, would go back again.

Doesn't Recommend

catch33

Joined 6 years ago

What happened?. A big fan of Lou since it opened, I have raved about this lovely place to many folks. Some friends who had never been took me to dinner for my birthday last night. Oy. The atmosphere, the wine, the food -- all GREAT. The service, however, was so horrible that the mood for celebrating was ruined. It was as stressful as if I had stayed at work for dinner. The waitress was hard pressed to bother with us, and kept asking us if we wanted the check even though all of our food had not arrived. I believe she was consistantly rude to all of her other tables and fellow waitstaff. BUT in a stressful world, who needs this? I may give the place another try, but I will never recommend it to friends.

Doesn't Recommend

chancethegardner

Joined 7 years ago

i hope it improves. We went early and the service, as others here have mentioned, was lackluster. The waiter cared, but may have been high. long waits, constant reminders, etc, the service was far from seemless. we waited 40 minutes for what i correctly predicted woul be the best dish of the night, the pig candy, a sugar coated piece of Niman bacon.

The charcuterie was lifeless and uninspired. the bruschetta came as a sort of make it yourself plate- with not much to make anything with.

The fig appetizer was boring and the mac and cheese- which one would expect at this aspiring nook of culinary delights- was devoid of any ingredients one might expect from a "gourmet" variety (ie no gruyre, etc). Hell there didnt seem to be ANY cheese in it. I guess that's why when we asked the waiter what kind of cheese was in it, he said he didn't know. nor did he bother to check.That did it for me.

we finished with the bbq pulled pork sandwich. It was ok. We decided to cut our losses at these prices and have dessert elsewhere.

I am hopeful that this new addition to the larchmont-adjacent neighborhood improves. In short they set out to do what we all would love to have in our hood, but have faultered in execution, from kitchen to service.

Recommends

skygirl12

Joined 10 years ago

I Only Hope It Stays Accessible.. Well crafted wine list - someone really knows what they're doing, and seems to care about getting it right. I love the attention to the smaller growers and the organics, and the flight options. A little pricey. The menu is always the same vibe, even though it changes constantly. In other words, you can always have your favorite things prepared slightly differently.. I love that. The presentation is wonderful and I've always been pleased with what I've ordered, with the only exception being the cheese plate - it needs more accompaniments (nuts, breads, fruits, etc.). The atmosphere is cozy and warm, though the tables are reeeeaally close to one another. This place has quickly become a fave for me. I just hope it doesn't become another LA scene. In anutshell: I'm a fan.

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martinikitty13

Joined 7 years ago

Casual, Intimate Wine Bar. Lou is located in a rater nondescript shopping center and it doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside, it's an intimate, mellow bar with an eclectic decor which reminds me strangely of the brady bunch show. The service was friendly, albeit a bit slow. We had an array of tapas (all good, but nothing was fantastic) - pig candy was interesting (bacon pieces with brown sugar and cayenne pepper), mac & cheese (pleasant but better at republic and mint), smoked salmon on garlic bread (mediocre) and a cheese plate (interesting mix of cheeses) - oh and a forgettable, chocolate pudding. what stood out were the wine recommendations which were all quite good - light, floral pinot gris and the chenin blanc went very well with the wine. I would come back for a mellow outing with friends or a casual date.

Recommends

pinays

Joined 7 years ago

good wines, nice servers. don't be scared by the strip mall location on vine. at least, there is ample parking (or try street parking too). the space is actually nice and cozy. the server's were nice and friendly and ready to make good wine recommendations. i particluarly enjoyed the gewurztraminer and chenin blanc and my friend enjoyed her pinot gris and the organic chenin blanc. as for the food, i thought it was just ok. the best one was the mac and cheese (although i have had better). i thought the salmon with garlic bread was average. the candied pork was interesting (cold bacon with brown sugar). the selection of cheese was ok and the chocolate mousse was also ok, not very exciting. i would probably try other wine bars. for what we had the bill came up to about $95 without tip.