Happy with The Village Idiot

The Village Idiot's logo. I like it because it looks like an outtake from The Phantom Tollbooth.

I don't pretend to understand why, but sometime you step into a restaurant and say, "Eww." Or "Eesh." And every once in a great while, it's "Aahh."

All hail The Village Idiot, which turns out to be a lot smarter than anything else that's held the space at the corner of Melrose and Martel.

Until now, Melrose and Martel was perceived as a restaurant location that had all the good fortune of, say, Melrose and Highland. However, as Mozza has already proven, the chatter about bad parking/weird access/wrong kind of traffic turns out to be so much blah blee bloo.

I went to 7383 Melrose a long time ago, when it was an indifferent Italian restaurant called Chianti. Eater LA says that it once housed the premiere for "Gone With The Wind," but those days were... long gone. Two weird, narrow rooms, claustrophobic. Felt musty and old fashioned. It felt like (and was) the sort of place haunted by skeezy producers of dubious repute. (At least they paid for my lunch.)

Cut to 7383 Melrose as of Tuesday afternoon and even the door's in a different place. It's now one big room, with a bar in the middle and an open kitchen against the east wall. High beamed ceilings, exposed brick, dark wood floor. Windows facing Melrose let in plenty of light. They're also the best seats in the house: The Melrose-facing wall has these great low-backed, three-sided extra-cushy leather-looking booths, ones that you sort of have to step up to sit down. It's a fun and comfy perch and they make me want to tear out my whole kitchen so I can install one at home.

Usually I don't care this much about decor -- you can feed me in a sling as long as the food is worth it -- but I think I'm reacting to the fringe-and-leather gulag that rules LA restaurant interiors. How many times can you say "wow" when confronted with 20-foot chandeliers? And at a certain point it looks like everyone is trying to compete with Las Vegas, which I don't understand at all. Even when in Vegas, I don't necessarily want to be reminded of it. 

Oh, the food? Based on one visit, it was great. Village Idiot bills itself as a modern pub and the menu does have a steak pie (didn't try) and fish and chips (did; excellent). But there isn't anything pubby about cornmeal-crusted catfish with black-eyed peas cooked with andouille and mustard greens and that was great, too. Like what the Hungry Cat would be happy to serve, only less expensive; lunch for two came to $33. And like any good pub, I can't wait to drink here.

The Village Idiot, 7383 Melrose Ave. (323) 655-3331

Comments

[Valerie]

i've had dinner at the "idiot" twice and was thrilled both times. as mentioned, the ambiance is extremely attractive and comfortable but the food was fabulous. i've had a grilled chicken with a warm bread salad that was slammin', a leek and goat cheese tart that was excellent, a shrimp and scallion fritter that was great, a vegetable pot pie and, last but not least, some absolutely killin' brussels sprouts (made with canadian bacon, maybe?)! tasted other dishes that friends were eating and they were all really good. my favorite new restaurant, to be sure!

[Carly]

This was a horrific experience! The food, the service, the bathrooms - disgusting. We eat out a great deal in Los Angeles and would rate this restaurant poorly on every level. Starting with the staff at the bar - poor on customer service and ability. Move onto the atmosphere - cramped and unclean. Bathrooms that were filthy - unsanitary, no paper, no service and overflowing toilets. The menu lacked imagination and truth. A "chicken breast" plate that showed with leg, bone and skin all attached and a medium-well hamburger bloody and cold inside. The waiter was rude, sarcastic and lacking in anything that appeared to be wait staff experience. Village Idiot? Maybe a better name for anyone that dines there......

[MaxMillion]

Finally made it to the Village Idiot last night and was really pleased. Finally -- affordable and basic fare in LA. Fish and chips was decent. But then again, chips that aren't Skooby's fries or Father's Office sweet potato shoestrings just pale into insignificance... But the two almost playing card-sized cubes of nicely battered fish were ample and came served with tartare, malt vinegar, ketchup AND wedges of lemon. Nice!

I went for the Granny Smith apple cider but the pear cider caught my eye for a future visit. Interestingly enough, a delicious, almost schooner-sized glassful (reasonably priced at $5, from memory) provided no buzz whatsoever. I guess if it isn't non-alcoholic (who knew?), then it's barely alcoholic...

My companion had the aforementioned catfish served with blackeyed peas and sausage -- extremely tasty.

Too full to sample dessert, but trifle beckons me back there.

My only gripe -- during 8-9.30pm on a Friday night, this is an exceedingly noisy space. Loud, bustling and vibey. Fun, but I could barely distingush the conversation from my companion seated across the small table opposite me. Would hate to dine there with more than two persons. I wonder if the window booths might prove to be a more mellow experience?

[Glock]

I had lunch at The Idiot and it was a fantastic experience. I normally don't fuss over decor, but I thought this place looked fantastic. Bathrooms were beautiful. Fantastic bar. The open plan and open windows made air conditioning superfluous.

My date wasn't eating. Which disappointed me because the food was so good, I wanted her to have a plate that I could steal from. I had a warm goat cheese salad and simply the best fish and chips I've ever had in my life; that includes trips to London. Can't wait to go back again.

Sounds like Carly was there on Rugby Scrum Night.