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Ray’s and Stark Bar, now open at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is quite possibly one of the coolest museum restaurants and bars in existence in Los Angeles. Both sit across the expansive patio from the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion at LACMA, and Stark Bar is al fresco, which makes it even cooler. The food and drink are impressive under Executive Chef Kris Morningstar (formerly of The Mercantile and District) and Barsmith Michel Dozois (founder of Névé Luxury Ice). And it’s close to my apartment — score!

Ray’s and Stark Bar (named after famed film producer Ray Stark) are Patina Restaurant Group properties, so you know already that the bar has been set high. I was recently invited to sample Stark Bar’s food and cocktail menu, and it didn’t disappoint. Herewith, my favorites from the night.

First, the food. Dubbed simply “Egg,” the croque madame was hands-down my favorite. I mean, is there really any doubt (other than the calorie count) with a runny egg and cheese? This one was made with ham, gruyère, béchamel sauce and a lightly fried egg on top.

Egg AKA croque madame

The goat flatbread (AKA just “Goat”) was a pleasant surprise. Made with slow-roasted goat shoulder, goat cheese, chili and sesame sauce, red onions, and cilantro, this pizza-like flatbread was rich without being overpowering. I didn’t think I was a fan of goat meat, but this dish may have changed my mind for the better.

Goat flatbread

Morningstar’s chile relleno, simply called “Chile” (seeing a pattern here?), is a signature dish for the chef. It’s not on the Bar Bites menu, but we ordered it from the restaurant’s appetizer list. This version was the richest I’ve ever had — it’s made with wood-roasted chile, chorizo, dates, local goat cheese and topped with almond sauce. So rich, so delicious.

Chile relleno

Another dish that I enjoyed, though I didn’t think I would, was the beef tendon. I usually don’t like beef tendon, but just as the goat flatbread changed my mind, this beef tendon made me think twice about my usual disdain for the food. Morningstar’s version came with a red braise, mushrooms, mustard fruit and broccoli.

Beef tendon

Now, on to the drinks, many of which are named after Stark films. The Smokey and the Bandit cocktail is now my favorite Laphroaig drink, hands-down. It’s so simple — there’s just honey, orange and lemon peel to round it out — but it just all comes together perfectly. Laphroaig is a really, really smokey whisky that I think is an acquired taste, mostly because it tastes like Band-Aids, so to make it palatable can sometimes be a challenge. Dozois accomplished this.

Smokey and the Bandit

All the cocktails I tried were great. The Opera (gin, red Dubonnet, Maraschino liqueur, orange bitters and orange peel) was complex, and the Steel Magnolias (rum, freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, strawberry and basil) was sweet but not too sweet — a good thing.

Steel Magnolias

Opera

I would definitely go back to have a proper meal at Ray’s, and Stark Bar will most likely become my go-to neighborhood hangout for quality mixology and eats.

Note: This meal was hosted.