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Jar of Picklings at Vodvil

Do you like to play with your food? And by playing with your food, I mean playing games while eating food. If your answer is yes, then Vodvil on Fairfax Avenue is the place for you. Part restaurant, part game show, Vodvil goes beyond the usual trivia night to include an upscale comfort food menu and bar with interactive games moderated by a cheesy-but-entertaining host.

I have to admit that I was skeptical of Vodvil’s concept. I thought it might be annoying to have dinner while being subjected to shouts from game players. However, on the particular night my dinner companion, Lindsay of LAist, and I visited Vodvil, it happened to be word games night, which was perfect for us writers. We won our share of rounds and cashed in our winnings at the restaurant’s prize machine, which is filled with nostalgic trinkets. (By the way, there’s a $4 charge per person to play the games. There’s a small sign at the host stand stating this, but I don’t remember seeing it on the menu, which would be a good place to let people know.)

The executive chef here is Jamie Lauren, formerly of Beechwood and also of “Top Chef” fame. We actually saw Lauren in the dining room chatting it up with fellow “Top Chef” alum Antonia Lofaso — it was a very L.A. food world moment.

Highlights from our meal included the House Made Chips and Onion Dip, which we just couldn’t stop eating. The chips were thickly cut but also light and crisp, and the onion dip was creamy and flavorful. (Avoid the Pretzel Bites, which come unsalted, with an equally bland cheddar-beer sauce.) The Indian Inspired Lamb Slyders (yeah, I don’t get it, either) served with onion relish and dill yogurt on sweet Hawaiian bread were also good, and I’m not a big fan of lamb. The Mushroom Pot Pie is a good vegetarian choice, as it’s made with mushroom broth, and the side salad has a nice herby dressing.

House Made Chips and Onion Chips

Indian Inspired Lamb Slyders

Mushroom Pot Pie

Our favorite dish of the night was the smoked trout salad. It’s a simple mix of smoked trout, frisée, chives and fingerling potatoes, but the flavor packs a punch. I would go back just for this dish. (The salad seems to be missing from the online menu; I hope that doesn’t mean it’s gone!)

Smoked trout salad

As for the cocktails, stick with the punches, which serve 4 people. We had the Fairfax Scorpion made with Plymouth gin, Gran Sierpe pisco, Don Q rum, Orgeat syrup, orange juice and passion fruit puree, which we liked because of its lack of sweetness. When it comes to dessert, I preferred the chocolate chip pretzel cookies over the house-made cinnamon Pop Tart, which was too thick.

Fairfax Scorpion punch

Chocolate chip pretzel cookies

Overall, I had a good time at Vodvil. It would be a great place for a group outing, but if you have kids, Vodvil discourages you bringing them. Its website says that it will announce designated family nights soon, but there were children in the dining room when we were there, and there didn’t seem to be a problem.

Note: This meal was hosted.