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Poutine Christine at P’tit Soleil

Ah, poutine. That French Canadian mess of French fries, gravy and cheese curds that we all love to love. Previously, Angelenos had to either chase various food trucks or shell out a pretty penny for Animal’s foie gras version (which is sadly no more) to get their poutine fix, but no more. Now Westwood’s P’tit Soleil, the little sister restaurant adjacent to Soleil by Luc Alarie, offers poutine — all kinds of it — all day long.

Go for the Poutine Christine (pictured above), which comes with a cognac peppercorn sauce, or the Poutine Marat with sliced filet mignon, mushrooms and a cognac cream sauce. Both of these are great variations on traditional poutine. But perhaps the most interesting (and tasty) might be the Poutine Malik, which comes with merguez sausage and a spicy harissa cream sauce.

There are other dishes at P’tit Soleil, such as the Moules au Gratin (gratin mussels) and the Petite Tourtière (small French Canadian meat pie), that are also good options. You can get the tourtière as part of the restaurant’s Canadian Thanksgiving celebration, which takes place Oct. 7 and 8. For $28.95 per person, you’ll get four courses, including the meat pie and roasted turkey with all the trimmings.

See more photos from P’tit Soleil:

Note: This meal was hosted.

Further reading:

P’tit Soleil Has the Poutine I’ve Been Waiting For by estarLA

Selvatica Pesto Pizza at Urbano Pizza Bar

What goes nicely with beer and other libations? Pizza, of course!

Urbano Pizza Bar, conveniently located next to Library Bar at 6th and Hope streets, offers a great food option. With pizza crust that’s perfectly chewy and crisp at the same time, as well as good side dishes and respectable beer and wine lists, Urbano is a new go-to for downtown revelers.

Chef Brad Winnaman, best known for his baking skills with stints at La Brea Bakery and Campanile, has created a menu focused on Neapolitan-style pizza and some stand-out bread, which obviously includes the crust and extends to grilled bread topped with crushed tomato sauce and/or hearty meatballs. Winnaman has had help from Top Chef alum and The Gorbals chef Ilan Hall, who was on-hand the night we visited.

Urbano Pizza Bar

Ilan Hall

Our favorite pizzas included the seasonal Scimmietta made with pureed pumpkin spread across the crust topped with applewood-smoked bacon, scallions and goat cheese, as well as the Selvatica (shown above) made with basil pesto, slow-roasted tomatoes, pine nuts, fresh basil leaves and burrata. While the Selvatica was more traditional in flavor, the Scimmietta was a nice departure from the norm.

We were also impressed with the side dishes, especially the Mozzarella Trio and charred corn with balsamic butter. The Mozzarella Trio includes burrata with roasted tomato and basil pesto, smoked mozzarella with grilled radicchio and crushed tomato, and mozzarella with cherry tomato and basil oil. All were complementary combinations. And the charred corn took on a whole new dimension of flavor with the balsamic butter, which melted all over the corn and created a savory, creamy, smoky concoction.

Mozzarella Trio

Charred Corn with Balsamic Butter

Hall plans to continue helping out with the menu for a while longer, but rest assured Winnaman’s delicious bread will be a staple at Urbano. Paired with a glass of California central coast wine or a pint of locally brewed beer, such as the Craftsman 1903 Pale Lager, you’ll have a tasty meal.

Note: This was originally posted on LAist. This meal was hosted.

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