LAReview
photo credit: Holly Liss
Barrel & Ashes
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Ahhhh, the Valley. That sweet, steaming dump pile of studio lots and never-ending urban abyss. With more space and lower rents, it long ago became the unhip, suburban answer to the chaos south of the hill. But with a constant influx of young people looking for cheap apartments and new restaurants that cater to them, those sleepy neighborhoods along Ventura Boulevard are finally waking the f*ck up. Swallow that pill, Cher Horowitz.
And when a former chef of French Laundry (arguably the best restaurant in California) announced he’d be opening a casual BBQ joint in Studio City, it’s fair to say the entire city of Los Angeles woke up. Barrel & Ashes is the kind of place every neighborhood in the city needs – but its bright interior, front patio, and picnic-style dinner tables all add up to a cool, lively atmosphere that the Valley needed most. Sure, everything on the menu is $5 more than you want it to be, but this is still LA.
The BBQ is all good, but the ribs and pulled pork need to be priority. Just leave some room on the table for the hoe cake and fried chicken sandwich, because they might actually be the best things here. The space is casual and flexible, ideal for anything from a midweek lunch with coworkers to a birthday dinner throw down. Evenings do get crowded, so make sure to grab a reservation beforehand. The last thing anyone wants is to stand around watching other people eat BBQ, though you could just head upstairs to Fiscal Agent and sip on some cocktails while you wait to hear your name called.
Barrel & Ashes means that the Valley finally gets to enjoy a big-name chef and the kind of food that comes with. But more importantly, it means that the LA-proper restaurant scene is finally heading north. Time to make moves, Ms. Horowitz.