Smoke House Restaurant

When I told Sara that my friend Adam had picked the Smoke House in Burbank for our DineLA dinner, she was… mildly amused. Immediately, she said that she personally loved it for the nostalgia. But, whoever picked it as a place for me to dine at – hadn’t fully considered my taste preferences.

Honestly, she was right. Even Sara likened the place to “the Café 50s of steakhouses.”

I admitted I hadn’t set foot in the place in nearly nine years. But, I was curious about what they’d offer for their DineLA menu. I knew it wouldn’t be the top of the lineup, but I figured – at the very least – it would be an experience.

From my last visit, I remembered it as a stuffy, old-school steakhouse vibe. As decades ago, there was a time when I was devouring James Ellroy novels from the Los Angeles Public Library, and reading L.A. Confidential and The Black Dahlia sparked my curiosity about vintage Los Angeles restaurants, that was in the past.

Adam, however, had never been – and he loves vintage L.A. noir. So, I said sure. Why not?

Trying to find street parking on that peculiar stretch of Burbank across from the Warner Bros studio lot was an exercise in annoyance. At 7 p.m., there wasn’t an open spot on the street.  So, I begrudgingly pulled into the valet. The attendant informed me it was $8 cash – or Venmo.

Great.

Browsing the DineLA menu vs the restaurant’s full menu, I went back and forth before just deciding to go for the DineLA.

To drink, I ordered a Paper Plane cocktail (Bourbon whiskey, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, lemon juice) and a half order of  THE WORLD’S GREATEST GARLIC BREAD for the table.

It was fine

For the first course, I ordered the NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER (A Smoke House Classic – Served with a touch of sherry wine upon request).

It was fine.

Next up was the BEEF BOURGUIGNON (Braised Beef, pearl onions, mushrooms, and carrots in a Burgundy wine sauce. Served over egg noodles).

It was edible.

To finish, I ordered a slice of the HOMEMADE CHEESECAKE.

It was – dessert.

At the end, I could say that I – ate food for dinner.

Later, after saying goodbye to Adam and giving my valet ticket to one of the valet people to get my car, I inquired about paying via Venmo. That’s when I was informed that if you Venmo, you pay $10 instead of $8. It’s an annoying situation – on principle. The cash price should be the Venmo price.

I’d experienced this at Giorgio Baldi in the Pacific Palisades, where the cash price was $17 and the Venmo price was $20. However, after rolling my eyes, I just say “Whatever”, chalked it up to an experience and drove away.

The Smoke House Restaurant isn’t a place that you go specifically for an outstanding night out. There are far more modern spots in Los Angeles for that. Charcoal Venice and Fia Steak. But, if I wanted to experience a slice of LA Noir, hang out in the same vicinity as entertainment studio adjacent people and stare off into the void while I sip a martini and question my life choices that led me up to that moment – I’d come back to the Smoke House and get a seat at the bar.

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