Punch Grill: A Knockout
Well, imagine my skepticism when I'm invited to review a place called Punch Grill. Was this a sports bar? Was it going to have pictures of Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali plastered all over the dining room? Boxer gloves in a display case? Well, since it involved free food I was going to find out either way, so I accepted and made my reservation.
Punch Grill resides in the space that used to be occupied by a Chinese seafood restaurant on Wilshire. I can't remember the name, but I had passed it a million times. In any case, it was a short drive down the street, so I already decided I wasn't going to valet when I could have just walked. We found a spot on the street. I know what you're thinking, I'm getting a free meal and I don't want to pay for parking. Yeah, I'm cheap.
The decor looked elegant, brown columns offset some of the black marble elements. Everything was cast in low light, with a runway configuration of blue lights inset into the ground as you enter. Each table on the exterior of the dining area had an overhead light offering some directional illumination (but still not enough to take pictures with extreme clarity, however, how many others will take pictures of food?)
There is a modest bar area to the left that features a jazz combo on the weekends. I like having some music to listen to while I'm eating, as long as its not prohibitively loud. The music was a cool addition to the atmosphere.
So, no, there was no boxing paraphernalia and I was remiss in not asking how the place got its name. We sat down, and I noted the place was pretty packed and lively, always a good sign. The demographic of the crowd leaned a little to the over 40 crowd, but this is a just a snapshot of one night, of course.
My wife ordered a mojito to start and I got a Pyramid hefewiezen...oops, they're out of Pyramid. Oh well, I'll settle for a Duvell, that seems Belgian enough. No, wait, they conjured up a Pyramid. The menu was a pretty varied mix of food, mostly American preparations with the option to get sandwiches and pasta in addition to regular full entrees and appetizers.
First up came the bread basket. I think I noted before it is passe to just serve one type of bread, and this was a varied mix of rolls. The olive roll had a nice bite to it, I even tried some with butter (did I mention I'm on a diet? Did I mention I would dispense with that for a night?). The sesame roll had a good crunchy crust, and the sourdough had a sleek exterior marked with crunchy moguls...like the ones you ski on. It had a good contrast of tough exterior and warm pliable center, like a proper sourdough roll should have.
Nayan ordered the braised short rib ravioli and I started with a spinach and artichoke fondue. They were both good, but the ravioli was great. Now, I know you're wondering how they fit a short rib into a ravioli. I was wondering that myself, and apparently you can take the bone out and mince the meat. The filling had a solid flavor, very hardy, but the rich sauce gave it that extra roundness and really brought the flavors out. They were pretty addictive, and found myself eating more of hers than mine. Couple that with the fact I haven't eaten anything substantial in about two months, this was comparatively a feeding frenzy.
My fondue had a creamy, buttery flavor. The problem with any fondue is that the cheese can often times separate from the mix, and in this case, the gruyere sort of stuck to the bottom of the ramekin, requiring manual manipulation. I didn't care about the separation, but they need to give more crustinis. I found myself using the rolls, which, actually was pretty good.
My French onion soup was French onion soup. I don't like surprises or alterations with French onion soup, so this was good. Browned cheese hugged the rim, there was an appropriate sweetness and depth of flavor.
Her pork entree, which she generously severed off a chunk of the tenderloin portion of the 'porterhouse.' It was juicy and rich, but the other side of the porter was a little tougher, slightly drier. Pork is like chicken in that some cuts are more condusive to marinade than others. The apple and ginger sauce was a good contrast to the meat. Not overly sweet, it gave a bright accent to the pork. The meat also had a nice smoky undertone.
The starch component of the dish was less remarkable. The mashed potatoes were pedestrian, and just fine, but the yams were pureed to the point they had a Gerber's consistency. The taste was good, but I couldn't get over the texture.
My cioppino rocked! Fresh seafood was bathed in a tomato-fish fume. Again, I would recommend a side of crusinis for dunking. The broth was completely addictive. Now that I've raved about the most boring part of any soup, broth, let me talk about the seafood. Tender scallops, whitefish, shrimp, mussels, octopus, calamari and salmon. I haven't had salmon in cioppino before, but it makes a nice contrast to the other seafood. Uh oh! Cioppino foul. There's an unopened clam in there.
Besides the clam, this is the second best cioppino I've ever had, and the other one was in San Francisco, so you're not going to beat that.
We also ordered a couple of side dishes, creamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms. I didn't care for the spinach, it was a bit oversalted, but the mushrooms were crisp and buttery shiitakes, and we had to fight each other for the last few.
Finally, the chocolate souffle came. It's a good thing this smelled so overwhelmingly chocolaty, because I was pretty stuffed, having polished off seafood, shells and soup. It had a deep current of chocolate running from the center, and came with a side of strawberries and whipped cream. Oooh, what can I say. I'm not a chocolate freak, but we polished this off to the last crumb.
Overall, Punch was a cool space with good food. It is a lively room augmented with the vibrant jazz combo. Noting the prices on the menu, two people can get out of here for around $70-$100 with drinks. If you're not hungry enough for full entree portions, they have salads and sandwiches, and the check would be much less.
Also, a side note, even though I have reviewed a few restaurants where the meal has been comped, that does not mean its free. I do tip quite generously, since the good staff serves us like they would attend to anyone else.
Punch Grill resides in the space that used to be occupied by a Chinese seafood restaurant on Wilshire. I can't remember the name, but I had passed it a million times. In any case, it was a short drive down the street, so I already decided I wasn't going to valet when I could have just walked. We found a spot on the street. I know what you're thinking, I'm getting a free meal and I don't want to pay for parking. Yeah, I'm cheap.
The decor looked elegant, brown columns offset some of the black marble elements. Everything was cast in low light, with a runway configuration of blue lights inset into the ground as you enter. Each table on the exterior of the dining area had an overhead light offering some directional illumination (but still not enough to take pictures with extreme clarity, however, how many others will take pictures of food?)
There is a modest bar area to the left that features a jazz combo on the weekends. I like having some music to listen to while I'm eating, as long as its not prohibitively loud. The music was a cool addition to the atmosphere.
So, no, there was no boxing paraphernalia and I was remiss in not asking how the place got its name. We sat down, and I noted the place was pretty packed and lively, always a good sign. The demographic of the crowd leaned a little to the over 40 crowd, but this is a just a snapshot of one night, of course.
My wife ordered a mojito to start and I got a Pyramid hefewiezen...oops, they're out of Pyramid. Oh well, I'll settle for a Duvell, that seems Belgian enough. No, wait, they conjured up a Pyramid. The menu was a pretty varied mix of food, mostly American preparations with the option to get sandwiches and pasta in addition to regular full entrees and appetizers.
First up came the bread basket. I think I noted before it is passe to just serve one type of bread, and this was a varied mix of rolls. The olive roll had a nice bite to it, I even tried some with butter (did I mention I'm on a diet? Did I mention I would dispense with that for a night?). The sesame roll had a good crunchy crust, and the sourdough had a sleek exterior marked with crunchy moguls...like the ones you ski on. It had a good contrast of tough exterior and warm pliable center, like a proper sourdough roll should have.
Nayan ordered the braised short rib ravioli and I started with a spinach and artichoke fondue. They were both good, but the ravioli was great. Now, I know you're wondering how they fit a short rib into a ravioli. I was wondering that myself, and apparently you can take the bone out and mince the meat. The filling had a solid flavor, very hardy, but the rich sauce gave it that extra roundness and really brought the flavors out. They were pretty addictive, and found myself eating more of hers than mine. Couple that with the fact I haven't eaten anything substantial in about two months, this was comparatively a feeding frenzy.
My fondue had a creamy, buttery flavor. The problem with any fondue is that the cheese can often times separate from the mix, and in this case, the gruyere sort of stuck to the bottom of the ramekin, requiring manual manipulation. I didn't care about the separation, but they need to give more crustinis. I found myself using the rolls, which, actually was pretty good.
My French onion soup was French onion soup. I don't like surprises or alterations with French onion soup, so this was good. Browned cheese hugged the rim, there was an appropriate sweetness and depth of flavor.
Her pork entree, which she generously severed off a chunk of the tenderloin portion of the 'porterhouse.' It was juicy and rich, but the other side of the porter was a little tougher, slightly drier. Pork is like chicken in that some cuts are more condusive to marinade than others. The apple and ginger sauce was a good contrast to the meat. Not overly sweet, it gave a bright accent to the pork. The meat also had a nice smoky undertone.
The starch component of the dish was less remarkable. The mashed potatoes were pedestrian, and just fine, but the yams were pureed to the point they had a Gerber's consistency. The taste was good, but I couldn't get over the texture.
My cioppino rocked! Fresh seafood was bathed in a tomato-fish fume. Again, I would recommend a side of crusinis for dunking. The broth was completely addictive. Now that I've raved about the most boring part of any soup, broth, let me talk about the seafood. Tender scallops, whitefish, shrimp, mussels, octopus, calamari and salmon. I haven't had salmon in cioppino before, but it makes a nice contrast to the other seafood. Uh oh! Cioppino foul. There's an unopened clam in there.
Besides the clam, this is the second best cioppino I've ever had, and the other one was in San Francisco, so you're not going to beat that.
We also ordered a couple of side dishes, creamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms. I didn't care for the spinach, it was a bit oversalted, but the mushrooms were crisp and buttery shiitakes, and we had to fight each other for the last few.
Finally, the chocolate souffle came. It's a good thing this smelled so overwhelmingly chocolaty, because I was pretty stuffed, having polished off seafood, shells and soup. It had a deep current of chocolate running from the center, and came with a side of strawberries and whipped cream. Oooh, what can I say. I'm not a chocolate freak, but we polished this off to the last crumb.
Overall, Punch was a cool space with good food. It is a lively room augmented with the vibrant jazz combo. Noting the prices on the menu, two people can get out of here for around $70-$100 with drinks. If you're not hungry enough for full entree portions, they have salads and sandwiches, and the check would be much less.
Also, a side note, even though I have reviewed a few restaurants where the meal has been comped, that does not mean its free. I do tip quite generously, since the good staff serves us like they would attend to anyone else.
2 Comments:
hey..i must have just gone on a bad night. our food there was sort of miserable, and the service was a little arrogant and slow.
weird.
By
sarah, at 10:17 AM
Hey Sarah! Not weird at all. You know how these things go, although I write up the straight dope about my experience, it doesn't mean they aren't giving us special attention because they know who we are ;)
By
Steve Wasser, at 10:46 AM
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