The Tar Pit
Mark Peel of Campanile fame brought us the original grilled cheese night. He did this ten years ago which basically makes him smarter than Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin. Subpar non sequitur aside, has there ever been a more disproportionately revered inventor in the history of the world? I know what grilled cheese does. It gives me lactose-based companionship on lonely Saturday nights. But what the hell does a cotton gin even do? Beats me. Yet ask any fifth-grader “who invented the cotton gin?” and you will always receive a quick, automated answer: “Eli Whitney.”
Well you know what, Eli Whitney? While innovative, your invention contributed to the rise of the southern slave economy preceding the Civil War. So eat a dick.
Therefore, S.P. and I tried to pay proper homage to a true innovator by stopping by Mark Peel’s sleek-looking, Prohibition-era inspired supper club. The Tar Pit has all the necessary trappings of any celebu-chef opening. How I Met Your Mother actor sighting at the valet? Check. Sleek, dark design inside and out? Check. Pleasant but slightly disinterested waitress? Check. Plush bar area seating? Check.
One of the best things about the Tar Pit is the mixology. They take gin to another level of appreciation. Try the Gin Gin Mule, which is mixed with housemade ginger beer. Have a tequila tooth? The Lil Jig is a Thai basil and lime juice-infused fix.
Peel’s innovative style can be seen in flashes of brilliance in the menu. The pickled deviled eggs with shaved ham (pictured) are a great source of protein after a long hard day of working in the coal mines. There are traditionalists who would probably say that deviled eggs have no place in innovative cuisine. However, these are probably the same assholes making you memorize Eli Whitney’s name in grade school. Note that the deviled eggs at the Tar Pit are pickled. As a Korean-American, that’s plenty innovative enough for me.
The fried oysters, while not particularly innovative, were terrific and both of us really enjoyed the playful combination of gnocchi and escargot. Snails and delicate starch drowning in butter will always win my heart. I’d venture away from the steak & kidney pie and the artichokes trastevere - the former was too rich without any counterbalance, and the fried artichokes were a little bland.
While the fancy bar menu was hit or miss, the favorable center seating arrangement and innovative cocktail list make the Tar Pit a fun place to go after work or a show. - H. Lee
The Tar Pit, 609 N La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036, (323) 965-1300
