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Last night Father's Office II in Culver City* Los Angeles finally opened to the thirsty and hungry, but mostly thirsty, masses. It was supposed to be a soft opening but word got out and the bar/restaurant filled up right quick. A line formed outside the front door but patrons who finally made it in said the wait wasn't too bad, just about 15 minutes.
The door guys kept the restaurant at an uncrowded level. No sardined patrons here, thank goodness! And the sound levels, even with the sound system and diners' chatter, were surprisingly low. Unlike how it is at the SaMo FO where the closed quarters and high decibel levels mean everyone has to choose between not talking at all or shouting themselves hoarse. Here, I was able to have nice conversations with Andy and my neighboring diners.
LAist Editor Zach Behrens had asked us to put "veggie burgers" in the FO 2 suggestion box, but Larry the bartender stopped us before we could try. Apparently veggie burgers and the like don't fit in at Father's Office. Sorry, Zach. Yes, Daddy likes his meat, i.e. bistro steak ($16), spicy oatmeal stout ribs ($13), and smoked eel ($10) in addition to the much beloved Office burger ($12).
Also it seems that Daddy doesn't like vodka as FO 2, in addition to beer and wine, serves only armagnac/cognac, gin, whiskey/bourbon/scotch and tequila. There are also five "F.O.rgotten Cocktails" ($9-$12) available for those who require a strong drink at the end of a hellish day at work -- Office Martini, Manhattan, Side Car, Negroni and Aviation.
But last night was a blast. LAist News Editor Andy Sternberg and I ended up spending about five hours sitting at our little corner of the bar, watching several sports games on TV, chatting with the folks who showed up to the opening (which included Mark, beer god and owner of Craftsman, and some LAist readers), sipping and guzzling several cocktails and beer pints and chomping on our food (Andy got the Bistro Steak and I got the Office Burger).
Oh yes, I will most definitely be back. I still have 70 beers and three cocktails to try!
Father's Office II
3229 Helms Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90034 (map)
(310) 736-2224
* Fun Fact: The Los Angeles/Culver City border actually runs right through the Helms Bakery building. The city line runs East/West halfway between Venice and Washington Blvds.
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Good brews, burgers and convo. It was also nice to meet you and Andy :)
Sorry to play the mean girl, but jeez Zach, stop trying to make "veggie burger" happen.
Nice to meet you, too! I'm sure I'll see you again as I think FO2 will be my new hang.
Hey now, Carrie, I can always try :)
I'm just saying, If Lucky Vanous of Lucky Devil's developed a brilliant veggie burger to add to his menu, then Sang Yoon could probably make a better one if he tried. Yes, saying it doesn't "fit" is definitely a choice of artistic design to a planning a restaurants' menu, but not having a veggie burgers also does not "fit" in the Los Angeles culture.
In any case, I will definitely enjoy myself some greens, fries and Craftsman.
Have you tried the veggie burger at Houstons, Zach? Its really good, even for a carnivore like myself.
I can't wait to try FO, but the lack of ketchup worries me.
I haven't tried Houston's, but shall now!
Correction. They have 80 taps, but only 40 beers. The left and right sides of the bar are duplicates of each other. And they were only pouring 38 last night because they didn't get their shipment of Pliny the Elder and some other IPA.
Veggie Burgers at FO II would be such a great way for non-meat eaters to enjoy more variety on the menu. Not fair to watch my friends chow down on more substance at Fo in Santa Monica .... while I can only digest the greens and greesy carbs.
overkill: I believe it's 72 taps -- mirrored symmetrically (redundant?) -- the same 36 beers on each side. There are also several beers available in bottles of various sizes, which could very well bring the grand total of beers to 80.
I had the Craftsman Cabernale (that's right, a brew made with Paso Robles cabernet grapes), Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye, the Ommegang Hennepin, and the Maredsous 8. All were delicious.
The Father's Office family was very excited about the opening as were the patrons. It was never too packed and the bar staff (they claimed to have been training for more than a month) were spot on and quite impressive actually considering the opening night mayhem. The pours were all excellent from my vantage point and nobody got lost among the taps.
Nice meeting some readers including KulverCityKevin. I'll be back next week no doubt!
Do they have the mini-shopping carts for the sweet potato fries? Those things are to die for.
Yes, Neekolaaz -- same mini-shopping carts. Same exact menu (more or less). The addition of brown liquors is the most notable difference.
What's the tv scene there? I wanted to head over tonight and have a burger while watching the Lakers.
I only noticed two tv screens bookending the bar so if you want to see the game, try to grab a seat at a bar corner. No volume though.
Thanks for the heads up Caroline!