Gjelina - Venica, CA

Since moving to Santa Monica I haven't really had a chance to explore some other local parts of California. So, you can imagine I was pretty excited to meet up with friends yesterday, and stroll around Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice. After walking around for two hours waiting for Ms. Ally to come meet up with us, we were starving, and I was excited to eat anywhere Ally told us to meet her. She ended up suggesting Gjelina, located at 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice, CA. 

We sat down, and Ally, who had been running roughly an hour behind, rushed us over to the table and told us to "Hurry up and order! They're switching menus!" We skipped the pleasantries and got down to the business of ordering. The lunch menu offered various sandwiches, salads, and pizzas, among other things. Jamie and I both ended up ordering the lamb burgers, and Ally went with the steak sandwich and a side of brussel sprouts. Jamie mentioned that he has learned to order the same thing as me because that way he doesn't have to wait for me to take a picture before he can start eating.... thanks for helping bring diversity to my posts Jamie.  

We also decided that after a long day of shopping, wine was necessary. The restaurant has an extensive list of wines by the glass, and bottle, however both are on the pricier side ($15 per glass, and $42+ for a bottle of red). We decided that the responsible thing to do would be to order a bottle, ultimately saving us all money - at least that's the story we're sticking to.

We began to enjoy our wine and soon after our food arrived. 

Charred Brussel Sprouts

The brussel sprouts were amazing! They have a very nice char on the outside, and were served with red onions and slab bacon. I strongly recommend ordering this! 

Steak Sandwich

Ally also ordered the steak sandwich, which looked amazing (although I didn't personally try it). As you can see, it was thinly sliced flatiron steak, with anaheim chili, arugula and horseradish aioli. Flatiron steak is a very tender cut of meat, with a good amount of marbling. This sandwich has a bite to it so only order if you're ready for a little spice!

Lamb Burger

Jamie and I both went with the lamb burger. It's a Niman Ranch lamb burger with harissa aioli, roasted tomato, and arugula. Harissa is a hot chili sauce, that typically consists of hot chili peppers (including serrano). My burger was cooked perfectly, the fries were very well seasoned and delicious, and the sauces on the side went perfectly with both the burger and the fries. The arugula also gave a nice tang to the burger. All and all I would absolutely order this burger again.

We had our lunch in the outdoor patio, which was fun and romantic - if I have a chance to eat outside I always like to take advantage of it. The tables were rustic, but it only added to the trendy, borderline hipster, feel of the place. Also, if you're in a rush Gjelina has a "to-go" window next door called GTA that's perfect for the "in a rush" customer.

The next time I'm out in Venice and hungry I will definitely go back to Gjelina. The food was really great, as well as the atmosphere.