Charcoal Venice — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I recently visited the Sunset location, only to discover that it had closed down. I was truly saddened because I had fallen in love with the duck dish they served there. The last time I visited and had such an amazing and delightful experience turned out to be their final night of operation. It left me feeling quite upset.

However, I received some fantastic news that Charcoal had an original location in Venice. I was thrilled and immediately called to make reservations. When I inquired about it being the same restaurant, the hostess confirmed it was.

Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by a lovely hostess and taken through the kitchen to the outdoor patio seating area. After being seated, we were ready to place our orders shortly after.

Once our orders were taken, we requested the waitress to decant our wine. She seemed a bit forgetful or possibly overwhelmed. After taking our order, she returned to the kitchen and then came out to take orders from other tables. I had to get her attention again to kindly ask her to open the bottle of wine.

Shortly thereafter, the first course of seven dishes was served. The tuna tartare was refreshing and set the stage for what promised to be an incredible culinary experience. The second and third courses followed, leading up to the highlight of the evening - the amazing 21-day dry-aged duck. This duck dish was the most memorable item I had at Charcoal.

Upon being served, the duck appeared different to me compared to the one I had at the Sunset location. While the taste was similar, it seemed like it had been overcooked and left under a heat lamp. We ordered two portions of the duck so that everyone in our group could enjoy it. I will illustrate the differences in the photos.

As we reached the final course, the dry-aged ribeye steak, we found it to be unusually fatty. Despite requesting it to be cooked medium-rare plus, it was served rare.

After considering our experience and the service provided, I would rate this restaurant a solid 4 stars. The restaurant was bustling both inside and outside, but it was evident that they were understaffed. Despite this, we had a wonderful time with our waitress, especially while discussing our wine choices.

I particularly appreciated that the waitress brought our orders in the requested courses, and the overall experience did not...

This place is bad in every way a restaurant can possibly be bad.

A college freshman experimenting in his dorm room with a microwave would serve better food.

You can taste and feel the lack of passion in the atmosphere. The manager had no understanding what was happening around him. I wouldn’t let this manager run an errand for me, let alone run my restaurant. Typical clockwatcher.

The executive chef, holds a Michelin star(s) which was articulated numerous times by the “restaurant manager”. The Chef must have been out on my visit, because I doubt Michelin inspectors are keen on: undercooked Salmon served above room temperature. Salmon was so raw, it's started a school.

The repulsive Tartare on the menu tasted like hamburger meat from a grocer that lost power.

#CharcoalVenic could not even serve a proper baked potato. Arrived to the table (potentially after sitting on the kitchen window for 15 minutes), undercooked, tasteless and cold center. Wendy’s Restaurants would win this taste test. The most uphauling, they served one (1) Russet potato for 4 people! The manager stated, "We have cut back due to Covid".

When I requested the manager to bring up my concerns, he arrives to the table, shifty, hands flaring, cracking knuckles, unable to stand still, as if he just did a bump in the bathroom. Thankfully he was wearing a mask, to hide the white powder on the brim of his nose.

During my conversation with the sorry excuse of a manager, not only did he create a scene, but which brought unwanted attention from other diners to gaze over at our table. Nobody should pay this much money to be disrespected by a manager who walks away when your mid-sentence speaking.

Furthermore, when we stated, we will not pay full cost for this meal, the manager leaned into me and threatened us with THEFT. The only criminal act that night was the food and professionalism.

To put it mildly, please bring back COVID regulations, as licking the plexiglass separating the tables would be more rewarding than some of the duds on this DINE LA menu.

#CharcoalVenice #DineLA #Foodie #Venice #TripAdvisor #Food #Yelp #FoodCritic #CharcoalRestaurant #FoodNearMe...

Wowza! This is my second time ... this time, via Uber Eats. My first visit was spectacular, this one was too ... but a few things of note for both sides. I was hungry, so for a big order, I went right for the Lamb Ribs ... I might have to say they might be the best lamb ribs I've ever had! They had some very unique seasoning, I believe they were smoked, and oh so good .... they didn't taste like lamb at all oddly, but still, just delicious .... a little fatty, but that might be why they were so tender ... Next, chopped salad, most excellent, a lot of stuff in there, maybe too much, but very good, .... seemed like a healthy and crunchy choice of fresh stuff - not off the charts like the ribs, but good. THE STEAK! Hmmm ... most excellent, but I ordered it medium rare. I would recommend it medium. The steak is VERY marbled, which is good ... but with all that marbling, the fat and gristle needs to be cooked down a bit more than medium rare in IMHO ... it was a bit too chewy and fatty at medium rare. I heated it a bit more myself on my cast iron pan and it was much, much better at medium. It was a great piece of meat, but I would like a tiny bit more seasoning, if only just some salt, but again, good meat. The collards .... they were not as expected, most folks have them more old school, e.g well cooked down .... these were raw or maybe barely cooked, very good, but not what I expected. I would not have added all the bread crumbs and cheese, would have been nicer to have them a little more simple and light, delicious, but with the added things in there, a bit heavy. A couple of little nit pics, but all in all the food was outstanding ... order 2 orders of the lamb ribs, ribeye medium, and a few more dishes and you'll be a happy fan! I will be back again and even if by Uber Eats, "I'll be back"! Oh .... bonus points: I'm not always a fan of "steak sauce" but oh my oh my, their sauce, I think it's called J-1 (??), it was fantastic!!!! I nice tang of home-made goodness, I wonder if they sell it by the bottle??? It's that good. See ya'll soon, great...