8631 E. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Ph: (310) 287-2093
Luckily we had a late lunch since there was a twenty-five minute wait for our 8:30 reservation. But the smells emanating from the kitchen made us anticipate a good meal at Wilson. The restaurant, adjoining an art gallery, has lights of changing colors on the facade. The kitchen is open to the noisy front dining room. We sat on the patio painted with accents of orange. The olive green plastic chairs were a bit stiff, but most comfortable if you sat back and took in the casual ambiance.
Now for the food. We were pleased with the bread, a mix of brown bread sweeten with honey, onion focaccia (UE's favorite) and a country white. Our meals arrived quickly. The slow-roasted pork with polenta was intensely spiced and just sweet enough. Greens layered on top added color. The meat was fork-tender and the African-influenced sauce was dotted with cherries. This is comfort food.
The baby field greens salad was bursting with flavor and color. The greens were surrounded by the homemade croutons, each with their very own tasty treat. While the prosciutto was ordinary, the pesto spread had a hint of curry that made it that more delectable. The vegetable spreads were tomatoes and eggplant. INK especially enjoyed the goat cheese.
The 1/2 jidori chicken laid on a significant pillow of wasabi mashed potatoes with a side of sweet and tangy caramelized onion sauce. The chicken was moist with a thin crisp layer of skin topped with cilantro pesto.....which really tasted like a curried pesto, but still good. Instead of overwhelming each other (and JM), the overall sweet complimented the pesto/curry, however the wasabi was barely noticeable.
Time for dessert! The desserts were simple and satisfying but not inventive. The buttery apple crumble with creme anglaise was very nice if you have a sweet tooth. The creme brulee was standard, but was topped with a generous portion of raspberries.
We were happy with our experience. We proclaimed we would be back! All was good until we were hit with the bill and noticed the $22 desserts we had just consumed! This was no fine dining! Though Wilson started strong with solid entrees and a jolly wait staff, our experience was sullied by the overpriced final course.
