Sunset Bar & Grill is a formula. Every single restaurant that calls itself a "bar & grill" is exactly not different from every other restaurant that calls itself a "bar & grill." The only distinguishing feature of any bar & grill is...nothing. I just said they were all the same, except for Sunset Bar & Grill, which differentiates itself by...being on the Promenade! All you have to do is change the name, and you will still have that generic decor dominated by wood that remind me of my parents' basement converted into a rec room, a bar with a suspiciously sticky bartop, bar stools with an equally sticky quality, bartenders who are only half "there," waitresses whe are even less so, unidentifiable but recognizably bad rock music in the background, and an odd odor that smells faintly of the bottom shelf of a refrigerator.
follows the formula
Sunset Bar & Grill!
I had never eaten at Sunset Bar & Grill before because 1) if I wanted to eat at a Bar & Grill, I'd never drive all the way to the Promenade, and 2) if I were on the Promenade and were hungry, I'd rather go into high-performance shopping: on an empty stomach, which burns fat and makes clothes look better when you try them on. But I work here on the Promenade now and am cursed to eating all the over-priced mediocrity that festers for years on these three blocks because restaurants rely on a continuous supply of new, unsuspecting tourists rather than repeat customers. It's the balance for having everything else soooOOOooo good in my life.
French fries makes the hour happy
Knowing that at some point I would have to eat there, we went there for a quick bite to get it over with. There was nothing particularly remarkable about the menu except that appetizers are half-price during Happy Hour, which lasts until 10 PM. Now that is remarkable, given the sorry state of "happy hour" in LA.
I don't expect to fall out of my seat over a vegetable quesadilla, so there were no surprises there. I appreciated that the tortilla was crisp and that the kitchen had been generous with the vegetables. I would be surprised if the julienned peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini had come from the Wednesday or Saturday morning Farmers' Market, but I know they weren't Green Giant, either. A little more cheese wouldn't have been a bad thing. The burger looked decent enough, but I was more interested in the French fries. They were decent, too.
I can't say I am dying to go back to Sunset Bar & Grill. Hell, I can't even say that I would go back to Sunset Bar & Grill at all, especially with it being remarkably unremarkable at such a high, Promenade price, but hey, with a late Happy Hour that features half-price semi-decent French fries, and if the stars are aligned just right, there might, just might, be a little Sunset in my future.
Sunset Bar & Grill
1240 3rd Street Promenad
e
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.395.7012
** a year ago today, i got all rachael ray on your ass with pita-chos **
** two years ago today, we did shyoo-puh boll, korean style **
tags :: food : and drink : american : restaurants : reviews : los angeles
Anonymous says
looooooool i've always revelled in the fact that i was born on the 21st of June (cusp of gemini and cancer) and always thought that in addition to having two horoscopes one of my signs had dual personalities. So could you please tell me when is your birthday? i can't help having a "double life of veronica" moment here.
Anonymous says
Gemini? Ah, that would explain the powerful attraction and magentic pull. The writing helps too. But Gemini/Scorpio is a difficult combination; don't know if I'm ready for another of those experiences... Mmmmm, what's this? Cancer/Scorpio is "a match made in heaven. Perchance there is hope. Do I have to move to LA?
Linda says
Constantly searching for good places to eat on the promenade must be tough. Why don't you pack lunch?
Anonymous says
Working around the corner, these are the few places I like:
Bangkok West Thai
Cafe Crepe (the baugettes)
Jinky's
...Famimia?
sarah says
anonymous #1: my birthday is june 21, too. :)
anonymous #2: for you, i am cancer.
linda: i packed a lunch yesterday! but it's so much fun to complain about the promenade! ;)
anonymous #3: i have yet to try jinky's - yum. famima, um, not so much. WHY DOES EVERYONE GET THEIR PANTIES IN A DELICIOUS BUNCHH OVER FAMIMA?
and why is 75% of this commentage "anonymous?"
sarah says
anonymous #1: my birthday is june 21, too. :)
anonymous #2: for you, i am cancer.
linda: i packed a lunch yesterday! but it's so much fun to complain about the promenade! ;)
anonymous #3: i have yet to try jinky's - yum. famima, um, not so much. WHY DOES EVERYONE GET THEIR PANTIES IN A DELICIOUS BUNCHH OVER FAMIMA?
and why is 75% of this commentage "anonymous?"
off2cdwzrd says
1. i have an old friend who is a gemini/cancer cusp (June 21) person too and he is one of the nicest people i know.
2. i am a scorpio and my ex was a gemini. yikes!
3. i am a scorpio and the current love of my life is a gemini. double yikes!
JF says
seriously, I'm a cusp baby too. hrm.
Anonymous says
F.U. Sarah, you obviously have your nose too high up in the air to appreciate a good bar and grill. The Sunset Chefs make the best grill food on the promenade. You can take your attitude and business to some other establishment and I hope you come down with a good dose of food poisoning.
sarah says
off2cdwzrd: you and the geminis! that must be why we chat! :)
jf: but WHAT cusp?
anonymous: wow. normally, i am not okay with people wishing ill-will/harm on others here on my blog, but since it is directed toward me, i will leave it.
and having my nose too high up in the air? when it comes to service in a restaurant, which is what i am paying for (who can't make a quesadilla at home?), yes, i am picky. even the diviest of places can have good service. the gals at benito's have NEVER ever let me down when i'm there for my $2.29 nachos.
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