I first read about the opening of Lustig from an Eater article.  It was the replacement restaurant for La Dijonnaise in the Helms Bakery in Culver City.  I actually had a reservation before the holiday break which was cancelled due to the restaurant opening being delayed so I rescheduled after the first of the year and set our dinner for the first Friday of January.  

It had been a while since we had frequented the Helms Bakery.  There were still plenty of free parking spaces on-site.  When we arrived at the restaurant, we were immediately seated and our server came to greet us moments later.  We had never dined at the former restaurant so we didn’t have a frame of reference what the interior looked like at the time, but Lustig’s contemporary décor was a refreshing change of scenery. 

The red walls and tall ceilings set against floor to ceiling windows gave it a very airy vibe.  

They also had a beautiful sparkly full bar.  

There were four dining areas: an outdoor patio, the bar, the main dining area and a more private section further into the restaurant near the second restroom.  

In both water closets, there was a taped poster above the doorway as a nod to Ted Lasso.

After a short chat with our server, we ordered our food, and the starters arrived a few minutes later.  

The tuna cannoli was served in a crispy eggroll shell and tasted like an incredibly fresh tuna tartare with avocado but condensed and tightly wrapped.

The croque monsieur pizza was served broiling hot. It was cheesy, smoky, savory and just decadent. Though it was a bit oilier than I expected and the crust wasn’t crispy, the flavors were all there and hit all the right notes.

The chicken was moist and tender. It was served with beans which added a bit of earthiness to the dish. The asparagus which came with the dish was also perfectly cooked. In my haste to sample, I dropped an asparagus and without missing a beat, a hostess scooped it up from the floor. Some of the beans that came with the chicken were slightly undercooked and crispy but still good.

The broccolini was set in a soy, tomato base and was cooked al dente.

Fries were crispy and lightly salted.

The apple streudel was life altering. It was served warm, in a crispy crust, with cinnamon, tart apple with a creamy light sauce and cold ice cream. It was amazing!!

We would definitely return to our neighborhood’s newest gem.  The service with the unique and delicious eats made for a winning combination!!