Wood & Vine | A Travel Foodie's Journey

Our first introduction to Wood & Vine came by way of friends who had a theatre subscription to the Pantages. They frequently ate dinner at the restaurant prior to the evening’s performance. My friend made a point of letting me know that their meal set-up was a great value and the food was actually quite good as well. I made a mental note to make reservations the next time we had theatre tickets.
The opportunity presented itself when the touring company for Miss Saigon announced it would have a short residency at the Pantages. As we had not seen the musical yet and I was offered presale tickets, it was an easy decision which was quickly followed by pre-theatre dinner booking at Wood & Vine though my Open Table app.

Last Saturday night we finally experienced both. Wood & Vine is conveniently located diagonally across the street from the Pantages. They had a few high tops and bar stools by the front, the upstairs dining room had a traditional dining set-up with several tables with quite a few more at the outdoor patio which had the added bonus of a large rectangular table set-up around a fire pit. We opted to sit inside right by the window adjacent to Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame.

Our first order of business was toasting the start of our evening and taking the obligatory photos of and with the Pantages sign.

Drinks were quickly followed by some very tasty appetizers which came in the form of Crispy Brussels Sprouts with a sherry dijon vinaigrette and Shells and Cheese with aged cheddar and a moderate topping of crumbled cheez-its.

The sprouts were savory and smoky all at once. It was a solid dish and a decent sized serving which seemed more plentiful than anticipated so we wisely asked for it to be packed up to take home with us after the show so that we could continue to enjoy what was yet to arrive.

We also opted to bring the mac & cheese home with us as it was quite filling and unique. It’s definitely a dish you want to try again on a different day to make sure that your taste buds weren’t misguided or possibly tainted by alcohol. The cheez-its added a layer of eclecticism to the dish and as strange as it might sound, the combination actually worked! It served as a nice crispy cheesy crust, much like breadcrumbs, on top of a smooth, silky, savory pasta but with a tangier and crunchier texture. It’s true ingenuity stemmed in childhood creature comforts.

As our friends previously mentioned, the dinner entrees were truly a great value. They had quite a few options but we opted for The New Standard which was a shareable platter with 2 short rib, brisket and chuck cheeseburgers and a side of delicious crispy fries. I opted for animal style and was quite happy with how simply it was prepared.

Having consumed a very filling meal, to stay awake during the performance, we ordered a French press coffee which was followed by two very decadent desserts.

We started with the butterscotch which was light and rich at the same time. The maple ice cream with the sprinkles of sweet thyme crumble gave it that a bit of crunch and savoriness.

We also had the dark chocolate cake which looked like a chocolate comet flying off the plate. It came with coffee ice cream and caramel tuile to give us the added boost of caffeine and sugar to keep us alert for the theatre experience.

We were so impressed with the quality and creativity of Wood & Vine’s offering as well as the impeccable service that we booked our next pre-theatre dinner after completing our meal. Our gracious hostess/server/manager, Adriana was kind enough to let us know that Pantages would not allow us to bring our leftovers so she offered to store our sprouts and pasta until after the show. That solidified our loyalty to her and the restaurant.

Once the performance was over, we returned and decided to have a nightcap outside on the patio. It was a very comfortable evening and we could feel a bit of a breeze as we sat and enjoyed our drinks underneath the night sky, listening to the laughter of the large group sitting close around the fire pit. Under the canopy of lights strung between the trees, the patio had quite a romantic glow and was a beautiful and peaceful way to end our evening.

We look forward to many delicious experiences at Wood & Vine in the very near future. It’s a fantastic pre and post-theatre choice as the prices are quite reasonable compared with its neighbors, APL and Katsuya.