Sublime Food Lounge

Went here for the hubby’s birthday on a Saturday night… It seemed a bit noisy (due to acoustics) inside, so we sat outside. This area didn’t quite seem ready for guests as the tables needed a really good wipe down, and the décor could have used a little sprucing up. However, it was quiet, and we were the only ones there, so it was great! Additionally, they had a nice fire pit.
We ordered to Piri Piri shrimp appetizer– it was FANTASTIC! Don’t overlook this one! Also, the pork belly and lobster mac n’ cheese were delicious. Service was not the quickest, but certainly friendly. Parking was easy, and everything was reasonably priced.
We will be back.

I have this theory that all restaurants in Culver City have 3.5 stars on Unilocal.So when I see a restaurant with a solid 4-​star ranging, I have to check it out!
I went here with my parents and brother and we had a nice time. I think that the only problem with this place is its unfortunate location. The food is good, but it’s a little off the beaten path of downtown Culver City.
We had problems with the mapping of it on Google maps too — it’s over on Washington & Shearbourne.
Enjoy!

Warning: eating at Sublime Food Lounge may cause you to exclaim various phrases uncontrollably such as «oh my god this is amaaaazing» and «yummmm» or just moan in pleasure.
in other words: taste-​gasm.
I came here for my birthday and every part of the dining experience here was phenomenal.
Sublime makes being a cool, hip, modern dining spot in the artsy downtown of Culver City look effortless. It was a surprisingly quiet night here, but service was attentive and friendly. The waitress made some great recommendations: she was knowledgable and enthusiastic about the dishes.
This was a very dimly lit restaurant, but gave it a very intimate quiet atmosphere. The floor-​to-​ceiling windows and corner location made the place feel not as claustrophobic and gave it more light.
We went all out, every dish was a creative, unique and delightfully plated:
*Tuna Tartare: loved the mashed tuna + house-​made crispy potato chips, great mix of textures.
*Crispy Root-​beer glazed Pork Belly: I freakin’ STILL talk about this dish. One of the most memorable foods I’ve ever had in my LIFE. Literally melts in your mouth. The root-​beer gave it a slight sweetness and a crackle. I’m not usually one to eat pork belly, but glad to put *this* in my belly!
*Lobster Bacon Mac N Cheese: definitely grown up mac n cheese taken to the next level. Lobster. Bacon. Cheese– nuff said!!!
*Squash Blossom Flatbread: according to the website they did have it on the menu any more, WHY??? This was amazing and purposely got it b/​c Unilocalers mentioned it was a must! Like pizza… but much more sophisticated.
* Seafood Risotto: this was great to share, because it was heavy. But very well prepared, not too «mushy» like some risottos can get. Great savory flavor without a fishy taste.
I just have no complaints! There’s a lounge and patio area in the back, I didn’t really get to experience it but I definitely would like to– seems like a great happy hour place and recommended for special celebrations and romantic dates! The food is *sublime* and the prices are reasonable!

I really REALLY wanted to like this place more than I did. I mean, it had been on my to-​do list for the longest time and when we finally went, it just didn’t quite live up to expectations. Don’t get me wrong, it was good but with all these gastropubs and food lounge places popping up all over LA, I just didn’t think it was amazing like some of the other places.
Like I said, it was still good and I’m incline to give it a 3.5 star overall but I just don’t know…
Service was pretty nice and even though I had to flag them down a few times, there were no issues.
Food-​wise, we ordered A LOT of food for 5 people. I think the most memorable were the brussel sprouts, the bone marrow and the beet salad thing. I thought the pork belly would have been so much better than I thought but that was pretty disappointing. I wouldn’t even say it was good, just okay.
Overall, for 5 people I believe the bill came out to close to $ 300? Or maybe $ 250, can’t remember but yeah, overall, just okay.

Unilocal needs to have a sixth star that can only be used 3 times… you can change them whenever you want, but you should be able to have a 6^th star so others can know your top 3 places. This is a 6^th star kind of a place. I’m simply puzzled by all the non 5 star reviews. I read most of them and they are all beyond silly.
Expensive? I’m sorry, but you guys are cheap and don’t appreciate good food.
Location? How the hell is it their fault if Google does not know how to give directions? Please stop docking off a star for that.
Service? I find it hard to believe that it was anything but amazing.
Décor & atmosphere? The place is simple and tasteful. Why do people think a loud ass, fancy shmancy joint deserves a star???
Food? This is just mind boggling. Anyone that left Sublime without tantalized taste buds needs to get checked. Please make an appointment with your doctor… like now.
And one more thing… if you happen to meet Michael, just know that you’re in good hands. He is one of the coolest guys i’ve met, and trust me, there aren’t that many cool guys left in LA.

The food here bursts with flavor. Also, calling it «food» seems to undermine it’s quality. The presentation is nice, but it’s the rich flavors that really make this edible art. Our bread pudding was the best I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a few), my risotto was cheesy and the carbonara was crisped to perfection. Upon immediate consumption, my passionfruit martini was sparkly and delicious, but as the night wore on, the drink lost its fruity flavor (though it could be due to the fact that my taste buds were under siege… in a good way).
The risotto also comes in three varieties, which I thought was cool.
Tip: Order the bread pudding for dessert. You won’t be disappointed. Also, there is a back patio that my friend and I didn’t discover until we were about to leave. We’re definitely sitting there next time.

DO NOT GO HERE. IT IS NOT THE BEST PLACE TO GO IN CULVER CITY HANDS DOWN.
IT IS NOT A SECRET RESTAURANT I DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO FIND OUT ABOUT.
I HAVE NOT NOT HAD AN AMAZING THING ON THE MENU.
THE BACK PATIO IS NOT EXTREMELY QUAINT AND EVER SO ROMANTIC.
And the flat breads are also epic.

4.5 Stars. 4 for the food, 5 for the service.
Sublime might not be the easiest place to find, but the building it’s in is hella cool. It’s on the corner, in the multi-​colored MODDA building (Museum of Design Art & Architecture). Check the pictures posted on Unilocal to help you in locating.
A hop, skip, and a jump away from Father’s Office, you can get an equally luscious burger for cheaper without the wait. We asked what made the burger so juicy and Randall the chef told us, «We finish it off with some duck fat drippings!» Everything on the menu is about $ 10-​$ 15 and all the items we had were good. Steak frites, the flat bread…
The service here was A+. The bartender Mauricio wined us, chef Randall came over and dined us, even after we already dined. One of our party was starving at 11:15 p.m. after the kitchen had closed but Randall hooked us up with a huge custom made order of fries tossed with blue cheese and truffle oil.
If you’re looking place to chill with your friends after work that has great food and a, various wines by the glass ($ 8 – 10) and a full bar with TV’s, this is your spot! There’s also a patio in the back with table seating, fire lamps, and a fire pit. I found everything to be priced fairly.
Too bad I’m in OC, otherwise I’d hit this place up at least once a month.

Located east of Downtown Culver City, this place is a hidden gem!
We ordered:
Steak frites — perfectly cooked steak with delicious wine reduction served with garlic fries.
Lobster Mac n Cheese — not at all heavy or oily and delicious!
Wild Mushroom flat bread — fresh buruta with full of flavor mushrooms.
Bread pudding with salt caramel — the best bread pudding I ever tasted, not too sweet and great texture.
Our server was attentive and very knowledgeable about all the specials and menu. Great place to hang out either for drinks and/​or dinner.

Sublime is a fine foodie Gastro-​bistro. Everything was delicious with a fine modern charm.
We came during happy hour so we tried each of the flat breads because they were half off. The Squash Blossom with Goat cheese was my favorite, but I also enjoyed the wild mushroom and the linguica sausage. Even though I had a favorite, they were all really good. It’s like trying to decide your favorite Charlie’s Angel.
We also tried the Lobster Mac and Cheese and the Sublime burger (both a good idea). They were tasty, no doubt, but I especially love the thousand island dressing which came with the burger because it had a very delicate hint of bacon that complemented the burger perfectly.
To add on to that, I thought the service was great. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. I had ordered an old fashioned, but I was disappointed when it came out in a martini glass. I thought maybe that’s just the way they do things here, but when I tried it, I realized it was a Manhattan. Almost as soon as I had tasted it, our server came back and realized she had given me the wrong drink. She gave me the Manhattan, and brought out an old fashioned, muddled to perfection.
maybe this is me just being picky, but for a very classy and tastefully decorated establishment, the bathroom was kinda drably decorated. It was painted a simple purple/​auburn color with a basket full of Ikea sticks int he corner.
a bit on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for.

*** I am not a foodie, I swear that I am not really but … ***
I must admit that dinner here last night was simply amazing.
Roasted Beet Salad … tenderly warmed, sprinkled w/​tiny nuts
Blossom & Wild Mushroom Flatbreads … thin, burrata, veggies
Tuna Tartare … finely chopped mixed w/​fine delectable truffle oil
Lobster Mac & Cheese … tasty yet just a tease for seafood lovers
Pork Belly … topped w/​bits of strawberry, pear, jicama & jalapeño
Goat Cheese Cheesecake … accented w/​very light berry sauce
Omfg, the pork belly dish was beyond awesome … it was divine!
It creates interesting and unique «taste explosions» in every bite.
I have never had such an experience. It was quite memorable.
*** All items cost just $ 8~15/ea. That made it even better! ***

Came here on a Friday night with a couple of girlfriends.
The place was so empty-​not sure why. It’s fairly new and in Culver City which has so many great places to eat.
I thought they had a good selection of wine.
We shared the Squash Blossom flatbread which everyone enjoyed.
The steak frites which I ordered was cooked the way I liked it and the truffle fries were crispy and good. I also tried some lobster mac and cheese-​which had big chunks of lobster and was pretty decadent.
For dessert we decided to get the bread pudding and the flourless chocolate cake-​a little disappointed they didn’t have their strawberry gelato with basalmic syrup but nonetheless the other desserts was good.
The only reason I didn’t give a higher rating was I thought the service was a little off and the atmosphere was a little too quiet for me.

Another new snazzy place in Culver City that popped up on Unilocal’s hot list. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as cracking as it seems.
I came here late night with a friend who just flew into town. I figured it would be cracking on a Friday night to schmooze with drinks and food. But when we arrived, it was empty and quiet and no one was there to greet us in the front. The décor was very intimate and dark and they projected an old black/​white movie onto the wall by the bar.
Our waiter was just an awkward turtle filled with awkward pauses. My friend Kim. C wanted a type of wine but he simply replied with «we don’t have it.» :awkward pause: Seriously? Step your game up mister, apologize and offer another type of wine already! I’ll cut him some slack because it is still a fairly new restaurant.
We ordered:
–The Foie Gras French Toast ($ 15)
— Lobster Bacon Mac N Cheese ($ 12)
— Flat Bread Mixed Salumi ($ 16)
The Flat Bread Mixed Salumi was decent when it came out fresh. The waiter mentioned it had house-​cured salumi meat on top which I wasn’t a big fan of. The thin crust was crispy which I loved! But as soon as it became lukewarm, it tasted a bit dry and stale. So eat your flat breads fast! It seemed like they updated their menu online recently and have limited it down to only three flat bread options.
The lobster bacon mac n cheese came out steaming hot, just the way I like my food… and men. Ha! It came with a side of salad in light balsamic dressing mixed in. Good thing we ordered this dish or else we would’ve left hungry! It was baked with a nice cheesy crisp on top and had actual lobster bits in the dish. This is a safe dish to get, you can’t go wrong with mac n cheese!
The Foie Gras French Toast had passion fruit syrup, onion marmalade, and brioche. The foie gras was placed on top of probably the tiniest ‘french toast’ I’ve seen. It was sinfully tender and yummy but so TINY! The saltiness of the foie gras along with the sweetness of the french toast complemented each other well. It was so delicate I was almost afraid to eat it. However, paying $ 15 for something I will eat within seconds doesn’t really fly in my book.
We ended up not getting dessert even though I was really excited about it in the beginning. How unfortunate. We ended up heading out to Father’s Office for a drink instead. I will not be back for dinner but maybe… just maybe I’ll be back for their happy hours Tues-​Friday 5−7pm.
Overall, the meal was good but nothing special. The service was awkward and a little overpriced. It was definitely not a «sublime» dinner, more like subpar. Sorry bout it.

sublime: impressing the mind with a sense of grandeur or power; inspiring awe, veneration; supreme or outstanding. There’s no arguing that definition after eating at Sublime Food Lounge.
We happened to show up after lunch, but before dinner and they let us know that they could still serve us but it would be a limited menu. They were more than accommodating and I opted for the Margherita Flatbread
and my friend had the Proscuitto Caprese Panini
. We started off with a beet salad that was fantastic. Didn’t get a pic of it because the moment it hit the table we started to devour. Everything was fresh and tasty and was complemented with the glass of reisling we had.
The restaurant itself is very minimalistic and they have sliding doors that open up the restaurant into the patio. It was a beautiful day and even though we sat inside, the sliding doors were open and we had a nice breeze.
I definitely want to try the rest of the menu so I’ll have to head back for dinner.

Sublime indeed.
Wine, flatbread, beet salad and a feeling of relaxation and contentment made this one of the better places I’ve visited in Culver City. If nirvana can be reached from Culver City, this place is the first step.
I especially appreciate that the amazing staff fed me, even though I arrived after lunch and before dinner… it’s as if they, much like the Dali Lama, wanted to lead me to a path of enlightenment.
Mission accomplished.

Love this place! My favorite is the Foie Gras French Toast. And you should definitely try the Roasted Bone Marrow. For their wine they have this Ice Wine that is freakin’ good! Hmm, I don’t really recommend this place for a group dinner though. I do recommend this place for couples. Ambiance is pefect.

Not so great for lunch. Pricy, and the food isn’t that worth that. There’s some things they can do to improve it, but for now as is… prolly wouldn’t come back for it. I’ve been waiting to try this place out as it’s really close to where I work, so myself and 10 others came here finally. Hmm… I think only 2 of us might come back.
They were really accommodating and nice when 11 of us trooped in. We had called the day before and told them 8 people, and they told us they don’t normally seat 8 together but they will for us. So we were a bit worried when we had 3 extra, but it worked out fine.
The people who work there were really nice and service was good. They went out of their way for us, and really did try their best.
The place itself isn’t that large. Definitely not made for large groups. There was a small front area and then also a larger patio area in the back. The front had these plush dark wood leather chairs that were nice and comfy to sit in. Dark wood tables, a big bar that took up a good portion of the room, and high open ceilings. Artwork hung on the walls, naked lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling.
The patio is more spacious and had nice picnic style (but way nicer) bench seating. There was a fireplace in the center that looked like it was going full blast.
I debated on whether or not to order the burger or the muffaletta. I’m glad I went with the burger as they were both 12 and I think I got more with the latter. Also muffalettas are usually hit or miss. The burger itself was decent, and had the potential to be really good. It actually came with fries too, which would’ve been nice to know.
Burger-​bleu cheese and avocado, fontina cheese, bacon, carmelized onions, all on top of a crackly toasted bun. All these elements were good, but there was not enough of the sauce and flavoring. The burger patty was really thick and all I could taste was the beef… which didn’t have any seasoning at all. Just beef. The first few bites were good cause it was on the edges… but then I didn’t get anything. They had put the onions and cheese on the bottom of the beef… which meant that all the flavor from that soaked into the bun, not the beef. There definitely wasn’t enough of the bleu cheese and avocado for me to taste it either. I eventually ended up using the thousand island (that I think was for the fries) for flavor. The bun itself was really good, it was a crackly toasty bun… bit big for the patty though.
Fries themselves were good, but a small handful only. Hahaha only one guy got ketchup with his burger… the rest of us had to ask for it.
4 of us got burgers, the rest got paninis and one flatbread. The burgers were significantly better. There wasn’t much to the flatbread… for 14 for the mushroom one. The paninis didn’t have much flavor or filling. They used a real panini press, it was nicely toasted that way, but no good without filling. I tried a bite of the prosciutto version, and the only flavor was from the prosciutto basically. Oh yea, the sandwiches come with salad.
It seems that they have to get some things together for lunch. Paninis could just add more filling and flavor. Burgers need more flavor too. Also not sure why, but 2 of the burgers only had regular burger buns, not the nice crackly toasted one I had. For the price also… bit pricy for what it is even if it was made correctly.

Pricey but good.
I forget how we ended up here, but the four of us left hungry and lighter in the wallets. We decided to share a bunch of plates and here’s what we got:
($ 18) Meat and Cheese Plate — Three TINY portions of cheese, two small portions of meat, and four super soft slices of some weird bread. This was the skimpiest cheese plate I’ve had at any restaurant in LA. The quality of the cheeses were alright, but the meats were not my favorite.
($ 12) Bone Marrow — No complaints here. Two large hunks of perfectly cooked marrow with some nice crisp bread and bitter greens. It was spot on and I did not like sharing this one.
($ 14) Squash Blossom Flatbread — Thin and crispy with lots of creamy goodness. Good flavor, but the squash was lost under all the cheese and sauce. A little on the small side for the price.
($ 15) Foie Gras French Toast — Delicious! A pretty small portion of foie, 2oz maybe, atop very good bread. It was cooked perfectly and was another dish I didn’t want to share.
($ 9) Veal Riblettes — To me it tasted like deep fried pork belly. Mmm, deep fried pork belly! This was really good and really salty. Great snack food with beer (if I drank beer).
($ 17) Seared Scallops — I always think ordering scallops is a waste. For $ 17 you get three bites. The sauces and foams were an unnecessary mess on the plate and didn’t do much to enhance the scallops.
($ 15) Braised Oxtail — It’s hard to mess up oxtail. You cook it forever and it comes out perfect every time. What I really enjoyed on the plate was the crispy polenta, very good.
So it ended up being $ 100 for the food, plus drinks, tax, and tip, which wouldn’t have been bad if we weren’t still hungry after. For about $ 40 per person, I would have liked to have left a little fuller and not had to go to Marie Calendar’s for half a burger and a slice of pie to top me off. Pretty solid food though.

Culver City has many restaurants. On the west side (near Sony), there is a mix of sit-​down places (Fraiche and Ford’s) and quick spots (Tender Greens – where you can go healthy – and Honey’s Kettle Fried Chicken – where you can do the opposite). Moving east to the Helms area are a few more restaurants (Beacon and Father’s Office). Just east of that sits Sublime.
I thought the name Sublime was peculiar because it is not a word I hear anymore. Very outdated, throwback word. The last time I can remember hearing it was watching «Risky Business» where Balki from «Perfect Strangers» used sublime to describe a body part.
The décor at Sublime was outdated and throwback too (though purposely so). Sublime actually sits at the corner of a cool building; its next-​door neighbor is an architecture studio with building models on display. The windows at Sublime are floor-​to-​ceiling and have grayish metal around the edges of the windows and some drab drapes. It really reminded me of an office from a 1970s movie.
The tables, chairs and the bar were all sleek and clean, but there were Edison bulbs (like Church & State) hanging from the ceiling and retro wood paneling (reminiscent of Jar). They were projecting a black-​and-​white Italian movie above the bar. I’m not sure what era that would be – maybe 1960s? Andy Warhol?
They also have a nice and dark outdoor patio. The outdoor booths (in brown-​tan wood) look pretty inviting. There is even a rectangular fire decoration (shades of the fire pit at Bar Hayama).
What about the food? For dinner, there were small plates ($ 10-​$ 14) and large plates (reasonably priced with nothing higher than $ 18).
The small plates were a little underwhelming. The wild mushroom salad was very simple. There was some butter lettuce, a mozzarella ball (just okay), sauteed wild mushrooms, and a light vinaigrette. The mushrooms were very good and made the dish a little bit exciting. A decent though not great salad.
The roasted bone marrow with a rosemary foccacia-​like toast was boring and bland. The bone marrow (split open with a spoon to scoop out the fatty marrow) could have used more seasoning. The garnish of fresh herbs helped the dish. Comme Ca pairs their bone marrow with a very flavorful oxtail. This dish needed something like that.
The Linguica Chile flatbread was disappointing. The flatbread was very crispy (too dry; while not burnt, the edges of the flatbread resembled something that had been toasted or baked too long). There was a scant amount of cheese (melted and dry). The Linguica ground sausage had a slight spiciness to it. There were some fresh herbs as well. A below average dish. Their other flatbread offerings (like the wild mushroom) intrigue me, but since I did not like the flatbread itself, I’ll probably pass on the flatbreads on my next visit.
My friend’s braised oxtail main course was a big portion. I think she liked it, but it did not blow her away. My dish (seared duck breast) was very arty with a fancy presentation. The duck breast (cooked properly at medium rare) was sliced and sat on top of a fennel celeriac purée (which was nice and creamy). There were also some charred Brussels sprouts. They fanned out the leaves and got a nice char on them that made the leaves toasty and good. They applied a very sweet sauce (pomegranate gastrique) to the dish. While I liked the sauce, it was incredibly sweet (might be too sweet for some). While I liked that the duck was tender, it was too soft for me (the texture of it felt strange).
The dessert was a highlight. I am not a fan of bread pudding, but I ordered it anyway. The bread pudding was a dense triangle that was topped with a sticky and sweet caramel sauce. There was a little bit of peanut brittle and popcorn (just plain popcorn) as garnish. The bread pudding tasted very similar to sticky toffee pudding, yet the bread texture was also distinct. The only negative: it could have used some ice cream.
I tried my friend’s chocolate-​filled fried dough (chocolate hazelnut ravioli) with banana cream and caramelized bananas. I thought the banana cream was good – light and refreshing. The caramelized bananas were also good. The chocolate ravioli was just okay. I am not too sure about the fried breading. They should have topped it with something sweet to make it feel more like dessert breading and not just an all-​purpose-​breading.
Service was good. The waiter was friendly and definitely very excited about the food.
I plan on revisiting Sublime. I think this can be a 4 star place in time. Since the large plates are reasonably priced, I will probably come back and try some of their other main courses (while skipping the not-​as-​reasonably-​priced small plates) and then do another review.
Metered parking is very easy to find on the street.

Overall a very nice dinner. All the food tasted great, and the service was good.
Foie and French Toast is so far my favorite serving style of goose liver ever since my trip to Maui last year, so that was a special dish to me. Jameson on the rocks is $ 8, each couples dinner came out to around $ 60, but that is with splitting dishes and a few drinks.
The only that gets me is that i guess the front glass wall can open up so you can eat outside, but tonight they were closed which made the dinning area feel awkward to me. The bar takes up like 50% of the space so it makes the table space seemed cramped, and i personally don’t like sitting right next to the entrance, its not kosher in my opinion.