The Del

In the interest of wanting to try a new place, I had heard that The Del, a bar type restaurant in Playa del Rey, was worth checking out. I made reservations on Opentable.com (One of the handiest sites I've ever used) about an hour before we left, and it was not a problem. The place was really close to The Shack, a burger place we used to frequent during school. The nice ocean breeze welcomed us as we left our parked car.

The place was pretty bustling, even though it was pretty small. The decor was kind of - weird. Almost...off. It seemed like we were on a movie set, of what a movie director thinks a bar should look like. The walls were black, with accents of gothic type wallpaper. Flatscreens were everywhere. There was a pool table and an extensive bar area. We were seated in a booth with spotlights on us. It was a little...uncomfortable. I felt like any minute, a director would come in and tell us that we were eating incorrectly. Kind of weird.

But, we were here for the food, so here it goes...

Pat of butter, with black salt sprinkled on top. Nice little touch, the salt was very flavorful and crunchy. This was spread upon...

One lone piece of bread each. A bit frugal to me, but it's better that I not fill myself up on bread.

My sparkling water - I dunno, something special and expensive. It was okay. Probably could have been more fizzy, I prefer that.

A plate of calamari. Pretty well done, a bit greasy but not too bad, but a little more salty than I usually prefer. I liked the squiddy parts more than just the rings. The bit of salad was a nice touch, but it got all oily from touching the calamari pieces. The dipping sauce was nothing to write home about - no distinct flavor detected.

Owen's slab of New York Steak, upon two, count em, two colors of string beans, on an island of mashed potatoes, in a sea of au jus. Owen absolutely loved this. The taste I got was really tasty. It was perfectly cooked, pink in the middle, seasoned well, with a good crust on the outside. These people know how to cook meats.

I got a burger, which was cooked perfectly as well - pink in the middle, burger juices running into the bun (okay this will sounds gross, but I took a bite of this burger, and there were so many juices that I literally got a mouthful of juice that squirted down my throat. Yeah. Get your mind out of the gutters now. Focus on the food. Okay.) The fries were nice, good amount of seaasoning. The bun to this burger was a great cradle to the meat patty. Condiments were thinly sliced, everything was playing to the strength of the burger patty.

It was a nice dinner, but Owen really doesn't want to come back here again because of the ambience and decor. I could hardly hear myself talk, everything was so loud. It's a shame, because the cook here really knows his way around meats (you are welcome to think whatever dirty thoughts you want with that comment. You're welcome.)

thedelrestaurant.com
119 Culver Blvd
Playa Del Rey, CA 90293
(310) 823-6800