Magnolia

Go for dessert, but dinner first is the way to go!

Magnolia Restaurant 
6266 1/2 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
Menu

Type: Restaurant, Bar
Category: Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Late-Night
Company: Anyone willing to hang out on Sunset

Quickie: Like a person, you can tell a lot about a restaurant by the hours it keeps. Magnolia is open from 11am-11pm Sunday and Monday, Tues-Thurs 11:30am-Midnight, Fri-Sat 11:30-1am. Basically, this resto is 25 in people years and enjoys late nights and brunch.

Review: I love the moments when I realize that the more I eat, the more I become aware of what I haven't eaten. More specifically, it's rare that you'll find this beach-dweller east of the 405 - and even more rare to be on Sunset in Hollywood. Holly-what/why? But the joke is on me - pulling up to Magnolia on Sunset, the flanks of restaurant options flooded my periphery vision and despite my focus (dessert at Magnolia) - "what a dunce I am" was all that really came to mind. There are so, SO many restaurants in Los Angeles, and the drive or traffic is never what we remember about a day, food, or moment, now is it? So, get up and off to Magnolia....

Enter Magnolia. Unsure how hip/busy it is 10pm+, but there's a bar, several tables, cool booth-chairs flanking the wall, a few back rooms, and the general ambiance that "this is the hangout of local industry types." The menu is simple and classic, nothing that you'd need a degree in gastronomy or mixology to re-create which is nice in face of hipper things that tend to trend on this side of town. Despite going for dessert, we opted for dinner first (how mature, I know) - and I sifted through the following recommendations:

Waitress: Beet and Avocado Salad. Tuna Tartare. Herbed Jidori Chicken. Macaroni and Cheese.

Dining Buddy: Pappardelle Bolognese. Pan-Seared Scallops. Cobb Salad.

Since Dining Buddy put dibs on the Pappardelle Bolognese, I wavered between the Mac and Cheese with a side of brussels sprouts (with which I hold a mild obsession) and the Pan-Seared Scallops. Finalizing on the latter, I was thrilled when the three caramelized scallops arrived nestled in a cloud of parmesan risotto and diced asparagus. Delicious, warm, and one of those plates where it was just what I needed - I highly recommended it. I also nabbed a bite of the Bolognese, which was an equally delicious experience of wide noodles cloaked in a rustic tomato-meat sauce highlighted by a hint of sweet carrot.

Then - DESSERT!

Like many destination restaurants, Magnolia is known for one sweet ending in particular: The Ice Cream Sandwich. A twin set of hulking sized chocolate cookies, smashed on both sides of your choice - salted caramel ice cream or mint chip (choose the mint) cut in to quarters (makes sharing optimal) and flanked by a strawberry. Oh my, get this - it's worth the trek and whatever else you may have to endure. Even though it will only last three seconds, I've heard that's all we remember anyway.