BOULEVARD'S BEACHCOMBER; CARMICHAEL'S HAS MALIBU FEEL AND AN INTERESTING, TASTY MENU.Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic The new Carmichael's in Woodland Hills is under the same ownership as when it was Stanley's over the last several years. But it has been repainted and freshened up while keeping some of its Stanley's character and fare. One of the new characteristics is a sushi bar Noun 1. sushi bar - a bar where sushi is served bar - a counter where you can obtain food or drink; "he bought a hot dog and a coke at the bar" . Consequently, as a cocktail bar/sushi bar combination, it pushes drinks and appetizers from 4 to 7 p.m. and 10 to midnight. With its beachy theme incorporating a sandstone-style floor, girl-on-beach art, a surfer mural and light wood furnishings, Carmichael's appears to be a burbs-meets-waves version of Malibu's popular Bambu restaurant. But the favored Woodland Hills plates are burgers, salads, pizzas, tacos and other familiar offerings like rotisserie chicken, ribs and grilled salmon rather than Bambu's hipper duck sausage, crusted sea bass and Asian-accented fusion recipes. But you have to credit Carmichael's chef, who makes ordinary-sounding plates interesting and very tasty. Flank steak Noun 1. flank steak - a cut of beef from the flank of the animal flank - a cut from the fleshy part of an animal's side between the ribs and the leg beefsteak - a beef steak usually cooked by broiling ($10.95), for example, has been marinated to achieve welcome tenderness and decent flavor, then correctly char-grilled before being served with a respectable mushroom sauce. It makes an extremely satisfying entree. At Carmichael's, you receive a choice of two accompaniments from a list of seven with your entree, and if you pick mashed potatoes and crispy onion strings with your flank steak, you're bound to be happy. And there are other triumphs. Not many kitchens seem to be able to do well with turkey once the traditional method of preparation and serving is attempted. Not so here. Seared sear 1 v. seared, sear·ing, sears v.tr. 1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of with or as if with a hot instrument. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. medallions of turkey ($8.95), delivered with welcome moistness, loses any vestige vestige /ves·tige/ (ves´tij) the remnant of a structure that functioned in a previous stage of species or individual development.vestig´ial ves·tige n. of possible blandness with a heady balsamic balsamic (bäl·sämˑ·ik), n a substance that can soften and reduce mucus. mushroom sauce. And if you select cream of spinach as one of the additions, you'll be surprised at the gratification this vegetable imparts, thankfully without the usual over-creaming and slight chemical taste. From du jour soups ($3.95) like a slightly smoky, thick split pea and a fresh and flavorful French onion, to perfectly prepared grilled salmon or grilled ahi tuna ($13.95 each) - both dishes enhanced with papaya-pineapple salsa and sometimes with a second regular tomato salsa - Carmichael's comes through admirably. Rotisserie chicken ($8.95), basted with an herbal-spice mixture, arrives perfectly balanced in its ratio of crispness to softness. Stanley's holdover hold·o·ver n. One that is held over from an earlier time: a political advisor who was a holdover from the Reagan era; a family tradition that is a holdover from my grandparents' childhood. Noun 1. Chinese chicken salad Chinese chicken salad, as its name suggests, is a salad with chicken, popular in the United States. The Asian influence comes from common Asian-themed ingredients. Though many variations exist, common features of most salads described as "Chinese chicken" contain lettuce, chicken, ($8.95) remains as a crunchy, flavorful and generally appealing enormity in a glass bowl. And the baked quesadilla que·sa·dil·la n. A flour tortilla folded in half around a savory filling, as of cheese or beans, then fried or toasted. [American Spanish, from Spanish, diminutive of quesada, ($5.95) stuffed with rotisserie chicken and jalapeno-boosted jack cheese, cut into finger-licking pieces and paired with guacamole, is a great idea. And by not being fried, it emerges as a lighter, crisper crisp·er n. One that crisps, especially a compartment in a refrigerator used for storing vegetables and keeping them fresh. , more amenable rendition. Other positives include nicely prepared potatoes (baked, mashed or french fried), an impressive fruit cobbler ($4.50) - one day it was blueberry blueberry, plant of the large genus Vaccinium, widely distributed shrubs (occasionally small trees) of the family Ericaceae (heath family), usually found on acid soil. They are often confused with the related huckleberry. - with vanilla bean ice cream, and an $11 pitcher of Red Hook brew that makes up for the woeful woe·ful also wo·ful adj. 1. Affected by or full of woe; mournful. 2. Causing or involving woe. 3. Deplorably bad or wretched: lack of wines. Incidentally, Carmichael's has an unusual corkage cork·age n. A charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of liquor served that was not bought on the premises. corkage Noun a charge made at a restaurant for serving wine bought elsewhere policy, charging $2.75 per glass. This, of course, would appear to work well if you bring several bottles of wine and every diner in the party uses his or her one glass. It doesn't seem to be quite so fair though, if five people bring a single bottle to share and end up paying $13.75 corkage at a place where the wines are mostly $16 or less. And it brings up the question, what if you bring your own glass? THE FACTS The restaurant: Carmichael's. Where: 20969 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills. When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Recommended items: Baked quesadilla, onion or split pea soups, Chinese chicken salad, flank steak with mushroom sauce, seared turkey medallions, rotisserie chicken, grilled salmon or ahi tuna with papaya-pineapple salsa, fruit cobbler. How much: Starters and salads from $4 to $10, pastas and entrees from $8 to $14, desserts $3 and $4.50. Full bar. AE, MC, V. Wine list: Not one to speak of, unless you call three chardonnays, two cabernets, one merlot and one white zinfandel a list, each available by the glass ($3.75 to $5.75) and the bottle ($12 to $21). Corkage fee: $2.75 per glass. Reservations: Helpful. Call (818) 346-4050. Our rating: Three Stars for food; Two Stars for service; no stars for wine. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Co-owner Cynthia Sadofsky shows a few of the specialties served up at Carmichael's (formerly called Stanley's) in Woodland Hills. Evan Yee/Daily News |
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