All About Juliet, Culver City’s New Impossibly Chic Parisian Restaurant
Angelenos’ love affair with French food continues unchecked, with a spate of new openings indulging all sorts of Francophile fantasies. The latest contender in the French fray is newcomer Juliet, located right on bustling Washington Boulevard in Culver City. The restaurant is an ode to “modern Parisian” eateries, with a decidedly chic interior designed by a bold-faced name, an impressive selection of Champagnes, and upscale fare that goes way beyond bistro standards.
Juliet arrives courtesy of IB Hospitality’s Rohan Talwar (proprietors of Margot in the nearby Platform, as well as Norah in West Hollywood), and Joseph Miller and David Fishbein of Runyon Group. Resy recently sat down with Talwar to get the skinny on what sets Juliet apart and what it means to be a modern Parisian restaurant in the heart of Los Angeles.
1. It’s an all-day affair
You can swing by Juliet for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, with service running from 9 a.m. to midnight daily. Its Platform-adjacent location, adjacent to downtown Culver, is ideal for grabbing a house-made chocolate éclair, a plate of crêpes Suzette, or a Croque Madame with smoked ham, green chile béchamel, and a sunny side egg and an espresso. Camp out on the 1,500 square-foot patio before getting on with your day.
2. You may recognize the designer from TV
AD 100 interior designer Jeremiah Brent may be best known to many for his appearances on The Rachel Zoe Project back in the day, as well as his turn with his husband and fellow designer Nate Berkus on Nate & Jeremiah By Design. Though most of his work falls into the residential category, Juliet marks Brent’s first foray into restaurants, and he seems determined to make it count.
The handsomely appointed room has a modern aesthetic with textured accents: Think a mixed white-and-oxblood marble floor in the entryway and bar area, reclaimed herringbone floors in the dining room, and neutral wicker-covered archways that separate the rooms. All of the furniture was custom-designed, including rattan seating on the patio, the dining room’s wood tables with whimsical scalloped edges, and subtle blue-and-white striped cushions on Midcentury-leaning wooden dining chairs.
3. Don’t come expecting steak frites
Come nighttime, Juliet isn’t a brasserie by any means. “We’ve been really careful to say ‘Parisian’ and not ‘French.’ I love the dining scene in Paris today, which is very different from what people think about French food. There’s a lot of seafood and vegetables, and it’s very light,” Talwar says. “There are other great French restaurants in L.A. doing more classic tartares and frites, but ours is a much more modern take.”
That of-the-moment culinary vision, executed by IB Hospitality culinary director Michael Williams and chef Jason Gonzales, translates to dishes like an artfully composed salade d’endives, with thick spears of endive dressed with walnuts, grapes, and big hunks of pungent Roquefort, as well as crunchy “cigars” stuffed with rich duck confit and served with sauce valois (bearnaise with the addition of meat glaze). Even roast chicken gets gussied up: Boneless pieces with shatteringly crisp skin are served with black lentils and a decadent truffle jus. There’s a focus on local seafood, too, with a handful of outstanding raw selections, like a vibrant amberjack crudo dressed with Meyer lemon, ponzu, and chile oil.
4. The wine list is long and bubbly
To compose the massive all-French wine list, Talwar partnered with Gene Tomko of Lucid Wines. Offering close to 50 wines by the glass in various pour sizes (1-ounce pours, half glasses, full glasses, and carafes) was a deliberate choice: “I really like going to a restaurant and tasting a few different wines; you can get a taste of the full spectrum of wines in France,” Talwar says. There’s a big focus on Champagne, too: “Champagne is one of my personal favorites, but it gets a bad rap because people are familiar with the bigger house. There are some really unique growers, making some of the best wines in the world, so we’re showcasing them here.”
5. Cocktails veer classic
At the restaurant’s marble bar, outfitted with a giant communal table and a cart with a rotating martini and Champagne of the day, bartenders mix classic cocktails with a twist. “The team went to Paris to eat and try wine and cocktails, so our cocktail program reflects what’s happening there,” Talwar says. The Coco Chanel (“our take on a piña colada”) combines rum, pineapple, coconut, and green tea, while the Midnight in Paris, Juliet’s house martini, is made with vodka, gin, Lillet, and Meyer lemon, and is available to order in full or half-size. Given the wine list’s focus on Champagne, it’s no surprise that there are also two brut Champagne cocktails on offer: one with Lillet Rose and tangerine, the other with Gentiane and lemon.
Karen Palmer is a Los Angeles-based food writer who spends most of her free time thinking about pizza and pasta. Follow her carb-rich lifestyle on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.
