Electric Bleu Amps Up Mar Vista With Flawless Bistro Classics
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For the first time ever, Craig Hopson of Electric Bleu is cooking exactly what he wants. “As I get older, I don’t want pretension. I want a relaxed atmosphere and a good time, but I still want to eat really great food,” the chef says. After three decades of working primarily in fine dining restaurants, including New York City’s famed Le Cirque, Hopson opened his modern bistro in Mar Vista last summer with his wife and co-owner Mai Sakai. Tucked along a busy stretch of Centinela Avenue, Electric Bleu is the Shirley Brasserie and Strand House alum’s first ever independent venture — and a citywide destination in the making.
With a string-lit sidewalk patio and a menu heavy on genre classics, the restaurant might seem, at surface level, like your average neighborhood bistro. What distinguishes Electric Bleu, however, is the level of culinary ambition, evident on every plate, which has already built a solid following among area locals and beyond. For Westsiders, it’s fast becoming a shoo-in for a date night. Regulars know to grab stools at the chef’s counter overlooking the open kitchen, where the chef and his team assemble cornichons and whole-grain mustard around each slice of pate en croute, the shelves suspended above the line filled with kosher salt, cornstarch and other pantry essentials.
Angelenos from all over, however, should be flocking to Electric Bleu for its best-in-class roast chicken and housemade “electric” fries dusted with Australian-style chicken salt, the only fries of their kind in the city. Come here to experience the quiet thrills of bistro fare done right, plus a surprisingly knockout wine program — all in a rather unlikely part of town. Here’s everything you need to know about this under-the-radar Westside spot.
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1. Start with go-to bistro classics or leave your meal to the kitchen.
Most first-time visitors gravitate towards the juicy, crispy-skinned roast chicken or the steak au poivre with a classic green peppercorn cognac sauce, both of which are permanent menu fixtures. The seasonal fare, however, is where the kitchen is able to truly flex. In early fall, Hopson incorporated late-season heirloom tomatoes into a tomato salad that practically begged for a side of baguette and grilled Jimmy Nardello peppers, topping them in a tonnato sauce. The passion fruit tart incorporates fruit from Hopson’s own personal garden. This winter, he introduced cold weather French staples like beef cheek bourguignon; onion soup served in a classic lion’s head bowl; and individually portioned Toulouse-style cassoulet made with tarbais beans and duck confit.
If you can’t decide what to order or you’re making a return visit, Electric Bleu also offers a $64 four-course chef’s tasting menu, plus a larger seven-course option that includes both meat and fish entrees. Both include a handful of seasonal dishes that aren’t available a la carte, and both can be supplemented with a wine or sake pairing (more on this later).
2. No matter what, the electric fries are a must-order.
One unfortunate reality of the L.A. dining scene is that most restaurant fries are not housemade. Those that are often fall short in terms of crispiness, seasoning, or portion size for price. Electric Bleu’s $12 straight-cut fries are made in house, generously portioned and dusted with chicken salt.
Contrary to its name, the chicken salt — an Australian delicacy — contains no actual chicken meat, instead deriving its ultra-savory flavors from powdered garlic, onion, paprika and other herbs and spices. (Hopson, a Perth native, drew upon his memories of Australia’s Red Rooster to create the dish.)
3. The thoughtful beverage program includes a few varieties of sake.
With the help of general manager (and Paris native) Benjamin Phan, Sakai has curated a wide-ranging, predominantly French wine program that rotates with the food menu and showcases lesser-known varietals; California, Spain and Australia are also represented.
“We didn’t want to just do chardonnay and a Napa cab and be done,” she explains. Instead, Sakai and Phan have included a few more esoteric options like Mondeuse, Cahors, and Coteaux du Giennois. With approximately a dozen options by the glass — some familiar, some not — the pair hope to matchmake diners with new varietals they’ll seek out in the future. At the moment, there isn’t a plan for a full liquor license. The focus is firmly on the wine list, with the goal of keeping 90 to 100 excellent bottles on hand at any given moment.
What might jump out most to the first-time visitor, however, is Sakai’s small but growing sake program. “[She and I] both feel that sake pairs better than wine with food in a lot of cases, especially seafood,” Hopson says. The current list trends towards more full-bodied, complex sake varieties and includes a few bottles from Kobe, where Sakai is originally from.
4. The name nods to a slightly obscure ’80s rock single and French postwar artist Yves Klein.
Hopson and Sakai took inspiration from the 1987 single “Electric Blue” by Australian rock band Icehouse, which in turn informed the space’s color scheme and music. “The [restaurant playlist] was always gonna be ’80s,” says Hopson. As to not confuse would-be diners, the couple changed the spelling from English to French. Sakai, the restaurant’s creative lead (as well as a former art director and event producer), was also reminded of Yves Klein, the visionary painter and performance artist who developed International Klein Blue. The loud, vibrant hue extends to the restrooms, sconces, and even the water glasses. It’s a sleek, modernist interpretation of a neighborhood bistro, with a dining room that feels energetic and almost raucous when packed with locals. For a slightly calmer atmosphere, look to the outdoor patio.
Angelenos from all over, however, should be flocking to Electric Bleu for its best-in-class roast chicken and housemade “electric” fries dusted with Australian-style chicken salt, the only fries of their kind in the city.
5. This is the neighborhood bistro you wish you had.
Behind the restaurant, a small parking lot is reserved for guests. At peak hours, the room fills up with couples on dates and groups of friends celebrating special occasions or the rare reunion. For birthdays, Hopson serves a complimentary sprinkle-covered cube of vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting that reads as a cross between fairy bread and a lamington. And if seasonal bistro fare sounds snoozy to you, think again — Electric Bleu is the rare example that will happily jolt you awake.
