When Jeremy Fox first burst out onto the culinary scene in 2008 he made his mark at Ubuntu, the vegetarian-only restaurant in Napa complete with an attached yoga studio and biodynamic farm. While creating satisfying vegetable-focused dishes with seasonal local produce at Ubuntu, Fox was pushed to think creatively and compose innovative dishes. The restaurant went on to garner a Michelin star and Fox was showered with praise, including a rave review from the New York Times, a James Beard nomination, and a Best New Chef award from Food and Wine Magazine. However, at the time, the early success proved detrimental to Fox and after a series of personal struggles he moved down to Los Angeles, eventually taking up a job at Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica. During his time at Rustic Canyon Fox began to alter his approach to cooking. While still striving to cook creatively with seasonal produce, Fox forewent avant-garde techniques for a more flavor forward and soul satisfying style of cooking. At Birdie G’s Fox has continued the trend, cooking up fun and craveable dishes that notably draw influence from his upbringing in the Midwest and the bounty of California. Birdie G’s is a deeply personal restaurant for Fox who named it for his daughter (Birdie) and Grandmother (Gladys). He draws back on memories spent with Gladys to create whimsical dishes like the tongue in cheek “Country Club Greens” and the “Hangtown Brei”, a mashup of matzo brei and the NorCal classic Hangtown Fry (consisting of bacon, eggs and oysters). The menu at Birdie G’s is absolutely vast, covering everything from Texas toast with beef-strawberry bolognese to peppercorn fusilli with tomato chutney and the certainly Instagram-famous, if not world-famous, rose petal pie. It’ll take far more than one visit to conquer the menu at Birdie G’s but that’s the point. It’s a family-friendly neighborhood spot where you can and certainly should return, crafting your own course whether it be to try the Passmore Ranch caviar platter and blue plate specials or sample from the wide array of hot plates, west coast seafood, and classic meats from California. Go to have a good time and make sure to save room for dessert.
Style: American
Address: 2421 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90404 (Santa Monica)
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 5-10PM, Friday-Saturday 5-11PM
Menu: birdiegsla.com
Price: Small plates $7-20, Entrees $22-80
Reservations: (310) 310-3616 or Resy
This review was written by In The Loup contributor Ash Narayan