Cuisine:

• French
• Brew, Pubs, Microbreweries

Anisette Brasserie Description:
Anisette Brasserie, a hotly anticipated French arrival on the ground floor of Santa Monica's historic Clock Tower Building, provides a dramatic backdrop for the return of chef Alain Giraud (last seen at Bastide), who's now serving authentic, steeply priced brasserie fare; located just a few feet from the Third Street Promenade, the multilevel space boasts high ceilings, gleaming tiles and an open kitchen, which is gearing up to full operation in stages, starting with breakfast and lunch, with dinner soon to follow.
After the fine-dining days of Citrus, Lavande and Bastide, French (or is it now LA?) chef Alain Giraud writes a new chapter in his culinary playbook with his casual brasserie. What took quite some time to launch is now open for breakfast (Wed., Sat. and Sun.), brunch (Sat. and Sun.), lunch, goûter (snack) and dinner, all offered in a grand space on the ground floor of one of Santa Monica's historic Art Deco landmarks, The Clock Tower. No detail has been overlooked, from the tile and mosaic floor, the wood panels and the antique mirrors to the zinc-topped bar manufactured in France (which took two months to ship), to save you a trip to Paris if you are craving a brasserie ambience and food. The high ceiling doesn't do the room any favors proportion-wise, but it allows us to admire an impressive display of bottles behind the bar, which have been sacrificed for your eyes only. When it comes to the food, the choices are extensive, even for the first meal of the day, with nine specialties (omelets, eggs Benedict, smoked salmon), sausages, grilled tomatoes on top of viennoisserie (croissant, pain au chocolat, brioche), fresh-squeezed juices, smoothies, coffees, teas and six different Bloody Marys. Lunch and dinner have dishes in common like the three plateaux de fruits de mer, oysters, shellfish, pâté maison, vegetables à la grecque and the warm goat cheese and beet salad for appetizers. Also available for both mealtimes are the grilled Scottish salmon, Mediterranean black cod, Provençal beef daube and, of course, steak frites. If you don't choose the $19.50 lunch menu, which includes an appetizer and an entrée, opt for soup, a sandwich or a salad. Every night a different plat du jour is offered, such as a canard à l'orange (duck in orange sauce) or a bourride de lotte à la setoise (monkfish with aïoli sauce). All the dishes are made with very fresh ingredients including farmers market organic vegetables, though they lack some panache to make them fully exciting. Giraud's famous lavender ice cream and meringues (buried under too much whipped cream) are among the desserts, along with a crème caramel and an American-size (why that big?) slice of forêt noire cake (Black Forest). The extensive wine list emphasizes small producers from France and the U.S. Service can be inconsistent, so patience may be in order.