Every year, I like to indulge in trying at least two restaurants that are new to me and that are participating in Dine LA. That was no different during the Winter 2020 edition of Dine LA. I tried Ms Chi Cafe in Culver City for lunch and Seabutter in Beverly Hills for a sushi dinner. I had been to Ms Chi for dinner awhile back, an experience I gave a mixed review on Yelp, so I wanted to give the restaurant another chance. As for Seabutter, I wanted to finally experience their sushi.
Check out my recap of Winter 2020 Dine LA below!
Lunch: Ms Chi Cafe in Culver City
Ms Chi Cafe is Top Chef winner Chef Shirley Chung’s restaurant, located on Main Street in Downtown Culver City. During my first visit to Ms Chi Cafe (not during Dine LA), I had a fine experience, but the food fell flat for me — namely the Steak & Broccoli dish was dry and bland. I was very surprised, since the boba is so good and the rest of the dishes I got were delicious. So, I decided to give Ms. Chi another shot…during Dine LA.
I liked it a lot more this time! I wasn’t in the mood for dumplings and I wanted to try new dishes, so I got the Crispy Hainan Chicken and Rice, along with the side salad. The Hainan Chicken was delish (it was my first time having it crispy) and I really enjoyed the restaurant a lot more this time. The amount of food was also great value for the lunch price of $15.
Dinner: Seabutter in Beverly Hills
I’ve passed by Seabutter in Beverly Hills so many times and hadn’t ventured in…until I noticed they were participating in the Winter 2020 Dine LA! The restaurant fills up fast, so make sure to get a table early. I thought the Dine LA menu was really comprehensive and had a lot of great selections. I really enjoyed all of the nigiri selections and the kanpachi yuzu was wonderful.
I was a little disappointed by the Marlyn Monroll specialty roll—I only got three rolls, which was such a small portion. It felt anticlimactic for what was what should have been the main course dish. Overall, the meal wasn’t as filling as I’d hoped and I wound up ordering a hand roll. Oh well. I think this is a place that I’ll have to try again when it isn’t Dine LA to see what the rolls are like then.
Winter Dine LA may be over now, but I’m already thinking about Summer Dine LA., which will be here before you know it!