LAReview
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Juliet
Included In
Looks are undoubtedly subjective, but good luck finding anything ugly about Juliet. This polished French brasserie in Culver City is the type of restaurant you keep in your back pocket to impress someone—specifically, someone who's impressed by pretty things. Dishes come served on silver platters, your appetizer is studded with flower petals and smoked trout roe, and the glitzy brown-tone space makes slurping oysters under the rumbling sounds of the Expo Line feel decidedly glamorous.
If you're wondering whether all of these frilly delights will cost you, the answer is yes. But don't write off Juliet for being all looks, because once you peel back the pretense, you're left with food that (for the most part) tastes as good as it looks.
Similar to her sisters Margot and Norah (run by the same people), Juliet makes a bold statement with its decor. It's a muted space that looks like a celebrity's Malibu farmhouse in Architectural Digest, with faux rustic wooden floors, shiny white marble details, and sliding glass doors that open to a breezy patio. Rather than charming accordion music, you get soft French house vibrating through a stylish crowd that sips white wine with designer sunglasses on. And because Juliet knows what breed of posh it's pandering to, the menu doubles as a brochure to the coolest wine bars in Paris that you naturally should know about. However, once you piece together a substantial meal here, expect your Parisian travel funds to take a considerable hit.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
The best part about Juliet's menu is that it doesn't feel copy-pasted from every French bistro ever. Instead of standard-issue boeuf bourguignon, there are buttery veal sweetbreads in a silky maitake mushroom sauce, an intensely fishy whipped cod dip we’d kill to smear on a bagel, and tiny chicken liver tartlets that don't look like much but pack a lot of flavor. Other dishes, however, are pretty snoozy, including a forgettable tuna carpaccio and a bland ricotta gnocchi with pea puree that tastes like, well, pureed peas. Skip these and redirect those funds to something more fun: the very long, very French wine menu that you can sample via one-ounce pours, half-glasses, glasses, or full carafes.
If Juliet didn't make emulating a Parisian lifestyle in new-construction Culver City feel so pricey, we'd probably swing by more often to test-run a smart outfit, eat juicy lamb chops with our hands, and sip wine on that sunny patio. But until we get rich off some new cryptocurrency, it'll remain a special occasion spot with style and substance.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Moules Persillade
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Tarama
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Mousse au Foie de Volaille
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Carpaccio de Thon
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Cigares de Confit de Canard
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Ris de Veau
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Côtes d'Agneau
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Gnocchis au Fromage
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Daurade Royal
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Aubergine Rôti
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Eclairs Maison
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Madeleines au Beurre Noisette