Public School in Culver City: An Education in the Art of Food and Beer

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“We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that’s all.” – Andrew “The Breakfast Club”

Public School
9411 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
http://www.psontap.com/locations/ps310/

Time for class!

Whether or not your high school experience was your glory days or you were an outcast, it’s tough to not appreciate Public School’s “stroll-down-memory lane” theme. Everything, from the happy hour called “Recess”, to the Mead composition notebook-inspired menu design, the times tables wall decor in the bar, is all reminiscent of your average American high school.

Is Public School a chain-restaurant? Considering it’s owned by Grill Concepts (Daily Grill and The Grill On The Alley) with physical headquarters in Woodland Hills, CA and they have 4 different restaurants with over 30 locations, I think it’s safe to place Public School in this category.

However, unlike a lot of chain restaurants in the US, Public School is chef-driven, serving locally sourced items, and pouring craft beers. This is not a Chili’s or a T.G.I Friday’s, this is a gastropub you can take your self-proclaimed “foodie” friend to.

Public School (or PS310, as I call it) rests on the corner of Main Street and Culver Blvd in Culver City, the place I call home. At this moment, Culver Blvd is over-loaded with fast-casual spots (no table service) and many spots duplicating themes (we needed another pizza spot?). But PS310 has been consistently mixing up their menu by season and providing an atmosphere that is casual but not schleppy. Having been to this restaurant several times now, I think it deserves a spot on Girls on Food.

Crushed Velvet

Sage Advice

“Today’s Curriculum” aka, the beer, cocktail and wine menu, is plentiful with options. Most of the cocktails are modern versions of classic cocktails. My pal sipped on the Crushed Velvet – Tito’s Vodka, Blackberries, Blueberries, Lavender Simple Syrup and Ginger Beer. This is a fun and floral take on a Moscow Mule and it even comes in the traditional copper mug. I got the Sage Advice, which is their take on an Aviator Cocktail- Junipero Gin, Crème de Violette, Sage, Grapefruit and Lemon Peel. It reminded me of a liquid version of the creme de violette candies I ate as a kid.

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower

PS310 is known for their Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower, battered, then fried cauliflower florets, served with buffalo sauce and a blue cheese aioli. Every time I’ve had them, they’ve come out perfectly crisp, a little salty and ready to smother in blue cheese aioli. As much as I love chicken wings, noshing on these makes me feel slightly less guilty about what I’m eating.

Chorizo Mac & Cheese

The Chorizo Mac & Cheese is an item that I have always wanted to try on their menu and finally did. My mom always added broccoli to my mac & cheese growing up, so it’s fun to have a more adult version of that childhood dinner. This mac & cheese dish is served with emmental (a Swiss cheese), kale, mildly spiced chorizo, and topped with crunchy salt and vinegar chips. This grown-up version of an ooey-gooey treat will bring out the kid in you.

Fried Jidori Chicken & Green Chili Cornbread Waffles

For our entrees, we decided (after a long conversation about working out) to try one grown-up “responsible dish” and one kid-friendly “let’s go crazy” dish. Our more decadent choice was the Fried Jidori Chicken & Green Chili Cornbread Waffles, as you can see from the images, it’s smothered in aged cheddar, bacon red-eye gravy, Louisiana hot sauce and maple syrup. This dish is so Southern-inspired, you’ll be singing “Sweet Home Alabama” after one bite! It’s a fun one to share with a group, since it’s so rich.

Pan-Seared Salmon with Harissa Vinaigrette

The Pan-Seared Salmon with Harissa Vinaigrette, served with zucchini, asparagus, orange supremes and an herb salad was not only our “responsible” choice, it was also my favorite dish all around. Salmon isn’t a fish I order much when dining out. It seems like every time I order it the restaurant never gets the temperature right, hence my hesitantation to try it. But, PS310 nails their pan-seared salmon preparation! It’s crispy and savory on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. The harissa vinaigrette adds a lovely tangy flavor to the dish and the fresh veggies maintained a crunch. I was all around blown away with the flavors of this dish and I’m already craving it again.

Public School will always be one of my favorite spots in Culver City. One fun thing I found through my research is that Grill Concepts has an Inside Loyalty Club Membership and new members receive an instant $25 off reward for joining and they get a $25 off birthday reward! So if you’re close to one of their many locations, I recommend looking into it.

Public School welcomes all students. Whether you’re “an athlete… a basket case… a princess… and a criminal” (sorry, I can’t resist a Breakfast Club reference!) you can get your extra curricular studies done here.

Julianne

Actress and Founder of Girls on Food: I was born and raised in the suburbs of Sacramento, California. I grew up a typical “McDonald’s kid”. I was very picky about what I ate and refused to try new foods. No fun, I know. My Mom started taking me on trips to Europe when I was a teenager and that’s when my palate for finer foods began to develop. Some of my most memorable favorite meals include Veal Bolognese in Rome, Gyros in Athens, Paella in Lisbon and Duck L’Orange in Paris. While this helped me grow out of a fast food phase, I still eat out quite a bit. I know I should be at home cooking, but I love dining out. I started working in restaurants in various front of the house positions at age 15. Since my start, I’ve worked in every casual restaurant setting you can think of: a teriyaki stand, brewery, sushi nightclub, trendy Mexican, family-style Italian, American diner, pizza parlor and even a BLT themed food truck. I can't help but notice that many of the LA food bloggers don't have any sort of background working in a restaurant. A lot of my perspective on food and dining out comes from my years of experience in the biz. Since starting this blog, I have shot appearances on a couple of cooking competition shows as a taster (including MasterChef Junior and another upcoming show). We have also started producing a Youtube Channel. IMDb page here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2023647/ For this site I contribute content from all over Los Angeles (and the world) to showcase my favorite fine-dining spots, steakhouses, exclusive supper clubs, Hollywood nightlife and our very own #GOFx events, which I plan and coordinate.

1 Comment

  1. Sara

    March 28, 2017

    the photos look AMAZING and the description of the dishes has me craving this food RIGHT NOW!

Comments are closed.

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