» Restaurant Spotlight

By Charly SHELTON

This week continues our series spotlighting hometown favorite restaurants adapting to the new normal of COVID-19 life. And it marks our first restaurant in the series to make use of the newly-created seating areas behind the massive K-rails along Honolulu Avenue through the al fresco Glendale program. However, expanded outdoor seating is just one more pleasantry among the many great aspects of dining at Town.

Town Kitchen and Grill is probably the newest restaurant to become a staple in Montrose. It fits in alongside old standbys and new favorites alike and holds its own with a diverse crowd of regulars and longtime fans from around LA. It feels like it has always been a part of Montrose yet retains a freshness thanks to the inventive seasonal menus and exceptional weekend specials. Suffice it to say, this is a great restaurant.

And I should know – my wife is a server and manager at Town. She brings food home regularly and I find myself hanging out in the restaurant when she’s off the clock. Most of my friends have worked at Town at one point or another. My Dungeons and Dragons group, The Fighters, was composed of all Town staff. I was the token non-employee invited along because, well, I’m cool.

Town has been a big part of our lives since it opened. I’ve had every single thing on the menu time and again. But after years of eating at the same restaurant over and over, I have yet to get tired of it. After hundreds – and I mean literally hundreds – of meals there, I still get excited over the old favorites. But with my wife out on maternity leave since the pandemic shut down so much in March onward, it had been a while since we’d eaten at Town.

We were brought out this week since it reopened in the parklet outside its front doors and it was like seeing an old friend again. Nobody dislikes The Brussels, Brussels sprouts fried with bacon and tossed in balsamic vinegar and cheese. The Shishito peppers may just be the best in LA. But among all the great dishes that are featured each year, it’s the new ones that are the most exciting. Something as simple as chicken wings – found in restaurants around the world that are usually just okay in those places – have been elevated to amazing at Town.

We went in for happy hour, which is every day from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Reduced prices, a simple menu and good drinks  – it’s a win-win. On the happy hour menu are the classic wings, which are new since the reopening. Now, I’ve had wings all over the country. My wife’s family is from Buffalo, New York, so I learned quickly what an acceptable wing was in her family: fried just so, spicy sauce, blue cheese dressing not ranch. After visiting Buffalo to have some good wings, you realize how mundane and poorly made chicken wings are in most places. There hasn’t been anywhere with wings comparable to Buffalo that I’ve tasted. Until now.

The wings at Town are the product of experimentation by owner Jim Collins and Chef Sebastian Gomez. After much trial and error to find just the right combination of chicken, crispy fried crunch and sauce, they hit the jackpot. The wings are surprisingly crisp on the outside, hearty, thick chicken inside, and just enough sauce to not drag it down. Honestly, the crispy outside is what sells it. Something about keeping the crunch while still holding plenty of sauce is just magical. I would go so far as to say they might be better than Buffalo. I know those are fighting words in my house, but it’s worth sleeping on the couch for these wings.

Another new offering is the expansion of the bowls on the menu. The poke bowl has been around for a while and it’s perfect for summer. Now for the season, the selection has been expanded. Love their Town burger but it’s just a little too heavy on a hot summer evening? Try the burger bowl – all the same ingredients on a bed of lettuce or rice. Or the steak bowl, with sliced skirt steak, sliced veggies and an amazing chimichurri vinaigrette over a bed of rice or lettuce. Pair any of these with a good glass of wine and al fresco dining, and it’s a fine evening.

Town Kitchen and Grill is open for take-out and dining outdoors in the extended seating area in front of the restaurant. With umbrellas for the afternoon and string lights overhead in the evening, it’s a beautiful place to enjoy dinner or happy hour. Town is located at 2276 Honolulu Ave. in Montrose.

  Charly Shelton