Fraîche

The duck rillettes— duck cooked in its own fat until its becomes a rich, delectable pâté of duck meat and fat — is something you might see on the menu in southwest France, but this is probably the first time it's ever been seen in downtown Culver City. Chef Jason Travi (Spago, La Terza) has perfected recherché French cuisine the way L.A. wants to eat it: without fancy linens or snooty maitre d’s and without emptying your wallet. Mixologist Albert Trummer also turns out outrageous concoctions like blood orange martinis at the bar, which offers its own menu until midnight. Enjoying a fine wine and the branzino en papillote (Mediterranean striped sea bass wrapped in a parchment paper packet) out on the patio in the cool of the evening, across the street from the iconic Culver Hotel, is just one more reason to move West.