Culver City: Hatchet Hall (And Dining with Friends)

There are some friends you meet up with just for cocktails. There are some friends you share dinner with who will spend a significant amount of time debating the menu and asking for substitutions. Then there are friends who are down for anything. My friend Kelsey fits into that last category.

In fact, there are some meals we will only eat in front of each other. We have a somewhat disgusting habit of closing our eyes and moaning when we're eating something deeply delicious. Not all people can handle witnessing this, you know? It's a little extra, but it's how we do.

Kelsey and I recently were debating where to eat for a group dinner and I texted her, "Remember these?"

These are the Benne Yeast Rolls at Hatchet Hall and they are a divine gift from the heavens above. Kelsey recalled but said, "I can't let anyone see me in that state." Girl, I feel you. 

One day last summer, she and I visited Salt & Straw on Larchmont. She turned to me to tell me something and saw me licking my ice cream cone with my eyes closed and the wind blowing my hair. It was something of a personal moment, but pleasures like ice cream are not to be taken lightly. We cackled on the street together afterward.

When we dine together, I usually forget to take pictures, but they're such sensory experiences I always remember. That's what happens when you put the phones down, have real conversation and focus on the beautiful food and drinks before you.

Hatchet Hall has an incredible, seasonal menu and extensive wine program that deserves more attention and another post. (Namely, a post that doesn't feature its summer menu.) But for my first go round, it was pretty unforgettable anyway.