Already soft-serving sporadically since late December, Post & Beam, the Baldwin Hills restaurant that marks a return for L.A. chef Govind Armstrong, grand-opens Tuesday, January 10th, in a stand-alone stunner parked in a southern corner of the lot at Crenshaw Plaza in Baldwin Hills. The dominant theme here is “homegrown.” Armstrong was himself raised in nearby Inglewood, part of the reason he jumped to join restaurateur Brad Johnson in a mission to bring real food in a casual setting to South L.A., while an on-site herb and veggie garden will be backed up with produce from the South Central Farmers Collective and drafts will be Cal-centric, with ales on offer from Stone, Eel River, Sierra Nevada, and Eagle Rock, among others.
Armstrong’s farm-foraged dishes here will take advantage of an open heart broiler and wood-burning oven, with a menu loaded with turkey meatballs, deviled eggs, hand-cut pasta, beer-grilled pork chops, roasted salmon in smoked tomato butter, “sticky little” ribs, salads of braised fennel and small plates of procured vegetables, wood-scorched, hand-stretched pizzas, cast-iron chicken, and apple tarts for dessert.
The restaurant is obviously a huge departure from the type of restaurants currently crowding Crenshaw Plaza and a vital option in a swath of town often pointed to in each and every food desert story that rears its head. Find out if it Armstrong’s seasonal stewardship and grounded approach is a bigger hit than Downtown Buffet next Tuesday at 5:00 P.M.
Post & Beam plans to open its bar from 5:00-10:00 P.M. Monday through Thursday, 5:00-11:00 P.M. Friday and Saturday, with the kitchen open at 5:30 P.M. daily. See the full current menu below.
Post & Beam, 3767 Santa Rosalia Dr. Baldwin Hills. 323-299-5599.
Earlier: Govind Goes Back to Cali, Will Take The Reins at Post & Beam [GS]
Brad Johnson Bringing Post and Beam to Baldwin Hills [GS]
MENU
Intros
Warm Garlic Crust
with choice of: sea salt & green olive oil, house ricotta, marinated olives, smoked eggplant puree
House Spiced Corn Nuts
Deviled Eggs with house smoked whiting
Turkey Sausage Meatballs spicy wood roasted tomato sauce
Wood Oven Baked Mussels with grilled bread and paprika butter
Grilled Octopus with garbanzo, preserved lemon and cracked olive
Sticky Little Ribs with roasted potato, braised fennel salad
Classic Caesar Salad with focaccia croutons
Wild Arugula, Roasted Beets, Ricotta Salad with hazelnut sherry vinaigrette
Local Lettuces And Endive with braeburn apple, shaved fennel, yogurt
Oven Roasted Penne with short rib bolognese, arugula and shaved parmesan
Hand Cut Pasta with turkey sausage meatballs and crushed tomato sauce
11” Hand-Stretched Pizzas
Crushed Tomato, Local Mozzarella, Snipped Basil, Unfiltered Olive Oil
House Made Sausage, Fire Roasted Peppers, Grilled Onion, Cheese Blend
Wild Mushroom, California Goat Cheese, Nettles
Turkey Meatball, Cheese Blend, Roasted Tomato Sauce, Fennel Pollen
Charred Broccolini, Roasted Olives, Balsamic Onion, Sweet Garlic
Larger Plates, served with two small plates
Boneless Beef Short Ribs
fresh horseradish
Roasted Salmon
smoked tomato butter
Grilled Beer Brined Pork Chop
charred onions
Cast Iron Natural Chicken
poached garlic and sage
Certified Angus Beef Sirloin Steak
beef butter
Small Plates
Long Cooked Greens, House Smoked Ham Hock
Mashed Potatoes
Charred Broccolini with homegrown chili and garlic
Grilled Cauliflower, Braised Chickpea, Salsa Verde
Grilled Asparagus, Preserved Lemon Aioli
Roasted New Potatoes