Don’t be misled, despite the face of the name: you aren’t going to find purple couscous or square menus at Misfit. Aside from the misdemeanor of a misnomer, you won’t consider your time at Misfit a mistake.
These days, it’s truly impossible to re-invent the wheel in terms of taste and venue: we’ve done food trucks and canopied wine bars, bi-racial tacos and bacon-scented foams.
How does one dare to open a new place on an off-branch of Third Street Promenade and manage to misstep the prominent shadows of similar-feathered neighbors such as The Yard, Bar Chloe, and Bodega Wine Bar?
The answer is simple: Pick a quirky name that reminds everyone of their innate potential for debauchery and feed them until closing time.
As long you stay on par with the more-established surrounding options in respect to price, hours of operation, and general aesthetic – the crowd will take care of the rest.
But enough of the clatter, let’s chat about the menu.
The one thing to remember here is that when you order an item, that is exactly what you will get (plus or minus a pickled vegetable).
The sandwiches do not come with sides, and if you are a group of relatively strong eaters, you will all definitely need to order at least two plates per person (or just grab extra cookies upon your exit).
For lunch, our table of four ordered the Ahi Tuna Burgers, “Surf + Turf” Sliders, and two of the Misfit Burgers.
Most notable of each sandwich was the tenderness of the meat (softly patted together, absolutely moist) and the bookends of buttery bread. In addition, we tucked in to the daily soup special (Roasted Tomato Basil) that was bold, tart, and rustic (like every simple side soup should be).
Being snoops, we also secretly coveted the bowl of Mac and Cheese with Chorizo at the table next to us (and vowed to order it next time). Sadly, I can’t yet vouch for the drinks, but I’ve heard several swooning songs about what’s going on behind the bar, so make sure to go when it’s happy hour.
For a twist, one of these afternoons or evenings, definitely rally your friends and give The Misfit a whirl – as (perhaps) the point is just that: new, in and of itself, is something innovative and different enough.
Location: 225 Santa Monica Boulevard
Type: Restaurant, Bar
Category: Lunch, tapas, dinner
Company: Date, friends, visitors, co-workers
Cost: Plates $4 to $27, beer $6 to $9, spirits and wine (menu price)
Quickly: This is the place for those days when you want to drink up at happy hour (3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday), then get lazy “and just stay” through a dinner/fourth meal of tasty, mismatched small plates.
Need to Know: On your way out, there is a cookie jar positioned on a pedestal that hosts crumbly, salt-topped chocolate-chip cookies. They are so tasty that I took a handful (and I was sober).
