Elite Event: Farm to Table at Wilshire

*TOP CHEF STAR NAYESHA TOOK ME ON A TOUR OF THE KITCHEN!!!*
Seriously what an amazing experience. Only my second elite event but this will be hard to beat! A beautiful day sitting outside enjoying delicious fresh food with great presentation and impecable service.
So I went to CHEF NAYESHA and told her that I was rooting for her and how much it sucked that the other girl on her team sent her home (so unfair!) We got to chatting and she was like, do you want a tour of the kitchen? So sweet of her!
PHOTO BOOTH was such a nice touch! Filled with props and someone to assist, it was a lot of fun. They took 2 sets of pictures for each person to take. My sis and I live together so both made the fridge :)
FOOD:
From the veggies and produce to the poultry, meats and fish, everything was farm fresh and delicious!
PINK COSMOPOLITAN: Grapefruit cosmo w/​a splash of St. Germain. I LOVED this! So tasty and refreshing! I love elderflower liquer and I’ve never had this combo before. I am so making this!
SALMON: Pan roasted w Pine nuts and arugula. I am not a hugecooked salmon fan usually. but this was so tasty. Cooked perfectly/!The skin was crispy but it was moist, juicy and flavorful in the center.
JIDORI CHICKEN: Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
BRUSSEL SPROUTS with candied walnuts and cranberries; MY favorite dish! Sooo good!
MARSCAPONE POLENTA: Creamy deliciousness!
CHOCOLATE BRIOCHE PUDDING: Warm my soul! LOVE Bread pudding! This wasnt overpoweringly sweet like I thought it would be! Delish!
AMBIANCE:
I cant say enough good things about the ambiance of the Wilshire. Day or night, their out door area is so green and elegant. The round tables allowed for conversation and to get to know other fellow Unilocalers.
SERVICE:
Ther servers were all attentive. I was happy to put $ 20 in the tip jar for the wonderful service!
PARKING:
They have valet but I usually find street parking, it doesnt come easy though. You gotta hunt. and most of the residentials require permits so beware!

Oh man, this review is like a month late (sorry for the delay!)
It was my golden birthday! and I was so grateful to have gotten into this event! I haven’t been to an Elite event in a while, so this was pretty cool.
The Wilshire is a pretty nifty place! I was a little confused when I walked in and saw that it was so dark! SURPRISE SURPRISE! There is a huge outdoor seating area in the back. The food was fantastic! From the appetizers to the salads and main course to the dessert, SO FREAKING GOOD.
I also especially liked this event because you were able to mingle with other Unilocalers! Sitting down and eating together was very nice! I met a few nice Unilocalers at this brunch :]
I love that I got to start and end my first Elite year with such awesome events: D Thanks, Brittany, for an incredible event!!!

Easily the best Elite event I have been to so far. Although not as glitzy and glamorous as the others, the food was above par!
Highlights were obviously the Jidori Chicken, Salmon, and Brussel sprouts. All were extremely delicious and of course… farm to table! The food was fresh, simple and quality ingredients.
I’m glad I got a chance to try this place and was able to attend the Elite event. Thanks Brittany!!!

Summary: Another fun, quality Elite experience! A light, healthy, and tasty spread for lunch in a cozy family style setting. All of the food I had the chance to try here was good. Nothing was spectacular but I left happy and got to meet a lot of new people!
Food/​Drink:
Cosmo — this was the first thing i was handed when I arrived. done just right
Veggies/​Meats/​Cheeses — a great assortment. a light and tasty start to brunch
Salad — light and tasty
Brussel sprouts — i don’t eat brussel sprouts often. these
Chicken — Good flavor and not overdone.
Salmon — Cooked well but could’ve had some more flavor
Chocolate Bread Pudding — This was my favorite dish. It was done just right. Not too heavy and the taste was great.
Service: Great service. Everyone here was courteous and friendly
Parking: Valet ($ 5) or Street (metered 2 hr limit). I chose to park on the street and it wasn’t a big issue. Police SUV was hiding in the area so got to be careful not to roll through the stop signs

My first Elite event and I was pleasantly surprised. Thank you Brittany for making this happen!
This event was a total Top Chef experience. Guests were able to take part of a 5 course meal which was fresh and delish. Seating was intimate in an outdoor patio. Lunch was served family style. I got the chance to mingle with fellow Elites and guests.
To start, the drinks were fab. The Cosmo was my favorite. Both white and red wines were also great.
All of the dishes were SUPERB… salad, salman, chicken, brussel sprouts, and brioche. I could not have asked for a better experience. Kudos to Chef Nyesha and Wilshire Restaurant for the excellent service and cuisine.

What an amazing meal! Thank you Brittany and the Chef for putting this delightful event together.
We started out with a wonderful appetizer buffet. I loved the fresh veggies bought right from the Santa Monica’s farmers market. The cheese was delicious and complemented nicely by the dates, olives and concord grapes. I skipped all the meats, so can’t comment on those. Wine and cocktails were plentiful, but being 9 months pregnant, I skipped this too.
We were then seated on the gorgeous patio on a sunny, LA day. I loved the sit-​down, multi– course lunch with plentiful food.
The beet salad was fresh and tasty. I ate all the beets on our dish. I skipped the salad portion, as I found it a bit underwhelming despite the hazelnuts and feta. The beets, however, were divine.
The pan roasted chicken was very juicy and tasty. The hubby was upset that he did not eat more than one piece of this. He was still talking about it later that day, LOL.
The salmon was so good. I love that it was served medium-​rare. Yum.
The Brussels sprouts were delicious and served with a creamy polenta. I don’t usually care for polenta, but this one was pretty tasty.
The only miss in my opinion was the chocolate bread pudding. I am a huge dessert person and bake frequently. I think it looked delicious, but lacked flavor. I love rich, decadent desserts. This did not fit the bill for me. It needed large chunks of chocolate and a much richer, caramel sauce. Our table was literally scraping sauce onto the dessert trying to get more flavor. All of us concurred that the sauce was too weak. This just did not measure up to the rest of the meal.
A wonderful way to spend 2 hours on a Saturday. I would definitely eat here again.

I’m thankful for Unilocal,the amazing food spread, the Wilshire staff and Brittany for planning this feast-​a-​cular event over the Thanksgiving weekend!
The highlights:
+ We started out with cocktails and an impressive appetizer spread of veggie crudités and the chef’s choice charcuterie & cheese board at the lively bar area.
+I really enjoyed the intimate lunch at the outside patio deck area and getting to know other Unilocalers. (Shoutouts to: Lisa, Kevin, Erin and Suejung.)
+ Wilshire prides in their local, organic, and seasonal ingredients. They buy their fresh produce at the local farmer’s markets.
(see food photos)
+ Farmer’s market beet salad
+ Pan roasted half jidori chicken
+ Salmon — loved the crispy salmon skin.
+ Brussels sprouts & creamy polenta
+ Valrhona chocolate bread pudding
+ Space: The restaurant has distinct spaces from indoors to outdoors. There’s a lively indoor bar area, an intimate dining room set in a library, an outdoor patio equipped with a bar area (perfect for an intimate romantic evening).
I was lucky enough to take some foods as leftovers. They were just as delicious the first time!

This review is based on a Unilocal event I attended this past weekend. First and foremost, I want to say that I am VERY grateful to the CM for coordinating this event, which was completely free to us. This is essentially a review of the food, not of the event as a whole, which itself deserves 5 stars.
I was graciously invited to the event this past Saturday by Brittany. The purpose of the event was to showcase the sustainable and environmentally conscious food served at Wilshire Restaurant by Chef Nyesha, who I believe took over at Wilshire Restaurant about a year ago. I had never been here before, but had long heard of this place, both good and bad. It has the reputation of being an excellent place for drinks and a casual but classy meeting place, but also a reputation for mediocre food and a hit or miss service.
I have to admit, after tasting the meal offered here, I believe their reputation is pretty accurate, minus the service, which I had no qualms with. The restaurant is very classy and a wonderful location to meet with friends over drinks and appetizers. The back patio is beautiful, and they have a lovely upper deck and private room which would be great for parties and private events. The staff seemed much more attentive than past reviewers have experienced, which I appreciated.
Now, the food. The appetizers that were offered to us — charcuterie, imported/​domestic cheeses and crackers, and fresh heirloom carrots, were great. I was a tad disappointed that their cheeses didn’t follow the theme of being locally sourced, since I do know that there are a few really good creameries in California. But nevertheless, it was still fresh and flavorful. The heirloom carrots were some of the best I’ve had. The drinks served (red/​white wine, and cosmos) were excellent as well. The meal itself started with a beet salad with cranberries, pecans, and goat cheese. This was perfectly thought out and the beets were superb.
The next course was a pan roasted salmon with romesco sauce, topped with pine nuts and arugula, and a roasted jidori chicken in thyme jus. These were accompanied by mascarpone polenta and roasted brussel sprouts. I absolutely loved the salmon with romesco — a very Spanish sort of pairing and I felt it worked very well. Usually restaurants will pair fish with a citrus, and while that’s good and all, it’s just so common and quite frankly, overdone. The salmon was cooked perfectly — tender/​flaky and with a deliciously crispy skin. While I know many people liked the chicken more, I felt that the chicken a bit overcooked. Yes, it had a lovely crispy skin as well, but I felt the meat itself was a tad dry for my tastes — I prefer a much moister chicken. It was great with the polenta, since the creaminess masked the dryness of the chicken, but by itself, I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as other people I think did. The brussel sprouts were very good as well, but not anything to write home about.
For dessert, we got chocolate brioche, made in house and soaked in a Valrhona chocolate crème anglais. The dessert was just mediocre. I felt there could have been a stronger cocoa flavor, and the crème anglais could have been thicker as well. It was a good dessert, but just not amazing.
Overall, I can see myself coming back here for drinks and maybe snacking at their bar, or hanging out with friends in the back patio over some appetizers. But I’m still on the fence about their entrees but I will definitely come give it another try before making a final judgement. This is a very pretty restaurant, with solid good food.

As stated in previous Unilocal Elite event reviews, I’m of the firm belief that any venue that offers you free food and booze deserves a baseline of at least 3.5 star points. Of course, this is barring any instances of food poisoning or other grievous physical harm inflicted at said location. So after my previous underwhelming experience at the grand opening of The Virgil, I was happy to see how well executed everything turned out on this Saturday morning’s event.
Further kudos goes to the serving staff and chef at The Wilshire as they were able to successfully herd a diverse group of Unilocalers through different courses and areas. Glasses of white and red wine were plentiful as well as generous servings of some sort of of Cosmopolitan variant that I spuriously believed only decreased my masculinity quotient by a factor of 1 standard deviation. *Guilitily looking around as I quaff my drink with pinky extended*
As for food, the charcuterie spread was varied and well laid out but I was even more impressed by the eats the restaurant provided during mealtime. I’m sure other Unilocalers will describe the unctuousness of the polenta or the seared crispiness of the jidori chicken much better than your humble author, but I did remark to my +1 that all of the vittles were either groin-​grabbingly delicious or quickly approaching that vaunted level of toothsomeness.
A nice capstone to the event was chatting with fellow Unilocalers. The round tables (seating 5 for some odd reason) allowed for conversations with new friends Alice and Martin, despite our variance in ages. I somewhat foolhardily dated myself by remarking that I was a precocious third grader forming Voltron out of the five lionbots while they were gestating zygotes, but alas dear readers, wine makes me say the craziest things.
And while I’m teetering on shaky conversational ground, I guess I should ask why nobody else mentioned in their reviews how many good looking women there were in the crowd? In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention my date is completely my type: well proportioned Asian shorty with big eyes, a tiny button nose and murky ethnic background.
But a bruvva can look, right? Props especially to Brittany B., not only for coordinating the successful logistics, but for also looking like a 2012 incarnation of Lululemon Barbie. I must’ve mentioned this opinion to my +1 multiple times because she put her hands on my shoulders, looked intently into my eyes with a serious gaze and told me with gravitas, «I know… you told me already».
Yup, just keeping it clazzy.

Thank you, Brittany for the invite!
I have not attended a Unilocal Elite event in quite some time … therefore, I wasn’t expecting anything and was ready to be grateful for anything! It was just such a beautiful sunny day out– I’m sure everyone was walking outside with a smile on their face. :)
The restaurant was easy enough to locate and the restaurant sign sticks out on the street (bonus points here from a gal who easily gets lost). Upon arriving, Brittany said hello and instructed me to fill-​out a name tag. I was shocked that the venue wasn’t packed; way to go Unilocal on doing a great crowd-​control!
The waiter immediately offered me a cosmo /​glass of white wine, which I politely declined since I wanted to get something in my stomach first. Later, upon returning for a drink, he cracked a joke about how I was taking two (but in the most friendly good-​natured manner), since I was grabbing another for my friend. I appreciated the fact that the waiter was kind (and not snooty) for such a classy venue. Sometimes when you attend complimentary events, the staff can treat you like second-​class citizens. My cosmo was a bit of sweet, sour, and pretty, just the way I like my girly drinks.
Onwards to the food: salmon was melt in your mouth delicious with a red-​sauce which looked spicy but wasn’t; salad had just the right amount of an oil-​dressing to flavor it and the beets were not overpoweringly strong (so I could eat them even though I don’t like beets!); chicken had a crispy skin that reminded me of Chinese crispy chicken, but a tad healtheir since there was less fat; my favorite which complimented the salmon perfeclty was the brussel sprouts for the presentation and the fact that they were nicely cooked. Plus, it’s my best gal friend’s favorite veggie so fond memories there. The brownie dessert was fantastic as well but I thought a scoop of ice cream might have paired nicely with it. Lovely event. I would definitely consider returning to chill for hours on end on the sunny-​open patio basking in the rays!
Thank you Unilocal organizers— you certainly impressed me!!! This was definitely one of my favorite events alongside the event in NYC where the Empire State Building was closed-​off and the holiday party. Many kudos!

I used to get into every single LA West Elite event that I would RSVP for. That is no longer the case, and I’m lucky if I get into one of every three.
So what changed?
The events are so much more awesome than they used to be that everyone is trying to get into them!
The Farm to Table event was no exception. Once again Brittany did a superb job at putting together another fantastic food-​centric event. It was more than just a tasting, and was a full meal that allowed me to experience the different tastes that the Wilshire offers.
There were ample amounts of food and drinks being served by the great staff at the Wilshire. They were so friendly and intent on making sure everyone was happy with their experience. I enjoyed the food and the drinks, and am looking forward to going back to the Wilshire to eat with my whole family.
Thank you Wilshire and Brittany for another great Unilocal event!

Brittany and Nicole did a great job!
Loved the opening wine and light cheeses and cured meats as appetizers.
Took a some funny photos at the booth!
5 Courses
1. Farmers market beet salad
2. Rosted brussel sprouts /​creamy poltena
3. Farm raised seared Atlantic Salmon
4. Roasted Jidori Chicken — my favorite and full of flavor
5. To Die for chocolate cake!
I live close by this restaurant and its now a night club sometimes, its become a westside gem over the years. The bar is candlelit and great for intimate dates. And with the wonderful food its makes a great place to go!

I daresay this was my favorite Elite event so far. ‘Twas a beautiful Saturday afternoon, just the perfect weather for enjoying a farm fresh three-​course lunch out on the patio at Wilshire Restaurant. I had been here before with Cass Y. for dineLA but this was M’s first time checking it out. I was so excited to actually get to see Chef Nyesha, as we’re also big Top Chef fans :)
The event started off on a great note when we were welcomed by a very friendly staff member who offered us a drink. Cosmos at 11:45 on a Saturday? Sure! I overheard someone saying they were to die for, and you know what — they weren’t kidding! Delicious grapefruit juice, tartness from fresh limes, it was super smooth and easy to drink. M was a big fan of the red blend of petit verdot, petit syrah, and syrah. Cheers!
Out on the patio, we met John S. and his +1 Sandy and enjoyed the lunch family-​style. Course the first: beet salad. I love beets and these golden and blush-​pink colored ones were just divine!
2^nd course: jidori chicken, salmon with romesco sauce, creamy mascarpone polenta, and roasted brussels sprouts. The chicken was juicy with a very crisp skin, and the glaze had a bit of an Asian undertone (is that ginger I detect?). The salmon was a tad undercooked (better than overcooked!) but went well with the roasted red pepper and tomato romesco sauce. The creamy polenta was a little too creamy and cheesy for me, but I dug right into those brussels sprouts — simply roasted and topped with dried cranberries and pecans. Yum!
Dessert was a chocolate bread pudding served in a pool of a caramel and chocolate sauce. I love bitter dark chocolate so this was just awesome. The bread pudding technique gives the cake a moist texture in the middle, almost like a lava cake. The caramel sauce was not sweet at all and complemented the bread pudding well.
Can’t forget all the Unilocal swag and the Pink Shutter photo booth in the main dining room. Many thanks to Brittany B. for planning this awesome lunch! We definitely appreciated having the opportunity to eat some great food, meet some friendly Unilocalers, and enjoy a relaxing Saturday afternoon. Till next time!

Such a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The patio seating was beautiful with a touch of romance and laid back comfort. You forget you’re on a busy Santa Monica street. I also love the concept of the restaurant, all organic all farm fresh. This was appreciated, especially after the fat laden feast I had for Thanksgiving.
The reception area we were received in to was open and comfortable, they had a great array of appetizers, cheese, veggies, breads, meats. They got the message, Unilocalers are a fan of food. The seating was comfy and service was spot on.
For me it was really the side dishes that stole the show though.
Beet salad: The beets were perfectly sweet and the feta served with the salad really balanced it out. There was a roasted garlic undertone to it that I enjoyed very much.
Brussel sprouts: pecans and cranberries, what’s not to love? The sprouts were roasted to perfection, their sweetness were allowed to shine through.
Mascarpone polenta: I love mascarpone and I love polenta. This one would have been difficult to mess up for me. It was perfectly creamy.
Chocolate bread pudding: made with brioche and sugar free and fat free. At least this was their claim… I’m inclined to believe it. It wasn’t sugary, but it really wasn’t a bad thing. Me gusta! The chocolate was very present and not overly done.
Another great event with awesome pics from Pink Shutter to capture the memories.

Big ups to the chef, the manager and the staff who worked this event.
It’s been a long time since I have been to a Unilocal event. This was definitely a great one. There were 5 courses and all were delicious. All of the meats and veggies are sourced from local farms and the flavors show.
This is definitely a restaurant I will want to revisit for their fresh ingredients and delicious flavors.

This was definitely the best Elite Event I’ve been to this year! There were TONS of amazing food and the staff was very friendly. Huge shout out to Brittany for organizing a fantastic luncheon for us at Wilshire! From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with wine and cocktails (I had to sample them all of course, their Cosmo was awesome though I had to stick with wine for most of the time) and charcuterie to start, which I almost filled up on until they explained we were getting a full meal! We started with a wonderful salad, then had a perfectly seared salmon and jidori chicken course, followed by a rich and sinful chocolate brownie dessert that put me over the top! I felt well taken care of and appreciate the effort of all those involved. And a big shout out to Pink Shutter for hosting a photo booth for us, with lots of fun props to choose from! Yay Unilocal

Let me start off by stating that I am a HUGE Top Chef fan so I was very excited to be served food prepared by Nyesha Arrington :) The fresh produce and organic ingredients were the stars of the meal.
The beet salad was delicious… I had two servings. The beets were beautiful and complemented the salad very well.
Chicken was tender and the skin was crispy, I enjoyed it.
Salmon was cooked to perfection, just melted in my mouth.
Brussel sprouts with pecans and cranberries… YUM!!! Definitely my favorite dish of the day.
Mascarpone polenta was creamy and oh so tasty… I wanted more but I had to share :(
Chocolate bread pudding was not too rich and I like that because I’m really not a chocolate fan. A scoop of vanilla bean or some raspberries would have really made me love it more!
I sipped on the cosmopolitan and white wine throughout my meal and I enjoyed both drinks very much. The cosmopolitan had a sweet and sour kick that I really enjoyed.
The event was beautiful, the staff was attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere was fantastic. Thank you Wilshire and Brittany for a wonderful brunch. I truly enjoyed meeting new Elites and dining at such an amazing establishment.

Wilshire Restaurant would be an awesome date spot. Also ideal for catching up with friends which is what I did today over the complimentary wine and pink Cosmos!
You hit the dark corners of the bar as you first enter the venue. There are some lounge chairs along the side of the wall, but the main surprise was how the layout wove it’s way down and out onto a wonderful outdoor /​semi-​covered patio. It was cute! Felt spacious and had a great vibe.
I loved the idea of a family style Unilocal event. Gave you a nice opportunity to get to know fellow elites while sharing a delicious meal. No fighting lines at this one.
Kudos to the Top Chef alum Nyesha Arrington! The fresh produce and ingredients were really inspiring. I’m glad I got to let her know how beautiful the veggie tray at the bar was before people dug into it. The presentation of the dishes were appealing and thoughtful.
The food:
Pan roasted salmon with pine nuts and arugula — Really moist with a crispy skin.
Whole roasted chicken with thyme jus and creamy mascarpone polenta — The chicken was good, but the polenta was fantastic! The chicken also had a nice crispy skin.
OH MY! Brussel sprouts with candied cranberries and pecans — Clearly stole the show if you ask me. I loved this side! Definitely order this one.
Chocolate bread pudding with a carmel type sauce — Comes out looking like a brownie. Reminded me of a brownie, but you do get the pudding-​like creamy middle reminiscent of bread pudding. Kind of a decadent mix between brownie and to-​die-​for chocolate cake. There was a caramel sauce underneath that wasn’t too sweet. Would love to have had some fresh fruit adorning the plate. :) I’m not complaining though. It was definitely a hit.
The drink:
Open bar for red or white wine & pink cosmopolitans.
Staff: Friendly, funny, and personable :)
Parking: Street (metered with 2 hour limit until 6 pm weekdays and Saturday) or Valet.
Thank you Unilocal.Thank you Chef! Thank you Wilshire Restaurant for a memorable event.

I felt so happy being at this event surrounded by other Unilocalers/​food lovers and getting to know fellow Unilocalers!
This restaurant surprised me in that the interior is very classy. the front of the restaurant is very bar/​lounge feel, with a huge bar, and cozy couches, dim lighting, and pretty string lights. Then there is the beautiful outdoors patio, again with pretty string lights, and different size tables (long tables for 10+ people, cozier tables for 4 – 5 people) and a cozier half indoor/​outdoor balcony structure. there is a smaller room towards the back with shelves lined with old books. so classy!
The food was delicious and very fresh. The chef described her inspiration as being the time she spends at farmer’s markets, and true to her word, the dishes were very crisp and fresh. there was a variety of different greens in the salad, the chicken was moist and skin beautifully crispy. The salmon was cooked well also, but didnt really think the sauce went with it. (tomato sauce?) im not really a polenta person so can’t really say, but the bread pudding was to DIE FOR! it was hybrid brownie/​bread pudding, and had a bitter-​sh after taste which i loved (i cant take too sweet)
The event was beautifully planned and organized, and I appreciate all the work that went into putting this together for Unilocalers!
I would definitely come back for a couple of drinks with friends, or a cozy girl’s night out. loved it!
p. s. yayyyy photobooths!

Though I still feel full from Thanksgiving… this was a great event full of all natural foods and terrific, strong drinks!
The atmosphere is fantastic! Super cute with a lounge feel. They have the bar area, then behind the bar a separate room with a TV, like a library room. Then off the left more seating with an adorable outdoor patio! Love everything about this place!
The chicken was moist along with the salmon, each with a crispy skin. The polenta dish was okay, never had polenta like that before. Also the salad and brussel sprouts were fresh and straight from the farmers markets.
And to top off the fantastic, generous event was a photo booth and dessert! Bread pudding/​brownie like dessert. Yum! And my friend and I got to meet some great new people!
What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Thank you all for such a terrific day.