My No. 1 Eating Choice in the Neighborhood

My favorite neighborhood restaurant in Culver City is the Metro Café, hands down.

I have been dining there regularly for the last couple of years, and have yet to grow tired of it.

Nestled in the bottom of the Travelodge, on first glance you may mistake it for your average greasy-spoon diner, which is far from the truth.

The Serbian ex-pat owner, Sasa, is ever the gracious host.

After a couple of visits, you will realize why the place is full of regulars. Their fare is sort of a contemporary/continental mix: pastas, long-cooked meats, elegant vegetarian dishes, as well as some Serbian specialties like chevapchichi and goulash.

Their chef, Bernadino, is a vegetarian, so there are always a few creative vegetarian dishes on the menu that even make an offal-loving carnivore like myself forget they are lacking meat.

Right now he is doing a hearty braised tofu and quinoa dish with a slightly spicy tomato sauce.

Get it while you can, before he changes the menu to reflect the season.

Don't be afraid to ask if there are any specials off the menu the kitchen can whip up. Last time we were given a lovely charcuterie and burrata plate.

Any night of the week, arrive late enough for dinner and you will find at least a couple of Serbs commiserating. How do you know they are Serbian? They are all tall, dark and handsome!

Sunday night may be the best night to go. Their resident DJ spins his eclectic mix of vinyl, which contributes to the relaxed, easy vibe.

May I suggest this Friday night you partake in one of my favorite Culver City crawls: Meet your friend for a cocktail across the street at The Cozy, have dinner at The Metro, then stroll down Sepulveda to The Cinema Bar for some live music to round out the night.