Electric Bleu (Los Angeles, CA)
Electric Bleu Restaurant
3523 S Centinela Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90066
424-316-9416
www.electricbleu.com
Tue 10/06/2026, 06:45p-09:00p
I was recently searching for a Westside spot to dine at prior to heading to LAX, and after looking into a few options, wound up picking Electric Bleu, which I'd been hearing good things about. Named after the 1987 song "Electric Blue" by Australian rock band Icehouse as well as the color, the restaurant grand-opened on August 13th last year and serves California-inflected French bistrot fare. It's the brainchild of Chef Craig Hopson, a longtime industry vet, and his Kobe-born wife Mai Sakai, who comes from an event production/art direction background and serves as Creative Director here.
About the Chef: Hopson hails from Geraldton, a small coastal town in Western Australia located about five hours north of Perth. His British family didn't place much emphasis on food, and as a youngster, he was much more interested in surfing. At age 16, he decided that he'd get a kitchen job at a local hotel in order to support said surfing habit, but soon realized that his true calling was in hospitality.
Thus, Hopson entered a four-year culinary apprenticeship program, which led him to train at The Grange at the Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove in Hope Island, Queensland, where he toiled under Chef Stefan Codron before completing his tutelage at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park's Gekko restaurant. He then went international, spending a year training in Geneva at Bertie's at Hotel d'Angleterre before heading to La Maison Troisgros in Roanne in 1997. Hopson then arrived in Paris, staging at Guy Savoy and Lucas Carton, the latter under Alain Senderens.
He returned to Australia in 1999 and debuted a restaurant by the name of Circa in Brisbane, but the venture proved short-lived. Following, he immigrated to the United States in 2000, landing in New Orleans, where he was sous under fellow Aussie Frank Brunacci at Victor's at The Ritz-Carlton. Hopson subsequently made his way to The Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia, serving as CdC at Paris Bar & Grill. Next, he relocated to New York City and secured a position at Terrance Brennan's Artisanal, which had just opened in 2001.
In 2003, Brennan promoted him to Chef de Cuisine at his flagship property, Picholine, where Hopson helped the place earn two Michelin stars. He stayed until September 2007, then decamped for an EC position at One if by Land, Two if by Sea in West Village. The following November, he jumped ship to become Executive Chef at Sirio Maccioni's famed Le Cirque, replacing Christophe Bellanca. During this period, he also consulted on the menu for Tolani in the Upper West Side, which opened in October 2010.
Hopson's tenure at Le Cirque ended in January 2012, when he left to start work on The Brewster, a restaurant-slash-marketplace conceptualized with Frank Roberts (ex-Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel). The Brewster never came to fruition though, and the duo instead opened Beautique in Midtown West in April 2014. However, the Chef left after just five months, as did Roberts, apparently due to conflicts with their other partners. That October, Hopson became Exec Chef at Peter Poulakakos' Bacchanal, replacing Scott Bryan, but that gig didn't last long, either.
By 2015, he was in search of a change of scenery, and thus packed up and headed out west to Southern California, first settling in Venice. He helped out with the menu at Jonathan Chu's The Independence in Santa Monica, and also joined the team at Everytable, a takeout concept designed to offer healthy to-go meals at affordable price points. In November 2016, he became corporate chef for the Chin Chin group and launched The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker in West Hollywood, as well as another BBCM outpost at USC Village.
At the very start of 2018, Hopson joined the opening team for Farmhouse at the Beverly Center, serving as its Executive Chef until the following July. He then landed the EC position at Sea Level at Shade Hotel in Redondo Beach before moving over to Strand House in Manhattan Beach in July 2021. The Chef's next post was at Shirley Brasserie at the Hollywood Roosevelt, which he helped open in July 2023. He remained there until resigning last May to focus his efforts on Electric Bleu.
The restaurant takes over the former Mar Vista home of Rustic Kitchen, which closed in January last year. The same basic layout remains, but the space has certainly been gussied up, while a wall was also removed in order to open up the kitchen and allow for a chef's counter. There's also patio seating available, while total capacity should be around 60.
Electric Bleu features a tight menu of Cal-French brasserie-ish cuisine, and there's also a five-course tasting menu option at $79 per person. Drink-wise, you'll find an almost all-French wine list put together by General Manager Benjamin Phan (a Frenchman who's also a DJ by the name of Hoan and part of a group called Calisienne), as well as a smattering of beer, sake, and vermouth. Corkage is $45 a pop, which one fee waived for each bottle purchased off the list. Click for larger versions.
Quick to arrive was a complimentary serving of pickled veggies and cornichons.
oysters, condiments [$17.00]
Maine oysters showed off a crisp, clean, potent brine, and were even better with a splash of mignonette.
spanish mackerel escabeche, lemon curd, zucchini, toast [$20.00]
The inherent brine of Spanish mackerel was clearly conveyed, set against a plethora of warm, sweet flavors and the smokiness of toast. However, I would've liked some more tartness, some more brightness here to lighten up the bites.
pâté en croûte [$21.00]
I have a hard time not ordering pastry-encased pâté when I see it on a menu, and that was certainly the case tonight. And indeed, it turned out to be one of the better versions I've had: classically cozy and unapologetically porcine, amped up by an undercurrent of liver-y depth and slivers of 'shroom, with the pastry tempering things just a tad. Delicious alone, but even better when paired with a daub of that grainy mustard on the side. A must-try.
Given the nature of the food here, I felt that I should be drinking something French, hence the 2006 Château La Mission Haut-Brion as my pick for this evening's twentieth anniversary libation. Coming to us from Bordeaux's Pessac-Léognan appellation, the wine is often considered the unofficial "sixth First Growth." This particular vintage was composed of 59% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Cabernet Franc, and was bottled in June 2008 following aging in 80% new oak.
chanterelles, eggplant flan, anise hyssop [$25.00]
Here, a comparatively mild eggplant custard played foil to the woodsiness of chanterelles, with the licorice-y sting of anise hyssop making itself known toward the back end.
shrimp, grilled rice, saffron, peppers, parsley [$27.00]
Shrimp arrived well-textured, set in a piquant broth pervaded by the trademark grassy warmth of saffron, all while toasted rice served as a crunchy counterpoint. That being said, I think I would've preferred this with a more assertive heat and/or acidity.
gnocchi parisienne, escargot, snail butter [$24.00]
Paris-style gnocchi arrived with crisp-fried exteriors and wondrously creamy, gooey insides. The dumplings were a joy on their own, but were indeed even better when paired with those gratifyingly-textured snails and the sheer herbiness of that sauce. Another favorite.
grilled quail, stuffed with fennel sausage, summer beans, mustard vinaigrette [$45.00]
The familiar savor and smoke of grilled quail was juxtaposed with the herby zing of the bird's loose sausage filling. At the same time, the beans were crucial for contrast--both in terms of texture and taste--while that mustard-enhanced vin helped tie it all together.
"blt" pork cutlet, bacon, tomato, buttermilk, basil [$44.00]
Pork cutlets featured delicately-breaded outsides and juicy interiors, while their comparatively restrained flavors were amped up by the smokiness of the included bacon. Naturally, those juicy tomatoes and the frisée lightened the mood, while buttermilk functioned as an apt accent piece. A fun one.
steak au poivre, green peppercorn cognac sauce [$44.00]
Closing out the savory portion of dinner was the pepper steak. The cut was what I wanted in terms of temperature and texture, while its considerable beefiness made a whole lot of sense with all those aggressive peppercorn-boosted flavors going on.
fromage du primeur - fromage d'affinois, loire valley [$18.00]
Given that this is a French joint, it just felt appropriate to opt for the cheese course, and today's selection fit the bill nicely with its unabashedly luscious consistency and creamy, subtly funky flavors. The fromage paired like clockwork with that shattery baguette on the side, and opened up even more with a smear of that jam.
Dessert wine duties were handled by a pour of the delving, rivesaltes, languedoc roussillon 1943 [$49], with its intense nose brimming with dusty, nutty raisins. Taking a sip, I found things quite lively, with more raisins alongside stewed prunes, cacao, nuts, and caramel.
pavlova, geraldton wax granité, yogurt sorbet [$15.00]
Interestingly, dessert highlighted Geraldton waxflower, a plant native to the Chef's hometown. Made into a granita, it offered loads of piney, sour, citrusy astringency, and was moderated just enough by the yogurt and that airy meringue.
Despite a couple of quibbles here and there, tonight's dinner at Electric Bleu was largely a success. I think the place captures a bit of that neo-bistro ethos that's been all the rage as of late, with its Californian-French cooking and combination of old-school technique and new-school flourishes, all set in a casual, convivial environment. A prime example of a neighborhood spot that's also a bit of a destination spot.
3523 S Centinela Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90066
424-316-9416
www.electricbleu.com
Tue 10/06/2026, 06:45p-09:00p
I was recently searching for a Westside spot to dine at prior to heading to LAX, and after looking into a few options, wound up picking Electric Bleu, which I'd been hearing good things about. Named after the 1987 song "Electric Blue" by Australian rock band Icehouse as well as the color, the restaurant grand-opened on August 13th last year and serves California-inflected French bistrot fare. It's the brainchild of Chef Craig Hopson, a longtime industry vet, and his Kobe-born wife Mai Sakai, who comes from an event production/art direction background and serves as Creative Director here.
About the Chef: Hopson hails from Geraldton, a small coastal town in Western Australia located about five hours north of Perth. His British family didn't place much emphasis on food, and as a youngster, he was much more interested in surfing. At age 16, he decided that he'd get a kitchen job at a local hotel in order to support said surfing habit, but soon realized that his true calling was in hospitality.
Thus, Hopson entered a four-year culinary apprenticeship program, which led him to train at The Grange at the Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove in Hope Island, Queensland, where he toiled under Chef Stefan Codron before completing his tutelage at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park's Gekko restaurant. He then went international, spending a year training in Geneva at Bertie's at Hotel d'Angleterre before heading to La Maison Troisgros in Roanne in 1997. Hopson then arrived in Paris, staging at Guy Savoy and Lucas Carton, the latter under Alain Senderens.
He returned to Australia in 1999 and debuted a restaurant by the name of Circa in Brisbane, but the venture proved short-lived. Following, he immigrated to the United States in 2000, landing in New Orleans, where he was sous under fellow Aussie Frank Brunacci at Victor's at The Ritz-Carlton. Hopson subsequently made his way to The Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia, serving as CdC at Paris Bar & Grill. Next, he relocated to New York City and secured a position at Terrance Brennan's Artisanal, which had just opened in 2001.
In 2003, Brennan promoted him to Chef de Cuisine at his flagship property, Picholine, where Hopson helped the place earn two Michelin stars. He stayed until September 2007, then decamped for an EC position at One if by Land, Two if by Sea in West Village. The following November, he jumped ship to become Executive Chef at Sirio Maccioni's famed Le Cirque, replacing Christophe Bellanca. During this period, he also consulted on the menu for Tolani in the Upper West Side, which opened in October 2010.
Hopson's tenure at Le Cirque ended in January 2012, when he left to start work on The Brewster, a restaurant-slash-marketplace conceptualized with Frank Roberts (ex-Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel). The Brewster never came to fruition though, and the duo instead opened Beautique in Midtown West in April 2014. However, the Chef left after just five months, as did Roberts, apparently due to conflicts with their other partners. That October, Hopson became Exec Chef at Peter Poulakakos' Bacchanal, replacing Scott Bryan, but that gig didn't last long, either.
By 2015, he was in search of a change of scenery, and thus packed up and headed out west to Southern California, first settling in Venice. He helped out with the menu at Jonathan Chu's The Independence in Santa Monica, and also joined the team at Everytable, a takeout concept designed to offer healthy to-go meals at affordable price points. In November 2016, he became corporate chef for the Chin Chin group and launched The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker in West Hollywood, as well as another BBCM outpost at USC Village.
At the very start of 2018, Hopson joined the opening team for Farmhouse at the Beverly Center, serving as its Executive Chef until the following July. He then landed the EC position at Sea Level at Shade Hotel in Redondo Beach before moving over to Strand House in Manhattan Beach in July 2021. The Chef's next post was at Shirley Brasserie at the Hollywood Roosevelt, which he helped open in July 2023. He remained there until resigning last May to focus his efforts on Electric Bleu.
The restaurant takes over the former Mar Vista home of Rustic Kitchen, which closed in January last year. The same basic layout remains, but the space has certainly been gussied up, while a wall was also removed in order to open up the kitchen and allow for a chef's counter. There's also patio seating available, while total capacity should be around 60.
Electric Bleu features a tight menu of Cal-French brasserie-ish cuisine, and there's also a five-course tasting menu option at $79 per person. Drink-wise, you'll find an almost all-French wine list put together by General Manager Benjamin Phan (a Frenchman who's also a DJ by the name of Hoan and part of a group called Calisienne), as well as a smattering of beer, sake, and vermouth. Corkage is $45 a pop, which one fee waived for each bottle purchased off the list. Click for larger versions.
Quick to arrive was a complimentary serving of pickled veggies and cornichons.
oysters, condiments [$17.00]
Maine oysters showed off a crisp, clean, potent brine, and were even better with a splash of mignonette.
spanish mackerel escabeche, lemon curd, zucchini, toast [$20.00]
The inherent brine of Spanish mackerel was clearly conveyed, set against a plethora of warm, sweet flavors and the smokiness of toast. However, I would've liked some more tartness, some more brightness here to lighten up the bites.
pâté en croûte [$21.00]
I have a hard time not ordering pastry-encased pâté when I see it on a menu, and that was certainly the case tonight. And indeed, it turned out to be one of the better versions I've had: classically cozy and unapologetically porcine, amped up by an undercurrent of liver-y depth and slivers of 'shroom, with the pastry tempering things just a tad. Delicious alone, but even better when paired with a daub of that grainy mustard on the side. A must-try.
Given the nature of the food here, I felt that I should be drinking something French, hence the 2006 Château La Mission Haut-Brion as my pick for this evening's twentieth anniversary libation. Coming to us from Bordeaux's Pessac-Léognan appellation, the wine is often considered the unofficial "sixth First Growth." This particular vintage was composed of 59% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Cabernet Franc, and was bottled in June 2008 following aging in 80% new oak.
- Initial Impressions: Bouquet of jammy blackberries with hints of smoke and earth. In the mouth, restrained tannins and muted purple fruits with traces of mint.
- After 30 Minutes: Even smokier on the nose, with more subdued fruit and elements of cedar coming to the fore. On the palate, the claret was coalescing quite nicely at this point, offering a cohesive presentation of fruit, earth, and herb.
- After 75 Minutes: Still very smoky, but now with some delectable aromas of stewed berries that I was quite smitten by. In the mouth, this was well-integrated and rather lively, with a more apparent acidity and palpable nuances of menthol and bouquet garni to go along with all the fruit.
chanterelles, eggplant flan, anise hyssop [$25.00]
Here, a comparatively mild eggplant custard played foil to the woodsiness of chanterelles, with the licorice-y sting of anise hyssop making itself known toward the back end.
shrimp, grilled rice, saffron, peppers, parsley [$27.00]
Shrimp arrived well-textured, set in a piquant broth pervaded by the trademark grassy warmth of saffron, all while toasted rice served as a crunchy counterpoint. That being said, I think I would've preferred this with a more assertive heat and/or acidity.
gnocchi parisienne, escargot, snail butter [$24.00]
Paris-style gnocchi arrived with crisp-fried exteriors and wondrously creamy, gooey insides. The dumplings were a joy on their own, but were indeed even better when paired with those gratifyingly-textured snails and the sheer herbiness of that sauce. Another favorite.
grilled quail, stuffed with fennel sausage, summer beans, mustard vinaigrette [$45.00]
The familiar savor and smoke of grilled quail was juxtaposed with the herby zing of the bird's loose sausage filling. At the same time, the beans were crucial for contrast--both in terms of texture and taste--while that mustard-enhanced vin helped tie it all together.
"blt" pork cutlet, bacon, tomato, buttermilk, basil [$44.00]
Pork cutlets featured delicately-breaded outsides and juicy interiors, while their comparatively restrained flavors were amped up by the smokiness of the included bacon. Naturally, those juicy tomatoes and the frisée lightened the mood, while buttermilk functioned as an apt accent piece. A fun one.
steak au poivre, green peppercorn cognac sauce [$44.00]
Closing out the savory portion of dinner was the pepper steak. The cut was what I wanted in terms of temperature and texture, while its considerable beefiness made a whole lot of sense with all those aggressive peppercorn-boosted flavors going on.
fromage du primeur - fromage d'affinois, loire valley [$18.00]
Given that this is a French joint, it just felt appropriate to opt for the cheese course, and today's selection fit the bill nicely with its unabashedly luscious consistency and creamy, subtly funky flavors. The fromage paired like clockwork with that shattery baguette on the side, and opened up even more with a smear of that jam.
Dessert wine duties were handled by a pour of the delving, rivesaltes, languedoc roussillon 1943 [$49], with its intense nose brimming with dusty, nutty raisins. Taking a sip, I found things quite lively, with more raisins alongside stewed prunes, cacao, nuts, and caramel.
pavlova, geraldton wax granité, yogurt sorbet [$15.00]
Interestingly, dessert highlighted Geraldton waxflower, a plant native to the Chef's hometown. Made into a granita, it offered loads of piney, sour, citrusy astringency, and was moderated just enough by the yogurt and that airy meringue.
Despite a couple of quibbles here and there, tonight's dinner at Electric Bleu was largely a success. I think the place captures a bit of that neo-bistro ethos that's been all the rage as of late, with its Californian-French cooking and combination of old-school technique and new-school flourishes, all set in a casual, convivial environment. A prime example of a neighborhood spot that's also a bit of a destination spot.
posted by kevinEats at
6:45 PM
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