Cuisine:

• Armenian
• Others
• American
• Bar

Rush Street Description:
Owner Brian McKeaney, whose offices are in Culver City, couldn't find a fun, comfortable bar to unwind after work. So he decided to open his own in the now-busy downtown area. Rush Street claims to have the longest bar in the city (though we didn't measure): 35 feet of polished concrete. Indeed, the very lengthy slab holds hundreds of back-lit bottles that serve as the decorative focus of the brick-wall dining room. It's easy to see that the cocktails and micro-brewed beers are the big attraction at this restaurant named after the famed street in Chicago, where McKeaney's family owns six restaurants/bars. Drinks, which can also be sipped on the two outdoor terraces, may be accompanied by small bites such as crispy Parmesan calamari, savory seared ahi nachos and tasty pork rillettes. We prefer the dry-aged beef sliders to the barbecue pork version, though the bread of the latter is much better. In the pizza category, do not venture any further than the traditional margherita. Bigger appetites may opt for the sautéed garlic shrimps, the lobster ravioli, the seared sand dab or the bistro steak frites. Check the nightly specials; Tuesdays bring half-off wines. For dessert, we recommend the carrot cake since the other ones are not really interesting. Note that food is served until midnight and 12:30 a.m. on Saturdays.