Everson Royce Bar

The Arts District collaboration between Silverlake Wine’s Randy Clement and former Osteria Mozza chef Matt Molina is a deceptively simple operation. There’s a long, backlit bar facing some banquette seating; a large kitchen abutting a hallway to the outdoor space; and a huge, string light–festooned back patio with picnic tables and a bocce court. Molina is turning out classic drinking food from all over the world, including Chinese-style pork buns, Mexican taquitos and an all-American burger. Little spin is given to these dishes — the pork bun is as you’d expect it to be, pork belly that’s roasted just enough to make it soft but not too wobbly, crisp but not too chewy, with a simple pickle and hoisin sauce, wrapped in a warm, springy bun. The taquitos are filled with smoky, pureed potatoes and drenched in a textbook tomatillo salsa. The burger is a triumph of greasy American gratification while somehow remaining elegant. Compact and crisp-bunned, the single, medium-thickness, prime beef chuck patty topped with Tillamook cheddar packs a wallop of buttery, meaty flavor. There’s a fun wine list and a killer spirit list, and cocktails are creative and balanced and pretty much exactly what you want. And that’s the thing about ERB — despite its straightforward façade, Clement and Molina have managed to create something rare and precious: the perfect neighborhood hangout