They Opened a Granville

Behind construction plywood on the main thoroughfare of Magnolia Blvd there is always hope for something great. This street is dotted with restaurants and bars. There are several ramen spots. A tiki bar is built around an immense tree which is one of my favorites. East coast style deli sandwiches are slung by a crew that sits outside smoking blunts on the sidewalk from the early hours of the morning. We have coffee. Poke. Bad Mexican food offset by unlimited free DIY tortilla chips. Further thoughts on El Tejano coming one day. The variety is wonderful. There are multiple spots suitable for numerous occasions.

I’ve been burned before with hopes for something better. A long gestating project in a prime spot recently revealed itself to be some sort of upmarket dog grooming business. This is super wonderful for dog owners who want to pay to have their pooch fluffed. It’s also sincerely disappointing for someone like me who was hoping for a new place that would be open to a wider variety of people and more service to the community. Yes, any dog owner is welcome to utilize their services. But I imagine this will be a smaller portion of the population than might welcome another kind of convivial hospitality business suited to the area. Maybe I’m really far off base here and the neighborhood will rally around and produce dogs by the metric foot all in need of an expensive wash? There are definitely an abundance of French Bulldogs in this neighborhood. Only time will tell.

In the biggest available and empty space to the west of this particular strip an outlet of Granville has sprung up. They really did a nice job with the fitout. A horseshoe-shaped bar loops prominently in the center of the cavernous dining space that includes both booths and a significant number of tables. The decor is classic and understated. Everything looks and is new. A breath of fresh air from a chain operation. Only just, mind you. But if you have more than 4 locations you’re a chain to me.

Granville has made some subtle alterations to the neighborhood already. They have a valet set up out front. The only valet in this part of North Hollywood. It’s a great thing for the customers as this is a notoriously annoying area to find parking during peak dining and entertainment hours. I am entirely fascinated by valets. Where do they put the cars? There is no large parking facility nearby that could accept the weight of a whole new dining location worth of transport on a busy night. I imagine they make deals with surrounding property owners. That sounds like the right sort of thing to do. Or the valets are simply extremely fit and do a great deal of running. It would be a good job if you wanted to be tipped for doing cardio.

As with everything I write about restaurants this is not a review. Reviewing is something that I never ever intend to do. In order to abide by any kind of journalistic integrity I would have to visit the restaurant multiple times and try a wide range of dishes on their menu. I’m simply not interested in doing that. I have eaten at other Granville locations in the past and the salmon dish I had was very pleasant. But I am not Tik Tok and I shan’t be visiting a place once to eat three things and then declaring it “THE BEST NEW SPOT GUYS”. My interest lies in observation.

My observation for the new Granville location is thus: The big folding glass windows on the street side impressively fan open to reveal a vista across Magnolia and out into the world of North Hollywood. The tables set up right at this precipice allow for an indoor/al fresco hybrid dining situation which appears quite pleasant during these longest of summer days. Sipping wine as the sun settles in for the night causing a cascade of color over the valley. However I would never want to sit at these tables. You wagyu beef burger may not pair well with the other denizens of the street peering in from far too close. That and they haven’t power-washed the sidewalk in some years. If you want to sit somewhere near the back of the restaurant or in a booth then I’m sure it’s an entirely pleasant time. I’ll be taking a seat at the impressive bar myself.