It’s 3:30 on Friday. Mentally you checked out at 2. Wednesday at 2. Your palate has long since graduated from those polluted bowls of nuts and watered down ales, and you’re fixin’ on fashioning some truly unruly afternoon delights. Fortunately, there is an oasis where Kobe corn dogs have replaced corn nuts and organic brews are served smoothly on the sidewalk. As the summer sets on the season’s downslide, I invite you to honor the happiest hour: happening faithfully Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 4-5:30, at Ford’s Filling Station.

Frankly Ford’s was likely a lot of fun before this cause for feeding frenzy ensued. Understated and easily overlooked (I passed it twice), it’s situated in burgeoning Culver City, on an al fresco friendly boulevard that emanates something young enough to recall downtown La Jolla, mature enough to cater to a more sophisticated demographic. I showed up in flip-flops. Maybe sophisticated is too strong a word.

The tuna confit ($8) is served in a mason jar with oil, thyme, and lemon, along side crusty country bread and a baby bamboo bowl of sea salt, a recipe I can only assume passed down from one Tuscan generation to another. Same goes for the ricotta with chestnut honey ($8): served warm and billowy: this one was my favorite. The duck taquitos ($7) were a big hit with my neighboring diners and smoky deviled eggs ($5) seemed to decorate every table in the house. The flowering coriander punctuated the halibut ceviche ($8) with a gentle savor, and the white bean garlic dip ($6) arrived with warm flatbread that had me coveting it from afar. Maybe sophisticated isn’t too strong a word.

Got an insider tip for you. You may not find it on the menu, but if you can find Chef Benjamin Ford (bearing an uncanny resemblance to dear old dad) he just might hook you up with his humbly endorsed crudo of fluke. While I’m not someone who generally finds fish rave worthy, this was something of a treat. Buttery and beautifully adorned with herbal accents, it’s a light and lovely summer pleasure.

Angelians, in our continuous quest of endless summers, we are averse to wait the weekend to celebrate. Give in. Let summer linger just a little longer, and explore an edible adventure in Ford thinking. Sit outside and patronize the setting sun, or commemorate a prolonged seasonal siesta on the inside, reveling in rustic austerity. It’s happy throughout. It’s gentle and it’s easy and because it’s Culver City, it’s getting out without getting gussied up. Dwell and linger and dip in the sea salt. And together we say, TGIW.

By: Jolie Loeb

FORD’S FILLING STATION
9531 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, California 90232
www.fordsfillingstation.net
310.202.1470