April 2, 2017 8:00 pm
What started as a bakery and coffee shop in 2015 in Culver City as Lodge Bread Company has expanded its digs. Although you can still head on in and find great loaves of bread, you can now find a whole lot more, including pizza from a wonderful wood-burning oven.
Hatching the Idea
Lodge Bread Company began having pizza night in Culver City because the owners got bored making loaves of bread. Offering pizza on Sundays was a way for them to get away from their routine and try some new ingredients. But, what started as a way to play turned into serious work when the owners realized that Culver City residents loved the pizza!
That’s when they looked at the space next door. Not only would they be able to offer pizza on a daily basis, but they would be able to bake more of their delicious loaves that often sold out before closing time. After a month-long closure to get the new space ready, The Lodge Bread Company has reopened.
Culver City Gets More Than Bread
With the new space, The Lodge Bread Company has expanded from loaves of bread to a wider range of foods. In fact the owners/bakers, Alex Phaneuf and Or Amsalam, were nominated as 2017 semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation Awards for excellence in cuisine. These awards, commonly known as “The Oscars of Food” mean that ordering at The Lodge is a culinary delight. The new menu includes:
- Vegetarian pizza with fresh and local toppings like pickled chilies, arugula, and other vegetables
- A variety of toasts with things like ojai avocado, radish slices, sprouted rye, and seasonal jams
- Fast foods like granola, pickled strawberry, cured fish, yogurt, and more
- Slow foods like roasted market vegetables, toasted seeds, calabrian chili, fennel confit, and hot soup
- Pastries like sourdough cinnamon rolls, seasonal cookies, and seasonally inspired cakes
- Coffee, beer, and wine
(You can see a full menu here: http://www.lodgebread.com/)
To accommodate all this delicious food, Lodge now stays open from 8am to 10pm on weekdays and through midnight on weekends.
Ambiance Has Changed
With the new menu comes a different feel to the Lodge Bread Company. What used to feel like a small bakery now has more than one look. Although one side still looks and feels like a bakery but larger, the other side is clearly a pizzeria with a dining room. Tucked in the middle is a patio with views of bakers at work. With 50 seats available across 1850 square feet, Lodge has definitely grown.
Check out what some are calling Lodge 2.0 at 11918 Washington Blvd in Culver City. You won’t be sorry!
Categorised in: Blog, Revitalizing the Westside