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The Days Inn Fresno, we used to go to every,
every night when we were like.
How were we at a bar, we were like, like 18?
Oh yeah.
We'd just go and stay for like three hours.
We also used to, we use to bus tables.
Like, you use to go to other tables and
eat their food.
Yeah.
You didn't tell me that before I married you.
No, this is the rule.
This is the rule.
What? No, for once, hold on-.
Ew. No, no, no, no,
there's nothing, let me explain myself.
Well, all right, I think I've heard enough.
It's, no, no, it's fair game if you assume it has
not been touched, IE Who orders shit that
hasn't been touched at dinner?
You'd be surprised.
My name is Nick Erven.
I'm the executive chef and
partner of Saint Martha restaurant, in Koreatown,
Los Angeles.
Saint Martha is the patron saint of cooks and
servants.
We really based our entire concept around
that idea of old world hospitality.
Of relax, we got this, just enjoy yourself.
That coupled with, the food,
which is comfort food dishes done with a fine
dining ethos, but it's not.
Think of this as food that you have to get in
there and get your hands dirty.
And you know, you're probably gonna get some
on your pants.
And that's okay,
this is a place where you can lick the bowl and
no one's gonna be upset.
At the end of the day,
we're in a rundown strip mall in Koreatown,
we can't be that fine dining.
I always liked like Koreatown.
I think it's one of those areas of the city that
has been forgotten for so long.
It's not as glamorous as downtown.
It's not as wealthy as mid city.
It's just sort of an in between zone.
And I wanted to come in here and
kinda just be a neighborhood spot.
The hipster light stays on until the last
dessert goes out.
And that's kinda our kitchen's closed sign.
The hipsters have left the building.
Each item on the menu,
there's sort of base thought behind it.
What we try to do here is at Saint Martha is kind
of take dishes that are familiar and
kind of twist them on their head.
Chips and guac are like my favorite thing in
the world to eat.
I love it, I could eat it every day.
And we wanted to put a chips and
guac on the menu.
So ours It's bruleed sea urchin, avocado mousse,
shaped chili and
the chips are seaweed Doritos.
But you eat it like it's chips and guac.
Like chips and guac from the sea.
People talk about our steak and oyster tartar,
with bone marrow beignets and champagne sabayon.
The bone marrow beignets are filled with liquid
bone marrow, that you bite into and
it gets everywhere.
There is a surprise factor.
People are afraid of raw steak and raw oyster.
It can be scary things, but
together it tastes like a cheeseburger.
That's kinda what we try to do with the food,
is that play of it's unexpected, it's new.
My wife Betsy and Anar joined us at Saint Martha
to get the party started.
Betsy is, she's an actor, comedian,
all around general badass.
Black belt in karate.
Anar is one of our friends that
we've known forever.
She's also an actor, she came from New York,
lady knows her food.
She's always down to go out.
I want the love potion.
Love potion.
Start with some soju.
To a good night.
To a great night.
Woo.
That'll do ya.
I get one night off a week.
So, I knew that I was probably going
to go pretty big.
We have not gone to like, multiple establishments
In one night like this.
In a while, In a while.
In a while.
Out at Tart, it's the cool base,
great outer patio and it's a great vibe.
All right, let the debauchery begin.
Oh, shit.
Yes.
Hey, what's up?
We rolled up my friend Alex was there waiting
for us.
Anar and Alex met at my wedding,
that's kind of a growing friendship.
These are my three favorite people in LA.
We need some drinks up in this bitch.
I think I'm gonna start with wine.
Mezcal.
Yeah?
Oh, sh Getting tequila,
it's a fucking Mezcal night.
Or, we could get a punch bowl.
No! No!
No punch bowls?
We can't start with a punch bowl!
We will leave hammered.
Yeah.
Their punch bowls are dangerous.
Maybe we are gonna do a punch bowl.
Punch bowls it is!
Ordered a big punch bowl.
So this is going to happen right now.
This is a small.
This is a half size.
Drinking out of the punch bowl is great.
You're constantly refilling your drink and
refilling a friend's drink.
You feel like you're at kind of a little party.
Let's get fucked up.
Ow, ow.
I chose Tart for
dinner because I love the food there.
Tart's American country goes to London and
has an affair in Paris.
So like a little bit of like Southern,
a lot of French technique, and
a little bit of spin off of the UK.
I was the chef of Tart for
about a year, before we open Saint Martha.
Brussel sprouts with a chili vinaigrette.
There's like a lime cream on the bottom and then,
sunny side egg.
It's like sexual.
Oh, my God.
So good.
Gonna get up, all up in this shit.
I think it's one of those places in LA that is
kind of hidden.
People don't really know about it for dinner.
It's an amazing brunch spot.
It's a party during the day and
at night it has one of the best patios, I think,
in the city.
The highlight for
me at Tart, were I think probably the pig ears.
So good, it's like chewy, cartilagey, meaty,
at the same time.
Oh my God, I went in like I loved the egg
in the truffle jar.
The flavors in the egg were very much
throw back to sort of French food.
But you know, it's egg, and truffle, and potato.
Oh damn, truffle and egg and love and
everything good about- I think there's bacon.
Oh yeah, there's a little bit of bacon in there.
I think he's trying to hide that from me.
It's very, very like comforting.
Oh, fuck me, here I go.
Gladly.