The restaurant is located right in the heart of Culver City's developing area, next to several other new/trendy restaurants, all of which seem to keep quite busy. Given that it was a beautiful cool sunny day, we decided to eat outside, which was filled with metal tables and chairs. I didn't really get a feel for what the atmosphere was like inside; it seemed kind of dark and there was a long bar along the left side, but without having stayed inside for more than a minute or two, it's really difficult to state more than my initial impressions.
The menu at Ford's Filling Station focuses on American cuisine, much of what I'd consider to be in the vein of comfort food with a twist. There were a number of daily specials, but I suspect that because it was a weekend they were all breakfast foods (an example on the twist was the Kobe Hash that was on the special menu that day). The menu itself is rather small; I am under the impression that at Ford's Filling Station they would rather do a few dishes quite well than offer a wide variety of mediocre dishes. In fact, the alcohol menu was larger than the food menu.
For some reason, I had an odd craving for Fish and chips. I'm not a big fan of the dish in general, but that was what I honed in on when I saw the menu so I figured I would go with my instinct. While the dish satisfied my craving, I kind of wish I had ordered something else, just to get a better feel for Ford's Filling Station by tasting a signature dish rather than something I could have almost anywhere. In fact, I probably would have given it a higher rating if I had had another dish. The Fish and Chips was served in a small tin bucket - a small helping of fries, one onion ring, 2 fried and breaded pieces of asparagus, 2 carrots, and 3 pieces of breaded and fried fish. I really liked that it was served that way, I thought it was quite original. I also liked the variety of food that came in the bucket. And although fried, it wasn't the heavy greasy kind of fried - although it tasted nothing like tempura, I would compare the method of preparation more akin to that type of frying as I didn't feel overwhelmed by the grease. The fish was great - well flavored and very tender. The accoutrements were also prepared in the same fashion. I really enjoyed the fries. The asparagus was an interesting idea, but I could take it or leave it; the breading almost felt unnecessary. My sister ordered an eggplant sandwich, which looked great. It came with a very healthy portion of Burrata cheese and something that resembled salsa on top. It also included a small side of potato salad.
The food was good, but at Ford's Filling Station, good food doesn't necessarily come cheap. I felt the portions were a big small for the price; not that I needed more fish or my sister needed a bigger piece of eggplant, but that perhaps the side dishes could have been a bit larger. You're definitely paying for quality over quantity here. The next time I go, I would order a dinner salad or an appetizer to have with my meal, and I think that would leave me perfectly satisfied.
Ford's Filling Station
9531 Culver Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90232
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