Rutts in Culver City

I've eaten here before and there's always a nostalgic Hawaiian feel here. The beef stew is amazing but I saw Lau LAu on the specials board so I ordered it.

Oh oh, wasn't great. First, you have to appreciate what it takes to make a lau lau. It's primarily pokr or chicken with a butter fish or something like a butter fish with greens wrapped in a taro leaf. Then it's steamed. Now, you don't make one lau lau. Usually, you have a team of people making a big batch, not unlike a tamale making party. Then, you freeze them and steam them as you want the. However, if you wrap them in plastic or put them in a zip lock bag, there's the danger of freezer burn, i.e. maybe the bag rips or the zip lock is not closed perfectly, etc. I think that's what happened here. The green wrap of the lau lau was brittle when it should be moist. The meat inside was hard and not tender. The main flavor was salt and not the buttery savor between the fish and the pork.

Regardless, I love Rutts. It's a great place and the staff is awesome but beware of these details when ordering laulau.

Rutts at 12114 Washington Blvd LA CA 90066, 310-398-6326