Ladyface Ale Companie / Alehouse & Brasserie – Lunch May 1, 2017

My brother, his wife and my 2 nephews live about 10 minutes as the crow flies from Ladyface Alehouse. I met owner Cyrena Nouzille at the LA Weekly Burgers and Beer event a few days prior where they made one of my favorites of the day, lamb burgers. She let me come in a do a tasting a few days after that event. Boy was I in for some great down home food and house made beers to match. It is a very friendly scene. If you lived close by you would want to be a regular. What a find, just down the street from my brothers in Agoura, I am truly hooked.

Named after Ladyface Mountain, with all park lands around the restaurant, and the Santa Monica Mountains right out the window. Ladyface Ale Companie is a brewery and restaurant, with award-winning Ales, hand-crafted on-site seasonally-inspired European bistro-style menu. It has a full bar, outdoor patio, with scenic views. August 8th will be 8 years that they have been in business.

The interior is very rustic and interesting, exposed air ducts, ceiling fans, long tables and communal benches. Long full bar with 2 flat screen TV’s for sports viewing. You can tell that Ladyface is close to the beach with all of its funky charm. It is off of Kanan Road, 12 miles to the beach from Agoura. The gorgeous ladies on the walls are painted by owner Cyrena Nouzille’s mother, each one a true masterpiece. The music also helps to make the atmosphere fun and lively with Blues, Country and Classic Rock.

The retail store is filled with lots of fun goodies, included jewelry made by Cyrena with recycled bottle caps. She grew up in the gift business so her merchandising came very easy, filled with food products, t-shirts, hats, etc. You can find something to take home with you for sure!

Her husband Jean-Luc was born in Paris and they lived there for a while. When Cyrena opened Ladyface she wanted to reflect French food in its simplicity and beauty.

Ladyface caters to tourists checking out the local beer scene. There is much completion in this area with 5 local breweries. They also have lots of bicyclist that stop in after a long ride for a much deserved Ale of their choice, and believe me there are lots to choose from. The concept is really terrific with all of its house made ales’ and brasserie type food, a delicious treat for your eyes and soul.

Accolades include: L.A. Weekly 2012 & 2013 Best Brewery in Los Angeles, RateBeer.com Best Brewpub 2011 & 2012 (Ranked Top 20 in the world, 4th in California.), Agoura Hills’ 2015 Business of the Year, Senator Fran Pavely awarded Ladyface as the California 27th District’s Small Business of the Year.

Here’s What I Tried:

Starters and Sides:

Sweet potato fries, they give you lots of sweet fries in your order, they are not greasy, and they seem to be a pretty healthy pleasure.

French onion soup beer stock, with toasted sourdough, and Gruyère cheese. It has a very robust flavor, except for the cheese I am told is totally vegetarian, so a truly great option.

Salads:

The New Salad & Gluten-free, with frisée lettuce and baby spinach, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, dried cranberries, shaved parsnips, candied pecans, and sage-cider vinaigrette. This is a basic and simple salad, but it’s great for the health conscious customer.

Duck Confit, with frisée lettuce, arugula, figs, bacon, sherry vinaigrette, and a sunny-side up free-range egg. OK, this is my new drug of choice. The egg oozes its yoke all over the duck and the lettuce with just the right amount of vinaigrette. Wow what a delicious salad.

Small Plates to Share:

Oysters, on the half shell, with Ladyface ale mignonette. Surprisingly these oysters were super fresh and tasted like the sea.

Mac and Cheese, with salt and vinegar, potato chip crust, everything you would want in a mac and cheese and more.

Sandwiches:

Grilled Sausage, with house-made bierwurst (made w/ Ladyface ale), soft roll, jardinier greens. They make their sausages daily, if you’re a sausage lover then you got to try this dish and of course pair it with the ale of your choice.

The Ladyface Burger, dry-aged, grass-fed, free-range beef, caramelized onions, bacon, fried egg, brioche bun, cheddar, and greens. What a burger, first of all it is huge, hard to fit in your mouth but the combination of all the things that go on this burger will just make you want to come back for more.

Larger Plates:

Moules-Frites, with Pacific Northwest Mediterranean mussels, grilled baguette, Pommes Frites. The mussels have loads of flavor and a nice rich broth; this is a very French dish.

Bouillabaisse, with lobster and potato broth, broiled local rock cod, shellfish, grilled baguette, and Rouille. The presentation is amazing; all of the fish is fresh and delightful. The sauce or broth is equally delicious.

Ales:

LA Blonde, 5.3% ABV, Belgian-style blond ale

LA Grisette, 5.3% ABV, Belgian farmhouse wheat

Picture City Porter no growlers, 6.9% ABV, American Robust Coffee Porter (Nitro), Silver Medal, 2011 Los Angeles International Beer Competition

Eclectic Ales seasonal and special releases:

Cataclysm IPA no growlers, 10.6% ABV, Imperial Oatmeal IPA

Each ale is very unique with its different characteristics. If you’re an ale connoisseur then you really need to try out many of their fantastic house made ales

Chardonnay, Canyon Road, California, this is a very buttery wine that went great with any of the seafood dishes.

Zinfandel, Rancho Zabaco, California, this wine has lots of berry goodness and would work with any of the meat dishes.

Ladyface Ale Companies is the Conejo Valley’s first microbrewery creating hand-crafted, award-winning ales on-site, including innovative, globally-inspired seasonal and barrel-aged releases for its brewpub and other craft beer establishments throughout Southern California. Ladyface Alehouse & Brasserie features its ales in many recipes with a menu rooted in French/Belgian country dishes with American tavern classics.

I really can’t say enough about my experience, it was warm, inviting with everything really delicious that I tried. I am so glad that I have my new go to restaurant in Agoura Hills.

Ladyface Alehouse & Brasserie
‪29281 Agoura Rd
Agoura Hills, CA 91301-2597
http://www.ladyfaceale.com
* Note some content was taken off of their website

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