Birthday dinners are always extra special. Since we’re going out to celebrate, we tend to get a little more dressed up, and more importantly… we usually order extra food and drinks!
I asked Jade (my nephew Cody’s girlfriend) where we could take her for a birthday dinner and her only choice was Ford’s Filling Station. Cody has EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) training on wednesday nights (the day of her birthday) so unfortunately he couldn’t join us for dinner.
Our family loves Jade so much that we now introduce her as our “niece”. She looks nothing like me (Japanese/Scottish), so we joke that she’s from my husband Peter’s side of the family (he’s Danish/English).
Jade is from a small town in Tennessee, and has the cutest accent to prove it. I love going out to dinner with her because she LOVES food (almost as much as I do). She’s a tiny thing which makes me want to smack her once in a while (kidding!).
Food is always a major topic when we get together with Jade and Cody, and I know that’s one of the happy bonds that keep them together.
What we ate:

Fried Ipswich Clams, Flatbread with Four Cheeses.

Flatbread with Burrata, Herb Pesto, Leeks and Bacon

Pub Burger (with extra Bacon and Mushrooms), Onion Rings.

Flat Iron Steak, Roasted Fennel Mashed Potatoes, Buttered English Peas.

Crispy Flattened Chicken, Roasted Corn Succotash, Mashed Potatoes, Lemon Garlic Confit .

Jermaine (our super cute and nice server) and birthday girl, Jade.

Two Peaches! Peach Cobbler & Jade.
Dinner was fantastic and so were the drinks. I had a Jalapeño Margarita that I definitely need to recreate at home since my garden is blooming with jalapeños!
Ford’s Filling Station
http://www.fordsfillingstation.net
Address: 9531 Culver Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 202-1470











hi Jo,
i’m so excited to discover your site, i wished i’d found you sooner! i love your writing and your reviews and your photographs…
i was just watching Andrew Zimmer’s episode on LA and Ben Ford’s food…so i’ll have to keep this bookmarked for the next time we visit.
thank you, now i have to look for your videos!