Point Break: The Champagne Snow Cone

BY TAMARA PALMER

I was kindly invited to try dinner on the lovely outdoor patio at Nic’s on Beverly, the plant-based restaurant opened by Roxy Theatre and Monty’s Good Burger owner Nic Adler over the summer in Beverly Grove, and experienced a very unexpected highlight.

The menu balances comfort foods such as several vegan versions of Detroit-style pizza with plant-based takes popular Los Angeles dishes. We made a meal out of the avocado crispy rice with ponzu, citrus and cilantro (a remix of the near-ubiquitous spicy tuna with crispy rice dish that is so beloved in Southern California), the Chinois on Beverly salad (a take on the classic Chinois on Main Chinese chicken salad sans chicken) and an original Detroit pizza with almond parm, tomato, oregano and a side of ranch.

Avocado crispy rice

Chinois on Beverly salad

Original Detroit-style pizza

While I’m not an avid drinker in general, I found that the most delightful part of the meal was being able to sip on a Champagne snow cone named after the classic 1991 Keanu Reeves movie Point Break on that wonderful patio. The Point Break has Champagne, St. George Absinthe, Roku Japanese Gin, lime and mint.

The drink menu isn’t on the website so this was a total surprise when we got there, and something the restaurant might want to consider playing up more, since it is strong enough to tempt someone who usually orders mocktails (and stays pretty far away from absinthe).

The Point Break

Nic’s on Beverly, 8265 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles