Southern Classic 'Low Country Boil': New Westside Weekend Feast

CULVER CITY, CA — For y'all cravin down-home Southern eats, or just a break from routine meals, get your fix on weekends in Culver City.

Courtesy of its Southern-raised chef, Hatchet Hall on West Washington Boulevard has added a "low country boil" to Saturday and Sunday afternoons at its expanded, backyard dining space.

There are "seafood boils," like crawfish and Louisiana varieties, and then there are "low country boils," with the differences being ingredients and spices, according to Hatchet Hall owner and Executive Chef Brian Dunsmoor.

Old-school cooks and fans may know the low country version by its original moniker, "Frogmore Stew," based on its roots from the tiny town of Frogmore, that formerly existed on St. Helena Island near Beaufort, S.C., between Charleston, S.C. and Savannah, Ga. — the middle of "Low Country," he said.

Dunsmoor, who said low county boils were a fixture at his birthday parties when he was a kid in Georgia, now is sharing the tradition with diners in the West L.A. region.

At Hatchet Hall, the dish is crafted from a liquid base with onions, garlic, thyme, chili flakes, bay leaves, hot sauce, lemon halves and ample spice mix, a proprietary recipe made in-house based off the legendary Old Bay. After the base is cooked for a few hours, added are potatoes, corn and smoked sausage, shipped in from a Virginia smokehouse. Finally mixed in: boiler onions and Gulf shrimp. The feast is then plated on sheet pans and finished with drawn butter, "low country" spices and parsley.

And heads up, boil diners: Be prepared to get messy!

"It’s meant to be eaten with your hands, and we’re cooking the boils outside in the parking lot, just like they’d do in the south," Dunsmoor added.

Hatchet Hall is located at 12517 W. Washington Blvd. The low country boil is offered for walk-in patrons Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., or until sold out. The dish is $24 per person, plus wine, buckets of beer and frozen margaritas by the glass and pitcher also are available.

Follow this link to view the eatery's hours, regular menu and takeout options.

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