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The Trojans may have sacked the Bruins in their most recent football matchup, but when it comes to dining options near campus, UCLA has always edged out USC. Westwood Village is the Pleasure Island of college-adjacent dining, offering everything from the plebeian delights of hot dogs at the Stand and Diddy Riese’s ice cream sandwiches to the highbrow fare at Napa Valley Grille. USC's University Village, in contrast, boasts little more than a food court with “international” stalls that tend toward the greasy.
But the tide may well be turning in this cross-town rivalry, at least enough to make SC a contender in a foodie head-to-head with UCLA. 2008 saw a good deal of activity on campus, with the launch of a monthly farmers market and the opening of the Lot Marketplace dining area, complete with a noodle bar and a Wolfgang Puck Express. Off campus, the Venetian-themed wine/small plates bar Bacaro L.A. took up residence on Union Avenue. The old, frumpy Sizzler on Figueroa shut down, soon to be replaced by the Lab, a gastropub. And the cheesy lounge standby Brandy's Restaurant, in the lobby of the Radisson Hotel, has gotten a face-lift and re-emerged as swank-striving McKay's.
It's appropriate that the linchpin in USC's dining renaissance is named after one of the winningest coaches in USC football history. John McKay led the Trojans to victory over UCLA 10 out of 15 years during his tenure in the 1960s and ’70s. Fittingly, the walls at McKay's are adorned with the coach’s photos and memorabilia, not to mention flat-screens tuned to the most current game.
There's a real pro in the kitchen too. The American menu with flashes of Asian and Mediterranean influence was created by Andrew Bice, who previously cooked at Aubergine in Newport Beach and Daniel Boulud Brasserie in Las Vegas—which means the price point for entrees in the dining room can run as high as the score of the game ($15-$34). Throw in appetizers ($9-$12), salads ($7-$8) and drinks, and you'll see why McKay's is an ideal place to take your parents when they visit for homecoming (as long as daddy's footing the bill). On a recent visit, the ahi-tuna-tartar appetizer—with avocado, mango and cucumber, plus wasabi mousse and ponzu—was a total touchdown, while the ho-hum pan-roasted Jidori chicken with soggy quince-hazelnut stuffing and overcooked broccoli rabe was a bit of a fumble.
But the lounge at McKay's offers some decidedly tasty yet more reasonably priced options in a setting that's funkier than the sit-down dining room. Get over the Muzak and grab a spot on one of the low-slung leather couches near the ultramod fireplace (gas flames dance atop crushed glass—a cool illusion), where you can schmooze with Marshall School of Business students gathering for their weekly cocktail mixer. For only $5, you can score a lounge quesadilla— filled with Vermont white cheddar, feta, white truffle oil and warm tomato-and-caramelized-onion marmalade—or Caesar prosciutto rolls stuffed with hard-boiled quail eggs. For heartier post-game appetites, there's also a burger with truffle fries ($13) and lamb lollipops with daikon-carrot slaw ($10).
McKay's is also offering room service for guests staying at the Radisson, which sounds pretty standard until you realize that the third through sixth floors of the hotel are actually used as dorm rooms (the university’s answer to a dearth of space). So, if you’re one of the select few undergrads “roughing it” in the Radisson, why not have the kitchen send up the fried Mediterranean olive medley, Yukon Gold gnocchi and Black Russian crème brûlée to complement the kegger? The arrival of McKay’s may yet give new credence to the school’s rep as the University of Spoiled Children.
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