For a place called Hal’s Bar and Grill, this Venice restaurant has a chic, chilled-out, un-March-Madness atmosphere. It’s spacious, not too noisy (at least at lunch time) and offers lovely wines and signature cocktails –

Plus, Hal’s gets its veggies locally from Scarborough Farms in Oxnard — The same place the very green Tender Greens in Culver City gets its salad stuffs. So that’s where I suggested to Meg that we meet for lunch today; the Big Blue Bus’ line 2 dropped me off practically at Hal’s doorstep.

Along with a couple glasses of chardonnay, I had a fresh and pretty grilled tuna salad, medium rare with grilled zucchini and eggplant and new potatos on a bed of baby red romaine, Belgian endive, and Boston lettuces. The lemon butter sauce with tomato and oregano almost had me licking the plate –

But I held back and ordered dessert — a yummy apple pie a la mode, in celebration of pi day.

Meg had been there for drinks a couple years ago, so I might just have to drop by for happy hour sometime soon. Hal’s website says live jazz happens every Sunday and Monday night — with no cover charge. If only the BBB line 2 ran later than 10:30-ish…

Hal’s Bar and Grill. 1349 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice. 310.396.3105. M-F, 11:30 am to 2 am, Sa-Su, 10 am to 2 am.

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