LA's Hot for Josie By Joel Chusid Less than a year old, Josie has found a following in the West LA/Santa Monica area.   This restaurant, named after Chef Josie LeBalch, is a lively place, with a casual, yet elegant atmosphere. It's lively, but quiet enough for normal conversation. The waitstaff is helpful and personable.  The small bar, located somewhat unusually in the rear, features a selection of unusual liquors including some domestic vodkas that I had never heard of, yet were excellent. The cuisine is American, with French and Italian influences as I was told. Wild game was a feature along with a variety of seafood. We started with the heirloom salad, a good-sized plate of greens with a tangy balsamic dressing, and then progressed to entrees. One of our party tried the elk chop served with garlic mashed potatoes, which was tender and not at all gamey, but tasted like beef. Another had tender scallops, and I went for the grilled rack of lamb with a marmalade onion potato tart and grilled radiccio. The lamb and tart were excellent, but the radiccio was a little too bitter for my taste. Texas wild boar and Millbrook Farm venison were also offered and for the seafood entrees, cod "tagine style", trout cooked in a cast iron pan, halibut on artichoke hash were featured. For dessert, we went for the pumpkin walnut bread pudding with brown sugar ice cream. The wine list was extensive, but on this visit we opted to choose another beverage. There's a website, complete with photos, menus, reviews, and even a place to send messages....www.josierestaurant.com Josie Restaurant 2424 Pico Blvd. (at 24th St.) Santa Monica, CA 90405 310.581.9888 _________ Joel Chusid is a bon vivant, world traveler and former Vice President of Sales and Marketing for American Eagle.  He is constantly in search of the finest food and wine experience around the globe. Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com Copyright © 1998 Inter Active Media Solutions. All Rights Reserved. The interactive components of this site require that you use a current browser version of Explorer; be sure to maximize your window out so you can see the entire page. This page was created by Inter Active Media Solutions.