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Gravlax
12400 W. Washington. Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90066
(310) 390-9463
www.gravlaxla.com

Some things are worth the wait: a pint of perfectly poured Guinness, this summer's OutKast reunion and the day that the "Murder, She Wrote" reboot finally gets the green light.

Also on that list of anticipation-builders is Gravlax, a long awaited Culver City bar that opened a few weeks ago and serves up Scandinavian-Turkish bar snacks alongside a beer-and-wine list.

Like a Norseman's dream of Valhalla, the interior has a Viking warship vibe, with aqua-hued palette benches, weathered wooden beer barrels, artfully distressed wood long tables, and a majestic reindeer mural that easily cracks the list of top five best reindeer murals in Los Angeles. Local art will also be exhibited on the walls, providing a counter viewpoint to the adjacent wall depicting a bear catching his fresh salmon dinner.

More: E.S.P. Eat. See. Play. Los Angeles

As a model of international cooperation, the menu at this wine-and-beer focused bar combines two seemingly opposite cuisines into a unified list of Turkish and Scandinavian bar snacks – like beet tabbouleh or open-faced sandwiches topped with the namesake house-cured salmon and dill, white bean puree with roasted asparagus, or organic ricotta with marinated cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.

More: Best Neighborhood Bars in LA: Culver City

Pull up a stool at the long curved bar to quench your thirst – but be warned, there won't be any "creative" cocktails that use salmon-infused aquavit with dill reduction, just a list of Malbecs, Gruner Veltliners and Cote du Rhones from the Old World, plus craft brews like Ballast Point's Big Eye IPA, Firestone's Pivo Hoppy Pilsner and Grandma's Pecan Brown Ale from the Dudes' Brewing Co.

Now if only you could get your hands on Thor's hammer...

By Arielle Sachar

Arielle Sachar writes and edits E.S.P. Eat. See. Play. lifestyle content for CBS Los Angeles.