Culver City's Blue Door Theater Marches On

If you’re looking for a unique theatrical experience, look no further than Culver City’s Blue Door. CRE Outreach presents the World Premiere of MARCHING ON, written and performed by military veterans from the Veterans Empowerment Theater. Directed by Greg Shane, this production augments the heartfelt stories of several veterans who have journeyed through the military and live to share their challenges afterwards.

For many, buried memories are unleashed as they recall their trials and tribulations of assimilating back into society, enduring family problems and substance abuse. The stories are poignant. They are real.

The performers are all to be commended for their honesty and treatment of these delicate topics. I was particularly impressed with Irene Cruz, whose dry authoritarian nature seemed especially believable.

MARCHING ON plays from July 13-22 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm.

The Blue Door has partnered with several local restaurants, to add to your enjoyment. Receive a 10% discount by showing your ticket receipt.

This evening we enjoyed the authentic Casa Oaxaca, next door to the theater. This place is a hospitable staple to the Venice Blvd. dining scene, helmed by the charming Rogelio Martinez, who has operated the restaurant for about four years.

Unlike many trendy restaurants in the area, Casa Oaxaca takes you back to simpler times, where authentic food, large portions and a homey atmosphere take center stage. Indigenous to the area of Oaxaca are flavorful mole sauces, fresh herbs, dried chiles, quesillo and handmade corn tortillas.

One of the more memorable dishes was the Molcajete Oaxaqueno, dense with pork, chicken, chorizo, cactus, jalapeno chili and other ingredients. Parts of this dish have a bit of heat, but tamer palates won’t cringe.

On the lighter side was their Tacos de Jamaica, a refreshing vegetarian dish with hibiscus flowers sautéed in red wine.

For ambitious eaters, there are even grasshoppers on the menu, folded into one of the entrées. They are quite small, so you won’t find them unless you explore a bit. They were a bit too spicy for me, although my dining companion chowed down on their zesty flavor.

Don’t forget to save room for dessert! You can’t resist the Platanos Flameados con Mezcal, fried bananas cooked with mescal and orange juice.

We look forward to enjoying this place again, perhaps to try some fish and seafood!

The Blue Door

9617 Venice Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232

(310) 902-8220

CRE Outreach

11777 San Vicente Blvd. Suite 502

L.A. 90049

www.CreOutreach.org

(310) 902-8220

Casa Oaxaca

9609 Venice Blvd.

Culver City, 90232

(310) 838-3000