It’s a new Culver City

* How a previously industrial area in Culver City morphed into the latest gallery hotspot.

The chefs are coming -- and so are the bakers, wine bars, foodies, cafes. Culver City is hot.

AT Fraiche in Culver City, duck rillettes arrive formed into fat cubes lined up in a row next to cheerful dots of mustard aioli, each one smaller than the one before.

* Santa Maria BBQ’s spice-rubbed meats stand out. And don’t miss the tri-tip chili.

* The Culver City Dub Collective enlists some heavy hitters on its debut album, ‘Dos.’

| This is the first in an occasional series of walking tours that The Times’ architecture critic will be taking with writers, artists, designers and others who see the L.A. cityscape in unusual or provocative ways.On an L.A. wavelength* To urban blogger Geoff Manaugh, what sets the city apart is its history and status-free status.

Local standouts

Above the clamor and out of sight

* Urban style, low dues draw young buyers to nonsprawling condo complexes