Etta had a decent write-up recently. On my list to try for lunch soon. Wise Sons Deli also recently opened in the old Baco location which would make a good breakfast/brunch option.

Culver City is a very central location - that is why HBO along with Amazon and Apple's entertainment production arms have recently setup shop there. And the Sony Pictures lot is on the west end of downtown. But of course in LA "central" generally means getting to places with a car. The Culver City Expo line station was built about a 10 minute walk to the east from downtown Culver City where many of the existing restaurants are/were. Development has been filling in between downtown and the station -- but that is why you can still find a strip mall like the one with the Del Taco right next to a nice new development like Ivy Station. Venice Blvd is also the border between Culver City and Los Angeles so you have very different things happening on each side of the road.

In addition to the restaurants mentioned, you are pretty close (7 min uber) to N/Naka (which has reopened) and Vespertine (10 min walk - currently take-out only) if you really want to blow it out for NYE.

LA is definitely an early NYE town -- we watch the ball drop at 9 PM afterall! But formal fireworks may make a return this year and often there are a lot of informal ones going off -- which you would probably have a decent view of from the rooftop.

I have always wondered when the hotels would start opening in Culver City. I think it is as good a place as any to stay as anywhere else. And between the Expo Line to downtown or Santa Monica and short uber rides you probably do not need a car.