Dining LA 2022

TASTY DELIGHTS: OUR INDISPENSABLE GUIDE TO THE CITY’S BEST EATS

NEW & NOTABLE RESTAURANTS

THE RETURN OF CHEF

JOSÉ ANDRÉS + CULINARY STARS WHO GIVE L.A. ITS SPARK

WORLD-CLASS FLAVORS AND SIGNATURE FAVORITES

From Michelin star chefs to mixology masters. From taco Tuesdays to morning macchiatos. Whatever you crave, you'll find it at the corner of 3rd & La Cienega, on the ground floor of Beverly Center.

4 WHERE TO EAT NOW

Alice Water’s first Southern California restaurant; Gusto Green brings hemp to the L.A. scene; bold flavors transporting diners to glamourous, far-away places; and elegant Japanese cuisine with a slyly decadent twist.

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TASTY DELIGHTS

Fancy potato pancakes, food shops to help you picnic in style, and delicious wines from obscure grapes.

20 THE PLAYERS

A snapshot of the culinary stars that make L.A. a city of angels—and a city of extremes.

EDITED BY MICHAEL WALKER

INCOMING

Chef José Andrés is opening three new restaurants, including the highly anticipated Bazaar Meat, in downtown’s Conrad Hotel.

BY JOEL STEIN PAGE 24

WAG THE DOG

Tail o’ the Pup used to be L.A.’s most beloved (and eccentric) hot dog joint. Now, after years in deep storage, the Pup’s famous 17-foot wiener is taking WeHo by storm.

BY ALISON MARTINO PAGE

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THE HOT LIST

Our constantly updated round-up of L.A.’s most essential eateries.

PAGE 55

ASK CHRIS

Los Angeles is a doughnut town. So why is Dunkin’ so late to the game? Why is that restaurant at the airport called the Theme Building? Is that vegan Mexican restaurant in WeHo, Gracias Madre, related to the one in San Francisco?

BY CHRIS NICHOLS PAGE

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A LATKE GOING ON Sqirl’s 11-inch latke tot.

new restaurant, Lulu.

The Art of the Meal

WITH THEIR NEW RESTAURANT LULU, FOOD LEGENDS ALICE WATERS AND DAVID TANIS BRING BEAUTIFUL DISHES TO THE HAMMER

BY HEATHER PLATT

THE HOTTEST THING to see at the Hammer these days isn’t in the galleries; it’s in the restaurant space. Farm-to-table pioneer Alice Waters shines at Lulu, her firstever Los Angeles eatery, in the museum.

“Lulu will fully engage the senses of everyone who comes to experience this beautiful intersection of art, food, and learning,” Waters gushes. “A dining experience at Lulu is about opening up the senses and experiencing life.”

Waters isn’t the only marquee name of the new venture. The restaurant is a collaboration between her and famed cookbook author David Tanis. Tanis, who is well-known for his New York Times cooking column, worked at Waters’s seminal Berkeley restaurant, Chez Panisse, on and o for nearly 25 years. He left in 2011, moving to New York to focus on developing and writing his own recipes. Now he’s come back to

California to reunite with Waters and run the Lulu kitchen.

“I’m having a lot of fun with the L.A. farmers’ markets,” says Tanis, who is taking great pains to source almost all ingredients from small, local farms that practice regenerative, organic agriculture. “That’s important to us; it’s a way to help mitigate the climate crisis.”

Lulu o ers an ever-changing, daily, threecourse lunch and a limited supper menu on select evenings. At a recent lunch, the prix fixe began with crisp romaine leaves in a balanced, creamy anchovy dressing. A main-course chicken thigh came exactingly braised in a comforting broth with polenta, wild mushrooms, and tiny turnips. A lemon tart with a dusting of lime zest and a dollop of crème fraîche made for a bright ending.

It’s food that’s simple but perfectly sourced and prepared —and reminiscent of Chez Panisse. But Tanis hopes to diverge from the famous restaurant’s European-leaning approach and represent more of L.A.’s diverse cuisines.

“We look at the whole project as being experimental,” he says. “Even though we all know how to run a restaurant, and we’ve worked in restaurants for years, we’re trying new ways to be a restaurant.”

10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood, hammer.ucla.edu/restaurant.

New & Notable

Tokki

KOREATOWN

● Chef Sunny Jang, whose résumé includes the acclaimed Quince in San Francisco, is in the kitchen at this ambitious modern Korean restaurant. Fried rice cakes mingle with both Korean gochujang sauce and Spanish manchego cheese. Kalbi steak comes with tru e aioli. 3465 W. 6th St., tokki-la.com.

Vinovore

EAGLE ROCK

● The beloved Silver Lake wine store has a new location. Bottles from female winemakers are on o er, as are sandwiches from Otoño, sourdough doughnuts from Gemini Bakehouse, and co ee from Canyon Co ee. 4627 York Blvd., vinovore.com.

Ramen Nagi

CENTURY CITY

● One of Japan’s most popular ramen chains has opened its first SoCal outpost, in the Century City mall. The classic tonkatsu is the bowl to order. 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Ste. 2850, ramennagiusa.com.

SEASONAL GREETINGS

Bowls of fresh local fruit on reclaimed-wood tables set the mood at Alice Waters and David Tanis’s

ZEST FOR LIFE

Lulu’s dishes, like this lemon tart, are defined by a meticulous simplicity and commitment to local farms.

Gusto Green’s crispy hemp leaf appetizer won’t get you high, but it will expand your plant awareness.

Stirring the Pot

GUSTO GREEN INFUSES HEART AND HEMP INTO L.A.’S FOOD SCENE

BY HEATHER PLATT

GUSTO GREEN opened downtown in January to a fair bit of buzz. Its chef, Michael Magliano, had worked under some of the country’s top toques at a succession of A-list eateries from the French Laundry to Craft to Animal on Fairfax, and the plant-forward menu at the expansive new space reflected his eclectic egalitarian cuisine, catering to herbivores and carnivores alike and assiduously avoiding allergens for all. But there was one plant he seemed particularly fond of: a hemp leaf at the top of the menu, served in a crispy, chickpea-flour, gluten-free crust.

Though hemp-positive principles took center stage under Magliano, the other food and drinks were the stars. Standouts included his hamachi crudo and stinging-nettle agnolotti. Alongside the substantial list of nonalcoholic cocktails, boozier drinks like the Trampoline, a tropical mix of mezcal, green chartreuse, lime, and pineapple, tasted like the Riviera Maya.

But even cannabis-inspired eateries aren’t immune to a little bad buzz. A month into opening, Magliano left the venture over creative di erences with founder Janet Zuccarini (of Venice hotspot Felix Trattoria fame). Zuccarini says Gusto Green will retain the seeds of the star chef’s vision but will o er a “broader and more accessible selection of menu items and choices”—a selection less “chef-y,” and more suited to the eatery’s 200seat size.

“I wanted to create this restaurant that is focused on health and is plant-forward,” says Zuccarini. “And giving you an option to eat in a way that is like the Mediterranean diet.”

Zuccarini will keep the drink menu, plant focus, and the pasture-raised chicken and sustainably raised or wild salmon, as well as expanded o erings from salads to seafood crudo to pizzas made with locally milled, gluten-free grains. The allergen-free menu stays too. “We’re taking care of your health, and you’re not going to know it,” she says.

Though Gusto Green is in search of a new chef, the hemp leaf and its ability to raise awareness will stay. Located in the Green Street Building, where 50 of the top cannabis brands coexist, the restaurant donates $1 of every leaf sold to the People’s Pottery Project, which employs formerly incarcerated people in the LGBTQ community.

718 S. Hill St., 323-218-0294, gusto.green.

New & Notable

Cento Pasta Bar

WEST ADAMS

● Avner Levi’s thrilling pasta menu o ers surprising appetizers like cauliflower with Castelvetrano olives, Marcona almonds, Cara Cara oranges, and golden raisins, but Levi’s talents extend to hearty entrées like braised short ribs over creamy polenta.

4921 W. Adams Blvd., centopasta.com.

Angelini Ristorante

PACIFIC PALISADES

● Chef Gino Angelini has taken his Italian osteria to the Westside in partnership with Amici Brentwood’s Tancredi Deluca. The Maine lobster salad with pomegranate seeds and citrus dressing and the classic service (branzino filleted tableside, anyone?) recall the Beverly Blvd. location, only now with patio seating and an ocean breeze.

1038 N. Swarthmore Ave., angelinipalisades.com.

Pearl River Deli

CHINATOWN

● Chef Johnny Lee’s Cantonese comfort food moves to Chinatown’s Central Plaza, where his famous Hainan chicken rice joins rotating specials like the orange-chicken fried sandwich, nutty sesame dandan noodles, and char siu spare ribs.

935 Mei Ling Way, @prd_la.

GREEN MIND

Lost in Spice

TWO ACCOMPLISHED CHEFS WANTED THEIR TONY FRENCH RESTAURANT, CAMPHOR , TO TRANSPORT DINERS TO A GLAMOROUS, FAR-AWAY PLACE—PARIS MAYBE? SOUTH INDIA?

WHEREVER, YOU WON’T FIND FLAVORS LIKE THESE ANYWHERE ELSE IN L.A.

BY HEATHER PLATT

THE MAIN plan for this restaurant was to transport people,” says Max Boonthanakit, of the new Arts District bistro, Camphor, that he opened with Michelin-starred chef Lijo George. “Bistro” is an understatement, given the restaurant’s stunning minimalist interior and exquisitely prepared dishes, though Camphor is, at its core, a French bistro, however lofty and futuristic, where plump oysters are served in a bath of amaretto mignonette and the beef tartare comes with a side of tempura-fried herbs.

When guests enter the sleek, white-walled dining room, they’re met by hosts and servers dressed entirely in white. The feeling is tranquil and transportive, even a little disorienting—is this Los Angeles or Paris? Some tables are laden with steak au poivre and small cast-iron pots piled with frites. What appears to be a chocolate sou e floats on a tray through the dining room; in fact, it’s a chocolate meringue atop hazelnut ice cream, with marshmallows and toasted hazelnuts. Maybe Paris?

FRUITS

Boonthanakit, known locally for his work at the now-shuttered Nightshade and his famous chili crisp Boon

sauce, and George, met in 2020 while working at Alain Ducasse’s Blue in Bangkok. With Camphor, the two aim to bring something completely new to L.A.—that is, something distinctively not L.A.

“We were just trying to create our own flavor identity,” Boonthanakit says. “Because once you open up a restaurant anywhere in the world, you’re forced to use the ingredients that everyone else is using in the vicinity.” This is George’s first U.S. restaurant, and when he arrived in the city from abroad, Boonthanakit made a point of not taking him to the many wonderful restaurants in Los Angeles. “It was kind of beautiful to bring Lijo straight into the restaurant without trying foods from other places—just to keep ourselves focused.”

Regardless of the influence Los Angeles may or may not have on the two chefs’ cooking, Camphor’s access to the spices from George’s southern Indian homeland makes it stand out. “Every restaurant here has spices in their pantry,” Boonthanakit says, “but they don’t have spices from Kerala. They don’t have cardamom that smells like our cardamom. So our recipes will taste di erent, no matter what.”

923 E. 3rd St., Ste. 109, downtown, camphor-la.

Bar Maruno

SILVER LAKE

● Osteria Mozza alums Chris Feldmeier and David Roso have revived their muchlauded tapas spot, this time in Silver Lake. Meals typically start with Iberian tinned fish and are best paired with playful martinis.

3705 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake, barmoruno-la.com

Mes Amis

HOLLYWOOD

● With nods to Paris and Lyon by way of the nearby Hollywood Farmers’ Market, acclaimed chef Lincoln Carson creates a lively environment with upscale brasserie food and cocktails.

1541 Wilcox Ave., Hollywood, mesamisla.com.

N/soto

WEST ADAMS

● The pop-up from N/naka duo Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida-Nakayama, serving izakaya-inspired small plates (below) and mains like misobaked bone marrow, now has a permanent home in West Adams. 4566 W. Washington Blvd., West Adams, n-soto.com.

DE MER

Mussels with white wine and bacon at Boonthanakit and George’s Camphor.

N/SOTO: ALICIA CHO

Kyoto Vice

ON A FRIDAY night at Kodo¯, the new restaurant in the ryokan-style Kensho Rykn hotel downtown, every seat on the minimalist patio is booked. Overhead, traditionally dyed, earthcolored Japanese textiles sway. “The ones in the front are actually made from fermented persimmons called kakishibu,” explains Kensho Group owner David Wynn, pointing to the delicate hanging cloth.

Everything about the space—from the calming gray booths to the stark black walls— is invitingly serene. But don’t be fooled by the restaurant’s visual tranquility. The energy of Kodo¯, which translates to “heartbeat” in English, is intentionally boisterous.

“He wanted to do a true izakaya,” Wynn says of Kodo¯’s chef, Yoya Takahashi. Izakaya are informal Japanese bars that serve small dishes along with alcohol. “Yoya is from Kyoto, so he wanted to do something that wasn’t just all about morphing Japanese ingredients; he wanted to stay true to what a fun, Kyoto-style izakaya would be”—that is, an upbeat vibe and traditional Japanese bar fare.

A server o ers bright green tea, which is soon followed by a cocktail like the mezcal “margarita” with yuzu, lemon, and stone fruit on crushed ice and sprinkled with lime zest.

The food comes out fast and without pretense. A Caesar salad of Little Gem lettuce is blanketed with bonito flakes, a revelatory addition. The o -menu toro is served with a tangy cilantro sauce, minced tomato, and cucumber, and has the kind of fatty melt-inyour mouth quality you can’t forget (nor do you want to).

One of the most memorable examples of Kyoto-inspired izakaya food you might actually find in Japan is the Hakusai maki, which is spicy cod caviar in rice, wrapped in pickled napa cabbage and served with a shiso dressing. The combination of spicy roe, bright shiso, and sour cabbage awakens the palate.

The desserts by pastry chef Mami Yamamoto are not an afterthought. A bulbous scoop of shiso-leaf gelato sits in a cup of mandarin orange, strawberry, and kumquat gelatin. Cheesecake is soaked in sake and served alongside passion fruit sauce.

“We have a lot of di erent elements that embody traditional Japanese artistry and craftsmanship that are sprinkled all across the space,” says Wynn. But at its core, Kodo¯ is about the lively dining experience that chef Takahashi envisioned. “I can conceive and create and cultivate everything,” says Wynn, “But the food is the heartbeat.”

New & Notable

Asterid

DOWNTOWN

● At chef Ray Garcia’s sleek new restaurant in the Walt Disney Concert Hall, California cuisine meets Garcia’s knack for cooking inventive dishes like sunchoke rosti and chicken liver mousse with pickled onions and oranges.

141 S. Grand Ave., asteridla.com.

Causita

SILVER LAKE

● Ricardo Zarate’s Japanese-influenced Peruvian cooking now has a home in the heart of Silver Lake. Here, sushi-style fresh fish is served atop potatoes, and thick udon noodles arrive smothered in Peruvian pesto.

3709 Sunset Blvd., causita-la.com.

Pizzeria Sei

PICO-ROBERTSON

● Providence alum William Joo tosses his own take on Neapolitan pizzas at this tiny storefront. Lucky guests snag seats at the counter and watch as pies topped with whole olives, anchovies, and garlic bubble in the oven.

8781 W. Pico Blvd., pizzeriasei.com.

710 S. Santa Fe Ave., downtown, kodo.la.

YOYA TAKAHASHI’S KOD Ō SERVES UP ELEGANT JAPANESE CUISINE WITH A SLYLY DECADENT TWIST BY HEATHER PLATT

UNBROKEN

This tsukune—a chicken meatball —is served with a Jidori egg yolk.

Promised Land

A RESERVATION AT SAFFY’S, A SIMPLE MIDDLE-EASTERN RESTAURANT FROM THE OWNERS OF BESTIA AND BAVEL, IS LIKE AN INVITATION TO DINNER AT THEIR PLACE

BY HEATHER PLATT

IF YOU’RE lucky enough to snag a reservation at Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’s new Middle-Eastern restaurant, the host will likely call you on the phone to confirm. This is a foreshadowing of what’s to come: the kind of warm, welcoming service one can only hope for from a night out.

Sa y’s is set back from the street on a quiet corner in East Hollywood. Arrive early and have a cocktail like the Sour—a bright orange tangy mix of mezcal, pineapple, carrot, passionfruit, lime, and habanero—at a sidewalk table, and listen to the hosts kindly greeting every guest.

Inside, the space is as vibrant as the cocktail. Chef Menashe stands in front of the wood-burning oven overseeing the shawarma and lamb, pork, and chicken kebabs. For those familiar with Bestia or Bavel, this particular image of him with his back to diners and face to fire is iconic, and one wonders how he has managed to successfully clone himself yet again. But Menashe seems most comfortable at Sa y’s.

FAMILY-STYLE

Sa y’s is named after Menashe and Gergis’s eight-year-old daughter, Sa ron.

opening Bavel in 2018, he began dreaming of a falafel stand. “I had the craving to cook meats on skewers.”

Two years later, the couple found the perfect location. “Three or four weeks into the pandemic, we signed a lease, thinking that the pandemic was going to end, and it never did.”

Ultimately, Sa y’s is a full-service restaurant where diners pile into yellow banquettes to share beautiful plates of hummus dusted with smoked paprika, Lebanese pine nuts, green zhoug, and challah that the chef has recently perfected. “The challah was something that I baked probably 100 times before I said, ‘OK, this is the recipe.’ ” The meat-centric menu is rounded out with masterly sides like green falafel with tahini served atop puddles of beet zhoug and sprinkled with dill.

Keeping with the theme of simplicity, Gergis’s pastry menu is short and, well, sweet. “A fancy dessert is beautiful,” she says, “but what you really want at the end of the day is a strawberry shortcake.”

New & Notable Dono

SANTA MONICA

● At chef Brendan Collins’s new ode to the Iberian Peninsula, large plates of seafood paella and lamb shank tagine are best paired with gin and tonics by bar director Gabriella Mlynarcyk.

2460 Wilshire Blvd., donorestaurant.com.

Mandolin Taverna

DOWNTOWN

● The first L.A. outpost of Miami’s Mandolin Aegean Bistro, this coastal Mediterraneanstyle eatery, with its sprawling garden space, is a lovely place to eat Turkish- and Greekinfluenced dishes like zucchini-squash blossom flatbreads with pistachio tahini.

1000 S. Santa Fe Ave., mandolinmiami.com.

Mother Tongue

WEST HOLLYWOOD

● This eatery inside a fitness club uses healthy ingredients to create international comfort food. It’s all cooked by Michael Mina with immense flavor.

960 N. La Brea Ave., hellomothertongue.com.

“We just wanted to bring the guests into our home,” he says.

Menashe admits that six months into

“I think food is what brings everyone together,” adds Menashe. “And this food is cooked to make people happy.”

4845 Fountain Ave., East Hollywood, sa ysla.com.

STEPHANIE IZARD

HOST OF DINNER IS HARD WITH STEPHANIE IZARD

Stephanie Izard is a highly acclaimed chef having won Bravo’s Top Chef (2008), Food & Wine “Best New Chef” (2011), James Beard “Best Chef: Great Lakes” (2013), and Food Network’s Iron Chef Gauntlet (2017).

Izard is executive chef and owner of multiple restaurants both in Chicago (Girl & the Goat, Little Goat, Duck Duck Goat, Cabra, and Sugargoat) and in L.A. (Girl & the Goat and Cabra). She created This Little Goat, a retail brand with globally inspired cooking sauces, spices, and crunches for home cooks. Izard has also published two cookbooks: Girl in the Kitchen (2011) and Gather & Graze (2018).

Dinner Is Hard with Stephanie Izard premieres this Fall on Tastemade’s streaming channel and on-demand.

LUNETTA

RAPHAEL LUNETTA AND EMILLIO CUYUCH EXECUTIVE CHEFS

Working together for nearly 30 years, chefs Raphael Lunetta and Emillio Cuyuch have collaborated on menus for Lunetta that are locally sourced and responsibly grown, using seasonal ingredients based on the abundant product available on the California coast.

The chefs at Lunetta All Day and Lunetta Dining Room continue to craft what they are best known for: bringing people together and creating warm, comfortable settings where clean flavors and local ingredients take center stage. With multiple menus for lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, golden hour, and monthly tastings, “Eat Like a Local” is what makes Lunetta the ultimate destination restaurant in Santa Monica.

Lunetta | 2420 / 2424 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA

Not Your Bubbe’s Latkes

L.A. CHEFS ARE COOKING UP DELUXE TAKES ON THE HUMBLE POTATO PANCAKE

BY JOSHUA LURIE

CREATIVE chefs are adding glitz to humble potato pancakes, hash browns, and latkes, coming at the dish from di erent directions. Leading examples from four forwardthinking chefs build on time-tested methods and include personal, often luxurious flourishes.

SLINGIN’ IT

Ospi chef Jackson Kalb calls his potato pancake a “giant, buttery hash brown.”

At Ospi, chef Jackson Kalb and his wife, Melissa, serve a “giant, buttery hash brown” inspired by his Jewish upbringing for weekend brunch. Kalb loves latkes with salmon and created an oversized version that he manages to keep lacy and light. This russet-potato rectangle resembles a nest, aided by clarified butter and two types of starch. Kalb lashes each hash brown with tangy dill labneh; drapes it with vivid, citrus-cured Ora King salmon gravlax; and garnishes it with pickled red onions, capers, and crunchy sliced cucumbers to achieve balance.

» 2025 Pacific Ave., Venice, 424-443-5007, ospivenice.com.

SQIRL chef Jessica Koslow and her crew went big to craft an 11-inch latke tot—a russet-potato slab blended with flax flour, almond milk, and potato starch that still maintains “the taste of nostalgia.” They steam batches in their combination oven, then slice and fry them, resulting in tots with a soft center and crispy coat. SQIRL serves each slab with house-made crème fraîche swirled with parsley juice, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar trout roe, and an optional side of Frog Hollow Farm warren pear and quince butter for sweet contrast. A vegan version is available with a smoked-Marcona-almond schmear and punchy market-driven giardiniera.

» 720 N. Virgil Ave., East Hollywood, 323-284-8147, sqirlla.com.

A LATKE GOING ON Sqirl’s 11-inch latke tot.

When Yang’s Kitchen co-owner Chris Yang and chef Elaine Chang developed a knockout hash brown for their breakfast plate, they also created a canvas. With dry-aged smoked salmon from The Joint Seafood already on hand, they combined the two and built from there. Now they shred Kennebec potatoes before par cooking, pressing, freezing, and deepfrying them until they’re crispy, buttery planks. At that point, they top them o with luscious smoked-salmon belly; tart, preserved Meyer lemon crème fraîche; marinated trout roe; dill; and chives.

» 12 W. Main St., Alhambra, 626-281-1035, yangskitchenla.com.

République co-owner Walter Manzke’s mom was born in Germany and made potato pancakes for him as a boy in San Diego. At the multifaceted Mid City restaurant and bakery he runs with his wife, Margarita, grated Yukon Gold potatoes are soaked overnight in order to max out the crispiness when they’re deep-fried later. For this signature dish from the breakfast menu, available daily until 2 p.m., République garnishes potato pancakes with smoked salmon, salmon roe, poached eggs, Hollandaise sauce, shaved red onions, and dill.

» 624 S. La Brea Ave., Hancock Park, 310-362-6115, republiquela.com.

CRISPY DREAM République serves an especially refined latke for breakfast.

SPUD ART Breakfast hash browns from Yang’s Kitchen.

Eat and Run

GOING FOR A HIKE OR HEADING OFF TO A FESTIVAL? THESE FOOD SHOPS WILL HELP YOU PICNIC IN STYLE

BY HEATHER PLATT

WHETHER it’s a sunny day in the sand, a special night at one of L.A.’s many outdoor-concert venues, or just a leisurely afternoon at your local park, nothing tastes more like summer than a picnic. And to make those outdoor meals even easier, some of the city’s favorite food shops o er grab-and-go meals with everything from cheese plates to beef tenderloin, salads, desserts, and, of course, wine. Here are justa few.

JOAN’S ON THIRD

If beef tenderloin with horseradish crème fraîche, poached salmon with cucumber dill sauce, and butter-lettuce salads haven’t been part of your picnic game, then you’re in luck: L.A.’s quintessential cafe and market, which has locations in West Hollywood and Studio City, o ers an array of fully realized picnic boxes along with cheese plates and a selection of wines to make summer even more fun. All entrees come with orzo on a bed of greens, and all are thoughtfully packed with napkins and utensils.

» 8350 W. 3rd St., West Hollywood; 12059 Ventura Pl., Studio City; joansonthird.com.

JULIENNE

This San Marino institution, which once housed a full-service restaurant, has been a vendor for the Pasadena Pops Summer Concert series at the L.A. County Arboretum for the past 12 years. In fact, it’s been o ering picnic baskets to Hollywood Bowl-goers for more than 35. The extensive menu features summer classics like grilled chicken and asparagus and monthly special meals like barbecued ribs and bratwurst with bacon, potato salad, and coleslaw. Since pivoting to retail, the lovely storefront continues to provide the same level of quality, only now in a casual to-go market form.

» 2651 Mission St., San Marino, juliennetogo.com.

HOLLYWOOD BOWL

James Beard Award–winning chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne of A.O.C., Cara Cara, and Caldo Verde fame, helm all of the food and beverage service at L.A.’s massive summer music venue. The powerhouse duo have made picnicking there both easy and delicious with a handful of boxed meal options such as fried chicken with buttermilk dressing, slowroasted salmon with cucumber yogurt, and vegan grilled vegetables with chimichurri. All of the food pairs with Styne’s wine selections. If you’re lucky enough to be seated close to the stage, you can enjoy the Supper in Your Box Seats option and have the picnic brought to you.

» 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, hollywoodbowl.com.

THE CHEESE STORE OF BEVERLY HILLS

For the most luxurious cheese-centric picnic experience, preorder one in an insulated, reusable tote bag from this beloved, decades-old cheese shop. Choose from a selection of wine-themed packages that serve up to four people. These indulgent bundles come with French Laguiole cheese knives, a wood cutting board, crackers, and condiments. The store’s knowledgeable sta will cut cheeses to order, pair them with appropriate wines, and pack everything in ice along with Italian cookies. Caviar supplements are available upon request.

» 419 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, cheesestorebh.com.

SIGHTGLASS COFFEE

This busy Hollywood cafe and co ee shop sells an array of cleverly named and curated meals for up to four people, all packed into Sightglass Co ee tote bags. Themed picnic sets include the Is Wine Vegan?, with quinoa, market lettuce salads, baba ghanoush, hummus, crudités, bagel chips, and orange juice. The Pinkies Up picnic, on the other hand, features prosciutto, Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam cheese with honey, baguettes, and housemade pickles. The Field Tripping o ers smoked ham and turkey sandwiches with kettle chips and a three-pack of Sightglass’s freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

» 7051 W. Willoughby Ave., Hollywood, sightglasscoffee.com.

Grapes of Worth

TIRED OF THE SAME OLD CAB OR PINOT? HERE ARE SEV EN VARIETIES YOU’VE (PROBABLY) NEVER HEARD OF THAT ARE AS GOOD OR BETTER

BY COLMAN ANDREWS

NTIL THE LATE twentieth century, the average California wine drinker came into contact with only a handful of the 10,000 grape varieties that are used to produce wine: cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, zinfandel, chardonnay, maybe an occasional dribble of chenin blanc, Riesling, or petite sirah. Italy’s pinot grigio made its first appearance in the U.S. only in 1977; sauvignon blanc, merlot, and Syrah didn’t become major players here until the 1990s.

Now, sommeliers around town are gently steering diners away from yet another glass of chardonnay to appealing wines made from lesser-known grape varieties from around the world.

“I love mencía,” says Caroline Styne, co-owner and wine director of the Lucques Group (A.O.C., Caldo Verde). “It has so much versatility. It picks up the minerals in the soil and makes fantastic food wines. I think of it as a great stand-in for pinot noir.”

at higher elevations tend to be more elegant.

Recommended: Planeta La Segreta, $14, and COS Nero di Lupo, $30.

Carignan

• A popular blending grape in France’s Rhône and Languedoc-Roussillon region and in Spain’s Priorat (and long a staple of California jug wines, but don’t hold that against it), Carignan typically yields meaty, spicy wines with juicy, blackberrylike fruit.

Recommended:

Iché Les Hérètiques VdP de l’Hérault, $10, and Terroir al Límit Arbossar Carignan Priorat, $100.

Mencía

WHITES Assyrtiko

• Crisp and fresh, with a distinct mineral character, assyrtiko—especially from its probable birthplace, the island of Santorini—is a perfect partner for grilled fish or shrimp.

Recommended: Tselepos Canava Chrissou “Vieilles Vignes” Santorini Assyrtiko, $35, and Assyrtiko by Gaia “Wild Ferment,” $42.

Marsanne

• Marsanne is key in hermitage blanc and other whites in the northern Rhône. Santa Barbara County vintner Bob Lindquist was a marsanne pioneer in California back in 1987 and still makes the state’s definitive version.

Besides mencía, grown mostly in northwestern Spain, Styne points to wines made from varieties like assyrtiko from Greece—“A fun wine; so beautiful and bright”; carignan, born in Spain but also now common in the South of France, which Styne hails as “just such a good barbecue wine”; and Sicily’s signature grape, nero d’Avola: “A vivid expression of its terroir” and “a wine we should all be drinking more of.”

• Expect a brilliant, dark-red hue, appealing floral aromas, and flavors of cherry and strawberry in this up-and-coming Spanish cultivar. Wines made from mencía grapes will sit well with lovers of pinot noir or Barolo.

Recommended:

Mencía “El Mismo” Trasto, La Osa, $22, and Guimaro Finca Meixeman, $40.

grape, nero d’Avola: “A vivid expression all be drinking more of.”

Here are brief notes on mencía, assyrtiko, Carignan, nero d’Avola, and three other comparatively obscure grape varieties that are well worth knowing.

REDS Nero d’Avola

Traditionally, the wines made from this quintessential Sicilian grape are rich and tannic, with plenty of alcohol and often a raisiny or dried-fig character. Wines made from grapes grown

Tannat

• As its name suggests, the tannat grape produces highly tannic wines, typically earthy and jammy, especially in its homeland of Madiran in southwestern France. It’s also now widely used in Uruguay, where it’s usually vinified in a pleasant, lighter style.

Recommended:

Establecimiento Juanico

2018 Don Pascual Coastal Tannat (Uruguay), $15, and Domaine LabrancheLa ont Madiran Vieilles Vignes, $27.

In France and Australia, as well as here, marsanne can be crafted into complex wines, worthy of aging, that evoke aromas of roasted almonds and ripe peaches.

Recommended: Lindquist Family Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard Marsanne, $38, and M. Chapoutier Chante-Alouette Hermitage, $100.

Torrontés

• Grown primarily in northern Argentina, torrontés grapes produce lush, fresh, intensely aromatic wines—think jasmine or peach blossoms but less cloying. They’re generally inexpensive, easy to like, and delicious with Thai or Chinese food or just for sipping on a warm afternoon.

Recommended: Bodega Colomé, $10, and Susana Balbo Crios, $13.

Culinary Stars

THESE ARE THE CHARACTERS WHO GIVE L.A. ITS SINGULAR BRIO

EDITED BY MICHAEL WALKER

THE CHEFS

ROY CHOI, NANCY SILVERTON, AND WOLFGANG

Masters of Kogi, Mozza, and Spago

photographed by ART STREIBER at DU-PAR’S AT THE ORIGINAL FARMERS MARKET

PUCK

LOS ANGELES became America’s best food city for a lot of reasons; three of them are Wolfgang Puck, Nancy Silverton, and Roy Choi. The Austrian-born Puck left Ma Maison to conjure his take on California cuisine (pizza topped with caviar and smoked salmon) at the original Spago, opened in 1982 on the Sunset Strip, and at the restaurant’s current flagship in Beverly Hills. His fame now approaches that of the celebrities he feeds annually at the Academy Awards’ Governors Ball. An obsessive master of breads, Valley native Silverton cofounded, with Puck-alum and then-husband Mark Peel, the landmark Campanile and its adjacent La Brea Bakery in 1989; today, she presides over the acclaimed Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria in Hancock Park and spends half the year in central Italy, absorbing tastes and techniques. Choi was born in Seoul and grew up in Anaheim working at his parents’ Korean restaurant. After training at the Culinary Institute of America and becoming chef at the Beverly Hilton, he launched his revolutionary Kogi gourmet food trucks in 2008, delivering a startling cross-cultural menu of bulgogi tacos and kimchi quesadillas to the streets. —S.A.

Choi, Silverton, and Puck.

THE OPERATOR

DANNY TREJO

Actor, Restaurateur

photographed by SHAYAN ASGHARNIA at TREJO’S COFFEE & DONUTS

ARRESTED FOR the first time at ten, Trejo was a hardened juvie bouncing around California gladiator academies before fetching up at San Quentin with a string of priors, a heroin habit, and a bad attitude. When released in 1969, he’d kicked junk and found God. A stint as a drug counselor led to his first movie role—an extra in 1985’s Runaway Train. From there, he meandered through movie and television projects, achieving stardom with memorable turns in Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse, as the wheelman in Michael Mann’s crime epic Heat, and as the duplicitous cartel mule Tortuga in Breaking Bad. His L.A-based Trejo’s Tacos and Trejo’s Co ee & Donuts are the latest manifestations of his methodical ambition. As his Breaking Bad character informs the DEA: “Tortuga means turtle, and that’s me. I take my time, but I always win.”

WALKER

THE RESTAURATEURS

MICHAEL MCCARTY

Founder, Michael’s Santa Monica

MICHAEL MCCARTY was a 25-year-old, Armaniwearing chef when he opened his eponymous restaurant on Third Street, joined ten years later by a Manhattan outpost. Michael’s Santa Monica served as the springboard for an uncanny number of L.A. celebrity chefs—Jonathan Waxman, Mark Peel, Nancy Silverton, Roy Yamaguchi, Sang Yoon, Ken Frank, and Brooke Williamson all got their start in the chaotic kitchen. Meanwhile, their boss reimagined American fine dining with his California twist on French nouvelle cuisine served in a setting where waiters wore Ralph Lauren instead of tuxedos and modern art hung gallery-style on the pure white walls. “Michael’s is either an overrated piece of history or nothing short of the birthplace of modern American cuisine,” says McCarty’s son, Chas, who has comanaged the restaurant with his father since 2015. We’d tend toward the latter. —M.W.

photographed by DAN BUSTA at MICHAEL’S

From left: Cake Moss, Billy L’Amour, Jackie Beat, Roxy Wood, and Marta BeatChu.

JACKIE BEAT AND HER COURT

All Hail the Drag Queens of WeHo

photographed by RICARDO NELSON at HAMBURGER MARY’S

LOS ANGELES excels at elevating unlikely pairings into cultural touchstones: Bogart and Bacall, fried chicken and wa es. So it’s hardly surprising that the combo platter at Hamburger Mary’s—superlative burgers and gregarious drag queens—continues to thrive at the corner of Sweetzer and Santa Monica in West Hollywood. Regulars will probably recognize the flame-haired Jackie Beat, seen tucking into a Mary’s speciality (below) while her court expresses appropriate hauteur. In a career spanning 25 years and millions of YouTube views, Jackie has channeled the likes of Gaga, Madonna, and Cher while delivering lacerating parodies of their hits. (“Small children will probably be frightened,” the New York Times characterized one of her live shows.) But what do you expect from a queen who declares herself “the world’s biggest bitch”? —M.W.

My Dinner with Andrés

AFTER TRADING IN HIS PAELLA PANS FOR BORSCHT BOWLS IN UKRAINE, CHEF JOS É ANDR É S IS OPENING THREE NEW RESTAURANTS IN DOWNTOWN’S CONRAD HOTEL BY JOEL STEIN

JOS É ANDR É S is finally, after all his world traveling, on vacation. He’s smoking a cigar in the Spanish beach town of Zahara de los Atunes, doing his version of relaxing, which, judging from the activity going on in the background of our Zoom call, involves about 7,000 friends. But in a few days, the 53-year-old restaurateur—whose bushy white beard makes him look like an Ernest Hemingway impersonator—will be slipping into one of his signature multipocketed fishing vests (phone, money, batteries, GPS system, cigars) and heading to Ukraine. Unless a natural disaster or another war or a plague of locusts strikes first, in which case, he’ll take his movable feast of a field kitchen there instead.

Andrés, though, has gone way beyond Hemingway’s famous volunteer mission as Red Cross ambulance driver during World War I. Through his World Central Kitchen, he’s providing emergency food assistance to the whole planet. Haiti, Puerto Rico, Beirut, Uganda, Nicaragua, cruise ships quarantined in port when COVID-19 first hit—if it showed up on a CNN ticker, chances are he went there. Using smartphone-era technology to summon local food trucks, restaurant workers, and volunteers, he’s built the Uber of food aid, delivering more than 70 million meals since 2010. Which explains why he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, honored with a painting in the National Portrait Gallery, and recently had Ron Howard following him around for a documentary film called We Feed People (currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu).

At the same time, the Spanish-born chef, who became an American citizen in 2013, is also expanding his empire of nearly three dozen restaurants. On the day we Zoomed in July, he was opening an outpost of his Eastern Mediterranean eatery, Zaytinya, in the new Ritz-Carlton in Manhattan. He’s also about to open a restaurant in the new hotel in the Old Post O ce building in Washington D.C., the former site of the Trump International Hotel, where,

ON THE ROAD

Andrés takes a selfie with First Lady Jill Biden and Queen Letizia of Spain during a June visit to a refugee center in Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain. Inset: Andrés’s new restaurant, Agua Viva, inside the Conrad Hotel.

in 2015, Andrés had originally planned to open a D.C. restaurant but pulled out when Trump started his anti-immigrant rants on the campaign trail.

More locally—in downtown Los Angeles—he’s opening three restaurants in the Conrad Hotel, part of the massive new Frank Gehry-designed complex on Grand Avenue across from Walt Disney Concert Hall. Two of them—San Laurel and Agua Viva—are already serving, and the most anticipated, Bazaar Meat, will be opening later this year. It’s the steakhouse version of Andrés’s West Hollywood spot, the beloved Bazaar, one of the few restaurants ever to earn four stars from the Los Angeles Times. The original Bazaar, in the SLS hotel on La Cienega Boulevard, was closed down during the pandemic in 2020, after the hotel was sold.

“I never left. I only took a little nap,” Andrés says of his two-year absence from the city.

He was eager not just to return to L.A., but also to get back to running all the food and beverage services in a hotel. “For me, hotels are very important. Because the hotel is the closest thing I have to feeding a small city. A hotel is an amazing ecosystem of multiple places where you have to take care of people,” he says. “The complexity of a hotel is my way of learning how to feed the world.”

I saw what he meant while I was sitting on the terrace of the tenth-floor Agua Viva, looking down on City Hall as the sun set, eating creamy crab croquettes and tender strip loin with chimichurri. It was undeniably good, but it wasn’t noticeably a José Andrés meal—no cotton-candy-covered foie gras or spherified olives that explode in your mouth or any of the other molecular-gastronomy delights that first made Andrés famous. Yet it was oddly perfect. The other diners—an attractive European couple to

my left, a hipster Latin American group that came straight from the hotel pool— couldn’t have been better fed. It was as if Andrés was more concerned with giving people what they wanted than making them notice him.

“It’s not any di erent, putting a fancy place in a luxury hotel designed by Frank Gehry, than feeding Ukraine, where we opened kosher kitchens in Romania to feed the Jewish population,” says the man who, not long ago, repurposed his paella pans into bowls for borscht. “My dream,” he goes on, gesticulating so wildly that at one point he drops his phone, “is to feed a small town, maybe a city, maybe a country. I was always very interested in feeding the few, but I realized that that same intent could give me the power to feed the many.”

“The complexity of a hotel is my way of learning how to feed the world.”

Wag the Dog

TAIL O’ THE PUP USED TO BE L.A.’S MOST BELOVED (AND ECCENTRIC) HOT DOG JOINT. NOW, AFTER YEARS IN DEEP STORAGE, THE PUP’S FAMOUS 17-FOOT WIENER IS TAKING WEHO BY STORM BY

EVEN IN A city filled to the brim with fast-food history—from Pink’s to Carney’s to the world’s oldest McDonald’s—Tail o’ the Pup stands out. Before it was shuttered in 2005, the frankfurter-shaped sausage stand had been an iconic, if eccentric, L.A. landmark, appearing in scores of TV shows and films. Once it even went airborne, dangling from a helicopter, La Dolce Vita-style, in Steve Martin’s L.A. Story

And now—hot dog!—the Pup is making a Hollywood comeback, thanks to the 1933 Group, a local hospitality company that’s been busily resuscitating a bunch of disappeared L.A. landmarks. After spending nearly two decades in a deep storage facility in Torrance, the 17-foot-long wiener has been given a stem to stern makeover and reopened in July at Santa Monica Boulevard and La Cienega in West Hollywood.

“When I was ten years old, my mom took us to L.A. for the first time,” says Bobby Green, co-owner of the 1933 Group, which has also reimagined the Bigfoot Lodge in Los Feliz, Sassafras Saloon in Hollywood, and the Formosa

ALISON MARTINO

cafe in West Hollywood, “and when I got back to Oklahoma, there were only three things I remembered about the trip: the palm trees, the Hollywood sign, and Tail o’ the Pup.” He adds, “It’s just one of those things that you see in the drive-scape of Los Angeles that is so iconic—even more so than the Chinese Theatre or the Capitol Records Building. It’s so in your face and over the top and adorable. So when I had the chance to bring it back, I jumped at it.”

The restaurant’s very first location, when it opened to fanfare on June 27, 1946, was a few blocks away, at 311 N. La Cienega Boulevard, although at one point, in the 1980s, it moved to a parking lot at Cedars-Sinai. Its original owners were Veloz and Yolanda, a world-famous 1940s dance team who commissioned architect Milton Black to create an edifice that would stand out among L.A’.s eclectic urban landscape. (Even in the ’40s, there were structures shaped like chili

bowls and tamales, not to mention the famous Brown Derby). Frank Veloz and Yolanda Casazza’s eldest son, Nick Veloz, ran the eatery until the 1970s, then sold it to restaurateur Eddie Blake, who, along with his son, Dennis, kept the dogs grilling until 2005, when the Blakes lost their lease and put the structure into storage at that warehouse in Torrance.

When Blake’s grandson, Jay Miller, inherited the big wiener, he made a few attempts to revive it—ill-fated partnerships with Killer Shrimp and, later, with the Caruso Group—that never went anywhere. Ultimately, Miller donated it to the Valley Relics Museum, which never did much with it either and, in 2018, turned it over to the 1933 Group, which now owns both the structure and the brand.

Along with meticulously renovating the original structure, the 1933 Group has given it some updates, including a counter for indoor dining (the original was for takeout only) and some new artwork on the walls (photos of Sigourney Weaver and other celebrities chowing down on the Pup’s dogs). The menu has been carefully restored and includes favorites from the 1946 kitchen, such as the foot-long Baseball Pup. Among the new additions are a children’s menu, “Bowser Beer” for dogs (with leash hooks nearby), and, for the first time ever, alcohol.

“I describe my style as sympathetic restoration,” says Green. “I don’t erase the character flaws that have been added over the years; I keep them intact. The dents, bruises, and layers of underpaint remain to tell their own story.”

Appropriately, getting the structure’s layers of mustard-colored paint just right was particularly critical to Green, who says he agonized over the “perfect shade” of hot dog-friendly yellow until the day the stand reopened.

TALE OF THE TAIL Sigourney Weaver at Tail o’ the Pup in 1979.

A fast-food legend founded in 1946 is back with modern twists—vegan hot dogs and lots of alcohol.

south coast plaza d es

Culinary news adds more sparkle to this year’s 55th anniversary of South Coast Plaza. Five stellar restaurants have joined our diverse dining collection with another to launch this winter. Each is unique and independently owned. Find the details on page 7.

Knife Pleat , which opened mid-2019 in the Penthouse, was honored with a Michelin star last fall. Critics throughout Southern California have praised chef Tony Esnault, restaurateur Yassmin Sarmadi and their team for a singleminded focus on becoming OC’s best French restaurant.

Theater and restaurants are natural allies and I can’t recall a more dynamic lineup of performances than the 2022–23 season at Segerstrom Center for the Arts and South Coast Repertory. Check out our favorite pre-theater dining spots on page 22.

The October opening of the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) at Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a culmination of the Segerstrom family’s long-standing vision of uniting the performing and visual arts on one campus. Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Thom Mayne, the new museum is magnificent. Admission to OCMA is complimentary.

I invite you to visit soon and experience all that South Coast Plaza has to offer. Our matchless synergy of luxury shopping, dining and the arts is worth the trip, any season.

Debra Gunn Downing Executive Director, Marketing, South Coast Plaza

SIX NEW RESTAURANTS

THE ARTS

7 22

The newest dining experiences at South Coast Plaza

PRIX FIXE LUNCHES

Five celebrated venues offering three-course midday menus

24 26 27 14

THE ART OF PRE-THEATER DINING

Convenient pre-theater dining options

Arts partners and performances

RESTAURANT AMENITIES

Listing of dining details

MAP AND SERVICES

Overview map and South Coast Plaza services

VOLUME 41 2022 ISSUE | Lee Healy, Editor

Vaca’s tasty tribute to South Coast Plaza’s 55th anniversary

Cover: Populaire’s kombu cured fluke

SEASONS 52 | 714.437.5252 | Sesame-Grilled Salmon Salad; Avocado Toast

six new RESTAURANTS

BY ANNE MARIE PANORINGAN AND JENN TANAKA

South Coast Plaza’s dining collection is advancing to the next level with the recent and pending arrival of six independent restaurants. From crepes to creative cocktails to caviar, get acquainted with our newest stars.

MOULIN

Conveniently located on Garden Terrace, MOULIN is a welcome oasis for shoppers. Freshly baked baguettes, sandwiches, made-to-order crepes and salads are perfect for al fresco dining. Sweet viennoiseries and pastries are popular at breakfast or lunch. French beverages, beer, wine and champagne are chilled and ready for leisurely imbibing.

PETROSSIAN AT TIFFANY

Tucked into the flagship Tiffany & Co., Petrossian at Tiffany is an ode to opulence and a natural pairing of the iconic jewelry brand with a family equally committed to craftsmanship. Petrossian’s exquisite caviar is showcased through executive chef Carlos Cabrera’s French-influenced offerings. The trifecta of champagne, seafood and service commence with fine French bubbly before floating between modern selections featuring the savory roe.

POPULAIRE MODERN BISTRO

Michelin-lauded chef Ross Pangilinan follows the success of his first South Coast Plaza restaurant, Terrace by Mix Mix, by collaborating with his longtime pal, chef Nicholas Weber. At Populaire, found in the Saks Fifth Avenue wing, their fine dining background has led to Parisian bistro dishes that come alive with Californian ingredients. The restaurant is comprised of three sections: indoor and outdoor patio seating, and a petite French blue dining room with marbletopped tables and bistro chairs.

Hors d’oeuvres range from escargots enveloped in pillowy ebelskivers — circular-shaped Danish pancakes — served with buttermilk herb sauce to fried chicken lavishly garnished with Royal Ossetra Caviar and creamy yogurt labneh. Entrées include seared duck breast with pickled cherries and brown butter beet purée. The tempting dessert menu features modern twists to French favorites.

MIÀN

James Beard Award-nominated chef Tony Xu of Chengdu Taste and his partners have debuted at South Coast Plaza with an OC exclusive. EATER declared MIÀN “one of Los Angeles’s best — and spiciest — noodle restaurants.” The full-service Chinese-inspired space is located steps from Carousel Court.

The famous Chengdu noodles are made with Sichuan mung beans and mixed delicate greens, and then mixed upon arrival at the table. Appetizers include beef in chili sauce and pickled wood ear mushroom with a “tart funkiness of Sichuan pickles,” which the late food critic Jonathan Gold raved about in his Los Angeles Times column. Another dish not to miss is the chili oil chao shou, delicate shrimp wontons coated in sweet chili sauce. Beer, wine and tea drinks complement the spicy cuisine.

TABLEAU KITCHEN AND BAR

Chef John Park and restaurateur Ed Lee opened their new concept, Tableau Kitchen and Bar, last winter in the Macy’s Home Store wing. The popular brunch destination showcases Park’s inventive palate with dishes such as Jasmine milk tea French toast and Greek yogurt parfait with mandarin granita. The chicken and waffles evoke the flavors of Korean-style soy-glazed fried chicken wings served with crisp taiyaki “waffles” filled with kecap manisinfused custard.

Dinner offerings such as green curry mussels with poblano-spiced chorizo delight. Yet the sweets showcase Park’s grasp of flavors. A strawberry lemon meringue pie is one of the best desserts in Orange County. Another highlight is afternoon tea with confections crafted by chef Park.

CALÓ KITCHEN + TEQUILA

Restaurateur Clemente Heredia’s south-of-the-border cuisine in a contemporary setting is on track to debut at SCP this winter. Caló Kitchen + Tequila will seat 200 in a dining space split between the interior and patio with big roll-up doors creating an indoor-outdoor vibe. A separate tequila bar with its own bartender will seat 10. Neutral desert colors, light woods and white flagstone with green and brass accents create a fresh feel.

Caló’s forthcoming menu joins traditional tastes alongside iterations of modern Mexican. Entrées vary from the family recipe for crispy carnitas to Chilean seabass in Veracruz sauce. A world-class selection of tequilas is perfect for sipping solo and serves as the basis of creative margaritas and Mexico-inspired cocktails. Another hallmark is warm, attentive service.

BY GRETCHEN KURZ

Some days, the world is a lot. Making a brief retreat is irresistible. Somewhere chill, dusky, low volume That cushy corner where the frosty martini arrives quickly from a server who reads your mind The Capital Grille is acclaimed for such spoiling of guests with next-level hospitality and an artfully prepared menu

Stellar steaks, meticulously dry-aged and butchered on-site, may be an increasingly scarce luxury, but here they’re a house signature Bold beef flavors and divine texture are perfectly showcased by the popular bone-in dry aged Kona crusted NY strip with shallot butter Renowned for exceptional ingredients, feasts here often open with top-grade seafood say a luscious jumbo shrimp cocktail or velvety lobster bisque Dishes get masterful support from an acclaimed wine collection of coveted bottles and a polished team who deliver an impeccable experience worth repeating.

prix fixe lunches When Chefs Do The Order g

Follow the lead of culinary insiders — don’t wait for dinner to indulge in first-class, chef-designed menus when you can treat yourself to a prix fixe lunch. These five celebrated venues offer of-the-moment daytime menus perfect for that special meet-up or solo office escape.

Populaire Modern Bistro

The table d’hôte menu thoughtfully created by chef Nick Weber gives choices in the first and second course; dessert is often a luscious crème caramel. Monday–Friday, 11am–3pm

Hamamori Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Acclaimed sushi master James Hamamori crowns the three-course executive sushi lunch with his signature sushi gems — each work of art is uniquely sauced and garnished. Daily, 11:30am–2pm

Hamamori Restaurant & Sushi Bar Populaire

Knife Pleat

Michelin star chef Tony Esnault showcases a beautiful menu du jour with seasonal touches and generous portions. Pastry chef Germain Biotteau is a master of his craft, as reflected in the fine dessert offering.

Tuesday–Friday, 11:30am–1:45pm

Terrace by Mix Mix

Steal away to the tropical terrace and partake of chef Ross Pangilinan’s inventive express lunch, with three varied choices in both the first and main courses. Finish with artisan sorbet or ice cream.

Monday–Friday, 11am–3pm

Vaca

Chef de cuisine Edward Pak’s weekly exercise in creativity is composing the three-course express lunch. Expect the unexpected with bold dishes full of flavor.

Tuesday–Friday, 11am–2:45pm

Vaca

Terrace by Mix Mix

Knife Pleat

the art of PRE-THEATER DINING

BY BENJAMIN EPSTEIN

Leatherby’s Cafe Rouge

Pre-theater dining foreshadows the excitement of the show itself — curtain-raisers for the night, as it were. The best is on the lighter side in anticipation of the evening that awaits. These restaurants are minutes from the theaters; savvy diners valet park and take a quick stroll to their venue destination.

Showgoers cozy up to the county’s best oyster bar — and to clam chowder and wild Alaskan halibut collar — at gorgeous seafood destination Water Grill. Any night at the live softshell crab and first-of-season-salmon mecca feels like a special occasion; elaborate iced shellfish platters make it even more so. French-press coffee is the preshow reboot.

One could order three different tapas at Vaca before each of Segerstrom Hall’s nine Broadway shows and never repeat; celebrity chef Amar Santana’s shareable small plates are sophisticated, bold and as diverse as albacore tataki, chicken cannelloni and pork spareribs. The Vaca Tonic, an icy gimlet, is the perfect prelude to Disney’s Frozen

Leatherby’s Cafe Rouge opens exclusively for pre-theater dining; it’s inside the magnificent Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and looks out onto the new Orange County Museum of Art. Composed dishes such as the ahi tartare and Liberty Farm duck breast make the evening a celebration. Rosé champagne sets the mood for Moulin Rouge! The Musical

For meat and potatoes grazing, you can enjoy top-notch handmade empanadas or potato croquettes at Peruvian destination Costa Contemporary Kitchen and still have plenty of room for the superb seafood ceviche or lomo mar y tierra, a surf and turf of dramatically flambéed filet mignon and shrimp. The sangria and the crema volteada flan both earn ovations.

Off to a weekend matinée? Outpost Kitchen, a stylish update of Aussie beach cafés, specializes in weekend brunch, serving exuberant but often simply named dishes such as real avocado toast and gluten-free blueberry pancakes. Salute Hamilton, defender of the Constitution, with a Defender, cold-pressed juices with or without tequila.

SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS SCFTA.ORG | 714.556.2787

SEGERSTROM HALL

Hamilton

September 28–October 16, 2022

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan

October 26, 2022

BODYTRAFFIC

November 3, 2022

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

November 9–27, 2022

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

December 4, 2022

American Ballet Theatre: The Nutcracker

December 9–18, 2022

Alton Brown

December 20, 2022

Johnny Mathis Christmas

December 23, 2022

To Kill a Mockingbird

December 27, 2022–January 8, 2023

Pink Martini

January 12, 2023

Frozen

February 1–19, 2023

Bluey’s Big Play

February 23, 2023

Mean Girls

March 7–19, 2023

American Ballet Theatre: Like Water for Chocolate

March 29–April 2, 2023

Yo-Yo Ma, cello & Kathyrn Scott, piano

April 4, 2023

Dorrance Dance

April 8, 2023

Hairspray

April 18–30, 2023

LA Dance Project

May 12–14, 2023

RENÉE AND HENRY SEGERSTROM CONCERT HALL

Bernadette Peters

September 29, 2022

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

October 11, 2022

Duruflé (Requiem) + Hagen (The Notebooks of Leonardo de Vinci)

October 15, 2022

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ in Concert

October 29, 2022

Belinda Carlisle

November 2, 2022

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

November 3, 2022

John Williams: A 90th Birthday Celebration

November 4–5, 2022

Attacca Quartet

November 6, 2022

Lila Downs

November 8, 2022

Farruquito Flamenco

November 9, 2022

Aniil Trifonov, piano

November 11, 2022

Mavis Staples with Kandace Springs

December 9, 2022

Chita Rivera

December 11, 2022

Holiday Pops with The Manhattan Transfer

December 16–17, 2022

Tis the Season!

December 18–19, 2022

Fiesta Navidad

December 23, 2022

Salute to Vienna

December 31, 2022

Brian Stokes Mitchell

January 6, 2023

Leif Ove Andsnes, piano

January 20, 2023

Amy Tan

January 23, 2023

Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Riccardo Muti

January 24, 2023

Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour

January 25, 2023

Chicago

May 16–21, 2023

Alonzo King LINES Ballet

May 27, 2023

Ballet BC

June 3, 2023

SIX

June 13–25, 2023

TINA — The Tina Turner Musical

July 11–23, 2023

The Book of Mormon

September 5–10, 2023

Fran Lebowitz

February 6, 2023

Patti LuPone

February 9, 2023

Hitting New Heights: Mandy Gonzalez & Javier Muñoz

March 5, 2023

Erik Larson

March 6, 2023

Kristin Chenoweth

March 10–11, 2023

Concerto Köln with Jeanine De Bique

March 23, 2023

Zurich Chamber Orchestra

March 25, 2023

Voctave: The Corner of Broadway and Main Street

April 2, 2023

George Benson

April 7, 2023

Gloria Gaynor — The Queen of Disco

April 14–15, 2023

Dream House Quartet

April 28, 2023

Frozen Deen van Meer

LA Phil with Elim Chan and Leila Josefowicz

April 30, 2023

The Music of The Rolling Stones

May 5–6, 2023

SAMUELI THEATER

Samara Joy

October 1, 2022

Apollon Musagète & Garrick Ohlsson

October 9, 2022

Chris Mann

October 20–22, 2022

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show

About a Terrible Monster

October 29–30, 2022

Calidore String Quartet

November 2, 2022

Vijay Iyer Trio

November 5, 2022

NORTH

November 12–13, 2022

Jessica Vosk

November 17–19, 2022

SOUTH COAST REPERTORY

SEGERSTROM STAGE

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol

November 26–December 24, 2022

Voices of America - Two plays alternating nightly, with one set, two directors and overlapping casts:

The Little Foxes

January 29–February 26, 2023

Haydn (Missa in Angustiis “Nelson Mass”) + Price (Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight — West Coast premiere)

May 20, 2023

Randall Goosby, violin

December 2, 2022

Broadway Holiday Songbook

December 15–17, 2022

Jane Lynch & Kate Flannery

January 19–21, 2023

Takacs String Quartet

January 27, 2023

Jazz at Lincoln Center

February 4, 2023

Quartetto di Cremona

February 22, 2023

Somos Amigos

March 4–5, 2023

Ugly Duckling

March 18–19, 2023

Appropriate

January 28–February 26, 2023

Prelude to a Kiss, the Musical

April 8–May 6, 2023

Part of the Pacific Playwright Festival (PPF)

JULIANNE ARGYROS STAGE

Nina Simone: Four Women

October 2–23, 2022

Renée Elise Goldsberry

June 9–10, 2023

Veronica Swift

June 24, 2023

Camerata RCO

March 22, 2023

The Cookers

March 25, 2023

Ann Hampton Callaway & Liz Callaway

March 30–April 1, 2023

Emerson String Quartet

April 15, 2023

GRIMMZ Fairy Tales

April 22–23, 2023

Jason Robert Brown

April 27–29, 2023

Doktor Kaboom: Look Out! Science Is Coming!

May 6–7, 2023

Snow White

Theatre for Young Audiences & Families

November 4–20, 2022

Coleman ’72

April 23–May 14, 2023

Part of the Pacific Playwrights Festival

ORANGE COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART OPENS

The new Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) opens to the public October 8, 2022 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis Studio, the state-of-the-art 53,000-square-foot building in its new, central location features greatly expanded gallery space to showcase its collection and major traveling exhibitions. The new museum also features inviting public areas, enabling the museum to engage the community through art. Among the inaugural exhibitions planned for OMCA's new home is “California Biennial 2022.”

OCMA is also a unique venue with a variety of beautiful spaces for events and a rooftop terrace with spectacular views. Visitors can enjoy a cocktail on the terrace or dine at Verdant. Hospitality and private events are overseen by chef Ross Pangilinan of South Coast Plaza’s Terrace by Mix Mix and Populaire.

CONCIERGE

South Coast Plaza has four concierge locations offering services such as translation assistance, restaurant reservations, package check, complimentary strollers and wheelchairs, gift card sales and valet ticketless payment parking service.

PERSONAL SHOPPER PROGRAM

South Coast Plaza’s talented team of personal stylists offer the next level in customized service designed to create a seamless shopping experience for customers. More than 30 personal shoppers are available through prearranged appointments to assist with an array of helpful services from wardrobe, accessories and beauty to home and gifting. Rates apply. Contact stylist@southcoastplaza.com for more information.

VALET PARKING

Three valet parking locations are conveniently found by Seasons 52/The Capital Grille, in the north parking structure by Chanel/Dior and by Macy's/Macy's Men's Store (Friday–Sunday only at this location).

under age eight, features three private nursing suites, a private changing facility and two restrooms. Level 1, Carousel Court.

GIFT CARDS

Available to purchase online at southcoastplaza.com and at all concierge locations. Redeemable at South Coast Plaza’s 250 stores and restaurants, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, South Coast Repertory and The Westin South Coast Plaza.

OTHER AMENITIES

Shoppers will find one-day optical services, watch battery replacement, ring sizing and simple tailoring available while they shop or dine.

THE HOT LIST

❂ Birdie G’s

WEST

SANTA MONICA » American $$

James Beard Award–nominated chef Jeremy Fox gets personal with a sunny spot named after his young daughter. The high-low menu is full of playful ri s on comfort food, from mixed summer cucumbers to a matzo ball soup with carrot miso to a next-level relish tray. Don’t miss the jiggly Rose Petal pie for dessert. 2421 Michigan Ave., 310-310-3616, or birdiegsla.com. Full bar.

❂ Broad Street Oyster Co.

MALIBU » Seafood $$

If ever there was a car picnic scene, it’s at this open-air spot overlooking Malibu Lagoon State Beach. You can grab a great lobster roll (topped with uni or caviar if you’re feeling extra fancy), towers of raw seafood, great clam chowder, and a burger with Nueske’s bacon that shouldn’t be overlooked. 23359 Pacific Coast Hwy., 424-644-0131, or broadstreetoyster.com. Beer and wine.

❂ Cassia

SANTA MONICA » Southeast Asian $$$

Bryant Ng mines his Chinese Singaporean heritage, honors wife Kim’s Vietnamese background, and works in the wood-grilling technique he honed at Mozza at this grand Southeast Asian brasserie. Hunker down at a table on the patio—or treat yourself to some great takeout—to devour turmeric-marinated ocean trout or chickpea curry with scallion clay-oven bread. Wherever and however you enjoy Ng’s cooking, you won’t be disappointed. 1314 7th St., 310-393-6699, or cassiala.com Full bar.

✤ ❂ Cobi’s

SANTA MONICA » Southeast Asian $$$

Coming here is like visiting a perfectly art-directed beach house where everything— from the colors on the walls to the curries on the plate—just pops. Grab a date, grab your friends, and get to the party. Don’t miss the beautifully ferocious Devil Chicken curry, amped up by both fresh and dried bird’s eye chiles and accompanied by a saucer of habanero vinegar that magically cuts the heat and enhances it at the same time. 2104 Main St., 424-238-5195, cobis.la, or @cobis.la. Beer and wine.

❂ Colapasta

SANTA MONICA » Italian $

It’s equally pleasant to grab and go or eat at this

THE BREAKDOWN

WEST

Includes Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Century City, Culver City, Malibu, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Palms, Santa Monica, Venice, West L.A., Westwood

DOWNTOWN

Includes Arts District, Bunker Hill, Chinatown, Historic Core, Little Tokyo, South Park

CENTRAL

Includes Beverly Grove, East Hollywood, Fairfax District, Hancock Park, Hollywood, Koreatown, West Hollywood

EAST Includes Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, East L.A., Echo Park, Glendale, Los Feliz, Pasadena, San Gabriel Valley, Silver Lake

THE VALLEY

Includes Agoura Hills, Burbank, Calabasas, Encino, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Van Nuys

SOUTH

Includes Bell, Compton, Gardena, Hermosa Beach, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, Watts

❂ Crudo e Nudo

SANTA MONICA » Seafood $$

Brian Bornemann, the 31-year-old former executive chef at Michael’s Santa Monica, has gone his own way. He and his girlfriend, Leena Culhane, have launched a sustainable neighborhood joint that’s, by turns, a co ee shop, a seafood market, and a casual restaurant where you can nibble impeccably prepared crudo, tuna tartare toasts, and vegan Caesar salads on the patio while sipping a thoughtfully selected natural wine. Though the project began as a pandemic pop-up, it’s now an exciting brick-and-mortar spot from one of the city’s most promising young toques. 2724 Main St., 310-310-2120, crudoenudo.com, or @crudo_e_nudo. Beer and wine.

❂ Dear John’s

CULVER CITY » Steak House $$$

There are still good times and great food to be had at this former Sinatra hang stylishly revamped by Josiah Citrin and Hans Röckenwagner. Steakhouse classics—crab Louie, oysters Rockefeller, thick prime steaks—pay homage to the lounge’s Rat Pack past and can be enjoyed on a sunny new patio or to go. 11208 Culver Blvd., 310-881-9288, or dearjohnsbar.com. Full bar.

❂ Etta CULVER CITY » Italian $$$

$ $$ $$$

$$$$

INEXPENSIVE (Meals under $10)

MODERATE (Mostly under $20)

EXPENSIVE (Mostly under $30)

VERY EXPENSIVE ($30 and above)

Price classifications are approximate and based on the cost of a typical main course that serves one. For restaurants primarily offering multicourse family meals, the cost per person of such a meal is used.

Restaurant hours are changing frequently. Check websites or social media accounts for the most current information.

quiet, a ordable spot that features fresh pastas topped with farmers’ market fare. The colorful, poppy-seed-sprinkled beet ravioli is delicate and delicious, while the gramigna with beef ragù is hearty and satisfying. 1241 5th St., 310-310-8336, or colapasta.com. Beer and wine.

With a sprawling patio, concise menu, and various party tricks (the restaurant calls them “moments”), Etta is primed for good times. You can go big and order a $120 short rib “picnic” with various accoutrements for the table or opt to have wine poured into your mouth from a large jug while a server snaps Polaroids. But you can also just pop in for a pizza or excellent pasta at the bar. For dessert, there are shots of tequila and co ee liquor topped with macaroon. 8801 Washington Blvd., 424-570-4444, ettarestaurant.com , or @ettarestaurant. Full bar.

❂ Felix VENICE » Italian $$$

At Evan Funke’s clubby, floral-patterned trattoria, the rigorous dedication to tradition makes for superb focaccia and pastas. The tonnarelli cacio e pepe—strands of pasta adorned only with pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper—nods to Roman shepherds who used the spice to keep warm, while the rigatoni all’Amatriciana with bacon, tomato, and pecorino Romano sings brilliantly alongside Italian country wines. 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd., 424387-8622, or felixla.com. Full bar.

Popcorn Situation at Girl & the Goat

Matū

BEVERLY HILLS » Steak $$$

Prolific restaurateur Jerry Greenberg (Sugarfish, Nozawa Bar, KazuNori, Uovo, HiHo Cheeseburger) and his partners are convinced that they serve the world’s best beef, prepared in the most optimal way. After trying their five-course, $85 Wagyu dinner featuring sustainably raised, 100 percent grass-fed beef from First Light Farms in New Zealand, you might see things their way. Magnificently marbled steaks are cooked to “warm red,” which is the color of rare and the temperature of medium rare. The result is meat that’s tender, luscious, and strikingly beefy. 239 S. Beverly Dr., 424317-5031, or matusteak.com. Full Bar.

❂ Ospi

VENICE » Italian $$$

Jackson Kalb’s sprawling new Italian joint brings bustle and outdoor tables to a corner on an otherwise quiet stretch. Pastas, including a spicy rigatoni alla vodka and raschiatelli with a pork rib ragù, are sublime, and most travel remarkably well if you’re looking to do takeout, which is the only option for lunch. Roman-style pizzas boast a uniquely crispy, cracker-thin crust; to get the full crunch, have a slice as you drive your takeout home. 2025 Pacific Ave., 424-443-5007, ospivenice.com, or @ospiveni Full bar.

❂ Pasjoli

SANTA MONICA » French $$$$

Dave Beran’s à la carte spot bucks the trends and eschews bistro clichés in favor of old-fashioned thrills—an elaborate pressed duck prepared just as Escoffier would have and served with potatoes au gratin dauphinois—and modern French fare. The showy duck must be reserved in advance as only a limited number of birds are available each night. But there are plenty of other exciting dishes on the menu, such as the chicken liver in brioche and pan-roasted sea bass with lobster velouté. 2732 Main St., 424-330-0020 , or pasjoli.com . Full bar.

DOWNTOWN

❂ Angry Egret Dinette

CHINATOWN » Sandwiches $$

Wes Avila has left Guerrilla Tacos and is focusing on torta-esque sandwiches at this heartfelt new venture. Standouts include the Saguaro with tempura-fried squash blossoms, heirloom tomato, market greens, ricotta cheese, and salsa China. It’s hearty and decadent but also wonderfully nuanced. There’s ample outdoor seating, but sandwiches with fried ingredients miraculously manage to remain crispy and travel well. 970 N. Broadway, Ste. 114, 213-278-0987, aedinette.com , or @angryegretdinette

Badmaash

HISTORIC CORE » Indian $$

This Indian gastropub concept comes from the father-and-sons team of Pawan, Nakul, and Arjun Mahendro, who are all well versed in the culinary techniques of East and West. The menu features contemporary mash-ups, like a version of poutine smothered in chicken tikka, charred tandoori chicken, and braised lamb. If tradition’s your thing, you’ll be comforted by what they call Good Ol’ Saag Paneer. 108 W. 2nd St., 213-2217466, or badmaashla.com. Beer and wine. Also at 418 N. Fairfax Ave., Fairfax District, 213-281-5185

✤ ❂ Caboco

ARTS DISTRICT » Brazilian $$

Rodrigo Oliveira and fellow chef/partner Victor Vasconcellos are here to show Los Angeles that there’s a lot more to Brazilian food than churrascarias, so they’re serving habit-forming fried tapioca cubes and a vegan stew (moqueca de caju) headlined by cashew fruit that’s startlingly complex. Wash it all down with refreshing caipirinhas—the bar makes no less than five different

kinds. 1850 Industrial St., 213-405-1434, cabocola.com, or @caboco.la. Full bar.

✤ ❂ Caldo Verde

ARTS DISTRICT » Portuguese $$$

Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne have opened a Portuguese cousin to their beloved Spanish-infused A.O.C. The restaurant loads up its namesake seafood stew with a generous amount of local rock crab, grilled linguica, mussels, kale, and potato. It’s a tremendous example of the rough-andtumble food that Goin loves—dishes in which she deftly balances salt, fat, and bold flavors with California brightness. A starter of Ibérico ham, anchovies, and olives is called “small plate of salty favorites” because Goin understands that you visit restaurants to be jolted and enjoy food that’s a bit more intense than what you typically eat at home. 1100 S. Broadway, 213-806-1023, or properhotel.com/downtown-la. Full bar.

❂ Camphor

ARTS DISTRICT » French/Indian $$$$

“The main plan for this restaurant was to transport people,” says Max Boonthanakit of the new Arts District bistro he opened with Michelinstarred chef Lijo George. “Bistro” may be an understatement, given the restaurant’s stunning minimalist interior and exquisitely prepared dishes, but Camphor is, at its core, a French bistro where plump oysters are served in a bath of amaretto mignonette and the beef tartare comes with a side of tempura-fried herbs. Boonthanakit and George aim to bring something completely new to L.A.—that is, something distinctively not L.A. Camphor’s access to the spices from George’s southern Indian homeland makes it a standout. 923 E. 3rd St., Ste. 109, 213-626-8888, or camphor.la. Full bar.

❂ Cha Cha Chá

ARTS DISTRICT » Mexican $$

The huge, lively, plant-filled rooftop and some mezcal would be enough for a good night out at this Mexico City import, but chef Alejandro Guzmán, an alum of Le Comptoir, has packed his menu with quiet thrills. Carnitas get taken up a level by an orange reduction that comes at the end of the long cooking process. For dessert, the carrot flan is a small revelation, a surprising, exciting riff on carrot cake. The interior bar, La Barra, offers up unique mezcal cocktails. 812 E. 3rd St., 213-548-8487, or chachacha.la. Full bar.

❂ Girl & the Goat

ARTS DISTRICT » Eclectic $$$

At long last, Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard has brought her hit Chicago restaurant to a light, airy space and pretty patio in downtown L.A. with seating for 200. The lengthy menu is full of international intrigue and the unexpected flavor combinations for which Izard is known. Roasted beets mingle with a yuzu-kosho vinaigrette. A salmon poke features chili crunch, avocado, and strawberry. Goat makes an appearance in both a liver mousse starter and a hearty curry main. 555-3 Mateo St., 213-799-4628, girlandthegoat.com, or @girlandthegoatla. Full bar.

❂ Kodō

DOWNTOWN » Japanese $$$

Everything about the look of this new izakaya-style restaurant in the Kensho Rykn hotel is serene. But don’t be fooled by the restaurant’s visual tranquility. The energy of Kodo¯, which translates to “heartbeat,” is intentionally boisterous because the chef, Yoya Takahashi, wanted to stay true to what a Kyoto-style izakaya would be—a fun place with an upbeat vibe and traditional Japanese bar fare. So the food comes out fast and without pretense. A Caesar salad of Little Gem lettuce is blanketed with bonito flakes. The off-menu toro, served with a tangy cilantro sauce, minced tomato, and cucumber, has the kind of fatty, melt-in-your-mouth quality you can’t forget (and don’t want to). 710 S. Santa Fe Ave., 213-302-8010, or kodo.la. Full bar.

CENTRAL

❂ Alta Adams

WEST ADAMS » California Soul Food $$

Riffing on his grandmother’s recipes, Watts native Keith Corbin loads up his gumbo with market veggies and enlivens his collard greens with a smoked oil. Soul food in this city is too often associated with Styrofoam containers, but this verdant patio is a lovely place to linger. Hot sauce splashed onto skillet-fried chicken is pure pleasure, enhanced by a bourbon drink the bar tints with cacao-spiced bitters and Luxardo cherries. Finish the night by taking on a toasted angel food strawberry shortcake. 5359 W. Adams Blvd., 323-571-4999, or altaadams.com Full bar.

❂ A.O.C.

BEVERLY GROVE » California $$$

Driven by culinary excellence, A.O.C. is anchored by a courtyard with soft sunlight and laurel trees. Caroline Styne’s wine list doesn’t shy away from the ecology of vineyards, while Suzanne Goin’s cooking has become indispensable. Carefully constructed salads showcase vegetables at their best, and the roasted chicken with panzanella is both an homage to San Francisco’s Zuni Café and a classic in and of itself. 8700 W. 3rd St., 310-859-9859, or aocwinebar.com. Full bar. Also at 11648 San Vicente Blvd., 310-806-6464, Brentwood.

✤ Bicyclette

PICO-ROBERTSON » French $$$

Walter and Margarita Manzke’s delightful, delicious follow-up to République brings a bit of Paris to Pico. The menu is stocked with exactingly executed bistro standards: onion soup with oozy cheese, hearty short-rib bourguignon, and a luxurious bouillabaisse. Margarita’s baguettes and beautiful desserts are as great as ever. Resisting Bicyclette’s charms is futile. 9575 W. Pico Blvd., 424500-9575, or bicyclettela.com . Full bar.

Brandoni Pepperoni

FAIRFAX DISTRICT » Pizza $$

Six nights a week, Brandon Gray turns out some of L.A.’s most exciting pizzas. Gray, a veteran of Navy kitchens and top local restaurants like Providence, brings boundless imagination to his pies. They’re topped with premium ingredients— Jidori chicken, Sungold tomatoes, smoked pork shoulder—in exciting combinations. A curry-Dijonnaise dressing renders a side salad surprisingly memorable. 7257 Beverly Blvd., 323-306-4968, or brandoni-pepperoni.com. Wine to go.

Chi Spacca

HANCOCK PARK » Italian $$$$

The best Northern Italian steak restaurant in the city, Chi Spacca serves a bistecca alla Fiorentina so tender that it would make a vegan blush. In this meat-eater’s paradise, the cuisine comes courtesy of 2014 James Beard Award-winning chef Nancy Silverton, owner of Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza, and Mozza2Go. And if red meat’s not your thing, try the chicken or octopus. But if it is, take some of the cured meats home—you’ll thank us. 6610 Melrose Ave., 323-297-1133, chispacca.com. Full bar.

Fanny’s MID-WILSHIRE » French $$$

Even with a glass wall opening onto exhibits, architect Renzo Piano succeeded in creating an eatery at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures that feels quite cinematic. While by day, Fanny’s is a café that serves salads and sandwiches to museumgoers, by night, it’s a glam, modern vision of an old-school Hollywood hangout. Captains in suits push carts of gooey, French, washed-rind cow’s milk cheeses and carve thick, bloody slices of côte de boeuf tableside. But there are also plenty of modern touches. Instead of a live band, Fanny’s has a different DJ spinning records every night. Chef Raphael Francois (Le Cirque, Tesse) sends out perfect twists on a Caesar salad and plays around with menu

items like hamachi crudo on a bed of sweet pickled grapes and jicama with brown butter and cilantro. 6067 Wilshire Blvd., 323-930-3080, fannysla.com Full bar.

❂ Gigi’s

HOLLYWOOD MEDIA DISTRICT » French $$$

With its sceney Sycamore Avenue location and gorgeous, illustration-lined interiors, Gigi’s could easily succeed with subpar fare. But chef Matt Bollinger’s bistro classics—like curry mussels, steak tartare, and roasted chicken—are done quite well, if priced rather high. The wine list from beverage director Kristin Olszewski, an Osteria Mozza alum, is surprisingly interesting, with various natural and biodynamic options on offer. 904 N. Sycamore Ave., 323-499-1138, gigis.la, or @gigis_la. Full bar.

Harold & Belle’s

JEFFERSON PARK » Southern Creole $$

For Creole-style food—a mélange of French, African, and Native American flavors—Harold & Belle’s is as close to the Dirty Coast as you’ll come on the West Coast. The crawfish étouffée in spicy gravy will have you humming zydeco, while the bourbon bread pudding will leave you with a Sazerac-worthy buzz. 2920 W. Jefferson Blvd., 323-735-9023, or haroldandbelles.com. Full bar.

✤ Horses

HOLLYWOOD » Eclectic $$$

Versatile power-couple chefs Liz Johnson (who earned extensive national acclaim at Freedman’s) and Will Aghajanian (formerly the chef de cuisine at Vespertine) have created a lively California bistro that feels both old school and of the moment. Located in the red-boothed space that was home to Ye Coach & Horses, the mostly European-inspired menu is rooted in both classic technique and freespirited cooking. A sobrassada panino with white American cheese and a drizzle of honey is thin, crispy, sweet, savory, creamy, and spicy: an extremely pleasing little bite. Lumache pasta with vodka sauce gets an unexpected and delightful kick from ’nduja. 7617 W. Sunset Blvd. or horsesla.com. Full bar.

Hotville Chicken

BALDWIN HILLS/CRENSHAW » Fried chicken $

With her hot chicken joint, Kim Prince is doing her family’s legacy justice—she’s the niece of André Prince Jeffries, owner of Nashville legend Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, where hot fried chicken is said to have originated. Prince adds spice at every step in the cooking process to produce a complex, layered flavor. Sides, like mac and cheese, are also winners. 4070 Marlton Ave., 323-792-4835, or hotvillechicken.com. No alcohol.

Lalibela

FAIRFAX DISTRICT » Ethiopian $-$$

The strip of Fairfax known as Little Ethiopia has long been dominated by the same handful of restaurants. Chef-owner Tenagne Belachew worked in a few of them before opening her own sophisticated haven, which invites with the swirling aromas of berbere and burning sage. Stretchy disks of injera—the sour, teff-flour pancake that doubles as a utensil for scooping up food by hand—arrive piled with uniquely pungent delights. There are wots, or stews, made with chicken or spiced legumes or lamb sautéed in a creamy sauce. 1025 S. Fairfax Ave., 323-965-1025, or lalibelala.com. Beer and wine.

Luv2Eat Thai Bistro

HOLLYWOOD » Thai $$

Vibrant flavors and spices abound at this strip-mall favorite from two Phuket natives. The crab curry, with a whole crustacean swimming in a creamy pool of deliciousness, is not to be missed (it travels surprisingly well), but the expansive menu is full of winners, from the massaman curry to the Thai fried chicken with sticky rice and sweet pepper sauce. 6660 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-498-5835, luv2eatthai.com, or @luv2eat.thaibistro

❂ Ronan

FAIRFAX DISTRICT » Cal-Italian $$

At Daniel and Caitlin Cutler’s chic pizzeria, the pies—especially the How ‘Nduja Want It? with spicy sausage, gorgonzola crema, green onion, and celery—are the clear stars, but it’s a big mistake not to explore the entire menu. It’s filled with delicious delights, from cacio e pepe risotto to a sea bass served with an ever-changing assortment of banchan. 7315 Melrose Ave., 323-917-5100, ronanla.com, or @ronan_la. Full bar.

❂ Son of a Gun

BEVERLY GROVE » Seafood $$

Florida-raised chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo deliver a certain brand of sun-drenched seashore nostalgia. Dropping into the nautically themed dining room for chilled peel-and-eat shrimp and a hurricane feels as effortless as dipping your toes in the sand. There are buttery lobster rolls and fried-chicken sandwiches alongside artfully plated crudos. 8370 W. 3rd St., 323-782-9033, or sonofagunrestaurant.com. Full bar.

❂ Soulmate

WEST HOLLYWOOD » Mediterranean $$$

It’s lovely outside, and there’s a stunning new WeHo spot with a patio that can hold 75 attractive people, plus hours that go to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Starters include various jamones and spicy paella bites. Further down the menu, there’s a lot of seafood options, from wood-fired octopus with charred romesco to salmon crudo. 631 N. Robertson Blvd., 310-734-7764, soulmateweho.com, or @soulmateweho Full bar

EAST

✤ ❂ Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery

PASADENA » Eclectic $$

This low-key charmer—the work of two alums of acclaimed San Francisco Italian joint Flour + Water—deftly mixes midwestern hospitality and European technique. The casual lunch is all about cheese and charcuterie boards and sandwiches. At dinner, excellent pastas, smartly prepared proteins, thoughtfully selected wines, and great cocktails join the party on the spacious patio. 40 W. Green St., 626-389-3839, agnesla.com, or @agnes_pasadena. Full bar.

❂ All Day Baby

SILVER LAKE » Eclectic $$

Jonathan Whitener’s Here’s Looking At You is, sadly, closed, but his thrilling cooking continues on a bustling Eastside corner. Whether you opt for smoked spare ribs, a hoki fish sandwich, or a breakfast sandwich on pastry chef Thessa Diadem’s sublime biscuits, it’s all great. 3200 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-741-0082, alldaybabyla.com, or @alldaybabyla

❂ Eszett

SILVER LAKE » Eclectic $$

This stylish, cozy wine bar brings warm hospitality to the strip-mall space formerly occupied by Trois Familia. Chef Spencer Bezaire’s menu deftly brings in flavors from around the globe without feeling overly contrived. Chicken wings are accompanied by salsa macha. Don’t miss the big fries. 3510 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-522-6323, or eszettla.com. Beer and wine.

❂ Found Oyster

EAST HOLLYWOOD » Seafood $$$

This tiny oyster bar was a pre-pandemic favorite, and chef Ari Kolender’s seafood dishes still thrill when taken to go or enjoyed on the restaurant’s “boat deck.” The scallop tostada with yuzu kosho and basil is a must-order, and a bisque sauce takes the basic lobster roll to new heights. Interesting, affordable wines add to the fun. 4880 Fountain Ave., 323-486-7920, foundoyster.com, or @foundoyster. Beer and wine.

❂

Hippo

HIGHLAND PARK » Cal-Italian $$

Hidden in a wood-trussed dining room behind Triple Beam Pizza, this Cal-Ital restaurant from Mozza vet Matt Molina balances casual and refined. Snappy wax beans are sluiced with vinaigrette for a picnic-worthy salad. Great pastas and juicy grilled chicken thighs deliver the unfussy pleasure found at the best neighborhood spots. Eclectic regular specials like haute corn dogs add to the fun. 5916 ½ N. Figueroa St., 323-545-3536, or hipporestaurant.com. Full bar.

❂ Jin Cook

GLENDALE » Korean $

K-Town has the highest concentration of Korean food in the U.S., but it doesn’t get all the hits. Jin Cook works wonders with “authentic Korean soul food” in Glendale. This homey restaurant brings sparkle to dishes like spicy pork. Thinly sliced meat arrives sizzling in a stone bowl and then gets crusty and caramelized and reaches hyperdrive when showered with shredded mozzarella, which magically melds with the spicy meat and enables cheese pulls galore. 310 N. Brand Blvd., 818-637-7822, or jincooks.com. Beer.

✤ KinKan

VIRGIL VILLAGE » Japanese-Thai $$$$

Nan Yimcharoen became an underground sensation during the pandemic, selling jewel box–like chirashi sushi over Instagram. Now she’s got a brick-and-mortar spot serving a Japanese-Thai tasting menu with exquisite courses like slices of bluefin tuna larb gorgeously assembled in the shape of a rose, and a resplendent crab curry with blue butterfly-pea-flower noodles and a sauce powered by innards and roe. 771 N. Virgil Ave. 949-793-0194, or @kinkan_la. Sake.

✤

❂ Moo’s Craft Barbecue

LINCOLN HEIGHTS » Barbecue $

Some of the best Texas barbecue is actually in L.A. Andrew and Michelle Muñoz’s brisket and beef ribs are meaty bliss that would be taken seriously in Austin. But Moo’s is very much a vital L.A. spot; the Muñozes weave in their Mexican-Angeleno roots with dishes like a cheese-and-poblano-filled beef and pork verde sausage. 2118 N. Broadway, 323-6864133, mooscraftbarbecue.com, or @mooscraftbarbecue. Beer and wine.

Northern Thai Food Club

EAST HOLLYWOOD » Thai $

Offering specialty dishes unique to northern Thailand, this family-run favorite doesn’t skimp on flavor, spice, or authenticity. Tasty takeout meals include the khao soi gai (curry egg noodle with chicken), laab moo kua (minced pork), tam kha noon (jackfruit salad), and pla salid tod (fried gourami fish). For those unfamiliar with the region’s distinct cuisine, the illustrious sticky rice is still a reliable bet. Need incentive? Everything on the menu is less than $10. 5301 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-474-7212, or amphainorthernthaifood.com

❂ Playita

SILVER LAKE » Mexican $

The team behind the beloved local chainlet Guisados has taken over an old seafood taco stand on a busy Eastside stretch. The results, as you might expect, are delicious and delightful. Playita has a fresh, beachy blue-and-white aesthetic and a tight menu of well-done ceviches, seafood cocktails, and fish tacos. 3143 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-928-2028, playitamariscos.com, or @playitamariscos

✤ ❂ Saso

PASADENA » Spanish $$$

The arrival of this splashy new spot suggests that the good times might soon be here again. It shares a charming, sprawling courtyard with the Pasadena Playhouse, and the seafood-heavy menu from chef Dominique Crisp, who previously worked at L&E Oyster Bar, begs for reuniting with friends on nice summer nights. Orange zest enlivens jamón ibérico

crudités, while miso butter takes grilled oysters to new heights. 37 S. El Molino Ave., 626-808-4976, sasobistro.com, or @sasobistro. Full bar.

❂ Sōgo Roll Bar

LOS FELIZ » Sushi $$

So¯go is hardly the only concept in town devoted to rolls, but it has mastered the form. Rice is cooked with the same careful consideration and seasoning that sushi master Kiminobu Saito uses at the high-end Sushi Note, and it manages to maintain a great temperature and texture, even when being delivered. Fish is not just fresh but also flavorful, each type thoughtfully paired with ideal accompaniments, from a tangy yuzu-pepper sauce that makes salmon sing to brandy-soaked albacore with garlic-ginger ponzu and crispy onions. 4634 Hollywood Blvd., 323-741-0088, sogorollbar.com, or @sogorollbar. Beer and sake.

❂ Spoon & Pork SILVER LAKE » Filipino $$

The go-to for Filipino comfort food o ers a variety of dishes, all featuring one shared ingredient: deliciousness. Spoon & Pork puts an innovative spin on some Filipino favorites—just try its adobo pork belly, pork belly banh mi, or lechon kawali. The dishes, which can be ordered at the counter to enjoy on the patio or for takeout and delivery, mix decadence with some authentic soul. 3131 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-922-6061, spoonandpork.com, or @spoonandporkla Beer and wine.

❂ Sunset Sushi

SILVER LAKE » Japanese $$$

With omakase boxes priced from $30 to $85, this new sushi place in the old Ma’am Sir space strikes the sweet spot between a ordable and indulgent and is another exciting addition to the Eastside’s growing number of quality sushi options. It’s a sister spot to Highland Park’s Ichijiku but with a more luxe vibe and a larger menu, tailor-made for takeout. 4330 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-741-8371, sunsetsushila.com, or @sunsetsushi. Beer and sake to go.

❂ U Street Pizza

PASADENA » Pizza $$

There was a moment when U Street’s vodka pepperoni pie was a shining star of Instagram, and rightfully so. The why-haven’t-I-had-this-before combination of pepperoni and creamy vodka sauce is an easy win. Vegetable dishes, notably a Japanese eggplant with Calabrian chili agrodolce, are more than afterthoughts. Note that while the vodka pepperoni pie travels well, the clam pie is best enjoyed in-house. 33 E. Union St., 626-605-0430, ustreetpizza.com, or @ustreetpizza

THE VALLEY

❂ Black Market Liquor Bar

STUDIO CITY » New American $$

Some nights it seems as if half the Valley is here, enjoying the colorful patio. Top Chef graduate Antonia Lofaso’s Italian chops are visible in the buxom ricotta gnudi with brown butter and pistachios. The deep-fried flu ernutter sandwich is a reminder that food, like life, should not be taken too seriously. 11915 Ventura Blvd., 818-446-2533, or blackmarketliquorbar.com. Full bar.

❂ The Brothers Sushi

WOODLAND HILLS » Sushi $$$

This hidden gem, reinvigorated when chef Mark Okuda took the helm in 2018, is worth traveling for. The excellent omakase is available in the restaurant on the patio or to go. You can also order à la carte or get non-sushi items like soy-glazed grilled chicken. 21418 Ventura Blvd., 818-456-4509, thebrotherssushi.com, or @thebrotherssushila. Beer, sake, and wine.

Hank’s BURBANK » Bagels $

The L.A. bagel revolution continues at this stylish spot in the Valley that serves up carefully constructed sandwiches. Tomato, aioli, and mapleglazed bacon elevate a simple bacon, egg, and cheese, while a classic salmon-and-lox construction has thoughtful touches like salted cucumbers and pickled onions. Grab a tub of Hank’s “angry” spread—a spicy, slightly sweet concoction—to have in your fridge. 4315 W. Riverside Dr., 818-588-3693, hanksbagels.com, or @hanksbagels. Also at 13545 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 818-588-3693.

Tel Aviv Authentic Kitchen

ENCINO » Middle Eastern $

Deeply comforting Israeli skewers, kabobs, and merguez come with a colorful and tasty array of salads showcasing produce like red cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, and pumpkin. The spicy sauces on the side work well with any- and everything. 17630 Ventura Blvd., 818-774-9400, or telavivkoshergrill.com

SOUTH

❂ Ali’i Fish Company

EL SEGUNDO » Seafood $$

This small, unassuming spot shames all the glossy poke purveyors popping up around town to serve mediocre versions of the Hawaiian dish. Glistening cubes of tuna, flown in fresh from the islands daily, remind you how great poke can be. The smoked-ahi dip with house-made potato chips is not to be missed. 409 E. Grand Ave., 310-616-3484, or aliifishco.com

❂ Fishing With Dynamite

MANHATTAN BEACH » Seafood $$$

A premium raw bar near the beach shouldn’t be unusual, but it is. The same goes for velvety clam chowder. Here, it achieves smoky richness—you can thank the Nueske’s bacon for that—without any of the floury glop. 1148 Manhattan Ave., 310-893-6299, or eatfwd.com. Full bar.

❂ Little Coyote

LONG BEACH » Pizza $

That most amazing slice of pizza you had that one very drunken, late night in your early twenties in New York lives on . . . in Long Beach. The crust, made with dough cold-fermented for 48 to 72 hours, is carby perfection: tangy, crispy, thin but with a healthy pu . The concise menu doesn’t o er any revelations about what should be atop pizza but, instead, perfects the usual suspects. 2118 E. 4th St., 562-434-2009, littlecoyotelbc.com, or @littlecoyotelbc. Also at 3500 Los Coyotes Diagonal, 562-352-1555.

❂ Tamales Elena Y Antojitos

BELL GARDENS » Afro-Mexican $

This small spot, with counter service, a drivethrough window, and a patio, purports to be the area's only Afro-Mexican restaurant. It focuses on a distinct cuisine from a part of Guerrero to which former slaves fled. Pozoles are rich and slightly thick, and the memorable pork tamales with red sauce are wrapped in fire-tinged banana leaves that impart a hint of smoke. 8101 Garfield Ave., 562-674-3043, ordertamaleselenayantojitos.com, or @tamaleselenayantojitos

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Los Angeles is a doughnut town. So why is Dunkin’ so late to the game?

“uses a center of power—a capitol or cathedral—as a focal point.” Architect Victor Cusack, who co-crafted the complex, claimed in his book A Symbol of Los Angeles that LAX’s theme building also had “metaphysical qualities” that were loved by LAX brass (and me).

Q: Is that famous vegan Mexican restaurant in WeHo, Gracias Madre, related to the one in San Francisco?

CHRIS’S PICK

Old West Coasters

A BOOK ABOUT DRINKING ACCESSORIES

A:The East Coast favorite tried several times to break into the California market, but its major invasion e orts here flopped. Dunkin’s first L.A. outpost was opened on La Brea Avenue in 1959. The chain’s founder, William Rosenberg, had been inspired by his visits to California shops, including Winchell’s, and tapped his friend John Spartos to help open the first Dunkin’ Donuts near Boston in 1950. Spartos moved west and spent decades making the doughnuts at his Torrance and Inglewood franchises. Over time, another dozen shops sprung up around L.A., but Dunkin’ left by 2002—until recently. There are now about 40 Munchkinsmakers in L.A., despite competition from hundreds of indies cooking up Winchell’s old recipes.

Q: Why is that restaurant at the airport called the Theme Building?

A: Los Angeles

Historic-Cultural Monument No. 570, the swirly landmark at the heart of LAX, was at the center of

a vast airport modernization in 1961 that transformed the landing strip for propeller planes into America’s first airport designed for modern jets. The Jet Age theme of the airport was distilled

into that one building. Experts tell me that theme buildings have long been part of classical design, with whole cities built around major monuments. “Beaux Arts planning,” says architect Alan Hess,

A: Both sprouted from the same plantbased family tree, but the owners of the Bay Area original have turned their attention to agriculture, while the L.A. operation is run by their kids. “My parents are in their seventies,” co-owner Cary Mosier says. “They’re gentleman farmers.” The Southern California restaurant is larger and fancier, creating unique dishes like hearts-ofpalm crab cakes and Coconut Chicharrón.

“I’m 38 and I have energy and it’s L.A.,” Mosier says. “They’re more set it and forget it.” Mosier hopes to expand mom and dad’s other nocarne creation, Café Gratitude, nationwide.

● Little scraps of paper, too delicate to survive more than one drink, live on in the book Bar Keeps: A Collection of California’s Best Cocktail Napkins Universal Studios production designer Patrick Quinn shares his bounty of midcentury cocktail napkins, the rarest of paper ephemera, which scream with bold graphics and colorful characters called from a lost universe of eating and drinking spots (though a few survivors, including Musso & Frank’s, the Tam O’Shanter, and the Derby, have recently celebrated their centennials). Matchbooks, menus, and swizzle sticks—sometimes stained and creased from a fun night out—add to the picture of what a table might have looked like when your grandparents were out and about.

SWEET SHOP

John Spartos at his Inglewood Dunkin’ Donuts in 1959.

Bringing to life the vision of legendary architect Frank Gehry, in the epicenter of arts and culture in Downtown L.A.

Experience the innovative and dynamic culinary concepts by chef and humanitarian José Andrés at San Laurel, Agua Viva, Airlight and The Beaudry Room located on the 10th floor. The best combination of design, architecture, and culture in Downtown L.A.

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