Photos - El Cholo: Amanda Proudfit | Hudson House, West at Hotel Angeleno & Sea Level at Shade: Joe Nardello| The Wallace: Travis McCoy
Laura Scollan EXECUTIVE CHEF, WEST AT HOTEL ANGELENO Q: If you could eat one thing in LA for the rest of your life, what would it be? Laura Scollan: I would eat the Godmother sandwich from Bay Cities Deli in Santa Monica. It's a well composed sandwich made on really great bread. Q: How do you personally, or your restaurant, stand apart from the rest in such a large industry? LS: We have a kind of unique and whimsical take on the menu, and from me that comes from a life of travel, and love of food and flavors. We pair that with a breathtaking panoramic view of Los Angeles, because we’re 17 floors up, and it is a round hotel. It’s an amazing combination when you can change the menu as often as you want and be as fun as you want with it. Q: What does it take to run a restaurant successfully? LS: For me inspiration is important. You must consistently redefine your culinary style, and the desire to inspire those you work with. So, they can reach their potential as line cooks, and teach them to be future chefs. I think resilience too, you must have a great sense of resilience, and a sense of humor in this job because it’s long hours. You can do everything right one minute, and then everything can go sideways in the next minute. Q: What is the most popular dish at your restaurant? LS: Currently it’s our Scottish salmon dish. It has Okinawan mashed, crispy capers, mango chutney, sweet potato puree. It comes with a watercress and tomato salad.
WEST AT HOTEL ANGELENO 170 N Church Ln, Los Angeles, CA 90049, Penthouse Level, 17th floor 310.481.7878 | www.westrestaurantla.com
Q: If you could only use three ingredients for the rest of your life, what would they be? LS: Butter, goat cheese, and lemon. I kind of incorporate them into every meal I work with in some capacity. They have such amazing flavors, and it can really make a difference to a dish. It helps to make ordinary a little more extraordinary.
Joel Miller EXECUTIVE CHEF, THE WALLACE Q: If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would
it be? Joel Miller: Pizza.
Q: How do you personally, or your restaurant, stand apart from the rest in such a large industry? JM: I think our restaurant is able to stand apart just with the frequency of which we change our menu here, whether it’s our lunch or brunch menu, we do a complete overhaul. We do four pastry changes during the year to reflect the seasons, and then for our dinner menu, we’re constantly changing just based on what’s good in the market, or things that we can get locally. It keeps people coming back for more because they’re not getting the same thing over and over again. Q: What does it take to run a restaurant successfully?
JM: It takes a very firm understanding of numbers. You have to understand that money is essentially the name of the game; you know, how much you make and how much you spend. Most restaurants don’t make money, they basically even out to stay afloat. You have to have really good product, and you have to have dedicated people, but you also have to have the understanding that you need to be able to manage the day-to-day.
Aaron Robbins EXECUTIVE CHEF, SEA LEVEL AT SHADE Q: If you could eat one thing in LA for the rest of your life, what would it be? Aaron Robbins: The chicken tandoori at Anarbagh in Encino. It’s one of the best Tandoori chickens I’ve ever had. Q: How do you personally, or your restaurant, stand apart from the rest in such a large industry? AR: I think because we do familiar items with a twist. Everything is either cured, or brined, and we take that extra step for flavor to make sure everything has that pop. Everything is made in house from scratch as well, from our dressing to our sauces, our stocks, our pizza dough, and our pastries. Another hotel might be bringing in dressings in a jar, or just mixing things and calling it Aioli. We go that extra step and use the egg yolks, and the lemon juice. I think going that extra step, and really importing flavor into the dishes is what really sets us apart. Q: What does it take to run a restaurant successfully? AR: It takes knowledge of food, and the number one is staff. You need a strong sous chef by your side. You need staff because one chef can’t do it all. Q: What are the most popular dishes at your restaurant? AR: The citrus cured hamachi, and the crispy chicken.
Q: What are the most popular dishes at your restaurant? JM: Our grilled cauliflower steak and our rib ravioli. Q: What is the most difficult ingredient to work with? JM: I’d have to say sweet breads because they’re very temperamental and they have to be done perfectly or they can’t be done at all.
THE WALLACE 3833 Main St, Culver City, CA 90232 310.202.6400 | www.thewallacela.com
SEA LEVEL AT SHADE 655 North Harbor Drive Redondo Beach, CA 90277 310.921.8940 | rb.shadehotel.com/dine
LOCALE MAGAZINE 39