Egoreview Los Angeles by egoreview

LOS ANGELES

WINTER 2017 I.M. PEI × LUDO LEFEBVRE × YAYOI KUSAMA × ERIC GARCETTI EGOREVIEW.COM

contents

WINTER 2017 ego’s choices desire list

ego design

luminary 72

I.M. PEI

exposé 28

ERIC GARCETTI

design focus

ego fashion

everlasting love

STAHL + BAND

RIVA, BIRTH OF A MASTERPIECE

dances with she-wolves

fashion story: fendi

ego culture the artist

around us

art and about

reader’s comments

YAYOI KUSAMA

ego voyage beautiful escape

SRI LANKA, A HEALING ISLAND OF WONDERS near us

HEALDSBURG: SIT, STAY, HEALDSBURG not so near us

ZIMBABWE: A VIEW WITH NO ROOM

PACIFIC STANDARD TIME: LA/LA OLÉ

THE DOMINGO EFFECT PACIFIC OVERTURES ROOMS WITH A VIEW RHYTHM AND FOODS

52 56

NOVEL SUGGESTIONS FROM BOOK SOUP

ego gourmand a chef at the table

venetian gem

oeno options

tasting menu

CHEF LUDO LEFEBVRE

BARRIQUE’S CHEF ANTONIO MURÈ CORNELL, TASTING THE BIG BOO MEALS OF THE CENTURY

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a word from the editors

Sophomore Salutations Thank you, L.A! We are humbled and amazed by your response to the inaugural issue of egoreview: los angeles, and we look forward to celebrating and exploring this magical metropolis with you for the long run. Our work is getting easier every day. With the constant innovation of Silicon Beach, openings of highly anticipated restaurants, tidal shifts in the entertainment industry, bold moves at museums, and support for new artists, designers, and architects, the world is beginning to see what we’ve known for years. Los Angeles is more than its dusty stereotypes; we’re a nuanced and vibrant city, a cultural melting pot second to none. It bears mentioning that since we’ve started this issue, we’ve watched in horror as Harvey, Irma, Maria, the Vegas massacre, and devastating wildfires in Northern California have ravaged communities and forever changed countless lives. For some of us, these tragedies hit close to home; our hearts go out to all those affected. In times like these, we must remember to be grateful for all of the people and comforts we cherish. Family, friends, meals, shelter, memories, experiences. This is the holiday season, after all, and life is meant to be lived. Thank you once again for taking this journey with us. We hope this winter issue brings you a little bit of inspiration, relaxation, and joy.

SOPHIE MAAREK & ELOÏSE GIRAULT egoreview.com

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ego’s choices

WRITERS WHITNEY ESHLEMAN, BRADLEY LINCOLN, CHRISTIE MCCOLLUM

MY WEEKEND GETAWAY

HOSPITALITY À LA JOLLA

PERCHED A BOVE THE SUN-DR ENCHED BEACHES OF LA JOLLA, LA VALENCIA HOTEL H AS BEEN A N INSTITUTION FOR NEA R LY A CENTURY. K NOW N AS THE "PINK LA DY" FOR ITS DISTINCTIVELY ROSY STUCCO FACA DE A ND R ED ROOF TILES, THE HOTEL HOLDS A SOFT SPOT IN THE HEARTS OF LOCA LS A ND VACATIONER S A LIK E. THE ROOMS, AVA ILA BLE IN FOUR VA R I ETI ES—TH E V INTAGE, CL A SSIC, V I LL A, A ND ICON COLLECTIONS—CELEBR ATE THE HISTORY OF THE SPACE W HILE OFFER ING THE BEST OF MODER N CONVENIENCES: SUMPTUOUS FR ETTE LINENS, DOW N COMFORTERS, AND LUXE IMPORTED BATH AMENITIES. NOT TO MENTION THE OCEA N VIEWS.

FOR-PEOPLE-WATCHING CAFE LA RUE TO THE SOPHISTICATED LA SA LA LOUNGE AND ITS TINK LING PIANO, TO THE R ESORT’S CROW N JEW EL EATERY, THE MED, W HER E CHEF A LEX EMERY SERVES FR ESH SEASONA L FAR E. DINE INSIDE THE GR A ND H A LL W ITH PAINTED CEILINGS AND ART DECO DETAILS, OR TAKE IT OUTSIDE ON A N EFFORTLESSLY CASUA L TER R ACE A BOVE THE SEA. THER E’S A SPACE FOR EVERY MOOD. SPEND SUNNY DAYS LOUNGING ON THE MEDITERR ANEAN-INSPIR ED POOL DECK, A ND IN THE EVENINGS, CHECK OUT THE SURROUNDING R ESORT TOWN WITH ITS MANY ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS. CASUA L YET SOPHISTICATED, LA VA LENCI A EX EMPLIFIES A STOR IED ELEGA NCE IN THE MOST ROM A NTIC OF SETTINGS.  CM

OU T A N D A BOU T ON T H E GROU N DS, V ISITOR S R EVEL IN THE SOCI A L SPACES, FROM THE PER FECT-

a LA VALENCIA HOTEL 132 Prospect Street La Jolla, CA 92037 Ph. 858.454.0771 lavalencia.com egoreview los angeles 02

ego’s choices

Acme5

MY OASIS ON LINCOLN

Combining rare specimen plants with artisanal ceramics, high-end local crafts, custom furniture, and unique objects from around the world, Anton Goss brings a new concept to the lifestyle space. As the production designer for Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, along with many others, he has drawn upon that design experience to launch Acme5 Lifestyle. Whether it’s an enormous aloe, bathtubs carved from granite boulders, cacti from the Andes, furniture inspired by modern villas in Ibiza, or beautiful, interesting work from local artisans, the Acme5 team is here to inspire and elevate. In the coming months, there will be evening events showcasing local artists and their work. Check Instagram to stay updated and connected, and come experience an oasis on Lincoln Boulevard. 

a © DR

ACME5 3280 Lincoln Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90405 Ph. 310.314.0505 acme5lifestyle.com

MY LOUNGE JAM

Time for BedHead

If you’ve spotted fun fancy PJs on screen, there’s a good chance they were sourced from Renee Claire Bertrand’s boutique, BedHead. Mindy Kaling practically lives in them on her eponymous sitcom, and they’ve appeared on 2 Broke Girls, Sex and the City, How I Met Your Mother, True Blood, and loads more. Renee Claire taught herself to sew during frigid Canadian winters, and moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s to become a designer. She sensed a market for stylish sleepwear, and BedHead rapidly grew to be sold in more than 1,500 boutiques, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and her WeHo flagship. Pajamas, caftans, shorty sets, and more are made in DTLA with fabrics like buttah, in such original patterns as Santorini Stripe, Frida Kahlo Siesta, and Alice in Wonderland Toile. Most come sized for men, women, kids, and dogs, so there’s your holiday card!  BL

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BEDHEAD 8336 West 3rd Street West Hollywood, CA 90048 Ph. 323.653.8336 bedheadpjs.com

ego’s choices

MY FASHION MECCA

The Segal Has Landed Since the 1960s, retailer Fred Segal has embodied L.A. style. Ask any native Angeleno—if you can find one—where they bought their first pair of investment jeans, and dollars to donuts the answer is Fred’s. Put all the denim this iconic institution has sold end-to-end and it would reach to the moon and back (or at least to the HOLLYWOOD sign). The brand recently opened a labyrinthine flagship store at the corner of Sunset and La Cienega, and it’s a wowzer. The 13,000-square-foot playground has pop-ups and dedicated shop-in-shops for multi-brand apparel vendors like HARTEL and Collective; a new line of Fred Segal–designed basics for men and women; local Libertine’s joyously quirky first brick-and-mortar; Eggy’s extravagant kids’ shop; and denim-denim-denim from the likes of Double RL and Levi’s. Out of the closet there’s Framed EWE’s cultish eyewear, the in-house blooms of Flower Girl LA, jewelry by Mara Scalise and Officina Bernardi, and art and architecture books from Hennessey + Ingalls. Caffeinate and grab a little something at San Francisco’s beloved Tartine outpost, or wine and dine at Tesse (as in délicatesse), restaurateur Bill Chait’s latest eatery. And don’t fret, fans—the flagship still has its ivied facade and red, white, and blue signage.  BL

FRED SEGAL SUNSET 8500 Sunset Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90069 Ph. 310.432.0560 fredsegal.com

MY FRENCH CONNECTION

MY SEASONAL SIP

Lauren Caro, a sparkling sommelier from Lyon who is now living in Los Angeles, has started offering two-hour “Tour de France” crash course tasting sessions to share her knowledge of and passion for French culture and wines. She is available for private fêtes and corporate team building shindigs, and participants can expect to learn the dos and don’ts of wine tasting like a pro as they listen to her cellar stories and sample bottles. Caro also delves into the basics of food and wine pairings, suggesting and serving complementary cheeses, charcuterie, and even crepes on this educational and fun degustation. She will have you living la vie rosé in no time. 

Oh, the weather outside is, well, delightful—this is L.A., silly. That doesn’t mean you can’t curl up inside with a wintry adult beverage or two after a frantic day of last-minute shopping. The Gin-gerbread cocktail at the Sofitel is an ideal imbibement for the holidays, sure to seduce you back into a festive mood. Fresh and strong at the same time, with a ginger kick and the flavors of the season, it’s the perfect drink to sip in one of the Sofitel’s plush blue velvet VIP booths, in the intimacy of the romantic lights and the soft jazzy music. 

Girls Gone Wine

Gingerbread Souse

SOFITEL BEVERLY HILLS 8555 Beverly Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90048 sofitel-los-angeles.com

LAUREN CARO Ph. 310.945.8805 girlsgonewinela@gmail.com

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ego’s choices

THE FIG IS UP

MY SUNDAY BRUNCH

With inventive cocktails, hearty Mediterranean-influenced dishes, and a rustic atmosphere, FIG Santa Monica is taking brunch to the next level. The handsome restaurant has an indoor-outdoor garden atmosphere with tons of natural light, woven chairs, and a welcoming staff. Start off with a bellini, a refreshing strawberry basil fizz, or a spicy bloody mary. From sweet to savory, Chef Yousef Ghalaini offers options like lemon ricotta pancakes with almond blueberry butter, baked egg shakshuka with chickpeas, tomatoes, and mint salsa verde, and a smoked salmon benedict that’ll put a smile on your face. Crispy wood-fired pizzas are a popular brunch item—why not split one for an app? Day drinkers can take advantage of the “kegs and eggs” special, which includes any brunch item with endless draft beer or sangria. Any way you slice it, expect fresh ingredients, incredible flavors, and dishes made with passion. 

a © DR

FIG SANTA MONICA 101 Wilshire Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90401 Ph. 310.319.3111 figsantamonica.com

Whitehouse Party

MY PARTY PLANNER

Chef Michael Whitehouse studied in NYC with Peter Kump and started his career in 1981 training with Jonathan Waxman, Mark Peel, and Nancy Silverton at Michael McCarthy’s restaurant, Michael’s, in Santa Monica. In 2001 he segued into becoming a private chef for Hollywood muckety-mucks, and started his own catering and event-planning business in 2003. He was joined by Chef Ricardo Moreno in 2010, who worked his way up the ranks with Whitehouse Dish to become head chef, and now he and Whitehouse collaborate on menus for events and private dinners. They share a love for the freshest organic foods available and provide their clients with customized menus, from seven-course tastings to elegant weddings to backyard barbecues. Whitehouse’s architectural background and Moreno’s photography background guarantee inventive dishes that look like works of art and taste like an explosion of flavor. 

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CONTACT TARA HOLLEY Ph. 310.974.2676 whitehousedish.com

ego’s choices

MY CRYO CRAVE

Get It Down Cold Renew Juicery Wellness Center in Culver City is more than the average juice joint. In addition to a cleansing menu of elixirs and supplements, Renew offers whole-body cryotherapy. Step into a cold sauna and liquid nitrogen quickly drops the temperature in the chamber to nearly 250 degrees below zero. Why freeze your ass off voluntarily? Cryotherapy is said to reduce inflammation and signs of aging, improve skin tone and collagen levels, help ease chronic pain, and decrease sports injury recovery time. As a body is subjected to stone-cold temps, blood rushes to protect vital organs. Your blood is detoxified and oxygenated, and when you step out of the machine and begin acclimating to room temperature, your blood and your body focus on healing the problematic areas. For cryo out loud, Renew Juicery will definitely wake you up and keep you energized.  WE

RENEW JUICERY AND WELLNESS CENTER 12460 West Washington Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90066 Ph. 310.439.0593 renewjuicery.com

MY URBAN SWEAT LODGE

The Shape of Things to Come Just like being in subzero temperatures, being in broiling temps is also beneficial to your health. At Shape House, an urban sweat lodge, you relax for an hour in a far-infrared sleeping bag while watching a private television with headphones. Far infrared is a radiant form of natural energy that safely penetrates the skin to increase body temperature, resulting in an intense, detoxifying sweat. Sweating out toxins also helps with weight loss, sleep quality, stress reduction, and the tone, clarity, and texture of skin. Shape House was created by a group of people who are devoted to this holistic way of bettering themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually, and its variety of memberships and packages will help you improve yourself too. You’ll leave Shape House losing toxins and gaining brightness and energy.  WE

SHAPE HOUSE 653 North Robertson Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90069 Ph. 855.567.2346 theshapehouse.com

MY GUILT-FREE PLEASURE

Kippy Ki-Yi-Yay! Who would have thought health issues would lead Kippy Miller to open an ice cream shop? Miller was constantly having headaches and migraines, but was averse to medication. She dove headfirst into research and found she could possibly cure herself with her diet. Fast-forward eight years, and Kippy’s! is now in full swing in Venice Beach, serving 12 flavors of delicious, organic, non-dairy ice cream daily. All of the sweet treats are made with raw honey or dates and coconut cream and organic local fruits, and promise to not leave you feeling sluggish. Miller’s main goal is to provide healthy ice cream that leaves her customers happy, a philosophy just as simple as the ingredients that go into her ice cream.  WE

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KIPPY’S ORGANIC NON-DAIRY ICE CREAM SHOP 245 Main Street, Venice, CA 90291 Ph. 424.387.8765 kippysicecream.com

ego’s choices

JUST BREATHE

MY SANCTUARY TRUTH BE TOLD, EVERYONE NEEDS TO LOG OFF TO RECHARGE. THAT’S WHERE UNPLUG MEDITATION STEPS IN. AFTER FOUNDER AND CEO SUZE YALOF SCHWARTZ LEARNED A THREE-MINUTE BREATHING AND GUIDED VISUAL IZATION TECHNIQUE FROM HER MOTHER-IN-LAW, SCHWARTZ FELT THERE WAS A NEED FOR A DROP-IN “BLOW DRY BAR OF MEDITATION, WHERE YOU WALK IN FEELING ICKY AND WALK OUT FEELING GREAT.” UNPLUG TEACHES YOU HOW TO FOCUS ON DEMAND, CALM DOWN, AND CONTROL YOUR MIND. MORE THAN 400 CLASSES ARE AVAILABLE, FROM AROMATHERAPY MEDITATION TO BREATH WORK TO MIND-BODY COMMUNICATION, AND ALL PROVIDE THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION, INCLUDING REDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE AND STRESS, AND IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY. WITH ITS APP, UNPLUG’S EXPERTISE AND CURATED CURRICULUM IS ACCESSIBLE FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, ANY TIME OF DAY. TAKE A THREE-MINUTE REFOCUS CLASS BETWEEN MEETINGS AT WORK OR A 45-MINUTE GUIDED IMAGERY SESSION RELAXING IN YOUR LIVING ROOM, DEPENDING ON YOUR SCHEDULE. UNPLUG IS A GREAT PLACE TO BEGIN YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY. ONE VISIT CAN CHANGE YOUR DAY; MORE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE.  WE

a UNPLUG MEDITATION 12401 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025 Ph. 310.826.8899 unplugmeditation.com egoreview los angeles 02

ego’s choices

GRAYE’S ANATOMY

MY CONCEPT STORE

GRAYE SHOWROOM 316 South Robertson Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90048 GRAYE ANNEX 1026 North Sycamore Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90038 Ph. 310.385.7872 graye-la.com

Now in its eighth year, Graye, the full-service furnishings and lifestyle atelier on Robertson Boulevard, has become a go-to destination for million-dollar decorators and anyone seeking a personalized shopping experience and modern high-level interior design. Maria Cicione, the founder, creative director, and informal ambassador for the L.A. design community, curates sophisticated, clean-lined collections of furniture by globally recognized trendsetters as well as local design talents with a focused approach to detail, material, and quality. Graye’s design team employs expertise in the custom manufacturing capabilities of such European manufacturers as Italy’s Piero Lissoni and David Lopez Quincoces of Living Divani, Giorgetti and its bespoke, handcrafted immersive environments, and Jean-Marie Massaud’s sleek office-space solutions for MDF Italia. The company also offers custom closet and storage solutions by Porro, task seating (aka ergonomic office chairs), interior and exterior lighting design, outdoor furniture, carpets, and space planning. Insiders know to visit Graye Annex, the private, appointmentonly creative space bursting with sophisticated furniture, lighting, and art in Hollywood’s newest design neighborhood, just east of La Brea Avenue.  CM

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ego’s choices

Dancing with Design MY OCEAN GEM

If Kimba Hills’s decor shop rumba feels homey, it’s because the charming Santa Monica operation is just that—her home. She opened it in 2003 on the cozy thoroughfare of Ocean Park Boulevard, and like the surrounding neighborhood, rumba exudes at once a peace and a vibrancy. It showcases handsomely refinished and reupholstered vintage furniture alongside new pieces with customizable options, singular light fixtures, contemporary art, tableware, and pillows and accessories. The bungalow behind the storefront serves as residence and design studio for Hills; it’s also open to the public as an extended showroom and gallery. Featured pieces skew modern, with clean lines and sumptuous textures. The space is constantly evolving as Hills, an interior designer and decorator by trade, reimagines it regularly to showcase her latest finds. 

RUMBA BY KIMBA HILLS 1740 Ocean Park Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90405 Ph. 310.392.3103 kimbahills.com

MY MONTANA GEM

Exalting Exir

Nestled in the heart of Santa Monica’s beachy, bus tling Montana Avenue is a charming little shop called Exir. The store has been selling home goods and tableware since 2015 and has become a neighborhood go-to gift resource, with a rotating stock of beautiful one-of-a-kind items from artisans around the globe. Reza and Maryam Torab, the gregarious and knowledgeable owners, are longtime Santa Monica residents who travel the world to visit craftsmen and artists’ studios to handpick Exir’s merch. Motherof-pearl champagne saucers, sculpted concrete wine chillers, elegant serving dishes, nubby linens, and fine fragrant candles are artfully displayed on tables and shelves like works in a museum gift shop. The result is a chic abundance of simple, modern design, organic textures, and earthy palettes, creating a refined and relaxed shopping experience. Exir has a popular gift registry service, and gift cards are available. 

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EXIR 1134 Montana Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90403 Ph. 310.587.2222 exirhome.com

ego’s choices

Purses of Interest MY COUP DE CŒUR

Lately, we’ve been crushing hard on Natasha Barrault’s delicious bag line. The globe-trotting French designer uses vintage trimmings and men’s necktie fabrics from the 1960s and 1970s, instilling her creations with a timeless individuality. Barrault designs and produces her unique brand of arm candy between the South of France and Tunisia, though she says her heart still beats for Los Angeles. She started her line while she was living here and working as an interior and landscape designer. Each bag is part of a very limited edition and comes with an embossed, hand-numbered ID card and a super cute draw string dust bag that can be used all day long. Available at the Lost and Found boutiques in Hollywood and Santa Monica, and online at natashabarrault.com. 

a © DR

NATASHA BARRAULT natashabarrault.com

DOGS: MY CAUSE CÉLÈBRE

VANDERPUMP SCHOOLS

As a founding fore-Housewife of reality TV and a glamorous serial entrepreneur behind three clubstaurants, jewelry and tableware collections, and her own branded vodka and sangria, one might have certain expectations when approach ing Lisa Vanderpump’s newest and pinkest establishment, Vanderpump Dogs. Sure, you’ll find faux chinchilla dog beds, quilted pet carriers that pass for luxury handbags, and Chaz Dean hair products for dogs, but there’s more going on here. The second level houses the Vanderpump Dog Foundation, an organization Lisa and her husband Ken started to help mistreated pups on a domestic and international platform. The couple set up StopYulinForever.com to call attention to the barbarity of a “celebration” in China that encourages people to capture and eat dogs for good fortune. On a local front, a sizable portion of VPD showcases rescue dogs up for adoption, and a full-service grooming salon donates profits to charity.  BL

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VANDERPUMP DOGS 8134 West 3rd Street West Hollywood, CA 90048 Ph. 323.852.3647 vanderpumpdogs.org

ego’s choices

Western Exposure MY ZEN LIVING

a WAYFARER APARTMENTS & MARINA 14000 Palawan Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292 Ph. 855.247.8312 livewayfarer.com

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With its sleek design, urban vibe, and water on three sides, the Wayfarer ® Apartments + Marina is the perfect place to indulge in the California lifestyle. Residents of the compound embrace the year-round sunshine and panoramic waterfront views that come with modern Marina del Rey living, while also enjoying the convenient location near Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and Silicon Beach. Seventy percent of the apartments have views of the water, as does the large terrace area equipped with fire pits and barbecue grills. Along with amen ities such as central heating and air conditioning, balconies, and high-end appliances, Wayfarer ® Apartments + Marina has everything you need to experience beach living. Work up a sweat in the fitness center or yoga studio, get your tennis game on at the three lighted courts, relax at the pool and spa, or paddle out to sea with free paddleboards and kayaks. And leave the car in the garage—you’re welcome to use one of Wayfarer’s bikes to ride to the nearby restaurants and shops along Abbot Kinney Boulevard.  WE

ego’s choices

French Marketing

MY FRENCH EPICERIE While best known for its laid-back restaurant, the French Market Café is also a magnifique place for Francophiles to shop for wine, imported foodstuffs, gifts, or simply get a great cup of coffee. Owner Agnes Martinez, a native of the French Riviera, keeps shelves well-stocked with traditional French products such as soupe de poisson, buckwheat crepes, chestnut liquor, biscuits and candies, and Rocher Suchard chocolates. Takeaway dinner options include homemade bœuf bourguignon, Basque chicken, and truffle-leek quiche. During the holidays stop by for Martinez’s seasonal selection of French treats like foie gras, marrons glacés, and sweet brioche—but hurry, they sell out fast. Looking for the perfect present? Choose an assortment of items to create a personalized gift basket. Visiting the French Market Café is like taking a petite vacation from Los Angeles, right on the Westside.  WE

a FRENCH MARKET CAFÉ 2321 Abbot Kinney Boulevard Venice, CA 90291 Ph. 310.577.9775 frenchmarket-cafe.com

ROCKS OF LOVE

MY CROWNING JEWEL

Known for one-off pieces and impeccable craftmanship, Cesar Lim’s Cezua (Cesar’s childhood nickname) has been designing custom jewelry in Beverly Hills since 2009. Lim creates couture pieces that are an extension of his clients’ personalities, careers, and lifestyles. This L.A. trendsetter also repurposes existing jewelry, like he did for his longtime friend Noel Sweitzer, an art collector in Egypt and the Middle East. She gave Lim trust and complete creative freedom to instill her collection with new life, and he reinvented each piece, making them fresh new works of art. If you have family heirlooms or baubles you no longer bother with, bust’em out of the safety deposit box and have Lim work his magic on them too.  WE

a © DR

CEZUA BEVERLY HILLS 9662 Brighton Way Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Ph. 323.301.2115 cezua.com

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ego’s choices

MY HISTORIC HIDEAWAY

EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY LOCATED IN LIVELY DOWNTOWN CULVER CITY, THE ICONIC CULVER HOTEL IS ONE OF THOSE UNIQUE PLACES WHERE YOU MIGHT MEET UP FOR BRUNCH THEN FIND YOURSELF DANCING WITH A COCKTAIL IN HAND HOURS LATER. REIMAGINED AND BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE BY OWNER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR MAYA MALLICK, THE 1924 ARCHITECTURAL GEM FLAWLESSLY PAYS HOMAGE TO ITS SPIRITED PAST. FULL OF ARTFUL DESIGN, EUROPEAN FLAIR, AND CINEMATIC HISTORY, THE HOTEL’S RESTAURANT AND BAR ARE ESPECIALLY FESTIVE DURING THE HOLIDAYS. LIKE A STAY AT A GREAT MANOR, YOU ARE INVITED TO EAT WHEREVER YOU FANCY—BY THE FIREPLACE IN THE GRAND LOBBY, AT THE COMMUNAL TABLE IN THE CRYSTAL ROOM, OR ON THE FRENCH-INSPIRED PATIO. A SEASONAL MENU SERVES CLASSICS WITH A TWIST, AND PAIRS WELL WITH SIGNATURE COCKTAILS AND CRAFT BEERS. AS THE EVENING SETS IN, THE LOBBY TRANSFORMS INTO A JAZZY SUPPER CLUB—VINTAGE ARMCHAIRS, CLASSIC MOVIES, AND LIVE MUSIC PLAY A PART IN THE ECLECTIC AMBIANCE. THE CULVER HOTEL IS A TIMELESS OPTION WHETHER YOU’RE IN THE MOOD FOR AN INTIMATE DINNER FOR TWO, HAPPY HOUR WITH FRIENDS, OR A FAMILY FEAST. IT’S A LOCAL FAVORITE AND A MUST-SEE FOR VISITORS. 

a THE CULVER HOTEL 9400 Culver Boulevard Culver City, CA 90232 Ph. 310.558.9400 culverhotel.com egoreview los angeles 02

ego’s choices

My desires SOPHIE MAAREK

Balmain Suede and leather over-the-knee boots netaporter.com

Beats by Dre Powerbeats3 wireless Balmain special edition earphones beatsbydre.com

The Body Shop Japanese matcha tea pollution-clearing mask thebodyshop.com

Yellow gold and diamond cigar-band ring Cezua, 9662 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 cezua.com

Cabotine candle from the Destination home fragrance collection Larissa Love Cosmetics, 1129 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403 larissalovecosmetics.com

Fendi Pom-Pom-Embellished Leather Ankle Boots 201 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Gianvito Rossi Kyoto red satin pumps Barneys New York, 9570 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 barneys.com

Dior Addict Lip Maximizer Plumping Gloss Bloomingdales stores and bloomingdales.com

Buxom White Russian on the Rocks eyeshadow palette Sephora Stores and sephora.com

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ego’s choices

My desires

Tom Ford Boys & Girls lip color Neiman Marcus stores and neimanmarcus.com

Galileo wall-mounted brass mirror, design by Mario Ferrarini Graye, 316 South Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048 graye-la.com

Down slipper boots Hästens stores, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica hastens.com

Carolina shearling jacket L’AGENCE, 8436 Melrose Place, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Ligne Roset Elysee chair Modern Resale, 4413 West Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90016 modernresale.com

Mes Demoiselles Hand-embroidered Charleston jacket mesdemoisellesparis.com

Uniqlo Lightweight down jacket Uniqlo stores and uniqlo.com

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Exclusive Ideale Smart lingerie set in purple Eres, 9566 Dayton Way, Beverly Hills, 90210

Natasha Barrault Suede and vintage-fabric-trimmed bag Lost and Found stores, Santa Monica and West Hollywood natashabarrault.com

ego’s choices

My desires

Hand-carved onyx bowl Exir Home, 1134 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403 exirhome.com

Laura B Violet rabbit fur bag with gold metallic trim Madison, 9630 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90291

Sogoli Wrap bracelet in semi-precious stones Moondance, 1530 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403

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Zojirushi Stainless steel vacuum mug (stays cold/hot for 6–8 hours) amazon.com

Slouchy crystal diamanté disco boots Saint Laurent, 326 North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Wisteria lace bodysuit La Perla, 433 North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Polaroid POP 20-megapixel digital camera (shoot and instantly print color photos) Best Buy stores and bestbuy.com

Mon Guerlin Eau de Parfum guerlin.com

Van Palma hat The Dakota grey with French embroidery Available at Victoire, 23410 Civic Center Way # B-2, Malibu, CA 90265

ego’s choices

My desires

Stone Island Ice jacket SI check grid digit camo Stoneisland.com

Black snakeskin motorcycle helmet Elisabeth Weinstock, 8159 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048 elisabethweinstock.com

Ray-Ban Round 3747V eyeglass frames in silver ray-ban.com

Baboosha, honey slippers Alpaca fur slippers Boboosha.com

Off-White Virgil Abloh x Nike Air Jordan 1 collaboration sneakers off-white.com

Vetements Haute couture limited edition wool beanie Maxfield, 8825 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, 90069 maxfieldla.com

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Writers Edition Antoine Saint-Exupéry limited edition fountain pen Montblanc, Beverly Center, 8500 Beverly Boulevard #757, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Gucci Courrier soft GG Supreme messenger bag Gucci stores and gucci.com

Accent chair inspired by the 1929 Barcelona chair The Hängar, 3472 South Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90066 thehangarla.com

MAN WITH exposé

a pLAn BY BRADLEY LINCOLN PICTURES OFFICE OF MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI

Garcetti and Former Vice President Al Gore discussing Gore’s book, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, at a Los Angeles forum.

Eric Garcetti is Los Angeles’s first Jewish mayor, and the second Mexican-American and youngest man to hold the office in more than 100 years. The toothsome public official has guest-starred on television series including The Closer and Angie Tribeca, and appeared in the indie film Who Killed the Electric Car? But his most memorable role might be that of an environmental and social champion. After POTUS made the blustery, astonishing announcement that America would be pulling out of the Paris Agreement and climate change wasn’t something we should worry our pretty little heads about, the country had barely finished picking up its collectively dropped jaws and wiping spittakes off screens when L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti sprang into action. He called on cities and states to fight against global warming, and rallied other mayors to commit to the cause, meet the goals of the 2015 pact, and urge Trump to join their efforts. The coalition, which Garcetti co-founded, has more than 70 members in both red and blue states, and represents more than 42 million citizens.

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The 42nd mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti.

exposé

As part of the Sustainable City pLAn, Garcetti helped plant trees along Pico Boulevard.

His efforts don’t stop at our borders. Garcetti serves on the C40 Network, a team of like-minded global cities committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and chilling the hell out, and that collective represents more than 600 million people and a quarter of the world’s economy. “Every city, every community, every individual has the power to fight climate change,” said the mayor. “We do not need to wait for any one person or government to show us the way.”

The BlueLA car sharing program introduced electric vehicles to underprivileged communities.

On the local front, Garcetti launched the ambitious three-pronged Sustainable City pLAn, a to-do list of measurable goals to be sussed out this year and in 2025 and 2035, intended to improve L.A.’s physical environment, boost its economy, and ensure an equitable future for the rapidly swelling metropolis. It isn’t easy being green in a historic drought, but the city managed to reduce its water use to make it the most efficient big city in the country. Under Garcetti’s watch L.A. put up solar roofs that power more than 12,000 houses, and he streamlined their installation by allowing online registration, slashing wait times from a year to under two weeks. He equipped the LAPD with 150+ electric-powered vehicles and made incentives to encourage citizens to get on the EV bandwagon as well, and now L.A. has the most pure-battery wheels in the nation. Our bike-sharing program has other cities green with envy, and our recycling rate is next to none. Paper or plastic? How about bring your own? As for economy, those same eco-initiatives have created more than 20,000 green jobs. The minimum wage has been steadily nudged upward, with a goal of hitting $15 per hour by 2020. Being Los Angeles, even farmers markets are now required to accept EBT government assistance cards. Garcetti has always been a vocal advocate for urban farming, building parks in overpopulated neighborhoods, and reducing homelessness by ramping up low-income housing. His plan is delivering results—over 90% of the 2017 goals are on track to be completed this year, and many were ticked off ahead of schedule. “We are a healthier and more prosperous city today,” said the mayor with a confident smile, “because we set bold targets and held ourselves accountable for making progress that Angelenos can see and feel.” The fight’s not over yet, and there are a lot of bilious bullies putting up roadblocks, but it’s comforting to know that Garcetti’s got his eye on the prize of attainable sustainability. 

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Dances with She-Wolves 32

fashion inside story 40 FENDI: MADE FOR WOMEN BY WOMEN…AND KARL

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DANCES WITH SHE-WOLVES PHOTOGRAPHY: DIDIER MICHALET AND KAREN FIRDMANN, DMKF PHOTO ASSISTANT: HÉLÈNE FOURNIER MODELS: JULIA, EMILIE, AND MICKAËL WARDROBE: ANNE DELAIGLE, AVAILABLE AT SPES ULTIMA DEA, BEVERLY HILLS STYLIST: ROMAIN FOUCHÈRE MAKEUP: AUDREY EBEYER

THE HUNTERS IN OVERSIZED DOWN JACKETS ARE ON THE PROWL, AT THE LOOKOUT, THEIR MINDS BLURRED BY A QUEST FOR PLEASURE. THEY DREAM OF A NOCTURNAL DANCE, AN INITIATORY RITUAL, A PACK OF HUMAN WOLVES

fashion inside story

FENDI: MADE FOR WOMEN BY WOMEN… AND KARL BY LARISSA LOVE

FENDI WOMEN AND KARL Quality, creativity, and longevity come to mind with the name Fendi. The 93-year-old family business has produced collections that New York Times fashion writer Guy Trebay has called “genuinely beautiful and ornately costly designs,” and the company is run by three generations of women—mother, daughters, and granddaughter.

By presenting its own concepts with dedicated attention to detail and timeless ness, Fendi has always stood apart from other fashion houses. From the start in 1925, when they opened their first furrier and leather goods workshop in Rome, founders Adele Cassagrande and her husband Eduardo Fendi set exacting standards. In 1928 for their Sellaria collection, the House of Fendi introduced special parchment leather with a traditional processing technique used by Roman master saddlers. Parchment leather become a defining char acteristic of Fendi for decades.

Karl Lagerfeld became the creative partner in 1965, and after originating the iconic double F logo as well as designing Fendi’s first fur collection, the luxury brand exploded. As Lagerfeld continued to oversee the collections, in 1994 Adele’s granddaughter, Sylvia Venturini Fendi, was appointed as creative accessories director, continuing Fendi’s long-standing reputation of lofty standards. Fendi’s customer base flourished throughout the 1990s largely because of its chic accessories. In 1990 Sylvia introduced her first of many handbag designs, the Baguette. This amazing little bag was small enough to carry under an arm, but large enough to hold everything a woman needs. Whether it was bought to accessorize or simply as a fashion collectible, each handmade Fendi Baguette was a piece of art, with intricate beadwork and rich silk looming. Every bag that Sylvia introduces stays relevant through the years, which makes them lasting investments.

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TH A NK S TO TH E I NTER NET A ND SOCI A L M EDI A, TODAY’S FASHIONISTAS A ND CASUA L SHOPPERS A LIK E A R E INUNDATED W ITH A N AVA L A NCHE OF INFOR M ATION A ND OPINIONS ON BOTH CL ASSIC A ND CUR R ENT FASHION TR ENDS. FOR EV ERY CONSUM ER IT’S A CONSTA NT DEBATE: THE TR ENDY DISPOS A BLE ITEM OR THE QUA LIT Y A ND L ASTING CR A FTSM A NSHIP OF A LU XURY BR A ND? IT’S MINDLESS TO BU Y PIECES OF THE MOM ENT, BUT IT’S I MPORTA NT TO K NOW TH E VA LUE A ND PROV ENA NCE OF PR ICEY ITEMS BEFOR E M A K ING A PURCH ASE. 40

fashion inside story

Fendi collaborated with the French company Moncler in 2006 to debut the Spy Bag in the United States. Everyone had to own this unique bag made of down-filled water-resistant nylon. Handbag aficionados went into a frenzy when Fendi produced the Spy Bag with its signature parchment leather embossed with the double F logo. For several seasons after its introduction, shoppers had to register on a long waiting list to buy it. It was considered by many to be one of the most intelligent, artistic, and functional handbags that could transition from day to night. Fendi has always been determined to infuse fun into fashion. Not content to rest on its laurels, the House revealed the Peekaboo Bag in its spring-summer 2009 collection. It is by far my favorite of Fendi’s creations. You carry the bag by leaving the turn lock open, offering a glimpse of the unique lining that gives each bag its own special personality. I love having the opportunity to express my sense of style by personalizing my handbag. With strong sales in 2017, the continued versatility of the Peekaboo is assured, and it’s now available in four sizes (mini, small, medium, and large) that can be styled in unique ways. In its autumn-winter 2012 collection, Fendi debuted the 2jours Tote Bag, which quickly became an It Bag among global fashionistas. The 2jours Bag came in three sizes—mini, medium, and large. Shortly after, the Trois-Jours Shopping Bag was released to replace the large version of the 2jours. Fendi continued its whimsical yet practical handbag designs by coming out with leather straps that can be decorated with jewels and cutout leather decals. These accessories are must-have items to give an instant facelift to older bags. The classic, feminine styled Kan 1 and the Runaway handbags with the contemporary F logo finish and multicolor hardware are the latest designs for Fendi’s 2017-2018 collection. Sylvia has added furry fruit to her Fendirumi pet charms and metal alphabet charms with the Fendi Triplette so that owners can mix and match these stackable pouches to complement the fashion house’s new looks. After almost a hundred years in the business, there’s a true authenticity about the House of Fendi. Throughout the decades, the company has never swayed from Adele and Eduardo’s original standards of their furrier and accessory company, scrupulously maintaining superior quality and excellent craftsmanship. Sylvia Venturini Fendi’s love for the arts is present in her designs and lifestyle. She’s constantly collaborating with artists like Chris Woods, Kenny Scarf, and Chaz Bojorquez. Branding its spring-summer 2018 menswear collection as “the Skype generation at work,” the House of Fendi recently collaborated with guest artist Sue Tilley to feature her painted illustrations of household objects on shirts, jackets, and tote bags. “Androids will take the old jobs,” Ms. Fendi said backstage at the menswear 2017 show in New York, “but the only thing that they can’t replace is our creativity and our minds.” It’s a good bet that classic-meets-modernism will successfully take the House of Fendi into the next century. 

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beautiful escape 44 SRI LANKA, A HEALING ISLAND OF WONDERS

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near us 52 SIT, STAY, HEALDSBURG

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a not so near us 56 A VIEW WITH NO ROOM

beautiful escape

Sri Lanka,

a Healing Island of Wonders BY VINCENT FEUILLET AND CHRISTIE MCCOLLUM

The pristine sands of Mirissa Beach.

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beautiful escape

SRI LANKA GOES BY MANY NAMES, PERHAPS MOST BEAUTIFULLY, THE TEARDROP OF INDIA. FORMERLY CEYLON, THIS ISLAND NATION OFFERS AN UNFOR GETTABLE EXPERIENCE WITH ITS HINDU AND BUD DHIST TEMPLES, PRISTINE BEACHES, AND HILLSIDE TEA PLANTATIONS. IT IS ALSO HERE THAT THE TRA DITIONAL MEDICINE OF AYURVEDA HAS BEEN PRAC TICED FOR MORE THAN 5,000 YEARS.

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Gracefully rising from the warm Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka feels like paradise. Between its golden beaches fringed by immense coconut groves, its ancient cities blanketed with vegetation, its mountains and lush jungles, and its fields of spices and tea plantations, everything here is enchanted landscapes and cultural richness. Despite 30 years of civil war and this century’s devastating tsunami, Sri Lanka has managed to conserve its treasures and all its magic.

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beautiful escape

CSE Treatment Pavillion massage.

This island welcomes visitors from all over the world to experience stunning landscapes and personal well-being. Sri Lanka has been heavily influenced by Buddhism and Hinduism, as evidenced by the popular practice of Ayurveda. Documented for 5,000 years in Sanskrit texts and recognized by the World Health Organization, this traditional medicine from India aims to help anyone who wants to balance body and mind: “ayur” means life in Sanskrit and “veda” means knowledge or science. By harmonizing these two engines of the human body, well-being can be achieved. Ayurvedic massage is one of the oldest regenerative therapies to heal the body. Herbal medicinal oils possess multiple healing properties: toning muscle, improving circulation, regenerating tissue, and more. The practice also fine-tunes specific massages to treat different ailments, from rheumatism and arthritis to hypertension, migraines, nervousness, and depression. Even today, the island has three times as many Ayurvedic practitioners, called vederalas, than those of general medicine. Many Ayurvedic establishments offer an afternoon of care, or for those wanting an intensive healing therapy, a course of treatment lasting several weeks. Chief among them is the Jetwing Ayurveda Pavilions in Negombo. The peaceful hotel is nestled under the foliage of a tropical park, away from the bustling hum of the city. This address offers 12 villas, each with a personal care room and a private garden. On the program, aromatic saunas and steam baths (vashpa swedanam). In the nearby seaside city of Galle, housed in the walls of a magnificent white building where Dutch and British troops once stayed, the Amangalla Resort offers the full range of Ayurvedic treatments in addition to hydrotherapy pools, saunas, and a yoga pavilion.

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beautiful escape

A massive reclining stone Buddha in Polonnaruwa.

Sri Lanka’s breathtaking landscapes inspire feelings of peace and well-being, even outside the spa. Galle, originally built as a military fort, is an architectural masterpiece in its own right. A relic of the Dutch era, it’s the largest European-built fortress in Asia. Cobbled streets bisect rows of colonial buildings painted vibrant colors, and lush tropical vegetation and moist sea air abound.

Hidden in the hills sits the city of Nuwara Eliya and its rolling land scape of tea plantations. Nicknamed "Little England," Nuwara Eliya attracted many British settlers and became home to their cultural proclivities. Horse racing, hunting, and colonial architecture abound. The post office is a town hallmark with its pink facade and red-shingled eaves, and this charming village is a preferred vacation spot for locals and tourists alike. Even today tea factories pepper the region, where visitors can discover the production process, walk in a plantation to meet the gatherers, and enjoy varieties of fine teas.

Pristine beaches encircle the island. Idyllic Mirissa, vibrant, colorful Hikkaduwa, and Uppuveli, flecked with golden sand, are not to be missed. These are long stretches of sand suitable for lazing around, or vessels can be chartered for sport or whale watching.

Further north, royal gardens encircle the foot of the Sigiriya rock fortress. Man-made ponds and streams irrigate the gardens, an idyllic scene in the middle of the countryside. Looking upwards, Lion Rock, a massive 660-foot stone emerges from the landscape. Visitors ascend 1,200 steps as they pass through the paws of the imposing lion carved into the rock. The trek is worth it. Colorful frescoes decorate the rocks, and the summit houses the ruins of the ancient palace built by King Kasyapa. And then the view.

Visitors relish in the beauty of Yala National Park. Tropical rainforest, dry evergreen forest, meadows, mangroves—several ecosystems coexist here in perfect harmony. The Sri Lankan elephant makes its home in the park, as does the majestic leopard and families of sloth bears. In the air 250 species of birds thrive in these diverse environments, including the Sri Lanka grey hornbill, the black-headed bulbul, and the Lafayette junglefowl.

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Lion Rock, centerpiece of the Sigiriya royal gardens.

beautiful escape

Sri Lankan curried crab.

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beautiful escape

A verdant hillside tea plantation.

Finally, just a short distance away sits the city of Polonnaruwa, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Arranged like giant chess pieces in a vast grassy courtyard, a collection of ancient temples and sculptures marks the center of the Sinhalese kingdom. The Gal Vihara stands frozen in time among the vestiges, with its ancient Buddhas carved into rock for all to see. With the richness of its landscapes and its never-ending curiosities, Sri Lanka remains a key destination in the Indian Ocean. It’s a country full of culture and stories, whose inhabitants celebrate their traditions and retain a quality of life that exemplifies Ayurvedic wellness. 

a JETWING AYURVEDA PAVILIONS Porutota Road, Ethukale, Negombo jetwinghotels.com/jetwingayurvedapavilions AMANGALLA RESORT 10 Church Street, Galle aman.com/resorts/amangalla

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near us

Sit, Stay, Healdsburg BY BRADLEY LINCOLN

A placid Lake Healdsburg surrounded by crisp autumn colors.

ONCE UPON A TIME, THE SLEEPY SONOMA TOWN OF HEALDSBURG BILLED ITSELF AS “THE BUCKLE OF THE PRUNE BELT.” VINEYARDS WERE REPLACED WITH PLUM TREES AFTER PROHIBITION, BUT BY THE 1970S MOST REVERTED TO GRAPES. TODAY WINE IS THE WORD, AND THE CHARMING CITY HAS BECOME A DESTINATION REVERED BY OENOPHILES, OUTDOORSMEN, AND WORLD-CLASS CULINARIANS.

he 1849 Gold Rush lured Harmon Heald to the rolling hills of Northern California from Ohio, but when that pipe dream didn’t pan out, he built a post office and a general store and settled down in what is now Healdsburg. The picturesque town is located 70 miles north of San Francisco, at the confluence of the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys wine regions. It routinely lands on lists of best American small towns to visit, and it’s ideal for a getaway weekend.

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near us

A central Spanish-style plaza anchors downtown shopping and serves as a community gathering spot.

a SHED 25 North Street, Healdsburg Ph. 707.431.7433 healdsburgshed.com DRAGONFLY FLORAL 425 Westside Road, Healdsburg Ph. 707.433.3739 dragonflyhealdsburg.com

HEALDSBURG BAR & GRILL 245 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg Ph. 707.433.3333 healdsburgbarandgrill.com

Holiday afternoon tea at the Hotel Healdsburg.

Shopping in Healdsburg has come a long way since Harmon opened that store. Boutiques, galleries, one-off shops, and even a flirty hand fan museum are inter spersed with the myriad wine-tasting rooms clustered around the Spanish-style town plaza. Pull up to the fermentation bar for a shot of SHED’s house-made shrubs while you try to decide between the aubergine or anthracite linen napkins at this popular home goods vendor. The chic SHED also serves as a café and community center, offering farming workshops, lectures, movie screenings, and themed dinners. Dragonfly Floral is a mother-and-daughter design collective nes tled in six acres of organic flowers, and sponsors wreath-making classes, tours of wine country, and a seasonal farm stand as well as its signature floral shop and event planning services. In recent years, chefs have homed in on Healdsburg from Los Angeles and across the nation. Chef Douglas Keane of Cyrus resto and Top Chef Masters fame oversees the Healdsburg Bar and Grill, a casual joint that elevates the proletarian hamburger to one of Food & Wine’s top 25 burgers in the US. The BBQ and frickles (crispy fried pickle chips) at KINsmoke can’t be beat, and inventive pie maker Ozzy Jimenez and his Moustache Baked Goods partner, Christian Sullberg, turn out rustic pies and artisanal ice cream inspired by Nordic and Japanese flavors at Noble Folk. Try for top-chef status of your own by taking a cooking class at Relish, a culinary center and teaching kitchen with a modernist farmhouse vibe.

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NOBLE FOLK ICE CREAM & PIE BAR 116 Matheson Street, Healdsburg Ph. 707.395.4426 thenoblefolk.com SINGLETHREAD FARM-RESTAURANT-INN 131 North Street, Healdsburg Ph. 707.723.4646 singlethreadfarms.com HOTEL HEALDSBURG 25 Matheson Street, Healdsburg Ph. 707.431.2800 hotelhealdsburg.com CHARLIE PALMER’S DRY CREEK KITCHEN 317 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg Ph. 707.431.0330 drycreekkitchen.com H2HOTEL 219 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg Ph. 707.922.5251 H2hotel.com JORDAN VINEYARD AND WINERY 1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg Ph. 800.654.1213 jordanwinery.com THE TASTE OF TEA 109 North Street, Healdsburg Ph. 707.431.1995 thetasteoftea.com KINSMOKE 304 Center Street, Healdsburg Ph. 707.473.8440 kinsmoke.com

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French country chateaus served as inspiration for the Jordan Vineyard and Winery.

For a farm-to-table experience to write home about, reserve a table and about three hours of time for the 11-course tasting menu at SingleThread Farm and Inn. Feasts are customized to palates and dietary restrictions, and after dinner you can stay in one of the five artfully appointed guestrooms upstairs. Another place to bunker down in town is Hotel Healdsburg on the plaza, with a spa offering services inspired by the area’s agrarian sensibilities (Meyer lemon sage massage? Yes, please!) and Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen, a progressive American eatery with 500 selections on the wine list. Or check in to the eco-friendly h2hotel, a hip haven with an undulating succulent roof and complimentary bike rental.

sipping at the rooms around the plaza, picking up maps and tips, and make a plan of attack to visit and tour the growers your taste buds and schedules dictate. Fans of California cabs will want to hit the Jordan Vineyard and Winery, an elegant French-chateau inspired estate that has been wooing wine-country wanderers since 1972. When you’ve had your fill of pinot, a less spirited, more spiritual experience is on call at the Taste of Tea lounge. Have a full traditional tea service, chill on the patio with a bento box, or sit at the counter and get a master class in steeping. When you’re ripe for a recharge, get a Shinwa Japanese green tea facial and foot soak at the onsite spa. You’ll need to get your chops back for more tastings. Wine not? 

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Al fresco wine tasting on the Jordan grounds.

The wine-wellness package at Hotel Healdsburg includes spirits and spa time.

With more than 100 vineyards, wineries, and tasting rooms (Sonoma.com recently put the count at 142), it’s always wine o’clock somewhere in Healdsburg. Start

not so near us

A VIEW WITH

The Star Bed allows visitors to be one with the endless beauty of the African terrain. Fall asleep under the twinkling stars, listening to the gentle whispers of life.

Sleep—we spend a third of our lives immersed in it, but it rarely comes under consideration when we plan vacations. It falls by the wayside as a necessary pause, not an attraction in its own right. But on a wilderness safari in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, sleep is magical. The Mavros family first settled in rustic, beautiful Zimbabwe five generations ago. Their love of the sprawling, vibrant landscape and the Zimbabwean people swelled with each passing year, inspiring them to start Mavros Safaris, the family business of bespoke safari excursions. Visitors can’t help but fall in love with Hwange National Park. Guests move through days unencumbered by schedules or alarm clocks, taking tour guides out to explore a Noah’s Ark of exotic animals, idly enjoying the sounds of chirping birds by the river, roaming the rugged terrain in pursuit of great adventures, and sleeping under the impossibly vast African sky.

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No Room

Outdoor living rooms at the intimate Little Makalolo give guests the opportunity to mingle and enjoy the region’s natural wonders.

Home base: Little Makalolo. The cozy camp features just six tented rooms with ensuite bathrooms, all gently tucked into the tree line above the plain. Wooden paths lead to a viewing deck where tourists can watch majestic creatures front-and-center as they come to quench their thirst at the watering hole. The camp’s crown jewel is the Star Bed, a plush sleeping platform on the deck, flanked by colorful native rugs, gently illuminated by the glow of lanterns, covered with nothing but soft white netting and a blanket of stars. After a full day immersed in nature, why stop at bedtime? This truly is a dream place to sleep. 

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not so near us

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chef at the table 60 LL COOL CHEF

à chefs at the table 64 LA BELLA BARRIQUE

oeno option 68 TASTING THE BIG BOO

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tasting menu 70 MEALS OF THE CENTURY

chef at the table

LL Cool Chef

BY CHRISTIE MCCOLLUM

LUDOVIC “LUDO” LEFEBVR E IS A HUMBLE MAN WHO LOVES HUMBLE FOOD: HAM SANDWICHES, CROISSANTS, POTATOES. THAT DIDN’T STOP HIM FROM WORKING IN A THR EE-STAR MICHELIN R ESTAURANT AT THE TENDER AGE OF 14, TRAINING WITH SOME OF THE BEST CHEFS IN HIS NATIVE FRANCE, AND MAKING A PER MANENT MARK ON LOS ANGELES FOOD CULTUR E. LUDO MOVED TO L.A. AND FOUNDED LUDOBITES, THE FIRST MOBILE POP-UP RESTAURANT OF ITS KIND, WHICH OPENED A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES FOR HIMSELF AND OTHER YOUNG CHEFS. HE CURR ENTLY RUNS A FEW R ESTAURANTS OF HIS OWN—TROIS MEC, PETIT TROIS, TROIS FAMILIA, AND LUDOBIRD—AND CONTINUES TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL DISHES THAT MARRY FRENCH AND AMERICAN TRADITIONS. HE’S AN INTERNATIONAL SENSATION AND A LOCAL TR EASUR E, AND WE PULLED UP A CHAIR AND GOT HIM TO DISH, NO R ESERVATIONS. How would you describe your cooking style and personal philosophy of food?

C.L. My style is rooted in French technique. That is how I was trained and it will never go away. I respect the past, live in the present, and look toward the future. Moving to L.A. introduced me to flavors I didn’t even know existed, so I incorporated the bounties of California into my French techniques, keeping it playful. But always with taste first.

How are pop-ups and nonconventional venues changing the face of the restaurant industry? How did LudoBites impact your career?

C.L. LudoBites was a crazy moment in time. It was never intended to become a full-time business, it just happened. It was the perfect combination of a certain time in the development of social media, a curious L.A. dining scene and clientele, and a time in my career when I didn’t care where it happened, but I just wanted to cook. It was lightning in a bottle. It’s great that the pop-up restaurant has become a viable model for young chefs, or chefs in transition, to create a unique experience. It’s also helpful when chefs can partner up, share costs, and create a win-win situation for everyone.

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When you collaborate with other chefs, like Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo with the Trois restaurants, what’s the creative process like? What role does each person play?

How do food and restaurant culture differ in the US and France?

C.L. Things are changing, but when I moved here 20 years ago the main difference I noticed was that Americans eat to live, and in France we live to eat. It’s the importance placed on food. In France it is part of the lifestyle, but in America it seemed like something that was simply necessary. It is nice to see that changing; that food is becoming more a part of the meaning of life.

C.L. My collaboration with Jon and Vinny is on the business side of things. They support my operations of the restaurants, whereas I oversee the creative side.

How has your field changed in our current climate of social media and celebrity? How has the role of a chef changed, especially that of a celebrated chef like yourself?

What’s your favorite place to grab a bite in Los Angeles?

C.L. It’s tough to pick one place, and really depends on where I am. Of course, if I’m around, I will get a salad and omelet from Petit Trois. Sometimes I head to Sycamore Kitchen on La Brea. If I am in the Valley, I love to hit the salad bar at Whole Foods or get sushi if I’m with the kids.

C.L. It has changed a lot. There is pressure now for chefs to constantly be engaged on social media and to be attending festivals, making appear ances, etc. It’s sometimes difficult for me, because first and foremost I am a chef who loves to be in the kitchen. I am happiest when I’m with my team, with a few pots and pans, just creating. But to stay relevant, you must engage beyond the guests that come into your restaurant. It has also changed the commitment to the craft from some of the younger chefs. Because the response on social media is so immediate, they don’t take the time necessary to learn every aspect of their craft. Plus, to run a restaurant it takes a lot of business experience. It is unfortunate to see so many young chefs who get the social recognition and can fill a restaurant, but are unable to be consistent or run the business at a profit. Sometimes I miss the old days, and wish the world would slow down a bit.

What recipe are you most proud of?

C.L. It’s difficult to narrow that down, but one of the opening dishes at Trois Mec was potato pulp with onion soubise, Salers cheese, bonito, and brown butter. The dish is so simple, but layered with flavors and textures. Guests would always be surprised that they were basically eating a humble potato.

When you go back to France, what is the first thing you want to eat? C.L. Jambon-beurre and croissants.

Beyond the chefs you’ve worked with, who in your field inspires you? Who would you like to work with?

C.L. José Andrés is truly amazing, with his humanitarian efforts. He inspires me every day to do a little more for someone else. People like him make this world great. I dream to spend one day in a kitchen with Marc Veyrat.

In a business where you’re as good as the last dish you serve, how do you keep track?

C.L. This is the hardest part of being a chef, especially once you open more restaurants. Although a chef is judged by each dish served to each guest, there are many hands between the dish and the guest. I can’t cook, plate, and serve every dish in every restaurant every day. I wish I could, but those days are long gone. I must train a team and empower them to be able to serve food they are proud of and I am proud of. I have to be a great teacher.

How important is it for you to teach children how to cook? What is the first dish you taught your kids?

C.L. Teaching children to cook is really important to me—not only my own children, but others as well. I teach a cooking class to kids four times a year. Children need to be inspired early in life. The first thing my kids learned to make was guacamole; the first thing they learned to cook was a proper French omelet. 

Â© DR

chef at the table

Boursin omelet à la Ludo

Serves: 1 Ingredients

– 3 T. Plugra butter, diced – 3 large eggs, whisked – 2 pinches fleur de sel de Guérande – 1 ½ T. black pepper Boursin* cheese, in piping tube – 1 t. chives, finely chopped

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Method

• With spatula, loosen edges of omelet. Gently roll one side a quarter in. • Place small cube of butter on top of folded edge and slide spatula underneath omelet to help release it from pan. • Keep folding the egg over until it forms a nice roll. • Transfer the omelet to a plate. • Finish omelet by rubbing remaining butter on top for flavor. Garnish with chives and the rest of the fleur de sel, and serve.

• Reserve a couple cubes of butter and melt the rest over high heat in a 9 ½” nonstick pan. Turn down to medium high. • Pick out any shells, and add eggs to pan with a pinch of fleur de sel. With a small spatula, stir in concentric circles from center to edge of pan. • When eggs are halfway cooked, take off heat and let stand for 30 seconds to create a smooth bottom. • Pipe Boursin across middle of omelet.

* Chef Ludo grew up eating Boursin, the “French Velveeta.” It is a humble ingredient but makes the omelet creamy and peppery.

chefs at the table

La Bella Barrique BY WHITNEY ESHLEMAN

PHOTO MONICA PAREDES

THINK OF DINING OPTIONS IN THE VENICE BEACH AREA AND THE ABBOT KINNEY, WASHINGTON BOULEVARD, AND WINDWARD CIRCLE RESTAURANT ROWS TEND TO COME TO MIND. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL, FOLKS. JUST OFF THE EATEN PATH IS BARRIQUE, A GEM OF AN ITALIAN EATERY AND WINE BAR SITUATED IN A COZY TWO-STORY YELLOW COTTAGE ON A SLEEPY STRIP OF MAIN STREET, SERVING HOMEMADE PASTA AND CREATIVE DISHES FROM A MICHELIN-AWARDED CHEF.

Barrique’s sunny exterior.

Chef Antonio Murè was born in Sicily and grew up in Parma, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. His aunt and mamma put him to work making pasta in the kitchen on Sundays as a child: Folding ravioli and kneading gnocchi are the perfect tasks for the wee hands of a 10-yearold boy. At 14 Murè realized he wanted to become a chef, although it wasn’t the cooking that initially attracted him. While working at a dry cleaner, he met a globe-trotting restaurateur who spoke several languages. Murè was in awe of his lifestyle, and decided he wanted the same for himself. Glitz and glamour first attracted him to the culinary arts, but he ended up finding his true calling.

In 1995 he moved to Los Angeles and became the chef at Il Moro. He has helmed other top-notch restaurants in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and in 2004 he opened Venice’s Piccolo, which was rated among Los Angeles’s best by Zagat. He then went on to launch the Ado brand, which included Casa Ado in Marina del Rey, Adoteca Brentwood, and the Ado Italian Marketplace line. Chef Murè’s most recent venture is Barrique, currently his only restaurant, and he is enjoying every minute of it. When asked about the impressive Michelin star, Chef Murè’s response made it clear he doesn’t take himself too seriously. He simply loves to cook. He laughed and said, “I thought I was just going to a party and then they announced that I was receiving a Michelin star. I was like, Who? Me? I had no idea.” Same thing happened with his Zagat rating.

Chef Murè graduated from the prestigious Istituto Alberghiero di Stato and spent several years perfecting his skills in exclusive restaurants and hotels in Italy, including the renowned Il Meloncino in Veneto. egoreview los angeles 02

Murè offering up an abbondanza of antipasti.

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Executive Sous Chef Victorino Balbino and Chef Antonio Murè strategizing before the dinner rush.

The romantic candlelit atmosphere of the second-floor dining room.

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Inky black linguine with lobster tail and peppery arugula is a house-made favorite.

Since then, Murè opened Barrique, a cozy fine dining restaurant and wine bar with a rooftop terrace in the heart of Venice Beach. With only 45 seats, and a welcoming staff that includes Victorino Balbino, Barrique’s executive sous chef since 2003, the restaurant feels as if you’re walking into a friend’s home. Known for house-made pasta, they plate about 60 servings of it each day, and once people discover a favorite they often get hooked. Chef Murè says the biggest complaint he hears is that people get addicted to one dish and never try anything else. One of the most popular signature dishes is the Tagliolini Rossi con Ragú di Quaglia in Fonduta di Taleggio, homemade beet pasta in a marsala quail ragú served on taleggio cheese fondue (which has been nicknamed “crack sauce”). This plate of pasta is one of the best dishes you will ever taste. The hearty meat sauce balances perfectly with the savory, slightly sweet cheese sauce, and the thin ribbon pasta is the ideal vessel to bring it all together.

Everything is seasonal, everything is fresh, and everything is served with passion. Antipasti selections include grilled octopus with smoked potatoes and green beans, and ahi tuna tartare with avocados, red onions, and capers, served on a bed of caramelized balsamic. If you can get past the pasta course, secondi like grilled Mediterranean sea bass on a bed of braised Sicilian zucchini with a blood orange reduction; a dry-aged rib eye with arugula, shaved Parmesan and aged balsamic dressing; and a grilled Colorado lamb T-bone with a foraged wild mushroom ragú await. Second to his pasta priorities, Murè loves to make pastries, and frequently bakes them with his daughters at home. Do yourself a favor and save room for the layered chocolate bar that customers rave about, with three types of chocolate. It’s the ideal ending to an eye-opening dining experience. It’s admirable and unusual that a Michelin-starred chef with such notable talent is extremely humble, fun, and relaxed. His staff is happy and warmhearted, and his restaurant is adorable and sophisticated at the same time. Murè’s talent and love for cooking shine through in his dishes, and this little yellow house is turning out some of the best food Los Angeles has to offer. 

Barrique’s selection of ravioli is equally satisfying. Try the cheesey version with a showering of black truffles, or the homemade duck-and-cabbage ravioli served on a bed of marinara with brown butter and sage. The restaurant also features squid ink linguini, and pappardelle paired with such sauces as rabbit ragú, bison Bolognese, almond pesto, and traditional Sicilian Norma sauce.

a BARRIQUE 796 Main Street Venice, CA 90291 Ph. 310.399.9010 barriquevenice.com

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Tasting the Big Boo BY ZOE NAUMAN PHOTOS CORNELL WINETASTING

MALIBU, THE 21-MILE STRIP OF CALIFORNIA KNOWN FOR SUNBAKED BLONDES, STRAW-HAIRED SURFERS, AND STUNNING COASTLINE SCENERY DOESN’T TYPICALLY TRIGGER THOUGHTS OF WINEMAKERS. TIM SKOGSTROM WANTS TO CHANGE THAT.

Entrance to the Cornell winery and tasting room.

One of the best-kept secrets of the Malibu environs is its abundance of boutique vineyards. And for those in the know, the place to taste and purchase local vintages is the Cornell Winery & Tasting Room, located in a hideaway Agoura Hills village. Cornell is the passion project of Tim Skogstrom, a former employee of one of the biggest wine sellers in the world, who had burned out on the corporate grind. He purchased the ramshackle plot from Tom and Barbara Runyon (of Runyon Canyon fame), who had moved to the area in the late 1960s when it was farmland referred to as “Malabama.” The Runyons had originally intended to open an equine resort and winery, but they faced structural problems. “When I got here, the site was derelict and the buildings were being used for storage,” says Skogstrom. “The floor was too high to practically make wine, and it would be a debacle to renovate, so I decided to sell wine instead.” Thus in 2006, his boutique wine business was born. He has successfully created a place for wineries that have no branding, no market ing, and no big bucks behind them to sell their product. There isn’t much vacant space for vineyards in Malibu, and many of them have only a few hundred vines. Referring to the mountains as “the lungs of Los Angeles,” Skogstrom says the region produces a range of syrahs, chardonnays, pinot noirs, and cabernets which are second to none and unique in flavor, thanks to the grapes’ proximity to the ocean. “When you tell people the wine is from Malibu,” he says, “they ask, ‘What, like Baywatch Malibu?’ They are always surprised.”

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a CORNELL WINERY & TASTING ROOM 29975 Mulholland Highway Agoura Hills, CA 91301 Ph. 818.735.3542 cornellwinery.com THE OLD PLACE 29983 Mulholland Highway Agoura Hills, CA 91301 Ph. 818.706.9001 oldplacecornell.com

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Wine selections at Cornell.

Visitors to Cornell take a step back in time when they enter the main wooden building. The light and airy space has an eclectic mix of decor, with paintings and knickknacks sprinkled about the bottles of wine on offer. Glance up and two cars from a children’s fairground ride hang from the ceiling, a nod to the history of the area. They used to be part of Los Angeles’s very first amusement park, Lake Enchanto, which was located across the road. Patrons sip flights while listening to house musician Burt Burger, a guitarist who was once given a $3,000 tip for his performance by a generous Australian singer he declines to name. The grounds also feature the Old Place, a storied local steakhouse with one of the toughest table turnaround policies in L.A. and a no-nonsense attitude when it comes to the celebrities that frequent the joint. Skogstrom admits the stiff rules are a holdover from the former owner. “Barbara Runyon was known as the Steak Nazi,” he reveals. “She opened only if there were at least four people ready to eat, and if you complained about your steak she’d take the plate away and never come back. Critics raved about the food, but said it was the worst service ever.” Rib eyes, fish of the day, and beef stew continue to be cooked over a smoky oak fire. Freshness is so important that there’s no need for a freezer. The Ferraris, McLarens, and high-end Harleys in the parking lot hint at the kind of money Cornell and the Old Place’s clientele makes in film and other industries. Britney Spears likes to hang out, Pink loves it, and Eric Clapton had his birthday party here. But egos are left at the door, and when your seating time is up, it’s up. Don’t like it? “Take my dog outside for a five-minute walk,” says Skogstrom. “Mali will take the stress and anger out of anybody.  Inside the tasting room at Cornell.

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tasting menu

Meals of the Century

BY BRADLEY LINCOLN

It seems like Los Angeles had to wait forever to get an Eataly, but mamma mia, our time has come. The seductive slice of a logo teased Santa Monica Boulevard motorists for way too long, and founder Oscar Farinetti has hinted about a West Coast location of the upscale Italian marketplace since opening the first Eataly in Turin, Italy, in 2007. The enormous (67,000 square feet) multilevel Eataly: L.A. anchors the northeast corner of the Westfield Century City mall, and it’s the fifth domestic and 39th international iteration of the company.

and cheeses, and then specialized kiosks where you can purchase the imported and local ingredients to recreate the magic at home, or at least make a charcuterie plate for the ages. You can even pick up wine, tableware, serving platters, linens, and cookbooks, and there are gelato and espresso bars, a mozzarella-making booth, and graband-go stations offering premade options like lasagna, meatballs, and fritto misto. Eataly’s cooking school, La Scuola, offers a smorgasbord of expert-taught classes to get you up to speed in the kitchen and teach you how to make signature Italian dishes on the fly.

Across the cutting board, the same philosophy remains the cornerstone of each Eataly: “Eat, Shop, Learn.” Inside the airy indoor/outdoor L.A. locale there are numerous sit-down restaurants and cafes where you can sample dishes made with house-cured meats, fresh breads, pastas,

So far, it’s been a match made in hedonism. “Angelenos like good, clean food, made by local producers with phenomenal stories behind them,” says Farinetti. “We do too, so we’ll get along just fine!” 

a EATALY: L.A. 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90067 Ph. 213.310.8000 eataly.com

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interior designer 78 STAHL TACTICS

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i everlasting love 80 RIVA SPEEDBOAT

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PEI

DAY BY CHRISTIE MCCOLLUM

IT’S A FAMILIAR IMAGE: A TOWERING, ELEGANT GLASS-AND-STEEL PYRAMID ENCIRCLED BY THREE SMALLER VERSIONS, TRANSPARENT BY DAY, ILLUMINATED BY NIGHT, RISING FROM THE COURTYARD OF A 16TH-CENTURY FORMER PARISIAN ROYAL PALACE. ARCHITECT I.M. PEI’S MOST FAMOUS WORK, THE PYRAMIDS AT THE LOUVRE.

Subtle and approachable, Pei speaks with the casual warmth of a man who has absolutely nothing to prove. He has a ready smile, lips curling at the edges with enthusiasm, and his signature round spectacles magnify the eyes that dreamed up the world’s most beautiful structures. Pei’s modest presence truly belies the majesty of his work.

unique—Pei has spoken at length about the art and challenge of harmonizing a structure with its physical and cultural environment— but his work does have emergent themes. Geometric patterns and primary volumes, glass pyramids, dramatic angles, monumental facades, the subtle harmony between mixed materials, sweeping open spaces: These are Pei’s tools of choice. His portfolio runs the gamut from high-profile destination buildings like the Louvre Pyramid and the J.F.K. Presidential Library to less-known residential structures, like L.A.’s very own Century Towers, a pair of 28-story mid-century condo buildings across from the Fox lot. Pei has a knack for marrying form and function, wherever his work may be. 

The Chinese-American virtuoso celebrated his 100th birthday this year, and though he’s (officially) retired, Pei continues to consult on new projects that shape the landscapes of cities all over the world. Pei’s career spans the better part of the last seven decades. He has designed buildings in dozens of cities on three continents. Each is

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BANK OF CHINA Completed in 1990, the new 70-story Bank of China earned the title of tallest building on the continent. Pei’s masterpiece no longer holds that designation, but the geometric skyscraper remains one of the tallest structures in Hong Kong, and certainly one of the most iconic. Its construction is a progressive stack of triangular modules, all glass and aluminum, that presents a different face from any given vantage point. Angular and cutting, the tower appears to slice open the sky. Inside, the hard angles soften to reveal an expansive 14-story atrium, and, up top, panoramic views of the Hong Kong metropolis.

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HONG KONG

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THE LOUVRE PYRAMID

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In 1985 a New York Times story summarized a heated controversy: The Louvre Pyramid was despised by many French observers, called “an architectural joke, an eyesore, an anachronistic intrusion of Egyptian death symbolism in the middle of Paris, and a megalomaniacal folly imposed by [the French President].” Needless to say, attitudes have changed. Pei designed the building as an intentional anachronism, a contemporary geometric structure to both contrast and complement the sprawling 16th-century palace behind it. Its glass was designed to be as clear as possible so as to not obscure the colors of its parent structure, and it houses the underground entrance to the museum, easing visitors’ access as they descend into the broad lobby below.

THE MIHO MUSEUM

JAPAN

PARIS

Carved into a verdant forested hillscape, Japan’s Miho Museum exemplifies Pei’s way with mixed materials. Sheets of glass adorn the central roof, with geometric steel boning supporting the structure. Inside, warm limestone floors and walls remind the visitor of the landscape outside and harken back to the Louvre lobby, where they were most famously used. The museum spans a massive 187,000 square feet, most of it underground, and houses a collection of primarily Asian antiques and objets d’art. Pei refers to it lovingly as "Shangri-La."

MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART

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Pei was already retired when he was first approached about the MIA. He agreed to take on the project, with a caveat: He would spend six months traveling the Muslim world to experience its architecture, literature, and history, and use those experiences to shape the design. Located in Doha, Qatar, the result is a staggering stone structure with tiered geometric lines shaping its temple-like silhouette. The museum sits alone on an artificial peninsula, a beacon of tranquil beauty rising from the surrounding waters.

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THE GATEWAY

SING APORE

The Gateway, completed in 1990 in the bustling city-state of Singapore, is quite literal in its symbolism. Pei’s twin towers rise from the urban landscape as two shimmering paradoxes, trapezoidal, yet angled just so that they appear two-dimensional when viewed from the right perspective. The buildings house a number of corporate tenants and serve as a hub for business in the area. They measure 37 stories each, a commanding presence in the Singapore skyline.

OF FAME

ROCK AND ROLL HALL

OHIO

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Nicknamed simply “Rock Hall,” Pei’s 1995 landmark embodies the cutting-edge dynamism of the genre it seeks to honor. It stands tall on Cleveland’s revitalized Lake Erie shore, highlighting the bold interplay of diverse geometric elements and channeling the structure of a record player, the movement of a spinning record, and the sleek body of a guitar. The complex features more than 55,000 square feet of gallery space. Exhibitions honor Hall of Fame honorees as well as celebrate the broad history of rock and roll as it continues to evolve in Cleveland and throughout the United States

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EAST BUILDING

WASHINGTON, D.C

The East Building at the D.C. National Gallery of Art presented an intriguing challenge to Pei. The available site was small and oddly shaped, and his design needed to channel the grandeur of the National Mall into that small space while honoring the design of the existing West Building. His design marries these two objectives beautifully. The building sits on a trapezoidal footprint. A central vein bisects its geometry and creates two triangular wings, one for exhibitions and one for work spaces and research; its facade channels the character of the West Building by using the same pink marble to create a sleek and earthy sheen. With a garden of angular glass pyramids out front, a bold and geometric architecture, and an airy atrium foyer, the West Building exemplifies the best of Pei’s signature design flourishes.

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interior designer

Stahl Tactics

a STAHL + BAND 2308 Abbot Kinney Boulevard Venice, CA 90291 Ph. 424.228.4134 jeffery@stahlandband.com

1. A Naomi Paul hanging sconce over a pair of S+B leather-strapped lounge chairs. 2. Whirling dervish Spin pendants from Prague’s Lucie Koldova illuminate cast bronze pieces by Henry Wilson, on a boulder table designed by Jeffery Molter. S+B also carries the Drikolor line of organic paint. 3. Peter De Jong designed the cutting board and salt and pepper shakers on the S+B kitchen island; the sconces are from Materia Designs. 4. The solid walnut De Jong hutch holds Mirena Kim ceramics and a table lamp by Elizabeth Parker.

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The art and design destination Stahl + Band is housed on a quiet section of Abbot Kinney, in a building with a rich artistic history—for many years it served as a studio for the actor, artist, and Venice resident Dennis Hopper. A brainchild of creative director and designer Jeffery Molter, the studio is a Zen mecca for artisanal furniture, lighting, and contemporary fine art. He created a peaceful, organic environment with poured concrete, metal, and warm accents of wood and stone. With no areas off-limits to clients, egoreview los angeles 02

the space is equal parts showroom and gallery. S+B features emerging and established artists, and carries a globally sourced inventory that includes pieces of Molter’s own design. He started his career in New York working for the Ferragamo family, and later moved to Los Angeles and developed the first sustainable line of upholstery and case goods in the country, launched exclusively at ABC Carpet & Home. He then focused on commercial and residential design projects, and the desire to collaborate with and celebrate like-minded

interior designer

creators led him to open Stahl + Band in November of 2015. Inspired by his German ancestry, Molter chose the words Stahl (steel) and Band (ribbon) as an homage to his favorite artist, Richard Serra, and Serra’s trademark sculptural fluidity. The importance of organic materials, harmonious proportions, and top-notch craftsmanship defines S+B’s aesthetic, and the results are inspirational. 

everlasting love

Riva SPEEDBOAT

BY VINCENT FEUILLET

19 62 Birth of a Masterpiece With a mahogany deck covered in 24 layers of varnish, sparkling chrome-plated windscreen, Alcantara sofas, buttery leather seats, and powerful engine, the Riva Aquarama speedboat symbolizes la dolce vita. Pantone Aquamarine Blue, the distinctive turquoise color that accents its benches and steering wheel, was chosen by brand creator Carlo Riva when his wife admired a dress that hue as they were strolling the Champs-Élysées. The Aquarama was produced between 1962 and 1996 in the workshops of the small Italian town of Sarnico, and only 769 boats were built. It was a popular mode of transport for the jet set, including Brigitte Bardot, Sean Connery, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jane Fonda, and its speed and beauty caused some to refer to it as the Ferrari of the boat world.

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2 017 The Reinterpreted Legend Rivarama, the latest production of the Riva yards, is the worthy heir to its prestigious elder. Its designer, Mauro Micheli, says, “Our motto is to remove, not to add, in order to reach the essence of an inimitable style, where innovation takes place with the respect of a legendary tradition.” The sinuous lines and elegant profile were created with great attention to detail in carpentry, chrome work, and leather, and precious wood still prevails. The boat has a large mahogany front deck, once again varnished 24 times, and a steelframed central window lets light inside the vessel. Aft, two sun beds separated by a central aisle allow access to the cockpit and can be joined with a cushion to provide space to spread out and sunbathe. www.riva-yacht.com

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the artist 85 ENDLESS LOVE

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around us 88 LA/LA OLÉ!

art and about 94 THE DOMINO EFFECT, PACIFIC OVERTURES, ROOMS WITH A VIEW, AND RHYTHM AND FOODS

u reader’s comments 96 STIRRING THE PLOT

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the artist

ENDLESS LOVE

BY BRADLEY LINCOLN

When tickets went on sale for the Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors exhibition at the Broad museum in downtown Los Angeles, the event was met with the frenzy of a J.K. Rowling release. Kusama’s dizzying installation from the Broad’s permanent collection is one of the museum’s most popular pieces, so it’s no surprise that 50,000 tickets to the retrospective, featuring six of her kaleidoscopic environments and more than 60 paintings and drawings, sold out in a heartbeat. Broad’s website crashed, and there was never-ending sorrow across Los Angeles and beyond. In response, the museum upped the number of patrons per hour, released additional tickets, and extended its hours. The octogenarian rabble-rouser from Japan ran with Andy Warhol and Claus Oldenburg in the 1960s, and she and her signature dots have collaborated with Louis Vuitton, Bernardaud, and Lancôme. A limited number of same-day standbys are available for $30 a pop, so rise and shine, art lovers. 

a THE BROAD 221 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012 Ph. 213.232.6200 thebroad.org

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the artist

1. All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins, 2016, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Photo by Cathy Carver, courtesy of Yayoi Kusama. 2. The elfin Yayoi Kusama sitting with recent work in Tokyo, 2016. Photo by Tomoaki Makino, courtesy of Yayoi Kusama. 3. Visitors are encouraged to place brightly colored stickers wherever they choose in the once-white domestic setting of The Obliteration Room, 2002 to present. Photo by QAGOMA, courtesy of Yayoi Kusama. 4. 2007’s Dots Obsession – Love Transformed into Dots (detail). Photo by Cathy Carver, courtesy of Yayoi Kusama. 4

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around us

LA/LA OLÉ! BY BRADLEY LINCOLN

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around us

After five years of planning and more than $16 million in funding from the Getty Foundation, Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA has exploded like an overstuffed piñata with hundreds of exhibitions, performances, and programs celebrating Latino art and all things Latin American. Participating organizations range from tiny (Guatemala’s egg-shaped contemporary art space, NuMu, fits only four visitors at a time and is possibly the smallest in the world—scramble over to see it at LACMA) to the region’s largest museums (Geffen Contemporary at MOCA signed on and is showing several artists in its 40,000-square-foot former police station). Events, which began in September, are spread out from San Diego to Santa Barbara and from Los Angeles to Palm Springs, and will continue through February.

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around us

This isn’t the first PST but it’s definitely the largest. A 2012 program focusing on modern architecture had 17 participants, and 2011’s Art in L.A. 1945–1980 had 60. Getty cash funded curatorial trips, exhibition catalogs, and live performances in Grand Park, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Hollywood Bowl, LA Phil, and other venues, and Bank of America chipped in as a presenting sponsor. “We’re proud to be part of this exciting project, which is going to help people better understand the extraordinary contributions of Latin American and Latino artists to the culture and consciousness of the Southland,” said Janet Lamkin, BOA’s California State president.

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Exhibitions cover thousands of years of Latin American culture, ranging from PreColumbian ceramics at the Mingei International Museum, to Modernist architecture at LACMA, to biting performance art at REDCAT. There’s truly something para todos. Find all the scheduling at pacificstandardtime.org. 

1. Francisco Artigas and Fernando Luna, House at 131 Rocas, Jardines del Pedregal, Mexico City, from the Found in Translation: Design in California and Mexico, 1915–1985 exhibit at LACMA. Photo by Roberto and Fernando Luna. 2. Laura Aguilar, Nature SelfPortrait #2, from the Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell exhibit at the Vincent Price Art Museum.

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3. Michael Christopher Brown, Helen and friends wait for their $1.00 cheese pizzas in Playa neighborhood, Havana, from the Cuba Is exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photography. Photo by Michael Christopher Brown. 4. Tina Modotti, Anita Brenner, from the Another Promised Land: Anita Brenner’s Mexico exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center. Photo courtesy of Wittliff Collections, Texas State University.

5. Teddy Sandoval, Las Locas, from the Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano LA exhibit at the MOCA Pacific Design Center. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen. 6. Ayrson Heráclito, Feeding the Head, from the Axé Bahia: The Power of Art in an AfroBrazilian Metropolis exhibit at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Photo by Ayrson Heráclito.

7. Alfredo de Batuc, Día de los Muertos, from the Día de los Muertos: A Cultural Legacy, Past, Present, and Future exhibit at Self Help Graphics & Art. Photo by Self Help Graphics & Art, Alfredo de Batuc. 8. L iliana Porter, Minnie/Che, from the How to Read El Pato Pascual: Disney’s Latin America and Latin America’s Disney exhibit at MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House. Photo courtesy of Liliana Porter.

9. G raciela Sacco, Untitled, from the Photography in Argentina, 1850–2010: Contradiction and Continuity exhibit at the Getty Center. Photo by Graciela Sacco.

art and about

THE DOMINGO EFFECT

Plácido Domingo has been delivering the goods to Los Angeles opera buffos since 1967, when he stepped onstage here as a young tenor. Since then he skyrocketed to fame as one of the greatest opera singers of all time, making a profound impact on the cultural life of Los Angeles in the process. To mark the semicentennial, LA Opera is putting on a gala Plácido Domingo 50th Anniversary Concert on November 17, 2017, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion—50 years to the day that he made his L.A. debut on the same stage. Domingo has been artistic consultant, artistic director, general director, and lots of other super titles at LA Opera, and to celebrate, the organization has composed a mixed bag of artists including Kristin Chenoweth, Uzo Aduba, and Garth Brooks, who’ll join opera stars like Janai Brugger, Mario Chang, Liudmyla Monastyrska, and Michael Fabiano in performance with the LA Opera Orchestra, conducted by James Conlon. Aria excited? 

DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION 135 North Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012 Ph. 213.972.8001 laopera.org

a THE ROW 777 South Alameda Street Los Angeles, CA 90021 refinery29.com/29rooms

Rooms with a View

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Refinery29, the crazy-popular millennially minded fashion and lifestyle site, is bringing its 29Rooms immersive exhibition to Los Angeles for the first time, and it just might break Instagram. The previous three iterations were held in New York during fashion week, and featured 29 separate installations celebrating art, style, culture, technology, and beauty, produced in collaboration with influencers and celebs like Jake Gyllenhaal and Emma Roberts. Visitors are encouraged to snap and post selfies, like this lord a-leaping in one of last summer’s rooms at the Brooklyn festival. The best-coast playground will be held over the second and third weekends in December at DTLA’s ROW, the sprawling stretch of old warehouses between 7th and 8th that has been repurposed as galleries, design studios, artistically inclined offices, restaurants, and retail ventures. There are three three-hour sessions each day, and tickets (a portion of proceeds goes to nonprofit partners) range from $19 to $85. 

art and about

Pacific Overtures The Pacific Resident Theatre has been quietly and steadfastly treading the boards in the boho heart of Venice for more than 30 years now, just minutes away from the man buns, maxi dresses, and avocado toasts of Abbot Kinney. The cluster of three small boutique stages is the only theater company in Venice, and it has earned a reputation among thespian cognoscenti for its top-notch productions of classic European plays, its unearthing of rarely seen works, and its nurturing of promising writers. PRT is a haven for serious actors, directors, playwrights, and designers with extensive Broadway credits and extraordinary artistic range, and has garnered over 200 awards for excellence. Currently playing through December 10 is the eerily prescient Rhinoceros, Eugene Ionesco’s avant-garde comedy in which a provincial town discovers how dangerous a herd mentality is to its humanity. 

PACIFIC RESIDENT THEATRE 703 Venice Boulevard Venice, CA 90291 Ph. 310.822.8392 pacificresidenttheatre.com

a VIBRATO GRILL 2930 Beverly Glen Circle Los Angeles, CA 90077 Ph. 310.474.9400 vibratogrilljazz.com

Rhythm and Foods

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Nine-time Grammy Award–winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Herb Alpert has had 15 Gold Records and five number-one hits; he co-founded the A&M record label; and his tuneage with the Tijuana Brass created the soundtrack of a generation that endures to this day (that Dating Game theme song Homer Simpson goes to when he’s in his happy place is Alpert’s version of Spanish Flea). He’s got the chops, but did you know he’s also got the chops? Herb Alpert’s Vibrato supper club, managed by his daughter Eden, offers world-class music and stellar old-school steakhouse fare in the tony hills of Bel Air almost every day of the week. Serious songsters dig the urbane room, with its unobstructed dinner-in-the-round seating and impressive acoustics, and the menu gets consistent snaps from critics and Yelpers alike. Dave Brubeck, Chuck Mangione, Diane Reeves, and Seth McFarlane have all performed here, and it’s the perfect spot for a sophisticated celebration. 

reader’s comments

Stirring the Plot

Her Body and Other Parties Carmen Maria Machado

How to Behave in a Crowd Camille Bordas

In these eight stories, Machado digs into familiar fairy tale and horror tropes— even Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and police procedurals— to tear out their bloody, still-beating hearts. Her world is strange, dark, rife with supernatural occurrences, sexy, dangerous, feminist, and deeply, matter-of-factly queer. It’s near impossible to believe this is Machado’s debut collection; it feels as if we have collectively been aching to hear her voice for years.

To understand Bordas’s first novel in English, think J.D. Salinger’s Glass family transported to present-day France. Isidore/Dory/Izzie is a wonderful child narrator, and one you won’t soon forget: the only non-genius among a pack of precocious siblings struggling to cope with a loss too major to be understood via pure intellect. This book is sweet, funny, devastating, and full of the sort of all-toohuman observations that will stop you dead in your tracks.

Mr. Splitfoot Samantha Hunt

This is a novel like no other. Psychic orphans, con men, creepy religious cults, a ghost story, and maybe the devil himself? I mean, what more could you ask for? In case that’s not enough, Samantha Hunt’s prose is also weird, dark, propulsive, menacing, at times hilarious, and always fantastically original.

BOOK SOUP 8818 Sunset Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90069 Ph. 310.659.3110 booksoup.com

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THE SUNSET STRIP: KNOWN FOR TOO-HOT-TO-HANDLE EATERIES AND NIGHTCLUBS, BOUGIE BOUTIQUES, TATTOO PARLORS, STRIP CLUBS, DISPENSARIES, A STEADY STREAM OF MASERATIS AND MCLARENS, AND… INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES? DAMN STRAIGHT. BOOK SOUP HAS BEEN SIMMERING ON THE STRIP SINCE 1975, AND IT’S AN ERUDITE OASIS SERVING READERS, WRITERS, ARTISTS, ROCK’N’ROLLERS, AND YA’S . IT SPECIALIZES IN (OFTEN SIGNED) ART, FILM, PHOTOGRAPHY, MUSIC, AND LITERARY FICTION BOOKS, CHEEKY WINDOW DISPLAYS, AND REAMS OF SPECIALIZED MAGAZINES, CARDS, AND GIFTS. CHANCES ARE A BOUILLON TO ONE YOU’LL SEE A CELEBRITY BROWSING THE INVENTORY OR ATTENDING ONE OF THE FREQUENT HIGH-PROFILE AUTHOR READINGS. WE CHECKED IN WITH STORE MANAGER AND BOOKWORM NADINE VASSALLO TO GET SOME PAGETURNING PICKS FOR FALL READING.

SELECTION BY NADINE VASSALLO FROM BOOK SOUP

Since I Laid My Burden Down Brontez Purnell

This novel is truly a discovery, and a secret you won’t be able to keep. Protagonist DeShawn is wickedly funny, unflinching, and honest, in the way that only people who have nothing to lose can be. Having grown up in a small town, he crawled over the bodies of others to get out, making it all the way to a new life in San Francisco. It’s a call home after a death in the family that reminds DeShawn and by extension, us, that while we can reinvent ourselves in any number of ways, somebody, somewhere—maybe an aunt or a secret lover—always knows the truth.

Woman No. 17 Edan Lepucki

In lush, gorgeous language, and with a classic noir thriller’s pacing and suspense, Lepucki’s latest book addresses themes of art, selfdetermination, family, and the ways we try and fail to possess each other. At times you’ll want to shake its characters for their terrible—and terribly human—decisions, but they’ll continue to stick in your heart long after you put down the book.

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NUMBER

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egoreview: los angeles Publisher & Editor in Chief

Sophie Maarek

WINTER 2017

Founder of egolarevue

egoreview: los angeles

Bradley Lincoln

egoreview: los angeles is published quarterly by Ka2 Publishing, 2746 Stoner Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90064. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material, and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to egoreview’s right to edit. ISSN in process. All rights reserved. egoreview: los angeles #2, fall/winter 2017/2018 For subscriptions to egoreview: los angeles, email s.maarek@egoreview.com

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La Bella Barrique

Stahl Tactics

A View with No Room

Pei Day

Sit, Stay, Healdsburg

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Man with a Plan