The first months of the year: deliciously diverse new restaurants
By Katherine Spiers, Special to Metromix
You know how some people make resolutions to try something new? Well, it looks like the L.A. restaurant scene did that too this year. The new restaurants that have opened this month are as varied as can be, from small plates to tacos to Korean barbecue. Many, many other places are due to open in the next month or two, and with any luck, they'll continue this delicious trend of diversity.
The food may well be excellent here, but that’s not why you go. It’s all about scene. Nobu Matsuhisa has a celebrity following throughout the U.S., as well as a celebrity backing: Robert De Niro is a regular diner and financier. The fusion cuisine is a mixture of cutting-edge and stuff you’ve seen before, but chances are the most familiar thing will be the swarm of famous faces. If you’re lucky? Brad Pitt. If you’re not? Mayor Villaraigosa.
Steve Arroyo is becoming one of L.A.'s most prolific restaurateurs, with various eating-and-drinking projects popping up all over town. This one is actually a reincarnation of a less successful earlier restaurant attempt from Arroyo, Happi Songs. Exactly as the name suggests, Goat is a celebration of the animal, from meat to cheese. The goat confit is making waves, and the wine and cheese plates are popular, expensive snacks.
Barely months after the hugely successful openings of S Bar and
Katsuya, SBE's at it again—this time with Foxtail, another supper
club. This two story location has it all: dining, a dance floor, bar,
lounge and outdoor patio.
Those searching desperately for breakfast foods at 2 a.m. have another place to drunkenly recall. The Waffle does close for a couple hours early every morning, but for the remaining 22 hours of the day it serves all manner of comfort classics. Waffles are the highlight of the menu, and include such delectable-sounding varieties as bacon waffles, jalapeno waffles and fruit waffles. Egg dishes are also available, as are salads and sandwiches if you’re feeling more lunchy. And there’s a full bar. What a combo.
The restaurant group behind the fusion-y, always hip Katana, Sushi Roku and Robata Bar have now turned their attention to kaiten sushi, or a conveyor belt sushi bar. Fun! Interactive dinner! The restaurant claims to have 80 different dishes going around, but be sure not to go during an off-hour—pickin’s can be slim. The sushi is fresh and delicious, and hot food items are available as well.
Monsieur James Beard Outstanding Chef Michel Richard returns to L.A., where he established his culinary fame with Citrus in the '80s. The Citrus of the new millennium is set in Social Hollywood, of all places. Luckily, the restaurant's massive door is offset from the sanctimonious velvet rope, and the whimsical lemony-lime interior with vaulted ceilings easily helps you forget the club scene right next door. And the food? Well, with dishes like lobster with fake "begula" caviar and chicken faux gras, it's the playful magic of Chef Richard—with the lofty prices to boot.
Downtown’s constant expansion has made room for Saffron, a fast-food take on Indian classics. The restaurant will, of course, cater to the lunch crowd primarily. They are also an occasional presence at downtown farmers’ markets. The very basic menu serves dishes like daal and chicken tikka masala, and lunch plates include rice and a side. Unfortunately, naan is extra, but those who’ve tried it say it’s the best thing on the menu.
This bakery, restaurant and bar is all about sustainability. Even the cocktails are made with fresh juices, and the proprietors have tried to source organic beer and wine. The chef is a spokesperson for Silk soymilk and has written a book called "Hollywood Dish." Accordingly, the opening party was fairly star-studded, as these things go. Health-food credentials aside, the menu isn’t totally austere—those desserts look pretty darn good.
Residents of Downtown’s Sky Lofts now have a restaurant located on the ground floor to call their very own, but don't expect Zen gardens or wandering yogis here. The name Tranquility Base actually refers to the landing site of Apollo 11, which explains the clubbish mood lighting and space-odyssey feel of the interiors. There’s a little bit of everything here, perfect for low-key noshing, though some of the prices are not so low key. They also offer a full bar with house-made mixers and a late-night menu served until 1 a.m.
This famous NYC steakhouse has finally arrived in L.A., with a few coast-specific tweaks. In addition to the various enormous steaks, there’s a good amount of fish on the menu for those looking to minimize their red meat intake. At a steakhouse. To each his own! The drink menu has also been expanded, to include more brightly colored options. Expect a healthy celebrity clientele, as it’s owned by the ONE Group (the "one" who brought us One Sunset) and located on a trendy stretch of La Cienega.
Palihouse is one of the new, upscale hotel/residences popping up around L.A. The Hall is meant to be a sort of gathering spot for residents, but it will probably attract a fair amount of outside business as well. (That locked door is like a siren’s call to a lot of scenesters.) There’s a European-style newsstand, bar and coffeeshop for chilling during the day, and a full-service restaurant serving French dishes.
Many hotels and restaurants have tried to glamorize the area around LAX because naturally, it has plenty of visitors stopping in from around the world. But despite the would-be internationalism, it’s never really become a stylish destination. The Custom Hotel is the latest LAX-adjacent concept from brave entrepreneurs—and Bistrotek is the restaurant at the center of it. With a menu of American bistro fare and modern, loft-style decor, the restaurant offers a relaxed yet sophisticated ambiance that will make you forget the bustle of the airport.
The pizzeria that got started in New York but is now infinitely more popular on the West Coast has opened a new location. This marks their third on the Left Coast, the first two being in San Francisco’s Polk Gulch and our very own Larchmont Village. The pizza is relatively thick-crust and laden with toppings, making it perfect for those in search of a seriously calorie-laden pie.
Rat Pack favorite Dominick’s now has a baby brother to the east. The carefully cultivated old-school ambiance at this new location fits in perfectly with the Los Feliz aesthetic; the retro dishes, such as spaghetti with meatballs, do too.
Lowenbrou Keller’s demise was a disappointment to a small but fiercely dedicated group of Eastsiders who loved the place for its authentic German kitsch and spooky interiors. When it was shut down, many worried that it would be completely gutted. But fear not, lovers of the odd: While the place has been spit-shined, the decor is still intact. The bar offerings are voluminous, and the menu includes various small plates.
One of the most expensive restaurants to come around L.A. in quite a while, Bond Street serves up decadent sushi and Asian fusion items to big-ticket types. It’s not located in just any hotel—it's a Thompson hotel. A trendy boutique hotel in Beverly Hills, for that matter. If you'd like to save a wee bit of money, the bar area keeps the same evening hours as the restaurant, and you can have small plates there.
IcePan promises a whole new ice cream experience. Customers actually order the milk flavor of their choice (whole, low-fat, non-fat or soy), and the ice cream is created “in about a minute” with the milk, choice of fruit, and a "secret mix." One can even request vegetables if desired. The name IcePan refers to the device on which the ice cream is mixed. The company makes big claims about the products' healthfulness, but it’s still ice cream. There's another location in Redondo Beach.
Melograno's menu is derived from chef Alberto Lazzarino’s region of Piemonte. Piemonte’s direct proximity to France has lent an elaborate approach to its cuisine, accented by truffles and complemented by the wines of the region. The Hollywood location for this upscale restaurant seems a bit unlikely, but it's just part of the continuing trend of bringing cuisine to the boulevard (consider the success of Lift and Katsuya). Pastas, lamb, fish and a popular nettle gnocchi are on the menu, as well as a carefully edited wine list.
Seoul Bros. is a Korean restaurant that does things a little differently than what Angelenos are used to. But that shouldn’t be a surprise, given that the restaurant is in Pasadena, which is almost like an anti-Koreatown. The ordering system is, um, systematic: With your selection of meat, you choose two sides, or banchan, the Korean accompaniments that usually arrive without limit elsewhere.
The Anaya brothers of Cha Cha Cha take on tacos in their latest West Hollywood venture, Pinches. Open late on most nights—and even later when it closes at 3 in the morning—the updated taqueria serves familiar Mexican fare: all the stuff of a taco truck, just without the truck. Expect slightly inflated tariffs, to fit the neighborhood. The space doesn’t serve booze but orders can be placed with the liquor store across the street.
A coffee experience like no other, LAMILL the boutique will change your caffeine-fueled point of view. Outfitted from head to toe in stylish furnishings and couture-worthy equipment, the interior very much looks the part of the boutique. No, this isn't the corner spot for you to drag your MacBook Pro and plug in; it's a place to get dressed up in your culinary Manolos. An unprecedented collaboration with Providence—arguably the best restaurant in Los Angeles—has devised a menu that would make any foodie (and likely, your wallet) weep.
You name it, Din Tai Fung steams it in a dumpling. From pork and chicken to more exotic ingredients like red bean, anything gets wrapped up in the proprietary dough of this Shanghai-style (but Taiwan-based) international chain. One of the most celebrated dumplings is number 56, a delicate creation filled with pork broth and available in limited quantities on weekends. Also check out the "juicy pork dumplings," or xiao long bao (or XLB, if you're super in-the-know, and now you are). This new location is literally next door to the old one, and now both have lines out the door.
Crepes not only taste better but are less calorie-laden when enjoyed beachside. What, no? The Long Beach favorite quietly set up a second location in downtown Manhattan Beach, and locals are already making it a regular breakfast spot. Contrary to the name, the café offers an extensive menu of omelettes, pastas, panini and dinner entrees. But if you’re out to prove that man can live on crepes alone, the laundry list of savory and sweet selections should help in your endeavor.
A Pan-Asian feast can be found at Buddha's Belly, where the menu consists of the flavors of Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. It won't cost an arm and a leg for a fun night out and good meal with friends in a festive atmosphere amidst silk lanterns and bamboo arrangements.
Ultra-mod furniture, mood lighting and outdoor seating make this coffee shop more than just a watered down Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. In fact, in the coffee franchise family tree, Java Detour is like the young, hip, tech savvy, dandy dressing, Ivy League educated, twenty-something child of Starbucks. What better way to buck conventionality than by ordering a glass of red, curling up with the latest by Augusten Burroughs or David Sedaris and reading under the influence? You never know what other brainy guppies might ask if they can join your "book club."
The space has been a restaurant for many years, but the present owner has turned it organic for the first time. Well, maybe not entirely organic, but mostly. And all wholesome. The updated Mediterranean cuisine lends itself nicely to that.
A former ‘20s speakeasy that’s intent on rediscovering its roots, 86 is located on the stretch of Hollywood Blvd. that’s coming into its own as a dinner destination. The restaurant/lounge is located in the basement beneath its sister property, Lift, and pairs quality food with a dark, glam atmosphere.
Katherine Spiers is a contributing editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
