Curtis Stone’s reopened Maude features a nine-course tasting menu and new chef de cuisine, Osiel Gastelum (right) PHOTO BY: CLAY LARSEN
Nopales, jicama and avocado soup PHOTO BY: ANDREA D’AGOSTO
Beloved chefs and brands are behind spring’s hottest new eateries, from Curtis Stone’s retooled Beverly Hills tasting concept to a bright local bistro by Umbrella Hospitality Group.
The 24- seat dining room. PHOTO BY: RAY KACHATORIAN
MAUDE
“My intention was always to make guests feel like they accepted an invitation to my home for a dinner party,” says chef Curtis Stone of the Michelin-starred Beverly Hills restaurant he opened in February 2014. After centering his menus first around a single ingredient, then global wine regions, the intimate, 24-seat gem has reopened after a two-year closure with a reimagined nine-course tasting menu and new chef de cuisine, Osiel Gastelum of Michelin-starred Somni. “Like all of us, I have been anchored to home the past two years, and that has really grounded me when considering this new menu,” says Stone, whose last concept focused on travel. “I’ve reengaged with everything California produces, everything local—from the land to the sea—and just wanted to source within arm’s reach as much as possible with touches of decadence from afar.” Highlights include a simple, elegant Osetra caviar with peas, and a nopales, jicama and avocado soup reflecting Gastelum’s heritage. Classic and reserve wine pairing options are curated by Andrew Merritt, and dessert courses are served upstairs in the 3,000-bottle wine loft. “It’s to create that sense of conviviality of enjoying each other’s company with dessert, a final glass of wine or coffee, and some music from an armchair or sofa,” Stone says. “Australians, we’re not a fussy bunch, so while Maude remains an elevated dining experience, there is still an ease and comfort to the service and ambiance—something that would make my granny, the restaurant’s namesake, proud.” Beverly Hills, mauderestaurant.com
SIXTY Beverly Hills’ new eatery Ella serves pastas, pizzas and large plates like tomahawk steak PHOTO BY WONHO FRANK LEE
ELLA
The fiery Pompeii cocktail PHOTO BY WONHO FRANK LEE
The interior nods to European and New York bistros. PHOTO BY WONHO FRANK LEE
Austin Melrose, co-owner of Umbrella Hospitality Group—behind cocktail-forward Melrose Avenue lounge Melrose Umbrella Co., for which Ella is named—knew he and SIXTY Beverly Hills hotelier Jason Pomeranc could bring something different to the ground-level restaurant. “Ella is set to make guests feel nostalgic for a place that they’ve been,” Melrose says of the warm neighborhood eatery adorned with friendly greenery, retro Hollywood photos, rock guitars and actual umbrellas. “Pulling from the bistro cultures found in Europe and New York while incorporating the backdrop of Los Angeles, the ‘Cali bistro’ creates a sense of elegant comfort.” The eclectic menu by executive chef Brian Min (Laurel Hardware, Mama Shelter) celebrates Mediterranean, Asian and Italian flavors, with rich pastas, specialty pizzas, and large plates like grilled branzino and a classic burger. Artful cocktails are where the Umbrella team really shines, employing techniques like sonic bath aging and sous vide infusions to put a new spin on classics, and guests can also purchase natural and biodynamic wines from the in-house bottle shop to take home or up to their rooms. Operating as a daily coffee bar until noon, at night, Ella transitions into a lively dinner experience, with a mix of live entertainment, vinyl and jazz. “It’s a place where you can literally watch the sun rise and set—grabbing a coffee in the morning and a nightcap at the end of the day,” Melrose says. “It’s a space that simultaneously feels like home and an escape.”Beverly Hills, ellabeverlyhills.com
Breadblok’s gluten-free, refined sugar-free, gum-free and soy-free baked goods PHOTO COURTESY OF BRAND
BREADBLOK
“Our journey began with our grandfather’s celiac diagnosis 45 years ago,” say Chloe and Celine Charlier, who immediately noticed the benefits when they removed gluten from their diets as well. “We successfully healed our guts and resolved a multitude of underlying health issues.” Despite L.A.’s wellness focus, the sisters struggled to find good gluten-free bread and baked goods, so they created their own. “There really aren’t other bakeries or restaurants dedicated to being 100% organic, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, gum-free and soy-free,” note the Charlier sisters, who opened Breadblok in Santa Monica in February 2020. Along with gluten-free breads, croissants, doughnuts and scones, the French-rooted restaurant serves salads, quiche, sandwiches, pizzas, organic jams and vegan milks for every diet. Eager to expand to the East Side—as well as to Venice, Studio City and Beverly Hills, in time—they found this recently renovated 1925 auto shop in Silver Lake. Commune Design used limestone counters and handwoven basket lights to impart the same “Cali meets south of France” aesthetic, though this outpost boasts large steel windows, vibrant greenery and an atrium-style patio filled with rosemary, lavender and olive trees. In addition to outdoor space, the Silver Lake location features expanded food offerings such as breakfast sandwiches and plates, pizzas and more grab-and-go options. New spring salads and pastries will highlight California produce, and soon to launch are organic wines from Provence, France, and gluten-free beers that the Charliers promise taste just like regular beers: “We guarantee you won’t be able to tell the difference.” Silver Lake, breadblok.com
Baby clams at chefs Max Boonthanakit and Lijo George’s new Arts District bistro, Camphor PHOTO BY JOSH TELLES
CAMPHOR
Refined mains like chicken with thyme and chicken jus exhibit their classic French training. PHOTO BY JOSH TELLES
In conceiving of their Arts District bistro, Camphor, Alain Ducasse veterans and co-executive chefs Max Boonthanakit and Lijo George envisioned a scene in a movie: “Two classically trained French chefs have been on a shipwreck stranded on the coast of India, and only have their own skills to rely on,” the two explain of their “French with Indian spices” menu focus. “Of course, Lijo is originally from Kerala, India, and has worked with Indian spices before, which has been a big factor in some of our dishes.” From Ducasse, with whom the two worked in Bangkok, they learned to build flavors and make them more complex while still pure—and the tutelage shows. The unpretentious menu features shareable small plates and hearty mains, paired with reinvented classic cocktails and a selection of French and European wines. “We love the lobster because it’s two dishes in one,” they say. “The lobster coral in the sauce creates so much complexity, where the hollandaise-covered lobster claws are decadent and light.” With white brick walls, blue velvet booths and marble tabletops, the light and unfussy industrial-chic aesthetic fits right into the design-forward community. “This neighborhood has its own DNA and vibe,” says Camphor’s founder and operator, Cyrus Batchan of No. 8 Hospitality, who sought to modernize a neighborhood bistro concept by pairing comforting and elegant fare with warm hospitality. “I kept asking myself how we could recreate that feeling of finding a hidden gem in a neighborhood anywhere in the world.” DTLA, camphor.la
The Win~Dow’s addictive burgers come single, double or vegetarian. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRAND
THE WIN~DOW
“We built the first Win~Dow very much with the local Venice community in mind,” says Jeff Goodman, CEO of American Gonzo Food Corporation—who’s also behind Venice steakhouse American Beauty and Superba Food + Bread. Three years ago, Goodman teamed up with his American Beauty cohort Bruce Horwitz (Abbot Kinney’s The Tasting Kitchen) to introduce high-quality smash burgers served from accessible walk-up windows, at “neighbor friendly” prices. “Everyone loves burgers and fries,” he notes. “When we were developing the idea, there was so much passion in the room it made everything else inevitable.” Following the success of two Venice locations, a new Silver Lake spot brings the craveworthy burgers (in single, double and vegetarian form)—plus fried chicken sandwiches, hearty grain bowls, kale salads, and the ice cream cones and shakes that’ve been such a hit at the Venice Boardwalk location—to the east side. “We have terrific neighbors in the Silver Lake community, and the pedestrian plaza and pocket park we sit on is an ideal location for the casual, neighborly Win~Dow experience,” Goodman says. “Our seating communicates exactly who we are: communal, informal, neighborly, social, egalitarian. The Win~Dow is for everyone; just pull up a stool.” Silver Lake, thewin-dow.la
Chef Evan Funke’s homage to Rome, Mother Wolf, features classic Italian design elements PHOTO BY ERIC WOLFINGER
MOTHER WOLF
Authentic pizzas include the napoletana with anchovies and the diavola PHOTO BY ERIC WOLFINGER
Blue prawns with green garlic salsa verde. PHOTO BY ERIC WOLFINGER
“Rome is always my first stop when traveling to Italy, and I had been thinking about the idea of Mother Wolf for a while,” says chef and partner Evan Funke, a pasta aficionado who’s also behind Venice’s Felix Trattoria. Teaming up with Dan Daley, CEO and partner at Ten Five Hospitality, Funke’s Mother Wolf is a tribute to Rome and its origin story—of twin brothers Remus and Romulus, and the Lupa Capitolina (a she-wolf). “I’m paying homage to the mosaic of ancient, pastoral and urban culinary heritage of la cucina Romana,” Funke says. “The pastas reflect my understanding, experience and interpretation of the best I’ve had in Rome—expressing that in a way that also feels very at home in Los Angeles.” Wafer-thin wood-fired pizzas and seasonal antipasti accompany Funke’s exceptional pastas, including classics like carbonara, all’amatriciana, alla gricia and al burro, arrabiata and a curated Italian wine cellar. Housed in Hollywood’s historic Citizen News building—one of L.A.’s first printing presses—Mother Wolf’s art deco exterior is enhanced by classic Italian design. Martin Brudnizki Design Studio sought to reflect Italian theater, craft and playfulness with a central open wood-fired grill, artisan-made elements from antique mirrors to marble tabletops, and red mosaic ceramic tiles. Faux plaster relief work on the walls portrays a feast and wolf heads. Says Daley, “We wanted to pay homage to Rome and appreciate that it is a city that is both modern and ancient at the same time.” Hollywood, motherwolfla.com
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