The weather might be getting cooler, but L.A.’s dining scene is hotter than ever. Check out the city’s newest restaurant openings, from chef Marcel Vigneron’s Lemon Grove atop The Aster members’ club in Hollywood to throwback seafood joint Dear Jane’s in Marina del Rey.
Noble 33 co-founders Tosh Berman (left) and Mikey Tanha PHOTO: BY RYAN FORBES
CASA MADERA
“Going back to the Asia de Cuba days, we’ve always loved and connected with the space,” says Noble 33 co-founder Tosh Berman of the indoor-outdoor restaurant at Mondrian Los Angeles. When it became available, he saw an opportunity to revive it with a second location of the group’s coastal Mexican concept, Casa Madera. Also behind Mexico City-inspired steakhouse Toca Madera (in West Hollywood, Scottsdale and Las Vegas), Noble 33’s Casa Madera is an 8,000-square-foot seafood restaurant that will transport guests to the Mayan Riviera. “Each location is designed with the local climate in mind,” says Berman. “Casa Madera West Hollywood is designed to fit the climate of Southern California with roughly 80% of the restaurant outdoors under a retractable enclosure.” Amid the bright and airy beach-themed design with a curated soundscape, guests can sample some of the concept’s tried-and-true dishes. “The most popular food items from the Toronto menu include the Torre De Mariscos, which is the chef’s selection seafood tower, the tangy tuna timbale, duck carnitas tacos and the Dover sole,” says Noble 33 CEO and co-founder Mikey Tanha. “For the favorite farm-to-table cocktails, our guests love the Playa Paraiso, Cielo Nocturno or La Fuente.” thecasamadera.com
Dear Jane’s serves classic seafood in Marina del Rey. PHOTO: COURTESY OF DEAR JANE’S
DEAR JANE’S
In spring 2019, chef and baker Hans Röckenwagner teamed up with his wife, Patti, an entertainment executive, and two-Michelin-starred chef Josiah Citrin (Melisse Restaurant, Citrin) to revive the starry 1962 Sinatra-owned steakhouse Dear Jane’s in Culver City. “What Dear John’s is to steak, Dear Jane’s is to seafood,” says Patti of the trio’s newest venture—a classic American seafood restaurant in Marina del Rey. “What sold us was the view—you can almost touch the boats from the patio—the original midcentury building and the vibrant Marina community.” While both menus feature greatest hits from the steakhouses and seafood restaurants of the ’60s and ’70s, Dear Jane’s is triple the size of Dear John’s and offers an open dining room and separate bar area. Indulge in clams casino, oysters Rockefeller, bananas foster or the JLC seafood tower—named after Jamie Lee Curtis, who voices the restaurant’s outgoing telephone message. Cocktails reference famous Janes, such as the Fonda 75 or Russell-rita, and Patti enhanced the boat-themed space her husband remodeled with ’60s and ’70s art from gallerist Robert Berman’s collection. She notes, “The paintings of women at the entrance are endearingly called the Wall of Janes, as they are to us all wonderful versions of Janes.” dearjanesla.com
Den Mother’s new California Izakaya PHOTO: COURTESY OF DEN MOTHER
DEN MOTHER: CALIFORNIA IZAKAYA
A year-old neighborhood wellness retreat in Venice, Den Mother’s therapies draw from ancient healing rituals and are infused with botanicals. “Growing up in Asian culture and all of its rich traditions, it was important for me to infuse a similar experience across all of our offerings,” says co-founder and master healer Elisa Angelone, who’s expanding Den Mother’s offerings into the food realm with California Izakaya, a new outdoor lounge and Japanese small-plate concept. “After a massage, or sauna or cold plunge session, nothing could be better to us than having a cold beer or refreshing snacks outside under the Venice sky.” Den Mother collaborated with neighbor The Butcher’s Daughter on a plant-based menu reflective of Asian culture and the California lifestyle. Pair bites like spicy crab inari with Japanese sake, beer and whiskey, as well as natural wines, elixir lattes and loose-leaf teas. Japanese minimalism inspired the design of the transporting back garden, which features an apothecary-style bar, lava rock fire pit and overhead canopy with paper lanterns. Bamboo, kentia palms and podocarpus trees line the streetside patio—a refuge from bustling Abbot Kinney. Says Angelone, “We are a sanctuary in the city, where guests can come to relax, restore and reconnect.” denmother.com
The flourless chocolate cake at Lemon Grove PHOTO: BY PATRICK CHIN
LEMON GROVE
What attracted chef Marcel Vigneron (Wolf, Tacos Lobos) to helming the rooftop restaurant of Hollywood members’ club and hotel The Aster wasn’t just the stunning venue or the opportunity to work with Stockdale Capital and Salt Hotels. “It was being given the chance to build my own team from scratch and do something for the city of L.A.,” says the Malibu resident and former Top Chef star. Lemon Grove pays homage to the area’s agrarian roots with its earthy, verdant design complete with lemon trees—“before Hollywood was developed it was actually a lemon grove,” Vigneron says—and fresh California fare made with local produce, sustainable fisheries and trusted ranchers. “[The cuisine] is influenced and inspired by the deep-rooted gastronomic traditions and the melting pot of cultures that make up our beautiful City of Angels,” he says. Sip an Oaxacan Manhattan or one of the extensive nonalcoholic beverages alongside dishes such as a signature lemon pasta, unique local lettuce salad, or oysters paired with classic and modern accoutrements. Notes Vigneron, “Our cuisine is an interpretation of nature that is meant to satisfy the soul and bring good health and nourishment to all of the angels that consume it!” lemongrovela.com; theasterla.com
Lillie’s puts a local spin on modern French cuisine. PHOTO: BY DYLAN & JENI
LILLIE’S
“The Culver Hotel exudes history, elegance and a welcoming ambiance,” says hotelier Maya Mallick, who, in 2007, bought the landmark flatiron-style building that opened in 1924. Owner and creative director Mallick restored the 46-room boutique hotel—now part of Proper Hospitality’s The Collective portfolio—which boasts an in-house art gallery and new European bistro, Lillie’s. Encompassing the grand lobby, dining room and outdoor garden, Lillie’s offers a range of dining experiences and atmospheres. Named after 1920s silent movie actress Lillian Roberts, wife of Culver City founder Harry Culver, the restaurant also honors its storied history with its design. “[I wanted] to elicit the elegance of 1920s Los Angeles, which is the decade the hotel was built, while also applying fresh, warm European touches that allow our guests to experience the best of both the past and present,” Mallick says. Executive chef Diana Khngikyan’s menu blends modern French cuisine with California ingredients in dishes like steak tartare, ratatouille and a chicken dinner for two. Notes Khngikyan, “Our vision for the menu was to keep the French classics comforting while staying bright and fresh with our seasonal approach.” Come evening, the grand lobby transforms into a jazzy supper club with a rotating live music lineup, and The Velvet Lounge speakeasy bar will reopen soon. culverhotel.com
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