By Jasmin Rosemberg By Jasmin Rosemberg | September 8, 2022 | Food & Drink, Feature,
Catch Steak Los Angeles’ main dining room integrates touches of nature PHOTO COURTESY OF CATCHRESTAURANTS.COM
Veteran chefs and big hospitality names are behind L.A.’s newest restaurants, from a sprawling WeHo Catch Steak outpost to a hip Middle Eastern haunt from the Bestia team.
Try classic steak cuts, dry-aged selections, and American and Japanese wagyu. PHOTO COURTESY OF CATCHRESTAURANTS.COM
When a space mere blocks from their seafood hot spot Catch LA opened up, Catch Hospitality Group partners Tilman Fertitta, Mark Birnbaum and Eugene Remm jumped at the chance to bring Catch Steak to Los Angeles. “The corner of Melrose Place and La Cienega was prime for a great neighborhood spot, and this particular location, with its indoor-outdoor capabilities, really blew us away,” says Birnbaum of the concept that debuted in New York in 2019 and opened in Aspen last year. The stylish 13,000-square-foot location designed by Rockwell Group nods to its Meatpacking District roots with an industrial-meets-organic aesthetic, and to L.A.’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle with an expansive patio, a glass brick entryway adorned with florals, a greenhouse-like garden room and a striking indoor tree. Likewise, the menu reflects its environment by leaning into local ingredients. “The tomato burrata salad is a great example,” says the group’s corporate chef, Michael Vignola. “The dish is amazing in New York and Aspen, but those fresh California tomatoes and Harry’s Berries strawberries take it to a whole other level.” In addition to a vegetarian chicken parm and signature seafood options, this outpost serves classic steak cuts, dry-aged selections, and American and Japanese wagyu—boasting a rare Japanese Kobe license, as well as a beef sommelier. “The Kobe license allows us to be among only a handful of restaurants in the U.S. that can serve official A5 Kobe beef from Japan,” says Birnbaum. “The beef sommelier is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in another restaurant.” West Hollywood, catchrestaurants.com
The glass brick entrance features climbing florals PHOTO COURTESY OF CATCHRESTAURANTS.COM
The fiery cookies and cream baked Alaska PHOTO COURTESY OF CATCHRESTAURANTS.COM
Chef and L.A. native Brandon Kida serves Nikkei dishes that draw from his heritage at his new Hollywood restaurant, Gunsmoke PHOTO: COURTESY OF GUNSMOKE
After working at New York powerhouses such as Lutece, Asiate at the Mandarin Oriental and Clement at The Peninsula New York, chef Brandon Kida returned to his hometown of L.A. and helmed Hinoki & the Bird prior to launching his dumpling concept, Go Go Gyoza, and his fried chicken eatery, Go Go Bird. His anticipated new Hollywood restaurant, Gunsmoke, features his beloved Nikkei dishes that draw from his heritage and utilize SoCal ingredients. “For me, Nikkei represents not only Japanese, but all second-generation [chefs’] interpretation of cuisine from their unique heritage,” says Kida, whose kitchen employs talented young second- and third-generation chefs. The menu showcases flavorful dishes like white fish crudo with oro blanco, and California rockfish with sambal and crispy shallots. Rhino Williams of Hollywood’s Lost Property Bar devised an equally inventive beverage menu with libations such as the signature Kyoto Ice Tea and the transporting Smoking Monk. In the works for several years, Gunsmoke is located in the ultramodern Columbia Square Living tower, at an intersection of businesses, residences and tourist sites. “I went to high school in Hollywood, so being able to come back and contribute to the new Hollywood is exciting for me,” Kido says. Named after its historic location where the CBS studio produced Western radio show Gunsmoke, the contemporary space features soaring ceilings and window walls that open to an urban secret garden. Says Kido, “We wanted it to feel bright, airy and fun—a restaurant that really represented the feel of the neighborhood.” Hollywood, gunsmokehollywood.com
The Smoking Monk cocktail PHOTO: BY ERICK TURCIOS
The simplicity of celebrity event producer Jeffrey Best’s new Rodeo Drive restaurant—an homage to his time spent in Baja California in the ’70s—is what inspired investors Evan Ross and Ryan Phillippe, mixologist Julian Cox and other heavy-hitting hospitality vets to join aboard. “It wasn’t overwrought with hyperboles or adjectives,” Best says. “It was comfortable, based on an idea that came out of the family-owned and -operated restaurants in Mexico when I was younger.” Tucked away in a hidden subterranean space in Beverly Hills, the transporting venue features vintage Mexican movie posters and a series of intimate rooms that “grow from one to another,” surrounding a stucco fireplace and charming tile patio. “That’s my memory of how the rooms in Puerto Nuevo felt,” Best says. Chefs Alex Moreno and Viet Pham brought similar authenticity to the food, creating a variety of pequeñitos and surf-and-turf-inspired larger plates cooked simply but deliciously, with traditional Mexican spices. Best also drew from his own culture. “Our family cooks brisket on a weekly basis and it’s a tradition that I love,” he says, calling out The Hideaway’s take on it. Cooked sous vide, the soulful dish is served in a housemade tortilla with salsa and guac—and, ideally, a Tommy’s Margarita, a sweet blend of reposado and blanco tequilas. Says Best, “When I first thought about The Hideaway, I wanted to marry the foods I love—bringing together my tradition at home with my love for Baja.” Beverly Hills, thehideawaybeverlyhills.com
The modern space opens to an urban secret garden PHOTO: BY JAKOB N. LAYMAN
Tomahawk steak from Jeffrey Best’s Rodeo Drive Mexican haunt, The Hideaway. PHOTO: BY ERICK TURCIOS
Bronx native Chris Bianco fondly recalls frequenting the pizzerias that dotted every corner of his New York City neighborhood as a child. “It was food of the people,” Bianco says. “Even my young friends could go after school and get a slice for 75 cents, and be a part of something.” In his early 20s, Bianco moved to Phoenix, where he rented 300 square feet of space in the back of a grocery store. The pizza Bianco made with stellar ingredients and techniques at that first Pizzeria Bianco outpost in 1988 found a fast following, and over the years, he opened a second location, a bar, a sandwich shop and a fancier Italian restaurant. On the heels of winning his second James Beard Award—for Outstanding Restaurateur, in July—Bianco opened Pizzeria Bianco Los Angeles at Row DTLA. “I’m a city kid at heart,” says Bianco, who loved the friendly, airy space—an adaptive reuse of a former coffee roaster and cafe—with large windows, a wood-burning oven and a 40-seat patio. Pizzeria Bianco Los Angeles’ dinner menu mirrors the Phoenix locations, with six signature 12-inch wood-fired pies, including the Rosa and Sonny Boy, plus Italian small plates, salads, sandwiches and sides. However, Bianco launched with lunch service and takeout, offering Angelenos the thinner, crispier New York-style slices and 18-inch pies he began making during the pandemic for comfort. “So, you know, the kids who work in the neighborhood can get something for five bucks and be a part of it.” DTLA, pizzeriabianco.com
James Beard Award winner Chris Bianco opened Pizzeria Bianco Los Angeles at Row DTLA PHOTO BY ASHLEY RANDALL
The green New York-style pizza. PHOTO BY ASHLEY RANDALL
Following the success of DTLA hot spots Bestia and Bavel, L.A. natives and husband-and-wife team Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis—along with business partner Leah Bunch—unveiled their third restaurant, Saffy’s. Inspired by festive meals cooked for friends and family at home, Menashe and Gergis’ neighborly East Hollywood haunt—located in the former Five Leaves space—puts a modern spin on Middle Eastern flavors and is named after their daughter. “Saffy’s, like our daughter Saffron, has a playful, colorful spirit; plates that you can eat with your hands, an adult soda fountain drink and soft serve swirl,” Gergis says. Shawarma and falafel wraps, spreads, salads and shakshuka are offered by day—made from a wood-fired shawarma rotisserie, wood-burning oven and hearth for grilling in the cozy kitchen—while a dinner menu focuses on shareable small plates, seasonal vegetables, meats and seafood. Pair homestyle dishes with refreshing cocktails like the Paloma Spritz, or coastal Mediterranean and island wines from smaller producers. The design of the stylish space on Fountain—“a beautiful gem of a street,” Gergis notes—transports patrons to late 1960s/early ’70s Morocco with a feast of colors, textures and finishes layered over the building’s original art deco architecture. Next door, a casual coffee and tea shop serves sweet and savory pastries, homemade breads and beverages—and both spaces boast the welcoming vibe and personal attention for which Bestia and Bavel are known. Says Gergis, “The food and drinks taste even better when you’re in the right mindset.” East Hollywood, saffysla.com
East Hollywood eatery Saffy’s puts a modern spin on Middle Eastern flavors PHOTO BY JOSEPH WEAVER
L.A. natives and husband-and-wife team Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis are also behind hot spots Bestia and Bavel BY ORI GENEVIEVE
Try pork, lamb, beef or chicken skewers. PHOTO BY JOSEPH WEAVER
The stylish space transports patrons to late 1960s/early 1970s Morocco PHOTO BY JOSEPH WEAVER
The decadent bergamot chocolate cake and rose ganache PHOTO BY JOSEPH WEAVER
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