Manzke’s chocolates and cookies box PHOTO BY KRISTIN TEIG
From Ray Garcia’s ode to L.A.’s diversity at the Walt Disney Concert Hall to Walter and Margarita Manzke’s globally influenced return to fine dining in Beverly Hills, the city’s newest restaurants reflect its melting pot of cultures.
The chic interior of Manzke, located above the chefs’ bistro Bicyclette. PHOTO BY KRISTIN TEIG
Husband-and-wife chef duo Walter and Margarita Manzke PHOTO BY KRISTIN TEIG
MANZKE
Bluefin tuna tostada PHOTO BY KRISTIN TEIG
“Restaurants serving tasting menus have always been a passion of ours,” explain husband-and-wife chef duo Walter and Margarita Manzke, longtime veterans of the fine dining world. SoCal native Walter worked with renowned chefs Ferran Adrià and Alain Ducasse, and together with Margarita, a James Beard-nominated pastry chef who was born and raised in the Philippines, at Patina, Aubergine and Bastide, prior to founding their own popular concepts. “With the success of République, Petty Cash [Taqueria] and Sari Sari Store, opening a fine dining restaurant had been a longtime dream.” This dream came to fruition after they launched Parisian bistro Bicyclette last year on West Pico Boulevard—in a building whose upstairs now constitutes their most refined and ambitious venture yet, Manzke. “The restaurant design was inspired by the building itself, whose second and third floors have the look and feel of a European townhouse,” they say of the tasting menu concept they unveiled in March. “We wanted the space to feel warm, welcoming and unpretentious.” The constantly evolving menu draws from hyperseasonal local produce and Latin American, Asian and European influences. “Los Angeles is special in that it is a hugely diverse melting pot where everyone comes together and openly takes on and shares each other’s cultures,” they say. “The menu at Manzke is heavily influenced by how we experience Los Angeles in this way.” Beverly Hills, manzkerestaurant.com
RYLA in Hermosa Beach blends modern Japanese design elements with midcentury architecture PHOTO BY: WONHO FRANK LEE
A selection of crudo. PHOTO BY: DYLAN JAMES HO
RYLA
Prior to opening his debut restaurant RYLA, Japanese chef Ray Hayashi spent a decade with David LeFevre (M.B. Post, Fishing With Dynamite), while his wife, Taipei-born chef Cynthia Hetlinger, served as sous-chef at Michael Cimarusti’s Providence. “That definitely shaped our respect for working with incredible product,” says Hayashi, a South Bay native whose parents owned a Japanese restaurant. Located in Hermosa Beach, RYLA blends modern Japanese design elements with midcentury architecture—and cuisine from both chefs’ cultures. “The menu is definitely my take on some classic Japanese izakaya comfort foods, but you’ll definitely see touches of Taiwanese influence,” Hayashi says of dishes like ox tongue curry rice, “an old-school Japanese staple,” and the umeboshi roast chicken they’d had in Taiwan. In addition to beer, wine, sake and Japanese whisky are craft cocktails like Grandma’s Cigarettes, made with bancha tea leaves from Hayashi’s family’s favorite tea shop in Japan. A brunch—with Japanese-style souffle pancakes, Taiwanese egg crepe and more—is forthcoming. “Our food is a reflection of our combined professional culinary experiences along with our cultural backgrounds,” Hayashi says. “But, honestly, it’s food and flavors that we personally love to eat and what we’d love to see our guests eat.” Hermosa Beach, eatryla.com
Traditional sashimi at new West Adams izakaya concept n/soto PHOTO BY: WONHO PHOTO
N/SOTO
The pandemic inspired chefs and owners Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida-Nakayama of two- Michelin-starred n/naka to open their first new restaurant in over a decade. “It addressed a need to connect with others in ways that were different from how we connect at n/naka,” says Nakayama. While n/naka celebrates the Japanese culinary art of kaiseki with tasting menus, n/soto (meaning “outside” in Japanese) is a comfy and communal izakaya concept, boasting small plates and large shareable dishes derived from California’s seasons. Accompanying standouts like agedashi mochi and miso baked bone marrow with umeboshi onigiri is a selection of sake, wine, beer and low-ABV cocktails. “The menu is inspired by the things we’d love to eat when we’re cooking for ourselves,” says Iida-Nakayama. “Food we can share with family and friends when we’re relaxing and enjoying the time with loved ones.” The West Adams location was perfectly situated near n/naka in Palms and their Culver City home, and the welcoming indoor-outdoor restaurant reflects Japanese minimalism and their core philosophies—posted on the kitchen wall at n/naka. Says Nakayama: “Everything is done with focus, heart, gratitude, love, care, purpose, intention [and] faith.” West Adams, n-soto.com
Mastro’s customizable sushi tower PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDS
The elegant new 14,000-square-foot location in Downtown L.A. boasts an outdoor terrace and three private dining rooms. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDS
MASTRO’S OCEAN CLUB, DOWNTOWN L.A.
In what marks the upscale steak and seafood restaurant brand’s ninth California location—joining L.A. steakhouses in Beverly Hills and Thousand Oaks, and a Malibu Ocean Club—Mastro’s Ocean Club opened in Downtown Los Angeles in May. “The expansion of both residential and business in Downtown L.A. and growth the of L.A. Live venues made it a very appealing location,” says Mastro’s president and COO, Mark Levy, of Mastro’s newest Ocean Club, which offers a different atmosphere and menu from Mastro’s steakhouses. The sleek new 14,000-square-foot space includes a swanky main dining room with black marble, elegant chandeliers and over 7,000 wine bottles lining the walls, plus an outdoor terrace, three private dining rooms and a see-and-be-seen piano lounge area hosting nightly live entertainment. The menu features staples like the 2-foot-tall seafood tower, creative sushi and steaks with 16 different cuts of meat alongside specially crafted local favorites. Try the Sea of Cortez Baja striped bass or crispy garlic tuna sashimi alongside the exclusive list of Mexican wines and Los Magos Sotol cocktail. Levy recommends ordering the lemon blueberry butter cake. “[If you don’t],” he says, “you will absolutely miss out on what summer in a dessert tastes like.” DTLA, mastrosrestaurants.com
Sesame Dinette sells provisions from Asian brands. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDS
SESAME DINETTE
Linda Sivrican first began selling her mother Judy Nguyen’s food at Chinatown’s Sesame LA in April 2021. “Her food is so special with a great amount of love and heart poured into it and something you can’t get anywhere else,” says Sivrican. “It’s nostalgic for Vietnamese people but also just [so] full of flavor that any lover of food would appreciate [it].” Health permits restricted her from selling the popular items, so in April 2022, she opened Sesame Dinette in Long Beach. Nguyen had actually purchased the former Retro Saigon Bistro space with a partner a few months before the pandemic hit, but when she faced financial loss, Sivrican remodeled the concept. As her parents are in their 70s, she devised a rotating residency program with rising young chefs to champion multigenerational Pan-Asian cooking. The flavorful menu features subtle twists on Vietnamese classics, such as summer rolls, sesame banh mi and a dried noodle bowl, to enjoy in a tranquil dining space with art and furniture by local artists. Curated provisions from Asian brands are also sold. Says Sivrican, “The dinette allows me to place a spotlight on [my mom’s] cooking while also continuing to expand the Sesame concept and support other AAPI makers.”Long Beach, sesamedinette.com
Traditionally Middle Eastern cashew muhammara gets a Mexican spin PHOTO BY JIM SULLIVAN
Dishes at the DTLA restaurant reflect Garcia’s California training and L.A.’s cultural diversity. PHOTO BY WONHO FRANK LEE
The dark-walled dining room features glowing panels PHOTO BY WONHO FRANK LEE
Asterid chef Ray Garcia PHOTO BY JIM SULLIVAN
Asterid sits in front of Walt Disney Concert Hall PHOTO BY WONHO FRANK LEE
ASTERID
“As a student at UCLA, I discovered the unique traditions and cultures of my fellow Angelenos,” says L.A. native Ray Garcia, the award-winning chef behind Broken Spanish, BS Taqueria and ¡VIVA! in Las Vegas. Asterid, located in front of Walt Disney Concert Hall, reflects his earlier cooking and California training as well as the city’s cultural diversity. Chicken liver mousse utilizes some of the first ingredients he learned to work with, and the traditionally Middle Eastern cashew muhammara gets a Mexican spin. Other favorites on the seasonal dinner menu include a playful caviar, and cauliflower with vadouvan and pickled chile morita. “The independence and creativity of L.A. is not bound by any one style, which is reflected throughout the menu.” The dark-walled dining room with glowing panels has a “sexy, adult feel,” and a wraparound patio affords fresh air and social interaction. “People didn’t know what to expect with Asterid—if it would be like Patina or Broken Spanish, and it’s different from both,” says Garcia of the restaurant that is “very connected” to him and his over 40 years in L.A. “It’s going to fit nicely into the neighborhood as more people return to work in person in Downtown L.A. and with The Grand opening across the street.” DTLA, asteridla.com
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