Where to Eat Now: Hot ‘n’ Fresh L.A. Restaurants, 9/4
Each Friday, the Digest surveys the burgeoning L.A. restaurant scene and compiles a list of the newest, most hyped and heralded restaurants in town this instant. Whether big or small, near or far, these are the restaurants that have people talking—us among them. Snag a seat at these hotspots while you still can.
1. Dudley Market
Chef Jesse Barber—formerly of The Tasting Kitchen and Barnyard—further rooted himself in Venice’s restaurant scene earlier this month when he opened Dudley Market, his first solo venture. The charming all-day restaurant serves a laundry list of classic breakfast and lunch entrees, like the frisée lardon with egg and brown butter vinaigrette’ and eggs florentien with lox and hollandaise. But it will also serve as a retail outlet connecting local farmers, winemakers, and artisanal food purveyors to consumers.
2. Petty Cash Arts District
At the mammoth new Arts District location of Walter Manzke’s Petty Cash Taqueria, the menu mimics that of the Beverly Boulevard location, save a few specials and a larger raw bar. You can even watch tortillas being handmade from a window of Santa Fe Ave. Agave-focused cocktails come via Julian Cox and the Petty Cash bar team.
3. Cassia
We were crushed when Bryant Ng’s Spice Table closed in DTLA almost two years ago (to make way for a subway station). Finally, we have a reprieve: Cassia, his new Santa Monica spot, is now open. A collaboration between Ng, his wife Kim Luu-Ng, Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan, Cassia has the chilled seafood bar and charcuterie plates you’d expect from a French brasserie along with Ng’s take on Southeast Asian specialties, like kaya toast, jellyfish salad, and pot-au-feu, what Ng calls “a precursor to pho” that includes short ribs, bone marrow, and veggies. Zoe and Laurel Almerinda are doing the desserts.
4. Gjusta
While not brand new, Gjusta returns to the hot ’n’ fresh list thanks to Bon Appétit magazine, which threw the Venice deli on the cover of the September “Hot 10” issue. Find made-from-scratch everything, including fresh breads, fruit pies, bialys, croissants, quiches, porridge, granola, smoked and cured meats and fish, sandwiches, salads, and soups. The only caveat? There’s still not much in the way of seating.
5. Leona
Former Wilshire executive chef, Mélisse saucier, and Top Chef alum Nyesha Arrington now has a spot of her own in tony Venice Beach. The produce-forward, progressive Californian menu features dishes like the coctel mixto with tomato-watermelon jus and brick chicken with roasted apricots. But Arrington is also cooking fare that hits closer to home: The slow-braised bulgogi short rib and lamb belly wontons are an homage to her mother’s Korean heritage. Wife and husband development team—and first-time restaurateurs—Breegan and Kristian Vallas helped carve some tasteful beachside swagger into the old Canali Café space.
6. Broken Spanish
It’s fitting that the former home of Jon Sedlar’s Rivera—which brought modern Mexican cuisine to the forefront in 2009—is where chef Ray Garcia is now serving up his own contemporary take on the foods of his heritage. Heirloom corn tortillas come smeared with beans or what the chef calls carnitas fat. The same pedigreed masa forms the bulk of tamales stuffed with lamb neck and oyster mushrooms or peas, favas, and the herb hoja santa. There’s a whole slow-roasted lamb’s draped in pickled onion and cabbage, but also a version of a chile relleno, stuffed with kale, lemon, and sauerkraut. How perfectly L.A.
7. Hatchet Hall
We may finally be at a point where Brian Dunsmoor and Jonathan Strader can no longer be referred to as “the guys from Hart & the Hunter.” At Hatchet Hall—situated in the grand Culver City space that was formerly home to Waterloo & City—chef Dunsmoor takes on a manly hunter-fisher menu heavy with game (grilled rabbit, tea-smoked duck, roasted game hen), as well as local stone crab, ridgeback prawns, oysters, and market produce. The through line is the wood-fired grill that lends a smoky char to most dishes. Take a seat at the “Old Man Bar” for a root beer G&T.
8. Maple Block Meat Co.
Culver City has scored one heck of a ‘cue joint, with pitmasters Adam Cole and Daniel Weinstock hailing from Ink. and Spago, respectively. All meat is butchered in-house from whole animals (Cole worked at shuttered boutique butcher Lindy & Grundy) before being smoked over local peach wood. The results include chopped pork shoulder, bone-in prime rib, a brisket sandwich, pork spare ribs, and more. Craft beer will wash it down, but expect the smoke will stick with you.
9. Petit Trois
A 7-year-old girl cried on last night’s Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown at the mere possibility of meeting chef Ludo, and Lefevre’s ode to the bistro scored the number three spot on Bon Appétit’s list of the best new restaurants in America (see Gjusta, above). We’d say that warrants a spot back on the buzz list. Offering just 24 bar stools and no reservations, the traditional Burgundy fare, like steak frites and chicken leg confit, is certainly worth the wait. Sip wines and cocktails at the long marble-top bar and pretend you’re chilling in Paris.
10. The Bellwether
The Valley’s food scene scores another point with the Bellwether, from executive chef Ted Hopson and beverage director Ann-Marie Verdi—both graduates of the Fathers’ Office/Lukshon line. Charred octopus- and Greek yogurt-topped tabbouleh and roasted carrots with chamomile-carrot jus are among the small plates, which share equal billing with drinks like the white negroni and house-infused booze. The look is sort of modern Tudor (yes, that’s a thing) thanks to architect Anna Henton.
Source: LA Eater