Coast to coast
Coast to coast
Gjelina Group, power breakfasts, Coucou WeHo, Chateau Marmont, Ocean Park, Sophie Buhai, FOUND SF, MORE
WORK • Thursday Routine
Springtime at Gjelina
SHELLEY ARMISTEAD • CEO • Gjelina Group
Neighborhood you work in: Venice Beach & East Village, NYC
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
It’s a mix of everything: 1. Construction is full steam ahead at Gjelina NY. 2. Gjelina LA, GTA, and Gjusta are in full spring-break mode, which is super fun because we get to meet people from all over the world. 3. We’re hanging artwork at Vittorja. 4. Buckets of tulips are coming into the flower shop. 5. Bread class with chef Nicky, and tasting strawberries with Bethany.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m writing two cookbooks simultaneously, which is a little silly, but I can't seem to slow down. Also, in no particular order: Signing off on a new custom paint color that I created, begging chef Juan and chef Nicky to come up with a thinner burrito, praying that the design of a new lampshade I’ve been dreaming about works out, a parent-teacher conference, and an interview with a publication about the future of hospitality.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
In LA, it's a funny one — and no one talks about it because supposedly it isn't considered “new” or “cool” — but the food at Cecconi's West Hollywood is just so consistently good, it's a comfort to eat there. I’ll stop in for agnolotti and half glass of white at some point during the week. The staff are phenomenal and I never run into anyone. In NY, Rosella always.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Both the NY Philharmonic and the LA Phil are always my go-to. I like to go by myself, and particularly at 11 a.m. on a Friday if there is a piece I love being performed. Also: 92nd St Y for conversation in NY, ICA in LA, Salon 94 in NY. And I’ll break up my work day with 45 minutes of art somewhere.
Any weekend getaways?
I love going Upstate in New York. Favorite places: Talbot & Arding in Hudson, Montage Antiques in Millerton, Stissing House in Pine Plains, and Wassaic Project in Wassaic.
What was your last great vacation?
Hydra every year with my best friend Maia for swimming, reading, eating, and hiking. Last year I explored Paris with my boys (who are both very romantic humans). I’ve been many times, but to see it through their eyes was extra special. Avoid the lines at the Eiffel Tower and do a double ride in the Ferris wheel at Place de la Concorde — it’s more personal space, and the views are phenomenal. I love Les Enfants du Marche for dinner and Folderol for ice cream after.
RESTAURANTS • First Word
OuiHo
A hot dog on a plate, covered in cheese fondue sauce, and eaten with a knife and fork. This is just one entry in Coucou’s tongue-in-cheek take on French food, so popular at its original Venice location that it opened a second in the heart of West Hollywood. Situated next to the Troubadour and Dan Tana’s (and arguably the best strip of gay bars in the world), the sophomore Coucou is an al fresco dining delight — just in time for the spring/summer season.
High-low is a prevalent menu theme. The aforementioned hot dog is actually a Peads & Barnetts pork sausage. Ritz crackers get topped with whipped farmers cheese, and the soft serve in their (TikTok-famous) sundae is made with milk from Straus Family Creamery. New to the West Hollywood outpost is a “Specialites Francaises” section that includes steak tartare, escargots, and bone marrow. A killer wine list and strong cocktails make Coucou an excellent stop-in for nothing more than drinks, too.
Fair warning, though: If you go that route, you’ll be tempted by the menu. Key advice: Give in. –Caitlin White
→ Coucou (West Hollywood) • 9045 Santa Monica Blvd • Mon-Fri 5-10p; Sat 11a-2p, 5-11p; Sun 11a-2p, 5-10p • Reserve.
RESTAURANTS • Intel
POWER TIP: Chateau Marmont (West Hollywood), which reportedly is back, is now using Resy. Book a table for breakfast or lunch here. (The books remain on lock during dinnertime for now — and probably forever.) See also our Power Breakfast Nines below.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: Baroo’s Mina Park issues a cry for Yelp • Pastry chef Thessa Diadem in at the Georgian in Santa Monica • New Korean restaurant Danbi opens in former Tokki space in Koreatown • Where Phil Rosenthal eats in LA.
REAL ESTATE • Sold
Parked in Santa Monica
Currently, the most one can spend on a single-family house in Santa Monica’s Ocean Park enclave is $4.65M, which is the listing price of this 2012-built contemporary that’s bounced on and off the market the past few years. But the neighborhood offers a mix of Craftsman bungalows and townhouses, both of which reliably trade for $2-$3M. Here, three recent Ocean Park sales in that band:
→ 2320 3rd St (Ocean Park, above) • 3BR/3.1BA, 2001 SF • townhouse with wrap-around terrace • Listed: 1/10/24 for $3.135M, sold: 2/9/24 • Sold price: $3.03M • Listing agent: Lisa Pound, Compass.
→ 437 Ashland Ave (Ocean Park) • 5BR/2BA, 2166 SF • 1912 craftsman with one-bedroom guesthouse • Listed: 9/16/23 for $3.25M, sold: 12/18/23 • Sold price: $2.67M • Listing agent: Megan Whalen, Compass.
→ 2203 3rd St #7 (Ocean Park) • 2BR/3BA, 1959 SF • townhouse with ocean view from rooftop deck • Listed: 1/22/24 for $2.29M, sold: 3/8/24 • Sold price: $2.22M • Listing agent: Juliette Hohnen, Douglas Elliman.
LA WORK AND PLAY LINKS: Following recent development, Frank Gehry surveys DTLA: ‘for me, it all fits now’ • Glassel Park’s avant garde Domestead House hits market for $2.3M • Beyond Erewhon: Inside East Hollywood’s Besties Vegan Paradise • Chatting up the owner of South Pasadena’s culinary bookstore Prospect • LA has hit peak sound bath.
GETAWAYS • San Francisco
This post appeared in yesterday’s debut edition of FOUND SF. Looking for a little more San Francisco in your life? Subscribe to FOUND SF, with new issues dropping each Wednesday. Also new today: FOUND MIAMI, arriving each Thursday.
San Francisco’s new nest
The brutalist San Francisco hotel that most recently operated as Le Méridien has reopened as The Jay, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, after the company spent millions in an effort to revive the city’s luxury lodging scene.
It just might work. The years-long renovation by design firm AvroKO introduced 360 brighter, lighter, and sexier rooms than at any other Bay Area hotel. The penthouse, nicknamed “The Nest” due to frequent visits from the city’s wild parrot flock, is stunning, a 1,660-square-foot space with a bathtub that might be the wildest place to ride out San Francisco’s next big earthquake.
The Jay’s restaurant and rooftop terrace also take big swings, intended to lure locals to mingle with the out-of-towners. The Omakase Restaurant Group, also behind Michelin-starred sushi spot Omakase and steak and whiskey destination Niku, is hoping for similar cred at The Third Floor, the hotel’s all-day offering. The menu is a work in progress, but echoes the group’s overall East-meets-West vibe. Highlights so far include a duck dumpling soup and a truly ambitious passionfruit Pavlova.
Next up: a concise “power lunch” menu and afternoon tea service. Until then, there’s always a “Here’s Johnnie” cocktail (Scotch, apple brandy, carpano, and Earl Grey) at the sky-scraping bar. –Eve Batey
→ The Jay (Fidi, San Francisco) • 433 Jay St.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Napa Valley’s Press prepping Napa food marketplace for summer ‘24 opening • Yosemite’s High Sierra camps to reopen this summer • Collapsed Highway 1 in Big Sur to partially reopen by Memorial Day • Someone’s trying to make the LA-to-SF overnight train happen again.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Object
Puff, puff, pass
When the Los Angeles-based jewelry designer Sophie Buhai debuted her eponymous line in 2015, cool women took a swift liking to her thick hoops, egg-shaped pendants, and oversized band rings. In the last few years, she’s found a new niche in beautiful, one-of-a-kind objects, like a sterling silver votive embedded with stones, and a nautilus-shaped pill box made of onyx. The line also includes a few fitting items for Saturday’s holiday (no, Passover’s Monday), including a sculptural coquille lighter case and an elegant joint holder. Per Buhai’s website, every item is “designed in the hills of Hollywood and artisan-made in downtown.” –Emily Wilson
→ Shop: Elegant Joint Holder (Sophie Buhai) • $875.
→ Shop: Coquille Lighter Case (Sophie Buhai) • $2100.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Playoffs
Xavi, The Observatory (Santa Ana), Fri @ 7p, GA, $142 per
SESSANTA: Primus, Puscifer, A Perfect Circle, A 60th Birthday Celebration for Maynard James Keenan, Hollywood Bowl (West Hollywood), Sat @ 730p, Terrace, $256 per
Mavs vs Clippers, NBA playoffs 1st round, Crypto.com Arena (Downtown), Sun @ 1230p, section 111, $444 per
ASK FOUND
Three FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we are seeking intel:
Who makes the best martini in town (besides Musso & Frank)?
Which tailors can I place my trust in?
What’s your favorite restaurant in LA (if you haven’t told us already)?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundla.com.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Power breakfast
Chateau Marmont (West Hollywood), see and be seen over eggs any style