Eat more cake
Alba, le PÈRE, North Lake Tahoe listings, CAP Beauty, Noguchi lamp, best shakshuka, kids' hideaways, FOUND Paris & LDN, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Italian holiday
The Skinny: On the heels of Marea’s entrance on the (already crowded) westside upscale Italian scene comes Alba, another NYC import with grand ambitions. The restaurant opened last month on Melrose.
The Vibe: Italian holiday. Enter under a small pink awning, and a long hallway leads to an open dining room with curved banquets and warm lighting against a rosy color palette. The buzzy crowd is so well dressed it’s easy to imagine them heading elsewhere after dinner. If you don’t have a reservation (which you should), the welcome might not feel as warm as the lighting, and they currently don’t serve food at the bar. But you can make a soothing consolation prize out of the house margarita, made with Dos Hombres mezcal and blood orange juice, served cold, frothy, and up in a martini glass.
The Food: Pink chicory salads are in season right now (and in concert with the surrounding hue), the bitter leaves balanced by toasted hazelnuts. Roman artichokes arrive with mustard-based bagna cauda, a nice combination of textures. Obligatory stuffed squash blossoms are filled with “porcini lemon mousse,” which presents more like a starchy potato purée. The pastas impress, specifically the agnolotti with black truffle fonduta. And a beef filet in “umami bomb sauce” is cooked perfectly but seems lonely on a plate by itself.
For dessert, semolina cake is revelatory, crusty and flakey, with a surprising custardy interior, topped with seasonal fruit (like candied kumquats).
The Verdict: That cake, like the restaurant itself, is worth a try, because it's quite beautiful inside. –Heather Platt
→ Alba (West Hollywood) • 8451 Melrose Ave • Tue-Sat 530-11p • Reserve.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: CA moves to ban reservation scalping • Paying final respects to Downtown’s Original Pantry Cafe • Food heals in LA (when it’s really fucking good) • How are restaurants splashing their VIPs?
WORK • Launches
New FOUNDs
Over the last month, we’ve been running test issues for both FOUND Paris and FOUND LDN and both are looking good. We’re on track for Q1 launches in both markets.
As with the U.S. editions of FOUND, the central idea is to help locals get more out of their cities (and surrounds). But both Paris and London will be good and useful reads for savvy visitors, too. If you’re in either camp (or have friends who are), use these early-access links to get on the lists:
Meanwhile, we’ve assembled a talented team of contributors on the ground in each city. But there’s always room for more sharp writers (and non-writers with good taste). If you’d like to join the party, drop us a line at found@foundparis.com or found@foundldn.com.
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Glorious North
This post appeared in a recent edition of FOUND SF. Looking for a little more San Francisco in your life? Subscribe to FOUND SF, with new issues dropping each Wednesday.
Made up of a group of small towns including Truckee, King’s Beach, and Carnelian Bay, North Lake Tahoe boasts more of a year-round population than other spots around the lake, which makes it feel more like the cozy mountain town it is than a boom-and-bust resort area. Residents embrace winter and summer sports but also have an appreciation for the region’s abundant lakefront drinking and apres-ski dining spots.
In pandemic times, the region attracted city transplants, many of whom have been drawn back to the city by workplace changes (farewell, WFH) or an itch for something new. The result is a briskly moving market — 127 homes sold in the last year at a median price of $1.155M, while 77 condos moved at a median of $670K, per Compass. Here, three listings for those mulling a weekend or permanent change:
→ 1047 Trent Ln (Kings Beach) • 3BR/2BA • 2562 SF house • Ask: $799K • 1979-build geodesic dome with wraparound deck • Days on market: 19 • Agent: Jessie Jacobson, Home and Slate Real Estate.
→ 7905 Lahontan Dr (Truckee) • 1BR/3BA, 1198 SF house • Ask: $1.995M • Cedar-ceilinged new construction in Martis Valley • Days on market: 98 • Agent: Carmen Carr, Engel & Volkers.
→ 573 Granite Rd (Carnelian Bay, above) • 5BR/6BA, 3800 SF house • Ask: $2.749M • Lofty mock A-frame with expansive kitchen • Days on market: 270 • Agent: Nicholas Maloof, Maloof Properties.
WORK & PLAY LINKS: Beloved Sherman Oaks tree house teeters on brink of destruction • Runyon Canyon Park partially reopens following fires • Why do SUVs look like trucks again? • White jeans for men? ‘Jail.’
CULTURE & LEISURE • Good as Hell
Deftones • Kia Forum (Inglewood) • Thu @ 7p • section 109, $287 per
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings • The Wiltern Theatre (Inglewood) • Fri @ 6:30p • GA, $297 per
Lizzo • The Wiltern Theatre (Koreatown) • Wed @ 8p • GA, $297 per
WORK • Thursday Routine
Stealing beauty
KERRILYNN PAMER • founder and CEO • CAP Beauty
Neighborhood you work & live in: Silver Lake
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I start pretty much every morning with a long hike, which sets me up for days largely spent on Zooms — like today. Thursday is my heavy meeting day, where I try to wrap everything up for the weekend, and prepare for the week ahead. My brand director is based in New York, so I start the day pretty early to get ahead, then keep going all morning, sometimes into the afternoon. Not the most glamorous, but this batching allows me to unplug pretty well for the weekend so I can really enjoy all LA has to offer.
What’s on the agenda for today?
We’re in the midst of a rebrand this year, our 10-year anniversary (!), and our next skincare launch. There are many milestones happening, but it takes a lot of organization and systems to make sure it's all lining up. Fortunately, I've dedicated a lot of time in the past couple of years to setting up systems and processes.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’m going out to dinner with my husband and our friends Kacie and Brian. Kacie is the founder of Honey Hi, and has great taste in food, so we're figuring out where to spend the evening. Right now, the list includes Bar Triste, Lolo, Found Oyster, Tsubaki, Stir Crazy, or Sam's Place. We often have breakfast at Sqirl on the weekends. I always want to go to Courage Bagels, but don't have the stamina for the line, and also, the fact that I have celiac makes it a little hard. But sweet Arielle has offered her phone number to cut the line, and the offer of an everything bagel with lox and the works, minus the bagel. I might have to take her up on that soon.
How about a little leisure or culture?
We've been seeing a lot of music, which always makes me feel connected to the city. Last summer we saw St. Vincent at The Greek, and she was unreal. We saw Ahohni at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and I can confidently say that this show changed my life. And Julianna Barwick at the MAK Center, another brilliant goddess. Also, our friends have season tickets to the LAFC so we’ve seen a couple games there and loved it — that drumming section is not to be missed. Go super early and get a leisurely dinner at Holbox, then walk to the stadium.
What was your last great vacation?
We went to CDMX last March — it was perfect. I hadn't been in 30 years and had only very vague memories of my previous visit. This time was spent wandering the streets, eating some of the best food I've ever had, and seeing art. If this is on your agenda, do not miss Expendio, Comal Oculto, or the Anthropology Museum.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I'm about to buy this Noguchi lamp for our living room, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I’ve been working with Jézabel of The Lifestyle Lab and I recommend her to everyone who will listen. She has made my digital experience — and my life — fun, hopeful, and organized. Not the easiest task. I wish I could gift her services to everyone.
GETAWAYS LINKS: American (finally) trialing free in-flight wifi • Starwood is back (at least in name) • At Lake Tahoe, Lone Eagle Grill has closed • Hotelier André Balazs talks about Chiltern Firehouse’s massive fire: ‘it’s a complete redo.’
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop
Bicoastal
I almost missed the entrance to le PÈRE. Located near the behemoth outlets for Glossier and The Real Real on Melrose Avenue, the menswear store is refreshingly discreet behind its neat glass frontage. The unassuming structure belies the streetwear brand’s cult status and headline-making popup events.
The new outpost which opened in December is the brand’s second brick-and-mortar location, following the first on New York’s Lower East Side. Le PÈRE is known for its in-store events, performances, and seasonal collabs with a changing cast of creatives. Previous capsules have included partnerships with designers Henock “HK” Sileshi and Cherry Kim, artist Drew Tyndell, and, most recently, Italian football club Juventus.
At the West Hollywood store, shoppers browse three polished racks of sweaters, jerseys, and the like while listening to tracks from a Pioneer DJ controller that, during my visit, jumped between artists like Bobbi Humphrey, Teezo Touchdown, and Minnie Riperton. When I stopped by, there were excited talks of potential programming catered to LA’s clientele — a book club and wellness-themed events were both floated. The day after my visit, the store celebrated the brand’s candle launch with wine and vibes, curated accordingly. –Grace Bernard
→ Shop: le PÈRE (West Hollywood) • 8507 Melrose Ave • Mon-Sat 11a-7p, Sun 11a-6p.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Shakshuka
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of LA’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundla.com.
Alcove (Los Feliz), toasty Bub & Grandma's bread, stewed San Marzano tomatoes, bungalow environs