Fall classic
RVR, Laurel Canyon listings, Sezane, Pappy and Harriet's, Morro Bay, World Series tix, the future of media, best Thanksgiving reservations, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Take me to the RVR
The Skinny: Ever since founding Gjelina chef Travis Lett left the Venice restaurant group five years ago, speculation and rumors on his next act have persisted — until now. Meet RVR (“river”), Lett’s ode to California-Japanese cooking and the sequel to MTN (“mountain”), his previous restaurant in the same space. If the backstory and nomenclature read a tad precious, the restaurant definitely isn’t. RVR is one of the most stylish, most delicious, and most surprisingly fun restaurants to land on the west side in quite some time.
The Vibe: RVR is already one of the toughest tables in town: This past Saturday, folks were lined up for walk-ins well before the 5p opening, as there are no available reservations to be had before 9p over the next couple of weeks — the dining room was buzzing by 6.
A large black-and-wood L-shaped bar is the focal point of the sleek 75-seat restaurant, but elements like hanging wood lanterns, midcentury-inspired booths, and black-and-white marble tabletops lend texture and warmth to the space. Early on, light poured in from windows looking out to Abbot Kinney, but after sunset, the room had a welcoming glow and a lively buzz. The servers look (and act) like they’re genuinely having a good time. Nuanced touches like a visible vinyl collection reinforce a vibe not unlike hanging out in Lett’s extremely cool living room.
The Food: The menu starts with small plates, among which are a crisp pork tonkatsu, lacy-edged gyoza, and hand rolls (order the one with citrus-and-shiso-scented snapper). But produce rightfully gets the most real estate on the menu. Lett has always known his way around a vegetable, and that mastery is still apparent at RVR.
Highlights included a punchy Caesar-esque radicchio salad with anchovy breadcrumbs, and grilled Japanese sweet potatoes bathed in miso butter, showered with chopped scallions and still-fluttering katsuobushi. There are a handful of ramen options as well, but stick to an order (or two) of the smoky, charcoal-grilled meat and fish, like tender chicken thighs glazed in ume and lemon, or Monterey Bay squid with lemon, ginger, and chile. Then, maybe one of Lett’s creamy gelatos — and call it a night.
The Drinks: In addition to the sake and (mostly French) wine list, Nina Wongsuwat’s cocktails are exceptional. There’s a selection of highballs using Japanese whisky, including one with house-aged ume. The Gibson is accented with house-made pickle brine. And the plum Negroni, made with Roku gin and house shiso bitters, might be one of the most balanced and nuanced versions of the drink in LA.
The Verdict: Venice’s prodigal son returns with a buzzy new restaurant that merits repeat visits — if you can book them. –Karen Palmer
→ RVR (Venice) • 1305 Abbot Kinney Blvd • Dinner Mon-Sat 5-11p; Sunday 5-10p • Reserve.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: New Haven-style Ozzy’s Apizza puts down roots in North Hollywood • For Halloween, Echo Park’s Ototo transforming into Japanese 7-Eleven • Five classic LA bars for watching the World Series • Is astrology the next big cocktail bar trend?
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Sponsor
Water & all that we love
Ryan and Arjan here, the co-founders of Jolie, a beauty wellness company focused on purifying the quality of one’s shower water for better skin and hair. We’re both fans and readers of FOUND, which is why we decided to sponsor this newsletter to reach like-minded folks like you.
As much as we love discussing water’s impact on skin and hair, we’re equally enamored by the connection of water to all else that we love in life — art, coffee, surfing, food, oysters, ceramics, and so much more. That’s why we created a fun video series, Water &, which looks at these topics through the lens of water. Some highlights:
We spent an early morning in Montauk with artist Joe Henry Baker who used the salty ocean water to paint with and wet his canvases, resulting in a crystallization in the painting as it dried.
We spent an evening with Esben Piper, the founder of the renowned Danish coffee company, La Cabra, at their Soho location in New York. Did you know that the parts per million of minerals in water (or the water’s “hardness”) made to brew La Cabra’s coffee is finely tuned to extract flavor while not making the coffee taste sour?
We joined designer Cynthia Rowley for a morning surf out east on Long Island, where the water is both a calming force for her and “balance” to her planned out, calendared work days.
We’ve always loved oysters, but we loved them even more once we started spending time with both the Billion Oyster Project and Montauk Pearl Oyster’s Mike Martinsen. Oysters clean the water by filtering water as they eat, removing ecosystem-destroying pollutants such as nitrogen. They also act as a natural storm barrier and help foster biodiversity. (The Billion Oyster Project, our non-profit of choice, is restoring the oyster reefs in New York’s harbors to clean the Hudson and East Rivers. Last we checked, 122 million oysters have been restored in New York’s harbor over the last 10 years.)
You can watch all of our Water & videos on our website here.
We worked with these partners because we think they are the best at what they do. If you are thinking about buying a Jolie, we encourage you to do so via the link below. We are picking five FOUND buyers to gift a year’s worth of La Cabra coffee to make at home.
The role of water is all around us. –Ryan Babenzien & Arjan Singh
→ Shop: The Jolie Filtered Showerhead (Jolie) • available in brushed gold, modern chrome, brushed steel, jet black, and vibrant red • $148.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three new listings around $2M that have just come to market in Laurel Canyon.
→ 1748 Laurel Canyon Blvd (Laurel Canyon, above) • 3BR/3BA, 2154 SF • Ask: $2.095M • 1918 house coming to market for first time in almost 60 years • Days on market: 15 • Agent: Kristen Londgren, Compass.
→ 1758 Prospect Dr (Laurel Canyon) • 2BR/2BA, 1531 SF • Ask: $1.995M • cozy house on private cul-de-sac • Days on market: 20 • Agent: Spencer Payson, The Beverly Hills Estates.
→ 2747 Laurel Canyon Blvd (Laurel Canyon) • 3BR/2BA, 1598 SF • Ask: $1.795M • restored midcentury house with hidden room behind bookcase • Days on market: 6 • Agent: Tori Horowitz, Compass.
LA WORK AND PLAY LINKS: New members club Gravitas, haven for car lovers, opens today in Beverly Hills • Crypto.com Arena wraps third phase of renovation with refreshed club spaces and new scoreboard • Why Los Angeles is becoming a production graveyard • Dispensary Artist Tree Weed Dispensary & Lounge opens in Hawthorne • Trending on Wall Street: ‘househusbands.’
WORK • Thursday Routine
French connection
MARION GRUBER • head of US content • Sezane
Neighborhood you live in: Mar Vista
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
When I’m not on set shooting something for Sezane’s social media, you can find me on Melrose. I work for a French company, and even if it’s cliché, our days usually start with croissants and coffee. We’re a small but growing team here in the U.S., so we work all together around a big table in our showroom. We share ideas and projects, speaking French and English, sometimes both languages in the same sentence.
What’s on the agenda for today?
We’re hosting a dinner with a brand founder we love. We have a lot of ongoing projects, planning our next collection drop and the next photoshoot, but it’s all hands on deck to prepare for today's event. I’m also finalizing the styling and concepts for the next videos I’m making.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’m celebrating my birthday with my three kids and husband in Pioneertown and Joshua Tree! We’ll have dinner at Pappy and Harriet’s, as I’m dreaming of a BBQ dinner with live music.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I’m in my concert era right now, planning to see shows every week or so. Noah Kahan is playing in a few days, then I’m planning on going to see Gracie Abrams, then Bleachers. I just bought tickets for Maggie Rogers next fall. The LA music scene is incredible.
Any weekend getaways?
We’re always on the go. We moved to the U.S. less than a year ago, so I have a big need to explore. We love the coast and our last crush was Morro Bay, three hours north of LA. It has all the small town vibes I love. There’s this scenic view of the Morro rock in the middle of the ocean and the nature is incredible: sea otters, sea lions, etc. There’s also really cute vintage shops, coffee, and restaurants.
What was your last great vacation?
When we went to Tahiti this spring. We spent two weeks there, hopping from island to island, spending a few days on a boat. We dreamt of going there for such a long time and as it was very far away from France (where we’re originally from). It felt so much easier to go from Los Angeles. It was absolute paradise. We explored Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, and Bora Bora. The kids loved all our adventures: swimming with manta rays and sharks, drinking from coconuts on the desert motu beaches.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I bought myself a bubblegum pink Sea NY dress for my birthday and I’m in love! Can’t wait to wear it with sheer ballet flats.
GETAWAYS LINKS: LA shut out on new World’s 50 Best Bars list • Ski area Mt. Waterman sold to new owners, upgrades planned • Is our love for Big Sur killing it? • W Las Vegas will move into Mandalay Bay’s Delano tower • Reservations open on Nov 15 for New York’s new Four Seasons hotel • Standalone suites launch at Kona Village on the Big Island • Yolo’s latest London Black Book.
WORK • Media
Read this pamphlet
I just skimmed NYMag’s “Can Media Survive?” package, which asked and answered the question through interviews with (and glamor shots of) 57 industry’s “most powerful people.” There were some fun bits, like (reportedly for-sale) Air Mail’s Graydon Carter on email:
I hate the name, and somebody’s going to have to come up with something sexier. The term newsletter sounds like something that comes out of a church basement.
Co-sign!
Directionally, here’s what we took away: 1) The industry is indeed fucked, 2) except for its many new and promising outlets, 3) most of which have a targeted focus and 4) are largely subscription-based. Sounds right to us.
But mostly, here at FOUND HQ — on another Thursday of building a media business brick by brick — I tried not to let this exercise in industry navel-gazing pierce my skin (even though the portraits are in black and white!). Sure, media business models are evolving, some organizations are in trouble, platforms are never the only answer, and there will be a new generation of winners. But it’s as true today as it was last decade or the decade before. And tomorrow, at FOUND, we’ll still face these truths head-on in order to make this church-basement newsletter for you. –Josh Albertson
CULTURE & LEISURE • Blue Wave
Dodgers v Yankees • World Series game 1 • Dodger Stadium (Elysian Park) • Fri @ 5:08p • section 22FD, $3284 per
Lakers v Suns • Crypto.com Arena (Downtown) • Fri @ 7p • section 110, $417 per
Jeff Lynne’s ELO • Kia Forum (Hollywood) • Sat @ 8p • section 126, $291 per
ASK FOUND
FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we’re seeking intel:
I’m stocking up on canine supplies. Who’s your favorite pet provisioner?
What’s your favorite bookstore in Los Angeles?
Which spa are you booking to escape the chaos of the season?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundla.com.
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Thanksgiving reservations
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of LA’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundla.com.
The Tower Bar (West Hollywood, above), three-course turkey dinner plus regular menu favorites at swank Sunset Tower, $145 per, Reserve