French connection

Zizou, The Jolie Filtered Showerhead, LA Grocery & Café, Ex Nihilo Paris, Fireworks Finale tix, Kauai restaurants, reader survey results, MORE

Sep 12, 2024

RESTAURANTS • First Word

Very Nice

The Skinny: Opened this summer after a four-year buildout, Zizou is a transportive, French-Moroccan bar and restaurant in Lincoln Heights with a verdant patio and after-hours dance vibes.

The Vibe: The bulk of the seating is out on that patio, where a central olive tree shades small bistro tables, interspersed amongst more greenery and ample sand-colored stucco. Inside, retro speakers and framed posters of the bar’s namesake soccer star, Zinedine Zidane, punctuate an atmosphere evocative of the French Riviera. When the sun goes down, Zizou slowly fades from wine bar to discothèque.

The Food & Drink: The menu is a tight list of French and Middle Eastern classics. Almond and apricot tagine with roast chicken (or a date and fennel vegan option), steak frites with green peppercorn sauce, and marinière mussels are all excellent. The well curated wine list encourages lingering until the dancing begins.

The Verdict: An expertly roasted chicken on a golden patio that transforms into a dance floor in an emerging Los Angeles neighborhood? Oui oui. –Caitlin White

→ Zizou (Lincoln Heights) • 2425 Daly St • Wed-Thurs & Sun 5-11p, Fri-Sat 5p-12a.

LA RESTAURANT LINKS: BonApp’s 20 best new restaurants of 2024 includes Azizam • And Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs 2024 list tabs Holy Basil’s Deau Arpapornnopparat • Brooklyn wine bar Sauced opens outpost today on rooftop of former downtown Ace Hotel • Bub and Grandma’s baker plans Highland Park pizzeria • Animal seafood sister Son of a Gun closing Oct. 12 after 13-year run • LA menu TrendWatch™: cheese-powdered fried chicken with Skyduster beer.

GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Sponsor

The beauty of a good shower

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.

Jolie was founded with one simple goal in mind: to purify your shower water for better skin, hair, and wellbeing. That's what we do.

The quality of our shower water is fundamental to the quality of our hair and skin. And the Jolie Filtered Showerhead helps you address all your skin and hair concerns starting at the source… the water.

We offer a 60-day, no questions asked, money-back guarantee. So if you're generally skeptical (like we are), try it and see for yourself. If you don't love Jolie, we'll refund your money. –Ryan Babenzien & Arjan Singh

→ Shop: The Jolie Filtered Showerhead (Jolie) • available in brushed gold, modern chrome, brushed steel, jet black, and vibrant red • $148.

GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop

Buyers’ market

Recently opened in newly hot Melrose Hill, the much-anticipated LA Grocery & Café caters to savvy east side shoppers and in-the-know home cooks. Unlike Erewhon, which is probably opening a new store as I type this, LA Grocery feels incredibly considered and perfectly edited.

In the aisles, there’s locally grown dried fruit from K&K Ranch, healthy potions like Pondicherry tea and Wooden Herbs Fire Cider, a selection of grass-finished, grass-fed meat, hand-selected farmer market produce, pretty tinned fish, and wild seafood.

The tiny but mighty supplement space feels like your chicest friend’s medicine cabinet, and there’s a strong selection of natural wines. At checkout, gorgeous dahlias and other seasonal flowers stand ready for grab-and-go bouquets.

While the café is still a work-in-progress, the basics are in place. The hot market has the makings of a Michelin-star cafeteria. Take-aways include sesame soy cucumbers, curried chicken, and trout salad, along with pre-made salads and wraps.

The market the east side has been waiting for has arrived. –Zoe Schaeffer

→ LA Grocery & Café (Melrose Hill) • 5059 Melrose Ave • Daily 8a-8p.

LA WORK AND PLAY LINKS: LA’s mansion tax has raised $375M so far • Proposed office/studio complex at Sunset and Highland may become residential development instead • Meat and seafood market Wild Fork opens in Venice • LACMA opening pushed to 2026 • The weird truth about work is we actually like it.

WORK • Thursday Routine

Nothing doing

MARINE ROLAND • general manager Americas • EX NIHILO PARIS
Neighborhood you live in: Miracle Mile

It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Thursday is usually one of the busiest days of the week for our fragrance house. It's when I touch base with the French and Mexican teams. Today, I started early to speak with the company’s founders, who are based in Paris, recapping all matters I need their approval on, or just providing updates to business strategy, marketing, HR, and the like. Thursday is also usually the afternoon when you can find me at our Ex Nihilo retail store on Sycamore.

What’s on the agenda for today?
I travel a lot for work and today I’m flying back to LA from Miami. I do regular market visits to meet current and new partners, and to attend events. It’s very important for me to stay hands-on, to know the stores, and spend time with the brand ambassadors who represent our brand every day.

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
To reset from a trip, I always go to Pause for a contrast sauna or cryotherapy. Then I have dinner plans in Venice, my favorite place to hang out lately. I love Wabi on Rose Ave. for sushi, followed by a glass of wine at Venice Beach Wines. This weekend I’m trying Foodshop — it’s a pop-up restaurant in a woodshop where they install a bunch of communal tables for the night and serve an eight-course dinner.

How about a little leisure or culture?
One of the reasons I love LA is the proximity to mountains, so hiking is often in the program. I love discovering new shops or showrooms where I can find home design inspiration. Quality time with my boyfriend and friends is usually what I need the most.

What was your last great vacation?
This January, with my sister in Mexico. We visited the Yucatan region, Holbox Island, and Oaxaca. It was the perfect mix of culture, food, and relaxation. I’m very close to my sister — she’s the only one who makes me laugh that way.

CULTURE & LEISURE • Fireworks

Gracie Abrams • The Greek Theatre (Griffith Park) • Today @ 8p • section A, $258 per
Boyz II Men & Paula Abdul • fireworks finale • Hollywood Bowl (Hollywood) • Sat @ 8p • terrace 2, $229 per
Green Day • SoFi Stadium (Inglewood) • Sat @ 6p • section C129, $308 per

WORK • Feedback Loop

Don’t ever change

The results of the first FOUND reader survey are in, and… you’re in good company! Here’s a quick snapshot from across the network:

As expected, FOUND readers dine out — 72% spend at least $500 per month on average, and 34% spend at least $1000
FOUND readers also travel — 91% expect to take at least two leisure trips in the next 12 months and 41% expect to take at least five
They’re frequent recommenders themselves — 64% often recommend products/services/experiences to friends/family/colleagues and another 29% sometimes do

Of course, none of you can be reduced to a series of numbers, but here’s an idea of the demo:

31% are 35-44 years old, 23% are 25-34, and 20% are 45-54
52% earn annual household income of $250K+; 6% earn $1MM+
51% have net worth of $1MM+; 9% have $10MM+

Fifty-six percent own a home, and 16% own multiple homes. Top work fields? Technology (17%), media (17%), finance (9%), and law (8%).

Meanwhile, here’s a sampling of our favorite responses to our fishing expedition, “What is your favorite part of FOUND?”

First person reporting feels like a note from a friend — rather than a traditional, expected "critique" by a "professional" paid, reviewer
The super local recommendations! Things that are in my neighborhood and on my mind. It's one of the few Substacks I receive that I read all the way through the DAY I receive it.
Makes me feel like I have an insider's edge and can make reservations or buy tickets in advance to feel in-the-know
I like that it seems human-driven, no-frills
Love the old-school approach, mixing food and real estate and art and fun together
The personal touch, it feels curated with love
I love the mix of content and everything is perfect length. Long enough to have substance but not so long I skip any of it. I literally read every one top to bottom.

Blushing. As for your “what would you like to see less of” responses, sorry, we’re already pushing “perfect length” for this item!

We’ll keep the survey open for another couple days and draw our two subscription upgrade winners at the end of the week. Thanks again for all of the responses and good feedback as we continue building in year two of FOUND. –Josh Albertson

Interested in advertising in FOUND? Hit reply or email us at sales@itsfoundla.com.

GETAWAYS • Kauai

Garden Isle dining

Kauai’s food offerings have often taken a back seat to its stunning landscape, but the dining scene on Kauai has never been better than it is right now. The island’s marquee mid- to upscale restaurants are always reliable, with their headliner chefs or killer views (see: Bar Acuda, JO2, The Beach House, Eating House 1849, and Merriman’s), but here are three somewhat newer spots that warrant your attention.

Yes, the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay (above) is certainly White Lotus material, but its 1 Kitchen is not just another hotel restaurant in a majestic setting. From house-made bucatini with Kauai shrimp, to a kanpachi crudo with finger lime vinaigrette, the food is uniformly fresh and compelling. Don’t miss the cocktails either, especially a quirky Angostura bitters-driven Hanalei Sour.

→ 1 Kitchen (Hanalei Bay) • 5520 Ka Haku Rd • Daily, 7a-10p • Reserve.

Fish Bar Deli in Kapa’a is indeed a bar, deli/market and restaurant that focuses on fish — really good, local fish. Mid-afternoon is the perfect time to swing by for a post-beach session complemented by a truly special ahi bruschetta and the almost-foot-tall cornmeal-crusted island catch sandwich.

→ Fish Bar Deli (Kapaʻa) • 4-1380 Kuhio Hwy • Wed-Sun, 12-19p.

Poipu’s Red Salt at the Ko’a Kea Resort is a triple-threat: excellent sushi bar, terrific restaurant, and destination-worthy breakfast spot. Chef Noelani Plana’s fine dining menu is inspired by island gardens and the nearby ocean, and its Madagascar vanilla bean-seared mahi mahi is considered one of the gold standards in an area filled with superb local fish dishes. –Trevor Felch

→ Red Salt (Koloa) • 2251 Poipu Rd • Daily, 7-11a and 5-830p • Reserve.

GETAWAYS LINKS: LAX shifting away from more terminal expansion • Lease for San Onofre Beach renewed for 25 years • How long can Big Sur sustain itself with ongoing highway closures? • Checking up on Matt Kammerer’s Harbor House Inn on the Mendocino Coast • Napa’s new Bella Union winery seeks younger drinkers • Luxury riverboats are giving superyacht charters a run for their money.

ASK FOUND

Four FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we’re seeking intel:

Where are you excited about dining this fall?
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.

LOST & FOUND • Behind the Paywall

Dispatches from the frontline, from FOUND subscribers, for FOUND subscribers:

→ A handful of favorite restaurants from new subscribers: Yamashiro (Hollywood) • Little Sister (DTLA) • AOC (West Hollywood) • Sunrose California Eatery (Agoura Hills) • Captain Kidd’s (Redondo Beach).