Fresh faces
Companion, new Silver Lake listings, FOUND Paris & London, Bar Sinizki, OK, MOLLIE, best Long Beach restaurants, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
New best friend
The Skinny: The owners of Gnarwhal Coffee in Santa Monica have opened Companion, an unfussy all-day Cal-Italian restaurant on Venice’s bustling Lincoln Boulevard. It’s got all the elements of a neighborhood favorite: compact menu, breezy atmosphere, bumping sound system.
The Vibe: Modern trattoria with a state-of-the-art stereo (playing everything from reggae to ’80s hits) to match. Sleek light wood shelves over pastel cabinets line one wall, housing wine and glassware. Marble tables and wooden chairs keep the lines clean and fresh, in allegiance to pointedly on-trend aesthetics.
The Food: There are pastries and sandwiches during the day, but come nighttime, chef Jack Goode — a Quarter Sheets alum — turns out the type of food one could eat multiple times a week: rigatoni bolognese, long beans dressed in a Caesar-style dressing, and panzanella with burrata (and the good melon straight from the Santa Monica Farmers Market). His thin, crisp-edged pizzas include one of few clam pies you’ll find in LA.
The Drinks: The coffee is, unsurprisingly, quite good. At dinner, wine gets the spotlight. Co-owner Nick Monica’s list includes easy-drinking Italian varietals like Montepulciano, and there’s a reserve list for those who want to dial it up. Larger groups in search of a really good time can opt for the cheeky Coors Banquet sidecar service (an ice-cold bucket of beers, served with chilled glasses).
The Verdict: Companion is poised to become an easy, smart answer for Italian food in Venice — it’s not reinventing the wheel, but maybe it’s just what you want on a Thursday night in the neighborhood. –Karen Palmer
→ Companion (Venice) • 1700 Lincoln Blvd • Coffee and pastries daily 7a-3p; dinner Wed-Sun 5-10p • Reserve.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: Just in time for NLCS, Dodgers-themed pizzeria LaSorted’s opens in Chinatown • Chef Michael Mina’s latest, Orla, opened yesterday at Regent Santa Monica Beach hotel • Hanging with omakase master Nozomi Mori • The time to start aging your eggnog is now.
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
In Silver Lake, three eye-catching listings that have come to market in the last month:
→ 1449 Elevado St (Silver Lake) • 3BR/2BA, 1375 SF • Ask: $1.995M • stylish single-story house with midcentury decor • Days on market: 15 • Agent: Tori Horowitz, Compass.
→ 1650 Maltman Ave (Silver Lake, above) • 6BR/4BA, 2970 SF • Ask: $2.725M • gorgeous renovated Craftsman with modern detached ADU • Days on market: 8 • Agent: Myles Rogg, Paloma Realty Partners.
→ 2082 Kenilworth Ave (Silver Lake) • 4BR/4BA, 3590 SF • Ask: $5.5M • 1930s-era mansion set above the reservoir with expansive living space • Days on market: 25 • Agents: Jeremy Tuite & Stephen Clark, Backbeat Homes.
LA WORK AND PLAY LINKS: How Melrose Hill emerged as an unlikely LA hotspot • 300-room Kali Hotel will be the only dome-adjacent hotel in Inglewood when it opens in 2026 • Are directors of founder-led companies being set up to fail? • Some of the carbon credits were fake.
WORK • Going Global
Onward to Paris & London
Another lifetime ago, when we were building Curbed, Eater, and Racked, we fanned out across the country, eventually launching local sites in 30 markets. There was Eater Nashville and Curbed Detroit and Racked Philly, each dedicated to obsessive coverage of their respective markets.
There were also national versions of all three brands, which we created in part to establish credibility with advertisers, who we thought were more apt to spend on EATER than on Eater PDX.
After we sold to Vox Media, the local sites kept chugging along (some of the Eater locals still exist), but VC-backed Vox was mostly interested in scale. The advertising team (and management) had a hard time figuring out how the city-specific approach fit with the business. (This was in a time before digital subscriptions, except at a few outliers, like the NYT, which launched their offering in March ’11.) Over time, the national gloss drowned out much of the local flavor.
We created FOUND to return to our earlier approach of meeting readers where they are. In New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami, we wake up every morning thinking about how we can help our subscribers get more out of these great cities.
But this time, instead of dotting the U.S. map with local sites in vibrant secondary markets, we’re going global. The world is smaller than it was then, and as much as we love Charleston and Austin, we’ve got our eyes on Paris and London next.
In fact, we’re planning launches in both markets this winter. As of right this second, we’re looking for savvy local contributors in Paris and London who have something to say about restaurants, shopping, real estate, getaway travel, culture and leisure, and the modern workplace. If that’s you, hit reply or email us at found@foundny.com. (Or, if you know someone who fits the bill, pass this along!)
In the meantime, we haven’t sworn off FOUND Nashville; if our friends at Vox are reading and are ready to give it up for good on the local Eaters, drop us a line. –Josh Albertson
WORK • Thursday Routine
Future perfect
MATT NEWBERG • founder • HNGRY
Neighborhood you work in: Hollywood
Neighborhood you live in: Silver Lake
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I run a media startup that covers the future of food. Today I'll be writing up my weekly curated digest of this week's most interesting happenings across the entire industry. I also have lunch with my best friend at Langer's Deli, so I'll be working from my home office/makeshift podcast nook in Silver Lake. It's a total mess in here, but I love the chaos of it. When I'm not there, you can find me at NeueHouse Hollywood.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I'm finalizing some last minute marketing materials for my upcoming HNGRY Summit @ ChowNow HQ in Culver City on October 25. We’re hosting a mix of panels, breakout sessions, and food and beverage activations, with leaders from companies like Square, Tock, Sweetgreen, Kismet Rotisserie, Goop Kitchen, Hedley & Bennett, YUZUCO, and more.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Tonight, I'm heading to see a friend for a burger and a beer in Atwater Village at the new (sister restaurant to Dune) Bar Sinizki. Tomorrow, I have a very special date night at Pizzeria Mozza for its pop-up with chef Sarah Minnick of Lovely's Fifty Fifty in PDX. This place is one of my top five pizzerias in the WORLD! (Ask me for my top five, and yes #1 is in Tokyo — and it's not Seirinkan.)
How about a little leisure or culture?
Outdoor jazz and natural wine in LA… I recently saw Brazilian jazz-funk group Azymuth and the legendary Marcos Valle at The Ford and Herbie Hancock at the Hollywood Bowl. Get the special concert takeout meal from Kismet Rotisserie and a twist-off of Jumbo Time Wine's Simply Red (50% Grenache / 50% Carignan) from Silverlake Wine — va fuckin bene.
Any weekend getaways?
My girlfriend and I recently drove to Santa Barbara to meet family and made a day of it. Hike at Castle Hot Springs and dinner at Bettina, another amazing sourdough pizza spot using the best local produce. Chef Brendan Smith is the former head baker at Roberta's — one of my staples from when I lived in NYC — so you're in for a real treat. I also highly recommend La Super-Rica Taqueria, once a favorite of Julia Child. I’d honestly drive up just to eat at either of these spots.
What was your last great vacation?
Aspen in the fall. We stayed at the MOLLIE and did a bunch of great hikes like Smuggler Mountain and Maroon Bells, as well as amazing horseback riding nearby. The air is insanely crisp, and it was beautiful to see the foliage start to golden. Don't forget to take e-bikes on the Rio Grande to Woody Creek Tavern and enjoy a whiskey and a burger at J-Bar.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I always can find something utilitarian for myself or a fun gift at OK in Silver Lake. Everything is expertly curated, and there are some great staples like this Comme des Garçons wallet and my favorite Timex watch that almost looks like a "Pepsi" Rolex if you squint hard enough.
GETAWAYS LINKS: First look inside new ultraluxe hotel Regent Santa Monica Beach • Following renovation, Fairmont Breakers hotel reopening next month in Long Beach • LA Times critic assesses San Francisco’s dining scene, makes map • Largest In-N-Out ever planned for Las Vegas • Inside the new luxe resort coming to Canada’s heli-skiing capital.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Field Level
Old School Block Party • Digital Underground, Jody Watley, and more • Greek Theater (Los Feliz) • Sat @ 615p • section A, $205 per
Joni Mitchell and the Joni Jam • Hollywood Bowl (Hollywood) • Sat @ 7p • section J1, $435 per
Dodgers v Mets* • NLCS game 6 (if nec) • Dodger Stadium (Elysian Park) • Sun @ 508p • section 13FD, $1029 per
*A field box behind the Dodger dugout — section 13 in particular — is the ideal way to see the Dodgers finish off the Mets when (if) they return to Los Angeles this weekend. You get premium parking, a full buffet, free drinks, and over-the-moon desserts — there’s a spacious and fun club. Dodger players have fun with the fans, tossing balls, telling jokes, and showing their love for LA fan support. If you are an expat Mets fan, sit somewhere else or stay home. –Brad Inman
ASK FOUND
FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we’re seeking intel:
Which fall restaurant debut wowed you?
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
Restaurants, Long Beach
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of LA’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundla.com.
Heritage (Rose Park), tasting menus with ingredients from restaurant’s farm