Gift baskets
Din Tai Fung, Santa Barbara listings, Puzzle, Heroes Motors, HVF Villa Franca, Jean Imbert au Hôtel Plaza Athénée, best tasting menus, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Sky high
I love a mall. And I love a mall restaurant. I even love a chain, especially a reliable, upscale one that maybe serves spinach-artichoke dip and crispy chicken sandwiches (see: Hillstone).
While Din Tai Fung doesn’t serve dips or sandwiches, it does check the rest of those boxes. And in my years in LA, I’ve become smitten with the Chinese mall-restaurant-chain and its multiple locations in the Los Angeles area (as well as a newish one in New York City). Known for its xiao long bao, made with the “golden ratio” of hand-folding and weight, Din Tai Fung recently opened perhaps its most beautiful LA location yet — and its first on the Westside — on the roof of Santa Monica Place.
The dining room is gorgeous: Sky-high windows and ceilings flood it with light. The large rounded light-wood booths and hanging light fixtures are reminiscent of the steamer baskets that transport those succulent soup dumplings to tables. As with other locations, diners can watch the dumpling-making, thanks to a windowed room. There’s a giant outdoor patio, too; one elevated section gives diners views of the Pacific.
The menu sticks to DTF classics, ordered via checklist. Is the cucumber salad still the prettiest you’ve ever seen? Yes. Are the spicy chicken wontons still bathed in the perfect amount of chili sauce? You bet. Are the rice cakes transcendent? They are. On a recent visit, I skipped the popular green beans and ordered the Taiwanese cabbage, which didn’t disappoint: Studded with golden cloves of fried garlic, it had a little bite to go with its hint of sweetness.
There’s a full bar, from which I’d suggest the DTF Old Fashioned, mixed with house-made oolong tea syrup for extra depth. You can also find that drink at any of the other locations, but there may be no better place to enjoy it than on this rooftop at the zenith of mall-chain-restaurant sophistication. –Karen Palmer
→ Din Tai Fung (Santa Monica) • 395 Santa Monica Pl • Daily 1130a-9p • Reserve.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: Damaged Malibu restaurant Duke’s aims for summer reopening • Following most recent fire, Pacific Dining Car demolished • Sotto vet Mark Pollock preps Cosetta for early April debut in Santa Monica • Elon Musk gets ready to enter the restaurant business with futuristic diner in WeHo.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUNDLISTING
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REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three properties that have come to market in Santa Barbara in the past three weeks.
→ 722 Woodland Dr (Eucalyptus Hill) • 4BR/3BA, 2562 SF • Ask: $4.3M • single-level home with vaulted wood-beamed ceilings • Days on market: 9 • Agent: Maureen McDermut, Sotheby’s.
→ 150 Cedar Ln (Eucalyptus Hill, above) • 5BR/3.2BA, 3027 SF • Ask: $5.995M • traditionalist home with harbor and city views, plus detached garage on private lane • Days on market: 17 • Agent: Nancy Kogevinas, BHHS.
→ 917 Paseo Ferrelo (Lower Riviera) • 3BR/4BA, 2996 SF • Ask: $7.2M • ultra-modernist residence redesigned in 2014, with adjacent parcel • Days on market: 9 • Agent: Josiah Hamilton and Mia Teetsel, BHHS.
WORK & PLAY LINKS: Mayor announces first permits for Palisades rebuilds • Altadena Library reopens to the community • The ‘path to low-level fortune and fame’ as a LinkedIn influencer.
WORK • Thursday Routine
Vroom vroom
SERGE BUENO • founder • Puzzle and Heroes Motors
Neighborhood where you live: Beverly Hills
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
The ambiance is very pleasant. I’ve just wrapped up my morning routine at Equinox, starting with 30 minutes of swimming, followed by 30 minutes of working out, 15 minutes in the sauna, and a refreshing three-minute ice bath. Then I enjoy a balanced breakfast of three boiled eggs, salmon, cottage cheese, onions, and a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon.
What’s on the agenda for today?
On Thursdays, I spend the day in Malibu. It’s a highlight of my week, as I love being at my shop, meeting clients, and catching up with my manager. To avoid evening traffic back to the city, I often stop by Soho Malibu, a.k.a. Little Beach House, to relax and take in the spectacular sunset. The fresh fruit juices there are exceptional, and the menu is fantastic. It’s also a great chance to see friends and expand my network. I often arrive on one of my motorcycles, which sparks conversations and questions about my work, letting me blend business with pleasure in a beautiful setting.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, or this weekend?
Besides Soho Malibu and my own restaurant Puzzle, I’m partial to the restaurant at Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood and Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills, which I think is the best Italian restaurant.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I love spending days by the beach, surfing, and biking. For sunbathing, Zuma Beach in Malibu is my favorite spot, while Venice Beach is ideal for biking with my kids. I really appreciate the vibrant atmosphere in Venice, with its unique crowd and incredible energy. Malibu, on the other hand, offers a more serene, tranquil experience, with breathtaking sunsets and pristine white sand.
I also love visiting the Petersen Museum on Fairfax. It’s an incredible place that always has new, beautifully displayed cars and motorcycles.
Any weekend getaways?
I’m planning a trip to Palm Springs, a place I especially enjoy in winter for its beautiful weather. There’s an incredible spot for horseback riding and a fantastic restaurant in Palm Desert called Porto Villa, with stunning decor, elegant tables, and outstanding Italian cuisine. These weekends are a real treat for me. When it comes to accommodations, I love staying at one of the finest hotels in Palm Springs, the Colony Palms. It has a pool, gym, kitchen, comfortable rooms, and exceptional service everything you need for a perfect getaway.
What was your last great vacation?
Last summer, I visited Italy, specifically, Capri and Positano. Italy is a place close to my heart, as my mother is Italian. In Positano, I stayed at one of the most beautiful hotels, HVF Villa Franca, perched along the Amalfi Coast. The hotel features a Michelin-starred restaurant and offers breathtaking views of Positano. It’s truly a place where I could spend five days without leaving — the scenery is stunning, the food is exceptional, and both the pool and rooftop are incredible.
What recent big-ticket purchase are you loving?
My new motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson Street Glide. It’s a bike I’m especially fond of because it’s very comfortable and perfectly suited for California roads. It has a sound system and cruise control, making it an exceptional choice for the PCH and coastal rides. I bought it at Harley-Davidson in Calabasas, one of the largest dealerships in California, and the owner is a very good friend of mine.
What store or service do you always recommend?
James Perse is my go-to; I love the joggers, shorts, and all the laid-back beachwear, which are perfect for a relaxed day by the sea.
Also, my clothing brand, Heroes Motors, which embodies the California lifestyle and is proudly made in the USA. You can find it at Harley Davidson, in my own stores, and through my website, Heroes Motors. My caps are especially popular, worn by many famous personalities in California and beyond.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Zach Attack
LA Comedy FilmFest • Let Live Theater & The Other Space Theater (West Hollywood) • Fri-Sun, various screening times • GA, $12 per
The Livelong Experience • Longevity Science Made Accessible • Palm House, Palm Beach • Fri @ 5p thru Sat @ 5p • livestream ticket, $99 per
Garden State: The 20th Anniversary Concert • The Greek Theatre (Griffith Park) • Sat @ 8p • section A, $453 per
GETAWAYS • Paris
Cruising altitude
This post appeared in last week’s debut edition of FOUND Paris. Looking for a little more of the City of Light in your life? Subscribe to FOUND Paris, with new issues dropping each Friday. (Also debuting across the pond last week: FOUND LDN, with new issues each Wednesday.)
Globe-trotting chef Jean Imbert has finally hit his stride at the swanky Hôtel Plaza Athénée, where on Fridays and Saturdays, you can find his 190 € three-course lunch.
Imbert’s arrival three years ago signaled a major changing of the gastronomic guard in Paris — he replaced Alain Ducasse, after all. But it’s taken some time for him to settle in, especially because he has restaurants everywhere from Saint Barths to Dubai. Out of the gate, he did a brilliant job rebooting the Plaza Athénée’s rather elderly brasserie, Le Relais Plaza, with a menu of comfort food dishes like baked stuffed tomatoes.
It was slower going at Jean Imbert au Hôtel Plaza Athénée, the hotel’s main restaurant, with its opulent Vive le Roi! decor, best embodied by a mile-long red marble table dotted with crystal and gilt candelabras. If an initial meal here was excellent, the following one came off more like business-class catering.
Now, though, Imbert has reached cruising altitude. It’s especially true of the lunch menu, which includes a first, main, and dessert (a miniature buffet of spectacularly beautiful and inventive French pastries). There’s also a complimentary suite of hors d’oeuvres, plus Champagne, mineral water, and coffee. The menu evolves regularly, but a recent lunch of scallop mousse with sea urchin, followed by sea bass in a sauce of vin jaune with girolles mushrooms was technically flawless, beautifully plated, and deeply satisfying.
They also pour a seriously good list of wines by the glass, including a flinty Condrieu and a luscious Pommard. Under the direction of galant and hawk-eyed Denis Courtiade, probably the best maitre d’hotel in Paris, service is unfailingly warm and alert, all part and parcel of one of the best buys in town. –Alexander Lobrano
→ Jean Imbert au Hôtel Plaza Athénée (8th arr) • 25 Av Montaigne • Lunch Fri & Sat 12h30-14h15, dinner Tue-Sat 19h15-22h15.
GETAWAYS LINKS: New terminal tops out at BUR, on track for fall 2026 opening • Cult favorite Napa taqueria Mothers Tacos expanding to Ventura.
ASK FOUND
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RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Tasting menus
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of LA’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundla.com.
Providence (Hollywood), landmark restaurant serving seafood-focused menu by Michael Cimarusti ($325, 8 courses)