In the mood for love
Valentine's Day reservations, Chateau Marmont, Scream 7, Highly Likely HLP, Mandeville Canyon, Fat + Flour, MORE
THE ASK • FOUND SF
Here’s a scoop: FOUND is launching in San Francisco later this year. It’s never too early to get on the list. We’re also looking for Bay Area-based contributors. If that’s you, hit reply or email found@itsfoundla.com with FOUND SF in the subject line and we’ll chat.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Valentine’s Day, ticketed
Dear John’s (Culver City), prix fixe with Caesar, prime rib, other classics, $185 per, Reserve
République (Miracle Mile), six courses w/optional glass of Krug, $225 per, Reserve
Kinkan (Silver Lake), bluefin tuna rose, wagyu beef, and live piano, $250 per, Reserve
Rustic Canyon (Santa Monica), choose your own eight courses, $175 per, Reserve
Spago (Beverly Hills), tasting menu plus six-piece band, $325 per, Reserve
Jar (Beverly Grove, above), roasted rib eye and heart-shaped cake, $165 per, Reserve
Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill & Jazz (Bel Air), three courses paired with Billy Valentine performance, starting at $195 per, Reserve
Providence (Hollywood), multiple courses of luxury ingredients, $450 per, Reserve
Sushi Note (Sherman Oaks), 16-course omakase, $170 per, Reserve
Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundla.com.
WORK • Thursday Routine
Don’t scream
MARIANNE MADDALENA • producer • Maddalena Films
Neighborhood you live in: Hollywood Hills
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I work from home, so I set up in my living room with my laptop and my Zoom equipment. There’s a lovely view and it’s very calm here. I usually go out to lunch for business a few days a week. I love Chateau Marmont, just over the hill.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m working on Scream 7 which is a bit of a scramble as the lead actress was just fired.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Heading to Palm Springs for the weekend, and going to La Copine in Joshua Tree for Saturday lunch.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I’m just back from Las Vegas with my entire extended family — my brother got married in an Elvis chapel. By Elvis, who sang a few songs. Great kitsch! While in Vegas we had dinner at Mott 32, stayed at The Palazzo, and had a great view of the Sphere, which is stunning! We plan to go back in February to see U2 there.
Any weekend getaways?
After Vegas, we went to Carmel for the weekend and had drinks at Spanish Bay at the Pebble Beach Resorts. Very beautiful, and at sunset they always have a bagpiper. For a lovely dinner there, we chose Roy’s.
I have a little beach house in Ventura, which is only an hour away. We love to go to Rory's Place in Ojai, San Ysidro Ranch, Lucky's in Montecito, and Frontside Cafe for breakfast.
What was your last great vacation?
I went to London in November and rented a lovely flat in Knightsbridge. The flat came with a driver so we went to the Cotswolds for the weekend to visit Blenheim Palace, the home of Winston Churchill. We stayed at The Swan Hotel in Bibury. On the way home we stopped in Bath, Somerset, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We did the tour of the famous Roman Baths, which were built 2000 years ago, and had high tea at the The Royal Crescent Hotel.
Back in London, we went to see Witness for the Prosecution in the West End and the Chanel Show at the Victoria and Albert. And we had a lovely dinner at The Ivy Chelsea.
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Patio perfection
The Skinny: Popular all-day eatery Highly Likely has opened a sophomore location in Highland Park. As is the case at the West Adams original, there’s all day counter service. The key differentiator here is that dinner is on, with full service to boot.
The Vibe: Interiors check all the (Instagram) boxes: wood-paneled walls, giant globe lights, a diner-inspired counter. But the real draw is outside, in the form of a sun-drenched, sprawling backyard patio with sultry, tree-diffused lighting at night.
The Food: During the day, chicken and (black sesame) waffles served with miso-honey butter seem to be on every table. Also on offer: cheekily-named riffs on standards (“ubiquitous avo toast,” “fattoushy” salad). The dinner menu builds in pastas and proteins, including pappardelle Bolognese, a “seedy” schnitzel speckled with sesame and caraway, and a very good burger. Cocktails also run all day, with riffs on classics and originals, like the mezcal-based Tropical with bacanora, charanda, and apple-ginger tepache.
The Verdict: Day or night, Highly Likely HLP is ideal for a catchup or a casual date, especially for those seeking an unfussy al fresco crowd pleaser. –Kelly Dobkin (photo: Evan Robinson)
→ Highly Likely (Highland Park) • 5526 N. Figueroa St. • All day + dinner Tues.-Sun. • Reserve (large groups only).
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: Outpost of downtown Thai favorite Holy Basil opens today in Atwater Village • Daniel Boulud bets big on LA and New York with his new Café Bouluds • New Tock feature encourages micro-experiences at restaurants • Chef Wes Avila reveals new project coming this spring to WeHo • For cocktails, there’s no wrong way to sesame.
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Dead-end listings
New listings in Los Angeles County fell off a cliff at the end of last year. Fewer than 1,000 single-family properties came online in December, per Miller Samuel’s Elliman Report, down 14% over last year and more than 50% since October.
One bright spot: the $2M-$5M range, where listing activity was up over 20% (signed contracts also ticked up 12%).
Here, three recent listings in that sweet spot. They all sit along the narrow stretch in and around Mandeville Canyon, including the above 1959 build, tucked into the hills under fruit trees and winding paths. Inside, there’s a selection of colorful tiles and wood paneling spread across almost 4,000 square feet on a single story. The pictures are a long scroll of a deep breath.
→ 2610 Mandeville Canyon Rd. (Mandeville Canyon, above) • 4BR/4BA, 3681 SF • Ask: $4.395M • Ranch with paneled family room on nature-scaped lot • Days on market: 51 • Agent: Joan Caplis, Coldwell Banker, and Susan Stark, Compass.
→ 2200 Westridge Rd. (Brentwood Hills) • 3BR/2.5BA, 2817 SF • Ask: $3.339M • Unobstructed views of downtown, the Getty, city, and ocean • Days on market: 3 • Agent: Fiora Aston, Compass.
→ 13535 Bayliss Rd. (Brentwood Hills) • 4BR/3BA, 2612 SF • Ask: $2.79M • Mid-century with potential • Days on market: 5 • Agent: Cody Thompson and Jon Grauman, The Agency.
LA WORK AND PLAY LINKS: No kitchen remodels or pool grottoes in Beverly Hills as judge orders building moratorium over lack of affordable housing • Is this really ‘the worst time to buy a home’? • Inside the new Rolex boutique at Bhindi Jewelers • How did Range Rover become so meh? • The death (or not) of LA’s shopping malls.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Object
Bless you
A covetable collection of Italian pewter is currently on display at Nickey Kehoe — one of, if not the best furniture-and-home goods emporium in LA. Among the various bath items and tableware, all handmade in Italy by the artisan company Match, is this sophisticated tissue box well-suited for wintertime sniffles. Who knew sneezing could be chic? –Emily Wilson
→ Shop: Match Pewter Tissue Box (Nickey Kehoe), $363.
CULTURE & LEISURE • O Romeo
Matthew Bourne's Romeo & Juliet (“absolutely compelling”), Ahmanson Theatre (Downtown), Sat @ 8p, center orchestra, $155 per
Pasadena Symphony: Beethoven Emperor, Ambassador Auditorium (Pasadena), Sat @ 8p, main floor, $137 per
Uncorked Wine Festival, Union Station (Downtown), Sat @ 5p, early admission, $80 per
GOODS & SERVICES • First Bite
Slice shop
Nicole Rucker has been the undisputed pie queen of Los Angeles since she won the National Pie Championship more than a decade ago. In 2019, she opened Fat + Flour as a stall inside Grand Central Market, and last month, she expanded to a larger, second location on the border of Mar Vista and Culver City.
The sunny new bakery has tables with mismatched chairs, a compact retail section offering the likes of Oaktown Spice Co. spices and Kolsvart Swedish fish, and a cherry-red counter with a backdrop adorned in paintings of butter, peaches, rhubarb, and, of course, pies. It’s the sort of place you could linger for a couple of hours over an Americano and something sweet.
Rucker offers a couple of savory items, like a grilled cheese with kimchi, in addition to fresh-baked treats ranging from scones to chocolate-chip-oatmeal cookies. But the real raison d'etre is, of course, behind the glass case: generous slices of pie. Among the highlights are chocolate chess topped with swirls of whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa, passionfruit-tangerine crowned with cream and custard, and tender rhubarb enveloped in a flaky, buttery double crust.
Whole pies are available, too, in case you’re heading to a friend’s house later for dinner (or not). –Karen Palmer
→ Fat + Flour (Culver City) • 11739 Washington Blvd. • Mon.-Sat., 9-5; Sun. 9-3.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Palm Springs capped Airbnb rentals, now some home prices are in freefall • Are street addresses coming to Carmel-by-the-Sea? • Back Bay in Boston is priciest nabe in US • In Tokyo, creating the perfect Campari Soda.
ASK FOUND
A few FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we are seeking intel:
I’m looking for a new kitchen table and a sofa. Which furniture stores should I visit?
I love a hotel bar. Which LA hotels have great bars?
What’s your favorite restaurant in LA (if you haven’t told us already)?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or or email found@itsfoundla.com.