Lotus position
Patrick Schwarzenegger, MOSH, Sama Handroll, Palisades land listings, Wildland Carlsbad, best Santa Cruz hotels, FOUND LDN & Paris, MORE
WORK • Thursday Routine
Brain candy
PATRICK SCHWARZENEGGER • actor • co-founder & CEO, MOSH
Neighborhood where you work: Brentwood
Neighborhood where you live: Santa Monica
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
It’s always packed and usually has a fun, busy atmosphere. In addition to being the office for MOSH — The Brain Brand that I co-founded with my mom, Maria Shriver — the space is also the office for Shriver Media, The Sunday Paper, and a few people who work with the Women's Alzheimer's Movement at Cleveland Clinic (which receives a portion of proceeds from the sale of every MOSH bar). Lately we’ve been doing a ton of sampling and bar testing in anticipation of some new flavors we’re creating to launch later this year.
What’s on the agenda for today?
First, we’re going to make some new content for MOSH’s Instagram and TikTok. Then, we’re going to be drafting messaging about the brand for the employees at Erewhon and Ralphs to help educate them about our brain-boosting protein bars and our overall mission, which is all about supporting physical and cognitive nutrition. We’ll also be going over final designs for the new flavors we’ve been working on, and making some final decisions about what imagery we’ll be using for the packaging.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
It's my fiancée’s birthday, so we have a packed weekend of food. We're going to Jon & Vinny’s for Italian, then out for steaks the night after (we’re big steak people!). Then I’ll be traveling to New York, Spain, and Germany… so I know I'll be eating a lot of great food very soon.
How about a little leisure or culture?
We like to stay pretty active on the weekends and spend a lot of time outdoors. This weekend is supposed to be nice and sunny, so we’ll probably take our beach cruisers out to the Venice Beach boardwalk, and hopefully hop in the pool.
Any weekend getaways?
We're both working a lot right now, but we try to get to Santa Barbara — which has become a favorite local getaway for us — when we can. The beach is obviously great there, and there’s beautiful hikes and biking. There's a steakhouse there that we love, Lucky’s, and tons of great coffee shops.
What was your last great vacation?
I was in Thailand for seven months [filming season 3 of The White Lotus]. Although it was work, it was also vacation; we got to hop around from Ko Samui to Phuket to Bangkok. We explored the Phi Phi Islands and spent time on some beautiful beaches (including the beach from the movie The Beach).
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I don't buy much, but I did get a new car this past year, which was a big one for me. And I bought some new stocks. Honestly… I usually just spend money on stocks!
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Redistricting
The Skinny: San Gabriel Valley native Lester Lai’s inventive Japanese restaurant Sama Handroll opened in style earlier this month with a celebration including lion dancers and Japanese drummers, and a menu celebrating robatayaki, handrolls, and occasionally, the vast potential of Italo-Japanese fusion.
The Vibe: Located on a residential stretch in the Arts District, the large dining room is airy and light-filled, with every table offering a view of Sama’s open kitchen — but the 14-seat handroll bar is the best view from which to watch the well-staffed team preparing an array of appetizers, sushi, and on the robata, grilled dishes.
The Food: Though the focus is on chef Lai’s hand rolls like a “secret menu” offering of seared toro with grated egg yolk and green onion, other dishes surprise. The bluefin tuna sashimi appetizer with ikura, burrata, truffle ponzu, and kizame wasabi is a standout.
Robatayaki options like a 48-hour Wagyu short rib and skewered miso cod go beyond the basics, while dishes like a “pasta” of ramen tossed in a creamy dashi-based tomato sauce with chunks of Maine lobster and parmesan are luscious and satisfying. But arrive early if you want to try the ikura don. Only 10 servings of the eye-catching rice bowl covered in three different vibrant shades of salmon roe are made available each day.
The Verdict: A laid-back neighborhood option for outside-the-box Japanese fusion paired with sake and beer. –Heather Platt
→ Sama Handroll (Arts District) • 897 Traction Ave • Tue-Thur 5-10p, Fri-Sat 5p-12a, Sun 5-10p • Reserve.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: Pastry chef Ellen Ramos debuts new Highland Park bakery Santa Canela • New chef takes the helm at Mírate in Los Feliz • Malibu restaurants continue to struggle with PCH restrictions • This Sonoma winery cloned its vineyard dog.
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Land parcels where residences were destroyed by wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena are asking and selling for prices exceeding early expectations, according to The Wall Street Journal:
Land sellers are now asking for roughly the same value — or even above — their land’s estimated pre-fire valuation. As a rule of thumb, brokers estimate that a land plot is worth between 40% and 60% of a property’s overall value in Los Angeles, though the precise estimate varies based on the location and size of the parcel.
Most buyers of these plots, per the WSJ, are small to midsize real estate investors and developers offering all-cash deals. Here, three such properties in Pacific Palisades that have come to market in the past week.
→ 743 Haverford Ave (Via Bluffs) • 5998 SF • Ask: $2.595M • phase 1 EPA remediation completed • Days on market: 6 • Agents: Tyler Hill and Ben Belack, The Agency.
→ 755 Iliff St (Alphabet Streets, above) • 6499 SF • Ask: $2.899M • zoned for R1V1, phase 1 EPA remediation and phase 2 debris removal by Army Corps completed • Days on market: 3 • Agent: Jennifer Pinckert, Compass.
→ 826 Alma Real Dr (Huntington) • 8629 SF • Ask: $3.995M • phase 1 EPA remediation completed, in queue for phase 2 • Days on market: 5 • Agent: Sergio Guadarrama, Rodeo Realty.
WORK & PLAY LINKS: Move-ins begin at Rosewood Residences Beverly Hills… and soon at new development Palma in Beverly Hills • How homeownership is shifting in LA • Altadena’s Loma Alta Park sets May reopening • Parents in tech want their kids to go into the arts instead • Real men wear leggings • Gen Z has a big budget line for concert tix.
WORK • Launches
New FOUNDs
As we mentioned in this space last week (and are not above mentioning again), we’ve been running test issues for both FOUND Paris and FOUND LDN and both are looking good. We’re still on track for Q1 launches in both markets.
As with the U.S. editions of FOUND, the central idea is to help locals get more out of their cities (and surrounds). But both Paris and London will be good and useful reads for savvy visitors, too. If you’re in either camp (or have friends who are), use these early-access links to get on the lists:
Meanwhile, we’ve assembled a talented team of contributors on the ground in each city. But there’s always room for more sharp writers (and non-writers with good taste). If you’d like to join the party, drop us a line at found@foundparis.com or found@foundldn.com.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Set Sail
The String Cheese Incident • The Wiltern Theatre (Koreatown) • Thu @ 7p • GA, $77 per
Rolling Loud feat. A$AP Rocky • SoFi Stadium (Inglewood) • Sat @ 12p • GA, $185 per
Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix • The Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro) • Sat & Sun @ 1245p • from $80 per
GETAWAYS • Carlsbad
Running wild
Tucked into the bones of the former Morey Boogie Board factory, Wildland is the latest creation from chef Eric Bost (Republique, Auburn) and restaurateur John Resnick. It’s the kind of all-day restaurant, bar, and bakery that might be enough to prompt a drive to Carlsbad.
Enter through the patio framed by two oak trees, and you’re greeted by the hum of the bakery and the glow of a wood-fired oven. The 8,000-square-foot space is vast yet inviting, with sprawling floor-to-ceiling windows, handcrafted terra cotta tiles, and Tyler Hays’ painted desert tapestry.
Wildland’s menu mixes California cooking, wood-fired techniques, and the flavors of the Mediterranean coast. At breakfast, standout plates include eggs with blistered tomatoes, chickpeas, za’atar, and baguette. By lunch, the kitchen turns out hearty sandwiches like mortadella with stracciatella and pesto, alongside cacio e pepe pizza or rotisserie chicken served with a small feast of creamy hummus, little gem salad, pickled vegetables, and house-made flatbread. Head baker James Belisle’s pain au chocolat would not be laughed out of Paris, with its buttery layers and perfect chocolate ratio.
The beverage program includes an olive oil or bergamot latte, vibrant juices, cocktails, and natural wines from San Giovese, Umbria, and Catalunya, all available by the glass/carafe/bottle for easy sampling.
Wildland isn’t just a restaurant — it’s a love letter to Carlsbad. A place to grab coffee and a pastry on the way to the beach, linger over lunch, or gather with friends for dinner and drinks. It’s a vibrant addition to the community, nestled on State Street alongside sister restaurants Jeune et Jolie and Campfire. –Victoire Loup
→ Wildland (Carlsbad) • 2598 State St • Daily 8a-9p • Reserve.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Luxe new development Dunna launches sales in Cabo • Airstream glamping opens near Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park • Iberia’s new fleet heads to US • Airports bringing back gate greetings • The wisdom of pre-flight facials.
GETAWAYS • The Nines
Hotels, Santa Cruz
The Nines are distilled lists of FOUND places and experiences. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundla.com.
Hotel Paradox (611 Ocean St, above), boutique w/ cabana-chic pool scene, $170