New Year's bounty
New Year's bounty
Uchi, Salt & Straw Brentwood, Malibu, NYE dinner, a new apertivo, Ojai, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Keep sushi weird
The Skinny: Tyson Cole has racked up accolades for his 20-year-old Austin-based sushi bar Uchi, which took Texas by storm and birthed a restaurant empire. Now, his flagship’s first west coast location has arrived in Los Angeles (with a 14-seat omakase-only follow-up, Oheya, coming in 2024).
The Vibe: There’s nothing particularly Texan about the moody sushi den, situated in a prime spot on Santa Monica Blvd. between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Slabs of blonde wood function as makeshift walls to separate different sections of the restaurant, and an expansive outdoor space makes conspicuous celebrity tables easy to spot.
The Food: Technically brilliant. The massive menu is split into many sections: omakase, hot and cool tastings, nigiri and sashimi, agemono (tempura), makimono (cut rolls), and toyosu (fish market), among others. The best way forward is the omakase. If you prefer to go your own way, you can’t possibly over-index on the superb hot and cool tastings, specifically yellowtail with orange and thai chili and ora king salmon with brown butter hollandaise and ikura.
The Verdict: Itamae precision meets Southern hospitality — it shouldn’t work, but it does. –Caitlin White
→ Uchi (Norma Triangle) • 9001 Santa Monica Blvd. • Reserve.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: Craig’s isn’t fun or fancy, so why is it still one of LA’s hottest tables? • Culver City updates: Etta to reopen next month as a new Italian restaurant & Jason Neroni closes Best Bet Pizzeria after five months • Without these drinks, is it even the holidays?
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Endless summer
In a land where boldfaced names dot the landscape, 21640 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu stands out for its starry lineage. Dolly Parton and Steve McQueen both lived at the La Costa Beach address. Stephen Dorff did, too, until he sold the two-story beachfront house in 2019 to real estate power players Branden and Rayni Williams.
After renovating to the hilt, the Williamses listed it earlier this month for $9.8M. That’s about $1 million north of the average sales price in Malibu, where sales (+38% YoY) and inventory (+60%) were ascendant in Q3, per Miller Samuel. The listing is about as much fun as you can have in two dimensions. Check it below, along with two other substantial Malibu listings south of $10 million that came online this month.
→ 20395 Seaboard Rd. (Big Rock) • 3BR/2.5BA, 3020 SF • Ask: $5.195M • Newly renovated single-level with ocean views • Days on market: 18 • Agent: Tony Mark, Compass.
→ 6251 Ramirez Mesa Dr. (Central Malibu) • 4BR/4.5BA, 5500 SF • Ask: $8.45M • New construction in Paradise View Estates with ocean-view pool • Days on market: 19 • Agent: Irene Dazzan Palmer, The Agency.
→ 21640 Pacific Coast Hwy (Eastern Malibu, above) • 3BR/3BA, 2400 SF • Ask: $9.8M • Restored mid-century on La Costa Beach • Days on market: 19 • Agents: Branden Williams and Rayni Williams, The Beverly Hills Estates.
LA WORK AND PLAY LINKS: LA condos have failed to fetch big prices. Will this $50M penthouse be different? • Michael Eisner’s Malibu listing quietly comes off the market • Law firm Sheppard Mullin signs largest DTLA office lease of 2023 to relocate headquarters • Mourning California Yacht Club.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
New Year’s Eve dining, ticketed
Cassia (Santa Monica), New Orleans-inspired family-style banquet, $110 per, reserve
Mélisse (Santa Monica), tasting menu by Josiah Citrin and team, $595 per, reserve
Dante (Beverly Hills), passed apps, open bar, live music, and views, $285 per, reserve
The Tower Bar (West Hollywood), three courses and Champagne toast, $225 per, reserve
The Spare Room (Hollywood), bowling and cocktails at the Roosevelt, email to reserve
Bacetti (Echo Park), festive menu with shaved truffle tonnarelli, $110 per, reserve
Botanica (Silver Lake), feast of the seven vegetables, $110 per, reserve
De La Nonna (Arts District, above), oysters, cocktails, pizza, and disco dancing, $175 per, reserve
Damian (Arts District), prix fixe à la Enrique Olvera, $120-160 per, reserve
Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundla.com.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Gift Guide
La Alpine vita
I first tried Doladira — a new aperitivo dreamt up by writer Meredith Erickson and sommelier Richard Betts — in a wintery Negroni on an uncharacteristically damp night in Silver Lake. The rhubarb elixir is an infusion of plum, gentian, elderflower, and rosemary, and sips like an alpine cousin of Campari. It’s transporting, the boozy manifestation of Alpine Cooking, Erickson’s travelogue cookbook that traces the regional cuisines of the Alps.
Erickson, who now resides in Milan, spent decades in Montreal, where she co-authored both Joe Beef cookbooks, The Art of Living According to Joe Beef and Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse. The latter, more recent title, plus Alpine Cooking and a bottle of Doladira would make for a sweet little package for any Europhile, particularly of the skiing sort. –Emily Wilson
→ Shop: Doladira, $40; Alpine Cooking, $42; Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse, $38.
WORK • Thursday Routine
That two-scoop life
KIM MALEK, co-founder & CEO, Salt & Straw
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Our day started with a meeting at our Abbot Kinney shop, focusing on innovative avenues for non-traditional store concepts. We then moved to a studio lot, and brainstormed long and short-term pop-up opportunities. But my top highlight was a tour of our shops with our extraordinary team.
This culminated in a dinner at Manhattan Beach Post (around the corner from our new shop) with our general managers, reflecting on the day's insights and the new year ahead. And, of course, what better way to end the day than with a delightful ice cream cone — a rough life, but someone has to live it!
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Since we’re opening a new shop Friday in Brentwood (at 11640 San Vicente Boulevard), I’ve been spending most of my time there. Love a pizza from Jon & Vinny’s, sushi from Sugarfish, and pastries from Clark Street.
What’s on the agenda for today?
We’re fortunate to have some incredible investors, one of whom is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. We do a holiday collaboration with him every year, and we’re now working on ideas for something big coming out next season.
How about a little leisure or culture?
With our shop in Downtown Disneyland, I love any excuse to take my family down there — trying to hold on to every moment with my teenagers, especially! Excited for Pink Martini’s show on New Year’s Eve with the LA Philharmonic — they mix Brazilian samba, party sounds of ‘30s Cuban dance music and a dash of Parisian café cool. Planning to catch a LAFC game vs Miami CF… dying to see Messi play live!
Any weekend getaways?
I have two trips planned that I’m super excited about. Everyone I know seems to be moving to Ojai, so I’m headed for a visit. Looking forward to trying the tacos at Ojai Tortilla House. And it’s been a while since I’ve had some time in Palm Springs, so I’m heading back this February with some friends for some kid-free hang time. Nothing like sleeping late and heading to Elmer’s for brunch.
What was your last great vacation?
Costa Rica. Playa Negra is great for surfing, taking a float trip on the Rio Tempisque through Palo Verde National Park, and hiking in Rincon de la Vieja National Park. Go to Lola's one day and get the watermelon smoothie.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Hollydaze
Home Alone in Concert, Walt Disney Concert Hall (Downtown), Fri @ 8p, front orchestra, $274 per
A Christmas Story, Ahmanson Theatre (Downtown), Sun @ 1p, front orchestra, $163 per
Los Angeles Ballet presents The Nutcracker, Dolby Theatre (Hollywood), Sat @ 2p, orchestra left, $134 per
GETAWAYS • Ojai
This must be the place
Last week, Rory’s Place, the anchor restaurant of Ojai’s recent culinary resurgence, teased an exciting bit of news in an email newsletter. “We’ll be opening ‘Rory’s Other Place’ next door this (late) spring!!!” it read, promising an espresso program, breakfast and lunch, buffalo milk soft serve, gourmet market items, and wine. I let out a little yelp.
I’ve frequented Rory’s Place for delicious Californian cuisine served in cozy-hip environs ever since sisters Meave and Rory McAuliffe opened the doors in early 2022. Inside, the faces of Ojai locals and escapist Angelenos glow pink from the reflection of a neon oyster sign, conjuring the valley town’s famous salmon-colored sunsets. A sheer patterned tapestry, colorful abstract paintings, and exposed wood beams make for a contemporary California feel that follows in the footsteps of NorCal forebearers Chez Panisse and Zuni Café.
On the table, the stellar seafood tower is stacked with plump Channel Islands’ finds. Many of the menu’s meats and vegetables are wood-fired, like a roasted half chicken over escarole. And the single pasta, which changes seasonally, rarely disappoints. To drink, the Hello Satan — mezcal and tequila with passion fruit, serrano, lime, and cilantro-infused Ojai pixie olive oil — which tastes like Ojai in a glass, punchy and pacifying.
Only an hour and a half drive from Los Angeles, Rory’s is an accessible up-and-back getaway. But given the peaceful enclave’s burgeoning food scene, an overnight stay is in order. –Emily Wilson
→ Rory’s Place (Ojai, CA) • 139 E Ojai Ave. • Reserve.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Shuttered Manresa re-emerges as a pop-up destination for chefs named Ritual at Manresa • How holiday travel is shaping up at LA’s airports • U.S. passport processing time finally back to normal pre-pandemic level • Yolo’s Mexico City Black Book • Aspen’s only ski-in/ski-out spa opens at Little Nell.
ASK FOUND
A few FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we are seeking intel:
What’s the best bookstore in LA?
Which new fitness studios should I be checking out in January?
I’m updating my wardrobe for ’24. What are LA’s best men’s and women’s boutiques?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or or email found@itsfoundla.com.