Prep day
WORK • Thursday Routine
JEREMY ADLER • partner • Cobi’s
Neighborhood you live in: Mar Vista
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I work from home, so the scene is endless coffee, toys strewn about all over the floor from the kiddos, and art and drawings everywhere.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I take the kids and head to my trainer Jeff's house for an early lift every Thursday morning. Every extra bit of exercise is exclusively for another scoop of gelato or piece of chocolate. After that, it's all about prep: for the weekend at Cobi's, for weekend meals at home, for dinner parties where I invite too many people and make too much food and create too many dirty dishes.
Late-morning, I've got a meeting with the designer and GC of my next restaurant project in Mar Vista. I can walk (or bike) there from my house, and I want it to be a place that’s delicious and affordable. It's in the middle of the neighborhood, so I hope this project is a nexus for the community.
Thursday nights are usually when we light the fire in the backyard and throw a dinner party. I love bringing people together who don't know each other. If the food is delicious and people are exchanging contact info at the end of dinner, then we've all had a good time.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
The most delicious street in LA for us is Sawtelle. It’s one of the few areas where you can go and decide where to eat once you get there. The highlights for us are Hide Sushi, Nanbankan, and Artelice Pastry. Tonight, we’re headed to Mizu 212, since it's interactive and the kids love it. I wish there was more shabu shabu in LA.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I'm a die-hard Lakers fan and go to 15 or so games per year. Getting downtown from Mar Vista is a serious schlep. We also go for the kids concerts at Disney Hall, which are 45–60 minutes long (about all I can handle). Pine & Crane or El Parian are my go-tos for dinner before a Lakers game. The Crypto.com Arena is a wasteland for anything decent to eat.
Any weekend getaways?
We go to Hollywood Beach in Oxnard a couple of times a month. It's usually pretty empty and a great place to walk on the beach and listen to podcasts (shout out to Air Jordan and Three Ingredients). We go for back and foot massages at RELAX FEET Foot Massage and eat spot prawns by the pound at BYOB HC Seafood. The Jolly Oyster is also wonderful for lunch and Buddy's Wine is a great natural wine bar in Ventura.
What was your last great vacation?
Rome is my favorite city in the world. We were there in July for a wedding, a time I’d normally try to avoid — insanity, as it relates to the crowds. I'm a huge fan of starting your day at Campo De Fiori and getting pizza al taglio at Il Forno, then strolling over to Sant Eustachio for coffee. The concept of dolce fa niente (literally translated as “the sweetness of doing nothing”) is something we as a city need to embrace.
Some of my favorite spots include Al Moro — get the spaghetti al moro (carbonara made with parmesan and red chili flakes), the porcinis when they’re in season, and the zabaglione. Roscioli is also excellent, so understated and restrained with an insane wine list. Otaleg for pistachio gelato is open late and delicious. SantoPalato is the closest thing that Rome has to the Avant Garde. Tavernaccia Da Bruno has exceptional slow wood roasted porcelet and Felice a Testaccio has incredible gricia (they use both pan-fried and oven-crisped guanciale), and their tiramisu, while not traditional, is deserving of all the accolades it receives.