The restaurant issue
The restaurant issue
Camelia, Budonoki, Baroo, Mozza, Ètra, Cafe Telegrama, Restaurant Rush revisited, best omakase, Vespertine, Azizam, Honey’s at Star Love, MORE
ABOUT FOUND • Restaurants
Where should you eat right now
At FOUND, we capture the restaurant scene via three primary lenses — short narrative pieces relaying our experiences dining in the field (First Person, FOUND Table), distilled lists of recommendations (The Nines), and interviews with the city’s movers, shakers, and industry insiders of taste (Routines).
FOUND is fascinated with what’s new, reporting regularly on just-opened spots before the rush. Just as interesting to us: those places that haven’t received their just acclaim, and old favorites that reward return visits. And while we will spend $500 per person for an extraordinary experience, we are equally at home at an exemplary neighborhood bistro.
Across the breadth of our coverage, we’re as focused on the room and the vibe — the way the restaurant makes you feel — as we are the food. We’re also obsessed with the movements and trends shaping the dining scene, from the evolving reservations game (and challenges of getting a table) to the shifting parameters of what constitutes a power lunch. And finally, our coverage reaches beyond the city, into the suburbs and weekend getaway markets (i.e., “surrounds”).
Here now, for your late-August enjoyment, a sampler of FOUND pieces from the year in restaurants.
RESTAURANTS • First Person
A pop-up star puts down roots
In the wrong hands, the vibe at recently opened Budonoki in Virgil Village — poured concrete mixed with dark wood surfaces, paper lanterns, pops of neon-hued art, and a bass-heavy playlist of ’90s/early ’00s hip hop — could portend a bad night out. But on a busy Friday night one week after opening, the welcome was warm and the food was serious, and seriously good.
Chef Dan Rabilwongse’s (Tartine, Urasawa, Bouchon) menu is a tight collection of snacks, skewers, and oshizushi (pressed sushi). The drink list revolves around sake and Japanese beers, plus shochu-based cocktails and aperitifs.
Rabilwongse doesn’t stick to a strictly Japanese script when it comes to the food: Among the best dishes we tried was the naem, fermented Thai sausage from a family recipe, served with crispy fried rice balls and pickled shaved vegetables. Also notable: the chicken-and-negi skewers, a holdover from the excellent pop-up the team ran last year at beloved izakaya Ototo.
We weren’t quite sure what to expect with the Basque kinoko, but what arrived was a forest’s worth of rich wild mushrooms on a sizzling fajita-style platter, smothered in dashi, runny egg, and shaved truffle, served with a baton of grilled bread.
Nearly every table (including ours) finished with a swirl of pineapple koji Dole whip mixed with pandan-coconut soft serve, presented with adorable miniature plastic shovels in lieu of spoons. I dug in with the same lack of hesitation I have about coming back to see what else they dream up in the coming weeks. –Jamie Feldmar, 11/02/23
→ Budonoki (Virgil Village) • 654 N Virgil Ave (bar seats and some tables held for walk-ins).
[UPDATE: Sun 9/1 and Mon 9/2, h woo is popping up at Budonoki — with Rabilwongse and Chris Ono of Azay, EMP, and Providence — for a $105 prix fixe. Reserve.]
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Spring Restaurant Rush
Nine notable openings from the spring of ’24
Vespertine (Culver City, above), the return of chef Jordan Kahn’s otherworldly fine dining (intel here)
Azizam (Silver Lake), seasonal, homestyle Persian pop-up now permanent (intel here)
Kushiba (Echo Park), deep-fried skewers and highball cocktails from Shibumi chef (intel here)
Coucou (West Hollywood), second outpost for the popular Venice bistro, off-menu soft serve included (intel here)
K-TEAM BBQ (Koreatown), pork belly in Park’s BBQ team’s new digs
Sal’s Place (West Hollywood), Provincetown institution, now off-seasoning in LA (intel here)
Holy Basil (Atwater), Downtown’s lauded Thai takeaway now has a sit-down spot
Stella (West Hollywood), olive oil martinis, carpaccio carved tableside, sleek digs (intel here)
Neighborhood Winery (Arts District), tasting room serving Jewish-inspired fare like pastrami and latkes
Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundla.com.
WORK • Thursday Routine
Hanging lanterns, seeking balance
KWANG UH & MINA PARK • chef/owner & GM/owner • Baroo & Shiku
Neighborhood you live in: Koreatown
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Mina: I’m finishing up a dispatch of my Substack, and then, on a more glamorous note, catching up on bookkeeping and paying vendor bills.
Kwang: I’m out picking up some last-minute Korean ingredients for our two restaurants. I’ll check on the morning prep team at Baroo, then go to Grand Central Market to our restaurant Shiku, and check with our sous chef and team there, before going back to Baroo for the day/night. Our prep cooks have been working at Baroo since 9 a.m. so the restaurant will usually smell of seaweed and fermented funkiness.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Kwang: Finishing R&D for our new tasting menu. My R&D process is mostly spent studying and imagining dishes that are something new, something I haven’t seen or tasted before. We're also plotting future restaurants — today we're brainstorming and casually looking online at potential sites.
Mina: It's Buddha's Birthday today, so we're decorating the Baroo dining room with lanterns made by our friend Christina at Dosa. In Korea, Buddha's Birthday is a major holiday and there are paper lanterns strung above the streets throughout the country, so we're trying to evoke that feeling for people who are homesick like us. For many reasons, Buddha's Birthday is an important holiday for us to celebrate.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Kwang: On Tuesdays, we usually treat ourselves to a quick lunch in Little Tokyo within walking distance of Baroo. Mina's favorite place is Azay for its homey (but refined) Japanese breakfast set. My favorite place is Sushi Gen for their ridiculously good-value sashimi lunch special. You have to get there well before they open to wait in line with the many Korean aunties who also love a good deal and raw fish.
Mina: We're going to Antico Nuovo for dinner on Sunday. It's a three-minute walk from where we live. Our son can eat an entire loaf of their focaccia by himself, so we need to make sure to order two. He’s four-years-old and in a picky phase that’s heartbreaking for us, as people whose whole life is food. Right now, he loves pizza and tacos. So, we've taken him to places like Quarter Sheets, Pizzeria Sei, Tacos Arabes de Puebla, and Angel's Tijuana.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Kwang: With two restaurants, balance in our lives is a work in progress. When we have time, we love to go hiking as a family and with our wild mountain dog whom I adopted in Hong Kong. With a toddler, we go on strolls rather than hikes. When he was a baby, we would strap him into the baby carrier and hike almost everyday.
Mina: I love art almost as much as food and will try to see shows at galleries like Marta Gallery, run by another husband-and-wife duo, Heidi and Benjamin. Visiting Marta Gallery means we also stop by Plant Material which has an incredible selection of native plants and cool gear for gardeners. We got a gorgeously wispy Australian bottle tree for Baroo there. Other galleries we like are Stroll Garden, Francis Gallery, Francois Ghebaly, Commonwealth & Council and Various Small Fires.
Any weekend getaways?
Mina: Our weekend is Sunday and Monday, since that's when Baroo is closed. Kwang loves amusement parks, especially roller coasters, and is training our son to also love them. So we're going to Disneyland (again!). It’s also an excuse to explore the restaurant scene in Orange County, whether it's pho in Garden Grove or places in Little Arabia in Anaheim. Last time, we checked out Forn Al Hara for their spiced lahmajun and boat-shaped cheese bread.
What was your last great vacation?
Kwang: In March, we closed our restaurant for a week, gave our team a paid break, and flew to Korea straight from our last service. We took Kwang's parents and our son to Jeju Island for a few days.
What store or service do you always recommend?
Mina: NowServing in Chinatown, for all the cookbooks, food magazines and adorable children's aprons by White Bark Workwear, and kids sweatshirts designed by the owners' sister, Nancy. 06/27/24
Photo: Justin Chung
RESTAURANTS • First Person
The Melrose Hill moment
Ètra, which opened last week in Melrose Hill, is the first capital-d Dinner restaurant among the neighborhood’s slew of forthcoming openings. The Italian newcomer hides behind its daytime counterpart, Café Telegrama, which was immediately swarmed when it opened last month.
Parking is tricky around the trafficky intersection of Western and Melrose, an early concern for the burgeoning area, where blue chip gallerist David Zwirner also planted his LA flag last spring. Otherwise, it’s been an impressive doubleheader premiere.
Telegrama serves a satisfying Greek yogurt with granola and seasonal preserves in the morning. At lunch, a craveworthy tuna melt-inspired sandwich stars pepperoncini aioli in place of cheddar. The space is airy and polished, with a sunny patio that folds into Ètra come nightfall.
Handsome and (a bit too) dimly lit, Ètra is reminiscent of a Bode store: all warm wood, an intimate smattering of tables, and a six-seat wine bar. Chef and co-owner Evan Algorri gives the people what they want: crudo, extra-tender meatballs, pastas, chicken with Calabrian chili juice, steak with grilled cabbage. The silky spaghetti pomodoro has a kick of heat, and the chicory salad with anchovy, black pepper, and cured yolk is the best new Caesar in town.
During opening week, the crowd was a who’s who from the restaurant industry and LA’s creative set. As galleries continue to open up in the area, it’s likely to become an art world go-to.
But right out of the gate, Ètra is as hot at night as Telegrama by day. Melrose Hill is off to the races. –Emily Wilson, 12/14/23
→ Ètra (Melrose Hill) • 737 N Western Ave • dinner Tues-Sun.
→ Cafe Telegrama (Melrose Hill) • 737 N Western Ave • 8a-3p daily.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Omakase
Morihiro (Atwater), helmed by rice-obsessed chef who makes his own ceramics, $250-$400 per
Sushi Ginza Onodera (Beverly Hills), Edomae-style with two Michelin stars, $400 per
Bar Sawa (Little Tokyo), from the Kaneyoshi team, $185 per w/optional cocktail pairing, $45 per
Sushi Sonagi (Gardena), nontraditional, incorporating dry-aged fish and Korean nods, $200 per
Echigo (West LA), Westside mainstay that put blue crab hand rolls on the map, MP (but usually less than $100 per)
Sushi Note (Sherman Oaks & Beverly Hills), sashimi and nigiri paired with fine wine, $190 per
Matsuomoto (Beverly Grove), strip mall spot offering tsumami and sushi, or straight-up nigiri, $150-$280 per
Sushi Takeda (Little Tokyo), traditional, serene, well-priced, $140-$280 per
Shin Sushi (Encino), sushi chef hails from a family of experts, $180 per
Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundla.com.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Thursday Routine
Mozza and honey
KATE GREENBERG, director of operations, Mozza Restaurant Group; owner, Honey’s at Star Love
Neighborhood you live in: Fairfax
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I start Thursday mornings with two back-to-back calls with two of our overseas restaurant teams — today it’s Mozza London and Chi Spacca Riyadh — then I walk to the restaurant. Every day is different.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m meeting with our contractor at Mozza to finalize details and schedule for the outdoor dining patio that we’ll be opening at Pizzeria this month. I’ve also been thinking about merch for my bar, Honey’s at Star Love. I’m going to get vintage ‘50-‘60s-inspired mechanic and bowling shirts made, and have an embroidery event at Honey’s where you can get your name (or somebody else’s) embroidered. Could be fun to further collaborate on other releases with different queer artists and designers.
Next, a meeting with our chef at Chi Spacca on a large-format, bookable dinner experience we want to launch. We’re debating if serving a pig’s head will be the main focus of the meal. And another weekly Zoom on the pre-opening of the upcoming Mozza in DC with Stephen Starr. Finally, a call with Boygenius’s team for an upcoming birthday they’re celebrating at Honey’s.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I went to N/Soto for the first time last night, which I’d been wanting to try. Tonight, I’m grabbing a glass of wine at Tabula Rasa before popping over to Honey’s. I often end up eating staff meal at the restaurant if I don’t have dinner plans — tonight was rigatoni with fennel, sausage, and tomato. I’ve been enjoying cooking more at home, and am very late to the game to praise Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese recipe, which I just made for the first time.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I recently came back from NYC where I saw the Liberty in the WNBA playoffs, which was such a fun game. I’m also seeing one of my favorite comedians, Liza Treyger, at Dynasty Typewriter.
What was your last great vacation?
My last great vacation was to Paris and the south of France, where I visited family. This couldn’t be more cliché, but I don’t go to Paris without getting a croque monsieur from Poilâne. I also never miss a stop at my favorite bistro, Parcelles, in the 3rd. (My boss, Nancy Silverton, told me her friend went back three times on a recent trip.) Their approach to service, the simple but well-presented menu, excellent wine list, and classic bistro vibe, sets the bar for what a perfect restaurant experience feels like — it reminds me why I chose to go into this industry. 11/09/23
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Open sesame
In a slow year for LA’s restaurant openings, one new project in particular has been hotly anticipated by virtually everyone who tracks these things: Camelia. Last week, the chef Charles Namba and (his wife and partner) sommelier Courtney Kaplan — owners of beloved Echo Park izakaya Tsubaki and its next-door sake bar, Ototo — opened the doors at last to their new French-Japanese bistro in the Arts District.
Camelia is significantly bigger than Tsubaki in size, scope, and ambition. It’s more centrally located, and its arrival comes with lofty expectations, given the way Tsubaki and Ototo are consistently great.
Good news: Camelia measures up.
The interiors are beautiful, as a lofty, warehouse-style space has been refashioned into a certified bistro. Brick floors, dark wood-and-rattan chairs, mahogany booths, and giant windows make for sexy, warm, elegant environs. There’s a patio, but inside you can peer in on machinations of an open kitchen, helmed by Namba and chef de cuisine Nestor Silva, another darling L.A. talent (of the pop-up Malli and Rustic Canyon).
Camelia’s beverage program makes early arrivals for cocktails a compelling idea. Kaplan is showing off her expertise in both sake and wine, including a generous number of half-bottles on offer. And unlike Tsubaki and Ototo (and many other of the best restaurants in town), Camelia boasts a full bar.
For its first Friday dinner service, the restaurant was booming, and everything we tried was fantastic. Favorites were the soon-to-be requisite black sesame parker house rolls, purple yam blinis with Dungeness crab and ikura, koji-roasted chicken in a seaweed cream sauce, and for dessert, kokuto caramel pudding with soba-cha and cherries. If there’s one complaint to be had, it’s that Camelia’s menu is slightly over-engineered to be shared. Still, with open arms we welcome what’s bound to be Los Angeles’ Restaurant of the Summer. –Emily Wilson, 06/18/24
→ Camelia (Arts District) • 1850 Industrial St • Sun, Mon & Thurs 5-10p; Fri-Sat 5-1030p.