Trends: The food scenes in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles; pop-ups

TRENDS—L.A.

DASH AND DINE

Just a skip and a jump outside of town, these new restaurants from West Hollywood to Malibu mean there’s never been a better time to take a daycation.

BY CAROLE DIXON

Lucky’s Malibu

Hollywood and West Hollywood Mozza queen Nancy Silverton has opened THE BARISH, a grand Italian steakhouse in the historic Hollywood Roosevelt. Highlights include a Pork Chop with chrysanthemum leaves, Yellow Endive Salad, and Creamed Mustard Greens with pecorino, served on handpainted plates from Italy. And don’t miss the house martini with Tito’s vodka and bergamot, which ts right in with the rich dishes and decadent surroundings.

In the heart of Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood (on the grounds of the former House of Blues), PENDRY is the perfect place to call it a day after you’ve nearly maxed out your credit card at Fred Segal (still a legend). For a start, this modern hotel with a nod to art deco by U.K. designer Martin Brudnizki is an art lover’s dream, with over 70 original works dotted around the grounds. It’s also a food paradise with two restaurants by Wolfgang Puck. MEROIS, by the rooftop pool, has magnificent views and the best Peking duck in the area, along with a showstopping Crispy Scale Whole Black Sea Bass served upright. Open all day, OSPERO, on ground level, is easy to slip into for freshly baked croissants (there’s a takeaway bakery and coffee bar) or that famous smoked salmon pizza. Pro tip: If you only have time for a drink at the Pendry bar on the main level, order the popcorn cooked in bacon and duck fat for a snack, and don’t forget to hit the champagne vending machine on your way out.

Beverly Hills and the Westside

Beverly Hills has a new high-end steak concept by the Sushi Nozawa Group. MATŪ on Beverly Drive was designed by Marmol Radziner and features 100% grass-fed Wagyu beef from New Zealand.

For restauranteur Philip Camino of Fellow in Westwood (which has ipped to ne dining with chef Chris Flint from Maude and Eleven Madison Park), a Japanese spot in Brentwood was the next move. IMARI on San Vicente offers bento boxes, a sushi bar, and traditional washoku cuisine. It’s helmed by Derek Wilcox, formerly of Shoji in New York, with Michelin-starred Shibumi downtown L.A. chef David Schlosser consulting. The indoor-outdoor MONICA’S restaurant at the new Hilton Santa Monica on 4th Street features a seasonal menu by chef Edy Lucas, last seen in Manhattan Beach at The Strand House and Fishing with Dynamite. So far, the Outlaw Burger with a Wagyu patty, Firebird Cajun Chicken Breast or Bahn Mi Sandwich are all winners and perfect to take down to the beach.

A good pit stop to or from the airport in Playa Vista is BULL & BUTTERFLY. This stylish steakhouse and bar (from the founders of Lemonade) offers a nextlevel weekend brunch with everything from Coal Oven Baked Shakshuka to Sticky Toffee Pancakes.

Montecito steakhouse import LUCKY’S MALIBU has launched brunch with a Spanish Chorizo Breakfast Burrito, let mignon with eggs, and strong signature cocktails made for the location, such as the Malibu Manhattan with Lucky’s Special Select Maker’s Mark Bourbon.

The Barish

NeueHouse

POP-UP STANDOUTS

A look at this season’s roaming dining destinations. BY CAROLE DIXON

While the term pop-up applies to everything from a retail launch to a boxing workout, the restaurant industry has fully embraced this temporary mode of operating a business. From a celebratory one-night event to a weekend in Cabo, here are some fun ones to pop into this summer and beyond.

Close To Home:

ROCA has popped up at The Americana at Brand in Glendale with patio dining through the summer. This elevated take on Roman-style street-food pizza from Rick Rosen eld (co-founder of California Pizza Kitchen), features acclaimed Executive Chef Luigi Roditis from El Segundo’s Il Romanista. Look for two brick-and-mortar locations later this year in Marina del Rey and on the Westside.

Beloved local chef Ray Garcia of Broken Spanish has been in residence at NEUEHOUSE in Hollywood since earlier this year after his agship downtown restaurant closed in 2020. Originally scheduled as a month-long venture, the experience has been extended to the end of July due to an overwhelmingly positive response for Garcia’s modern Mexican dishes.

Some pop-ups, such as the h.wood Group’s SANT’OLINA, on the rooftop of the Beverly Hilton, end up staying inde nitely. So far, slab BBQ king Burt Bakman’s Mediterranean menu has been a hit and isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future.

The Kimpton La Peer in West Hollywood offers a trio of temporary dining offerings. Olivetta on Melrose operated a short-term space at the hotel during the pandemic, which has

morphed into ISSIMA BY OLIVETTA MEDITERRANEAN GRILL from Tuesday through Saturday. On Sunday and Monday, TOKYO NIGHTS will emerge as a Japanese street-food concept with libations with a kaiseki menu overseen by chef Michael Rotondo from Charlie Trotter and Mexico’s One&Only. The third pop-up, Light, will offer a healthy haven for breakfast with delicious, guilt-free cuisine, including a smoothie menu inspired by the Dogpound tness trainers nearby.

Dining Destinations:

The Farmhouse, a chic event venue at the Ojai Valley Inn, has been a hot spot for visiting L.A. chefs.On July 4, they will hold a WHISTLEPIG dinner by guest chef Neal Fraser (Redbird), and a FRASCA FOOD AND WINE pop-up with chef Bobby Stuckey from Boulder, Colorado, on July 8.

Down on the Baja coast, Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal has a monthly, immersive CULINARY WEEKEND SERIES that features the talents of Executive Chef Gustavo Pinet alongside Michelin-starred chefs, James Beard Award winners, and Top Chef alumni. If you missed chef Michael Mina in the spring, Tex-Mex chef Ronnie Killen is scheduled for July 4th weekend; chefs Sarah Grueneberg and Mindy Segal from Chicago in October; and chef Brian Malarkey in November.

In Hawaii, the Four Seasons Resort Huala -lai’s CHEF IN RESIDENCE SERIES is offering a monthly lineup of global leaders in the culinary space. Each chef will stay for a weekend pop-up with cooking classes, culminating in a special menu at the resort’s signature restaurant ‘ULU Ocean Grill + Sushi Lounge. Recent successes have included L.A.’s Chad Colby of Antico. Up next is Charles Phan of The Slanted Door (July 9–11) and Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune (August 6–8), so you have plenty of time to plan that island getaway.

Hualālai’s ‘ULU Ocean Grill + Sushi Lounge

TRENDS—SANTA BARBARA

NORTHERN STAR

Head 100 miles up the 101 and you can be in Santa Barbara to enjoy a plethora of new dining options for every craving, lifestyle, and budget—from downtown to the beach. BY CAROLE DIXON

Dining by the Sea:

COSTA KITCHEN & BAR brings Southern Italian fare by Executive Chef Nathan Lingle to the beachfront Mar Monte Hotel, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt. The Spanish tiles from 1931 have been painstakingly restored and mixed with Block Shop Textile wall art as the perfect mix of old and new world. The sunny yellow accents of the dining room cast the perfect mood for dipping crusty bread into a steamy bowl of cioppino loaded with local shell sh or an artichoke in a Pinot Grigio/Calabrian chili broth.

For daytime activities, you can take one of the bikes down to the shore or play bocce ball. The pool has a roving oyster shucker and wine pairings during sunset at the ocean-view lobby lounge. In the morning, a prosciutto egg sandwich or date shake from CAFÉ LIDO are a must before you tackle any waves.

Montecito Updates:

This past April, the old Malibu Farm space at the Rosewood Miramar Beach has morphed into THE REVERE ROOM, awash in a subtle hue of handpainted, pale-blue wallpaper and crisp white chairs leading out to a patio. The all-day menu by chef Massimo utilizes the on-site garden and local purveyors for “land, sea, and air” dishes such as veggie chop, shrimp mac and cheese, and albondigas with fresh tortillas—and you can still glimpse the ocean views out over the main lawn.

Down in the village, Montecito Inn’s indoor-outdoor COAST & OLIVE features Snake River farms Wagyu burgers with

La Paloma Café

Palihouse

bacon jam, brussels sprouts sauteed with hazelnuts, and an addictive spicy-sweet popcorn mixture for cocktail hour. Next door, chef Phillip Frankland Lee runs an intimate 17-course omakase SUSHIBAR. Across the street, the FOLDED HILLS wine-tasting room, exclusive to the area, lets you can sip a tasting ight, from rosé to Syrah, while having sandwiches on Bob’s Well bread out on the patio.

Presidio District:

If you’d rather stay in town and walk to the shops, galleries, and cafes on State Street, PALIHOUSE in the Presidio District

Costa Kitchen & Bar

brings the quirky curated décor and charm of the brand to a Spanish colonial–inspired building on Garden Street. The new courtyard restaurant and bar has one of the best breakfast burritos in town with a local, citrusy Figueroa Mountain IPA and a classic negroni or perfectly chilled martini in the evening.

Just a few blocks away, LA PALOMA CAFÉ—from the owners of Funk Zone favorites The Lark, Loquita, and Lucky Penny—is a lively, multilevel Mexican patio spot crying out for a celebration. Start with the crispy wheat chips with citrus that are a healthy alternative to tortilla chips, and a Paloma tequila cocktail, but don’t skip the Santa Maria Tri-Tip with BBQ pinquito beans or JT’s Salad with charred corn on a garlic tostada.

Downtown Dining: Cool new spots worth a visit include VENUS IN FURS wine bar (they make wine cocktails, too) or SECRET BAO, which uses everything from pork belly to PB&J to stuff its modern Asian buns.

Summerland: On the way in or out of town, be sure to stop at the new hotspot FIELD + FORT for coffee and scones on picnic benches outside and all things home and garden, from gourmet pantry nds to chocolates, cookbooks, and cookware.