10 minute read
Trends: romantic dining, plant-based options, food beyond Pasadena
GREAT DATES
Whether on February 14 or just a random Wednesday, taking your partner out for a romantic dinner is always a good idea. BY CAROLE DIXON
If you want to stay local, Kaviar in Old Pasadena is a cozy spot for sharing a signature sushi roll or two with someone you love. The brand also has expanded to the DTLA Arts District with one of the most romantic dining rooms in town.
For the new space, classic art deco elements in the front bar entrance lead down a long hallway, past the glass-encased kitchen and private omakase tasting room to the plush back room behind black velvet drapes near the stunning samurai display case. There is even a special crystal-chandeliered room for Aureta caviar tasting and spirit pairings with Casa Del Sol tequila.
With Executive Chef John Hans Yeo at the helm, the sushi bar uses responsibly sourced sh topped with luxury ingredients—from caviar to truf es from France—along with a top sake list and seasonal handcrafted cocktails such as the Toyama Rising with Haku vodka, pineapple, and mole bitters.
On La Brea, at Workshop Kitchen and Bar, sexy private pods line the walls,
PALOMA
allowing you to discretely tuck into the tasting menu and olive oil–washed martinis. Or at the Conrad Los Angeles hotel you can have your pick of dreamy views from the sunset bouncing off The Music Center while dining on Jose Andres’ Spanish-inspired food at San Laurel.
For another iconic view, head to The Aster private club in Hollywood, where you don’t have to be a member to dine on the roof at Lemon Grove with a view of the Capitol Records building.
On the Westside, Paloma is the latest addition to the Venice dining scene. Acclaimed designers Theresa Fatino and Tony Schubert have created an expansive indoor-outdoor Mediterranean oasis, perfect for a romantic meal of sea bass crudo, tomahawk steak, or lobster spaghetti under the bougainvillea and stars. The kitchen is helmed by Raul Cerritos, a veteran chef from the original Madeo for more than two decades. Speaking of Madeo, the iconic eatery is back in the form of a charming KAVIAR indoor-outdoor space adjacent to the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood. You can still order signature eggplant parmesan, focaccia, and fettucine for lunch or dinner. At Melrose Place in West Hollywood, a new stop for a unique date night, you can nibble on caviar fries and let mignon at a rooftop marble bar and banquettes with hillside views. SLS Hotel’s newest restaurant, Le Monde, A TableMation Animated Culinary Experience, features a four-course French menu and a new speakeasy for fun, immersive date experiences featuring 3D-animation at each table.
NOOMO SEABIRDS HART HOUSE
NEW YEAR, NEW PLANT-BASED
Yes, it’s time to start thinking (again) about eating more vegetables.
BY CAROLE DIXON
It might be a cliché, but who does not want to start off the New Year eating healthier? Here are a trio of new plant-based, fast-casual, and fun spots that will feel like a “cheat day” while transporting you back to childhood favorite after-school snacks and meals.
It’s been less than a year since actor and comedian Kevin Hart launched Hart House, which serves sustainable, plant-forward fast food in Westchester, but the brand has already expanded to the San Gabriel Valley with a second location in Monrovia.
This new venture came to fruition as part of a lifestyle necessity. “As an actor and comedian, I’m always busy, always on the road,” Hart says. “And I know that so many other people are also busy, and on the road, and I recognized that we all need a healthier, better option. Hart House felt like the natural evolution of my exitarian lifestyle and my business ecosystem.”
Hart House Monrovia is located on Huntington Drive and features a cheerful and bright interior design by Kai Williamson and Nicollette Santos. “When I got together with my partners, I really wanted to build something just as delicious as the other major players in fast food, but make it plant-based and keep it affordable so
—KEVIN HART that it is accessible to all,” Hart says. “By pricing our sandwiches within the $6 to $8 range, we are showing that more sustainable food options are not out of reach anymore.” Some of those craveable items include burgers, spicy chicken sandwiches, tater tots, and fries.
Nomoo in West Hollywood opened in 2020 but is continually revamping its menu offerings. The plant-based fast-casual franchise got its start offering top-quality meatless burgers with tasty shakes and has recently added cheezy-crunch tacos (inspired by Taco Bell’s popular cheesy gordita) and crispy chick’n kale Caesar salad, plus a new proprietary “beef” patty, nonGMO, gluten-free burger made from pea protein.
Stephanie Morgan’s plant-based Seabirds Kitchen has added weekend brunch, along with a new cocktail and drinks program, on an expansive patio in the Los Feliz location. Look for brunch tacos on our tortillas with walnut chorizo and a rosemary cheddar “biscuit bomb” with eggy tofu. Seabirds also launched “Pizza Night” by popular demand, with a choice of a red pie with mushroom and artichoke hearts or white pie with broccolini, available Friday–Sunday, 5 p.m. to close.
VILLA MARA CARMEL
ROMANCE IS IN THE AIR
How to wine, dine, and fall in love all over again in Carmel and Sausalito.
BY CAROLE DIXON
New to the scene in Carmel-bythe-Sea, Villa Mara Carmel is a 16-room Leading Hotels of the World property just steps from the beach. It feels like a private home, with a front porch and backyard repit. While there is not a formal restaurant on site, pastries and quiche from local bakery Sweet Elena’s, delivered daily, are worth getting out of bed for. In the afternoon into the evening, the hotel also offers sandwiches, salads, cheese/charcuterie boards, and plenty of wine to enjoy in a cozy living room setting by the re. Try to book an upstairs room for a stunning sunset view over the water or the private cottage with an outdoor bathtub.
If you’d prefer to stay in the heart of town, closer to shops and art galleries, book Relais & Châteaux’s European-style L’Auberge Carmel. It features a charming courtyard for breakfast and Forbes Travel Guide ve-star restaurant Aubergine for dinner. You can arrange for an in-room massage or sunset sail through the hotel’s curated guest packages.
The downtown restaurant scene is also booming in this one-square-mile town—from fine dining at Foray to Chez Noir, where seafood paella, Spanish tortilla with salt cod, and oysters with peach pepper and passion fruit are must orders from chef Jonny Black, who hails from San Francisco’s Atelier Crenn and Quince. If you are planning a beach picnic, stop by Rise + Roam in Carmel Village for pastries or sandwiches and pick up a bottle of wine from one of 20 tasting rooms.
Cruise up Highway 1 through San Francisco, and Sausalito is just a 10-minute hop over the Golden Gate Bridge or a beautiful ferry ride away. Stay at the newly revamped The Inn Above
INN ABOVE THE TIDE. BELOW: THE BUMP BAR
Tide in one 33 spacious rooms with large wooden decks, replaces, soaking tubs, and views of the city. The breakfast buffet features pastries and quiche from Starter Bakery in Berkeley, delivered daily, for the perfect start to a brisk morning walk, kayaking, or sailing.
The hotel recently announced a partnership with Deborah Keane, founder of the sustainable California Caviar Company—who supplies Petit Crenn, among others—and owner of the newly opened hidden gem, The Bump Bar. While you can sit at the bar for caviar service in bumps or a ight, this intimate 12-seat restaurant has à la carte and tasting menus by chef Mathieu Legendre that showcase seafood-centric dishes such as scallops and black bass topped with caviar and roe, along with exquisite champagne and wine pairings.
Look into booking the “Inn Above Tide & The Bump Bar” package that includes one night’s stay and a welcome amenity of a Mother of Pearl Palette and $100 gift certi cate to purchase California Caviar Company caviar, along with a ve-course meal and wine pairing exclusively for guests.
WILL TRAVEL FOR SUSHI
For the best sushi on the planet, Tokyo is the obvious choice—along with just staying in L.A. and hitting-up Nobu. But here are a few new spots worth the travel for fresh nigiri and award-winning omakase meals.
Vegas, Baby
Two-Michelin-star chef Tetsuya Wakuda from Sydney and Singapore unveiled his fi rst U.S. restaurant in partnership with 50 Eggs Hospitality Group at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. WAKUDA’s elevated Japanese cuisine was inspired by the Shinjuku area of Tokyo.
Highlights include the intimate eight-seat omakase and private sushi room where signature dishes range from poached angel prawns with shellfi sh soy sauce to smoked ocean trout salad and Yaki Shabu Omi beef, paired with your choice of more than 100 sakes— Tetsuya was honored as the fi rst international sake ambassador by the Japanese sake industry—including rare vintages produced in small batches by sake artisans and specially brewed for the restaurant.
Island Life
If you’d rather hit tropical shores, Sushi Sho at the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach is a coveted, 10-seat omakase
SUSHI SHO
restaurant led by legendary chef Keiji Nakazawa. This is the chef’s fi rst restaurant outside of Japan, and the menu refl ects the way he was inspired by Hawaii’s local bounty and abundance of fi sh.
The omakase experience features an edomae style of sushi utilizing over 40 types of fi sh, which is an ancient method that emphasizes aging fi sh to maximize fl avor; most guests will have about 30 di erent dishes during their experience. The restaurant also o ers a one-of-a-kind private beach excursion, where bento boxes featuring the chef’s innovative techniques for aging, curing, smoking, brining, and pickling fresh seafood are paired with sake.
A RICE POUR
Sake Hundred is elevating the sake-drinking experience by releasing its fl agship Byakko Bespoke ($380; us.sakehundred.com), which is made from the “king of rice,” Dewasansan, at the Tatenokawa Brewery in Yamagata, Japan—known for making Junmai Daiginjo, the highest-grade sake designation, requiring over 200 hours of meticulous polishing, rendering delicate aromas of white fl owers and stone fruits.
South of the Border
For Nobu in a di erent setting, visit the Nobu Los Cabos hotel and sushi restaurant in Cabo San Lucas. When you want a break from tacos and tequila, sit at the sushi bar for fresh nigiri and rare sake. Specialty items with a Latin fl air were created just for this location, such as the short rib mole miso.
California Love
Sausalito’s Sushi Ran has been given a Michelin nod for inventive rolls, Wagyu yaki, seaweed salads, and sake fl ights. The Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel in Montecito now holds the intimate 13-seat Michelin-starred AMA Sushi bar o ering one omakase seating (edomae style) each evening with sake pairings or an à la carte pairings or an à la carte menu by chef Kentaro menu by chef Kentaro Ikuta. Fiish at the Platform Ikuta. Fiish at the Platform in Culver City features chef in Culver City features chef Colin Whitbread's sustainColin Whitbread's sustainable sushi sourced from able sushi sourced from the Sea of Cortez with winthe Sea of Cortez with winning combinations of Ōra ning combinations of Ōra King salmon with dry miso King salmon with dry miso powder and halibut with powder and halibut with smoked olive oil, trout roe, smoked olive oil, trout roe, and plum salt. and plum salt. —C.D.
