Redirected: New Restaurants

Kitchen Table

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Photo courtesy of Kitchen Table

Perch’s monopoly on downtown’s rooftop dining scene is a thing of the past. While the view from the outdoor deck at Kitchen Table isn’t as soaring (you’re looking down on Bäco Mercat next door), the solid grub makes up for it. The entrées are categorized by generic headings like Cow, Pig, Bird, Fish, or Earth. On our visit Cow was a hefty hanger steak with a sultry pommes fondue and cipollini. Pig was represented by pork cheeks with spaetzle, green apple, and mustard. The Bird offering was quail, and Earth highlighted wild mushrooms. A butter lettuce salad was dressed with red grapes, Mahón cheese, and baby artichokes. » 410 S. Main St., 213-617-3000 or kitchentabledtla.com.

The Parish

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy theparishla.com

Casey Lane is trying to kill us. Why else would the Tasting Kitchen chef open a gastropub that serves crispy chicken wings, battered fish and chips, buttermilk fried chicken, fried frogs’ legs, towering potpies, a burger dripping with époisses, and two kinds of the Canadian french fry-gravy concoction called poutine—one with fried oysters, another with pork parts? It doesn’t help that he’s doing this in a space that in good weather will find us on the patio of Spring Street’s historic flatiron-style building and in winter will have us lingering upstairs in tufted leather chairs. Crafted cocktails that leave Prohibition far behind only bolster the argument. » 840 S. Spring St., 213-225-2400 or theparishla.com.

The Sycamore Kitchen

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:12:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy thesycamorekitchen.com

At first we dismissed Karen Hatfield’s new café as a humble bakery-and- sandwiches operation. How wrong we were. OK, the tuna sammie is fish on white bread, but it’s fresh albacore on a house-made country loaf. The chicken salad on crispy “toast” is flecked with tarragon, studded with grapes and walnuts, and dressed with a Greek yogurt aioli. Heartier fare includes a BLTA with bacon and pork belly and a croque ma-dame that’s faultless—no surprise if you’ve had the more formal version at Hatfield’s. Leave room for pastries like the berries-and-cream cookie and the Breton butter bomb known as kouign amann. » 143 S. La Brea Ave., 323-939-0151

Osteria Drago

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:23:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy osteriadrago.com

Although Drago Ristorante is closed, its handmade pastas live on at this addition to Celestino Drago’s Italian empire. Aside from a coat of white paint, little has changed inside the former home of Il Sole (the old tenant’s name remains spelled out in the floor tiles). This is Italian for the Sunset Plaza set, by which we mean there’s kale in the panzanella and chicken and salmon among the secondi. But the chef breaks out with preparations like uni panna cotta with chilled shellfish and a spelt-flour pancake topped with a 63-degree egg and prosciutto. As is often the case at Drago’s spots, though, our favorite dish is a simple pasta: trenne—triangular penne in a spicy tomato sauce. » 8741 W. Sunset Blvd., 310-657-1182

Alma

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 17:08:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy of Alma

Expect to see more of this: pop-up restaurants turned brick-and-mortar. Most will not make a successful transition. Alma could be the exception. Ari Taymor, formerly of the Bay Area’s Flour + Water (and nephew of director Julie Taymor), launched Alma at a Venice café. In his new, admittedly spare permanent digs, he and his team execute contemporary plates that take their cues from the seasons. Our late summer meal included a sweet corn soup spiced with vadouvan, and in a preview of winter, a singular cassoulet of smoked duck, roasted plums, and Japanese eggplant. No wine and beer yet, but house-made sodas, like plum-vanilla, help fill the void. » 952 S. Broadway, 213-444-0984.

Trattoria Neapolis

Edited by Lesley Barger Suter — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy of Trattoria Neapolis

We’re surprised it took this long for Bottega Louie, downtown’s Italian behemoth, to motivate others to attempt something similar. While its feel is more corporate, Pasadena’s two-story endeavor is in many ways better than its model—reservations are accepted, for one thing, and the attitude is more welcoming. Then there’s that wood oven, which puts out Neapolitan pizzas that are authentically soft and chewy. The menu—as huge as the space—ranges all over Italy: bagna cauda salad from the north, grilled octopus from the south, and a seasonal fruit tiramisu from the country’s heart. » 336 S. Lake Ave., 626-792-3000 or trattorianeapolis.com.

Bow & Truss

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 16:36:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy of Bow & Truss

The NoHo Arts District spot, which offers a Latin menu by chef Stefhanie Meyers (formerly of Rivera), gets a lot of things right. The front patio: massive and sure to become a nightlife beacon. The drinks: original, with sherry as the muse. The food: heavily Spanish, with three twists on paella (seafood, meat, mush-room); piquillo peppers stuffed with crab and má-hon cheese; and the brilliant cornmeal-crusted smelt fries. There are hints of Mexico, too, in the pork belly tacos and the ceviches with plantain chips. A cheese platter highlights Spanish varieties and house-made accompaniments, including fruit spreads and spiced pepitas. » 11122 Magnolia Blvd., 818-985-8787 or bowandtruss.com.

Superba Snack Bar

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:39:00 GMT

Photograph by Andrea Bricco

No restaurant feels quite as of the moment as this joint from Pitfire Pizza cofounder Paul Hibler, where chef Jason Neroni’s small plates change with the tides. A black garlic sauce accompanies a rustic campagnola terrine. Unusual salads sport such Asian touches as puffed rice and miso blue cheese. Fried chicken and a brazen duck egg take on papas bravas are among the “snacks.” Handmade pasta is a must-order, whether it’s the rare creste de gallo with mussels and chorizo or the casa-recce with crispy sardines and bottarga bread crumbs. Throwback desserts, like the banana split, are playful, if out of place. » 533 Rose Ave., 310-399-6400 or superbasnackbar.com.

Laurel Hardware

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:17:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy of remodelista.com

Other than the luxury cars at the valet stand, there’s little indication from the street that this place is any-thing but a hardware store. Transformed into a bar and restaurant, the front room functions as a casual eatery, while the chic back lounge is where beautiful people nibble (or not) on Mario Alberto’s small plates, which are a notch above your average bar food. Black barley forms the base of a snap pea salad; softshell crab joins sweet corn pudding; Hatch chiles spice up a cracker-crust pizza. Take a cocktail out to the gravel courtyard. » 7984 Santa Monica Blvd., 323-656-6070 or laurelhardware.com.

Mercado

Edited by Lesley Barger Suter — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:47:00 GMT

Jesse Gomez has come a long way from El Arco Iris, his grandparents’ six table Mexican institution in Highland Park. The Eastside native opened the stylish Yxta Cocina Mexicana near Little Tokyo in 2009; now he’s aiming even higher with the dashing Mercado, situated across the street from Border Grill. Chef Jose Acevedo uses handmade tortillas and farmers’ market finds to interpret the varied cuisines of Mexico: slow-cooked carnitas with cauliflower escabeche, pork empanadas made with plantain masa, Mexican craft beer-battered fish tacos. Playful tequila cocktails complete the meal. » 1416 4th St., 310-526-7121