dineL.A. Restaurant Week
Through Jan. 31. Hundreds of fine restaurants across the county offer specially priced prix-fixe menus for lunch and dinner. New Exclusive Series will feature a tier of experiential menus from the city’s top chefs. $1 from every reservation booked online will benefit the Midnight Mission. See website for list of participating eateries. discoverLosAngeles.com/dineLA
Kali
Opens Jan. 27. The brainchild of Chef Kevin Meehan (of pop-up dinner party Kali Dining) and Drew Langley (former wine director of Providence) brings its nuanced take on contemporary Californian cuisine to Larchmont Village. The duo aims to bring a new style of dining to L.A. with “Michelin-level cuisine, wine and hospitality, re-imagined and stripped of the white tablecloths and tension of a formal environment,” says Meehan. Look forward to dishes like rockfish crudo; heritage grain risotto with black garlic and San Joaquin cheese; squab with carrots, honey and lavender; cavatelli with local peppercorns, creme fraiche and fried wild arugula; and toasted meringue gelato dusted with shavings of cured candied egg yolk for dessert. Langley aims to align the bar to compliment Meehan’s cuisine with a wine list focused on the Central Coast varitals and a few offerings from private collectors. Cocktails use locally sourced spirits, housemade shrubs and farmers market finds. You can also opt for craft beer and Meehan’s housemade kombucha. 5722 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.871.4160. kalirestaurant.com
Fritzi
Opens Jan. 29. Chef Neal Fraser’s brew-centric restaurant opens its doors adjacent to the Arts District Brewery downtown. Flock to the location for wood-fired rotisserie chicken dishes, steak frites, Santa Barabara white fish and housemade sides (fries, tots, potato waffles) made to pair well with the brewery’s seasonal beers and Fritzi’s handcrafted cocktails and wines. 814 Traction Ave., downtown, 213.537.0327. artsdistrictbrewing.com
Connie & Ted’s Brunch
Spend your weekend gorging on New England-style seafood fare for brunch at Connie and Ted’s. The lauded West Hollywood restaurant, from seafood guru Michael Cimarusti, offers new seafood-centric brunch offerings created by Executive Chef Sam Baxter. Dine on dishes like Peeky Toe crab and lobster omelet; Nor’Easter breakfast sandwich with Nueske’s bacon, egg, clam strips, Hook’s cheddar, tartar sauce, housemade English muffin, served with home fried potatoes; house-smoked salmon with buckwheat blini, crème fraiche, egg, red onion and capers; and “Biscuits and Gravy” with Maine lobster, two sunny side eggs and lobster nage. Complete your meal with bloody marys made with vodka infused with celery and bay leaves; Micheladas and mimosas for $5 each. Sat.-Sun., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 8171 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, 323.848.2722. connieandteds.com
Proud Bird Brunch
Jan. 31. The iconic aviation-themed restaurant that overlooks one of LAX’s runways is going under the knife for 10 weeks starting Feb. 1, and offers its last champagne Sunday brunch before the change this weekend. Dine on everything from crab legs and crispy bacon to waffles and omelets. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 11022 Aviation Blvd., L.A., 310.670.3093. theproudbird.com
SOL Cocina Playa Vista
Dine on Baja-inspired Mexican fare while you sip from a selection of more than 70 tequilas at SOL Cocina’s newest outpost in Playa Vista. The foundation of the menu are antojitos—Mexican snack foods like a variety of guacamoles, street-style grilled sweet corn and cocoanut calamari. Speaking of seafood, you can gorge on an array of ceviches and seafood samplers like their “Just Chillin’” that is stacked with oysters on the half shell, gulf shrimp, crab and mussels. The rest of the menu is rounded out with taco plates and burritos and cooked dishes like short ribs barbacoa. There are a number of vegan and gluten free options available as well. 12775 West Millennium Drive, Suite #160, Playa Vista, 424.289.0066. solcocina.com
Playa Amor
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Chef Thomas Ortega (Ortega 120, Amor Y Tacos) spreads the love in Long Beach with his third restaurant. The two-time Hell’s Kitchen guest judge for Mexican cuisine amps up the sophistication at Playa Amor with seafood dishes (Tres Mares salmon pan roast with Mexican white shrimp and bay scallops) and plates inspired by upbringing as a Chicano in L.A. (New Mexico green hatch chile spaghetti). Loyal followers will also be excited to know that Ortega’s signature mole tots make the menu as well. 6527 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, 562.860.2667. PlayaAmorLB.com
The Belvedere at The Peninsula Beverly Hills
Just in time for Awards Season, the dining destination inside The Peninsula Beverly Hills opens its doors after a four-month-long face lift. Find an airy dining room that blends the hotel’s French-country look with updated, contemporary accents, and serves as a backdrop for a million-dollar art collection that showcases works from Yayoi Kusama, Robert Indiana, Alex Katz and Sean Scully. The restaurant also unveils an entirely new Mediterranean-inspired menu from Executive Chef David Codney. Dine on signatures like taramasalata (creamy cod roe dip) with freshly baked pita, salt cod croquettes with roasted piquillo, grass-fed lamb tagine with golden raisin couscous and cucumber yogurt and whole roasted branzino marinated in olive oil, preserved lemon and fennel. Taste a carefully curated list of over 50 wines by the glass (typically only available by bottle) using Coravin technology, or choose from a bevy of limited production wines, craft beers and cocktails. All meals daily. (photo Ryan Forbes) 9882 S. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, 310.975.2736. peninsula.com/belvedere
The Butcher’s Daughter
The celebrated NYC vegetarian cafe, juice bar and marketplace opens its new flagship on Abbot Kinney Blvd. The 3,200 square-foot space boasts an indoor/outdoor café that is highlighted by a 50-foot communal dining center, California lifestyle market, vegetable butcher and raw bar and espresso bar exclusively serving Vittoria Coffee out of local artisan ceramic cups. The menu from Executive Chef Jermaine Jonas offers their signature smashed avocado toast and spicy kale Caeser, along with new wood-fired vegan pizzas and cauliflower “steak frites.” Sip on the brand’s new private label wines like “Slutty Red” pinot noir, “Sassy White” sauvignon blanc, and “Sexy Rose,” and cocktails fortified with cold pressed juices and housemade tinctures. The location is open now from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and serves breakfast all day; lunch, dinner and weekend brunch are coming soon. 1205 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. thebutchersdaughter.com
Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill
Make your experience at The Grove a little more social with Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill’s new social hour in their back bar. Enjoy deals on drinks and small bites like a selection of handrolls, teriyaki meatball skewers with spicy mustard, and a three-piece seasonal sushi/sashimi platter. Mon.-Fri. 4-7 p.m. 89 The Grove Drive, L.A. blueribbonrestaurants.com