Sweetgreen
The East Coast’s go-to for super smartly sourced seasonal salads and bowl opened its West Coast flagship on West 3rd St. back in May and its second in Santa Monica in August. Now its time for it to add to its collection of Los Angeles restaurants with a Hollywood debut. The concept is easy: Build your own salad or bowl from fresh produce or opt for one of the signature or seasonal specialties like the OMG Omega with organic arugula, baby spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, basil, avocado, roasted salmon, nori furikake with a sesame ginger dressing; or the Earth Bowl with warm quinoa and farro, organic arugula, roasted chicken, organic white cheddar, tomato, corn, organic chickpeas, spicy broccoli and pesto vinaigrette; and many more. Also enjoy a selection of soups and house made beverages. 8055 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.934.3404.; 1343 4th St., Santa Monica; 6115 Sunset Blvd., L.A., 323.498.5558. sweetgreen.com
Thanksgiving is just days away, find out where to fest in Los Angeles.
E.P. & L.P.
Nov. 30. West Hollywood’s Asian eating house and LP Rooftop—host celebrated mixologists Vincenzo Marianella and Enzo Cangemi for a one-night-only Italian-inspired guest bartender takeover curated by E.P. & L.P.’s Beverage Director, Alex Straus. The original beverage menu ($10 each) will feature Campari cocktails with traditional Italian ingredients such as orange marmalade, thyme, truffle salt water and more. Sip drinks like the 50 Special with Campari, rye, orange marmalade, lemon, lager beer and thyme; and Me dijo mi Suegr with Espolon blanco tequila, Frangelico, guava nectar, espresso and jalapeño. Pair your drinks with Executive Chef Louis Tikaram’s modern Asian street food-inspired menu ($10 each) such as Lou’s Dogg, L.P. Nachos, Turmeric Pork Skewers and more. 603 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.855.9955. eplosangeles.com
Love & Salt
Dec. 3. Chefs Michael Fiorelli (Love & Salt), Michael Voltaggio (Ink, Ink Sac) and Kelly Whitaker (Basta and Cart-Driver in Denver) collaborate on a special dinner that both celebrates Love & Salt’s one-year anniversary and benefits the Tehachapi Grain Project, whose mission is to preserve heirloom grains in California. Expect a four-course dinner that includes wood-roasted cuttlefish, Brussels sprouts, salt roasted celery root, Sonora wheat berry; Weiser Farm’s Sonora wheat creste di gallo, whipped ricotta, wilted escarole, parmesan brodo, little rabbit meatballs; Wagyu short rib pastrami, fermented cabbage, charcoal Weiser Farm potatoes, rye jus; brown butter, barley & persimmon crostata, rolled oats, lemon marionberry ice cream; in addition to passed appetizers and bread baked with Weiser Farm’s red fife wheat, warm marinated olives, pickled peppers and aged provolone. 7 p.m. $80/pp, $115/pp with wine pairings. 317 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, 310.545.5252. loveandsaltla.com
eLOVate Kitchen
Chef Roberto Martin didn’t always delve into plant-based cuisine. But once he started working for Ellen DeGeneres, he embarked on an entirely new way of cooking for the vegan television personality. It was during that time that he decided to adopt the lifestyle for himself. You can now dine on Chef Martin’s cooking at eLOVate Kitchen in Santa Monica. The cozy spot is tucked one block south of the Santa Monica Pier. His New York Times bestselling cookbook, Vegan Cooking for Carnivores, sums up his point of view: cooking the things he likes and adapting them for a plant-based diet. Chef Martin incorporates organic produce into dishes like ancho-marinated mistake mushroom skewers; guajillo jackfruit tacos; grilled vegetable sandwich; classic poutine with almond cheese curds and mushroom gravy; and sake-braised daikon scallops. The restaurant also serves a full range of organic and vegan cold-pressed juices (get the flight to find your favorite), smoothies, cocktails, beer, ciders and wine. 1705 Ocean Ave #111, Santa Monica, 424.272.8700. elovatekitchen.com
The Larchmont
There are few Los Angeles restaurants where you can dine and feel right at home. The Larchmont, set in a hundred-year-old Craftsman-style house, has the advantage. The two-story space glows with soft light and bustles with neighborhood regulars and curious culinarians who are relaxed in the main dining room or casual patio. Walk in and you’re beckoned by Carrara marble-topped bar an menu of seasonal crafted cocktails and French inspired California fare from new Chef Michael Bryant. His garden-to-table approach sources ingredients from co-owner Spoon Singh’s farm as well as from local farmers markets and foragers. Highlights of the new menu include charred Spanish octopus with nduja sausage, garlic, peas, harissa, potato chips, fennel and cilantro; harissa-seared scallops with pancetta, frisee, smoked almonds, pomegranate, poached egg and hollandaise; and roasted chicken with acorn squash, crispy sage, pepitas, chanterelles, pearl onions, grilled haricot vert, charred carrot, burnt scallion oil and chicken jus. The restaurant also offers a new Sunday Supper; for $45 you can enjoy a weekly changing menu. 5750 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.464.4277. thelarchmont.com
9021Pho
Just in time for pho season in Los Angeles, the popular Vietnamese/Californian eatery with five Los Angeles restaurants has brought on new Executive Chef Kevin Hee. Chef Hee has worked with some of the best in the business including Gordon Ramsay and Michael Mina. He was most recently at Fig & Olive in Newport Beach before he took off for Vietnam to find inspiration for his new menu at 9021Pho. Aside from its pho selection (everything from traditional pho bo and pho ga to pho chicken curry and spicy ’n’ sour pho), one of the greatest things about the new menu is the ability to add a cup of pho to any salad or bang mi-inspired sandwich—basically giving you the best of both worlds. The most genius sandwich on the new menu is the French dip, corned beef brisket, tucked into a soft French baguette with micro pea shoots, micro cilantro, umami mayo, pickled carrot, daikon and served with a Vietnamese beef jus for dipping. Also dive into a variety of stir-fried noodles; fresh, crunchy and spring rolls, Sriracha hot wings and more, including beer wine and sake selections. Find locations in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, the Valley and Glendale. 9021pho.com
M Café, Los Angeles
The revered destination for macrobiotic cuisine opens its doors after an extensive redesign of the location and menu. Find a playful and graphic interior with hexagonal mosaic-like floor tiles, cedar wood shingle wall coverings, Japanese wara juraku stucco made of straw and a peg board ceiling. Foliage can be found everywhere from built-in planters to a plant wall covering the upper façade of the building. The menu takes inspiration from the Japanese traditions of macrobiotic dining and blends in bold new flavors for breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner. New offerings include Macro Yaki Soba, buckwheat noodles, shiitake mushrooms, seared tofu and pea shoots; Kimchee Barley & Fried Rice, with Koda Farms rice, king oyster mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and spicy miso; The M Bahn Mi, cha-shu-style seitan, sliced cucumbers, pickled daikon and Thai basil; among others. The location is in soft-opening now and will have its grand-reopening on Dec. 5. 7119 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.525.0588. mcafedechaya.com
Artisan House
The chic downtown dining destination inside the Pacific Electric Building pairs its Cal-Med cuisine with a new cocktail menu. Stand outs include the Sparrow with rum, abano, pineapple and lemon; El Diablo with mezcal, Cassis, Chartreuse, habanero and ginger beer; and Black Star with rye, Averna and peach bitters. Pair those with pizzas from their stone oven, fall pastas like autumn butternut squash tortellini, or grilled prime rib eye with potato bacon terrine and shallot puree. 600 S. Main St., downtown, 213.622.6333. artisanhouse.net
Umami Burger
Feast on Umami Burger’s newest decadent creation, The Holiday Bird. Complete with a signature turkey patty, a cornbread stuffing patty, housemade turkey gravy, fresh ginger-cranberry chutney, spiced Japanese yams and sprinkled with Umami-dusted fried sage, there’s a holiday meal in every bite. $1 from every burger will benefit Meals on Wheels America. See website for locations around L.A. umamiburger.com
JINYA Ramen Express
Starting with a bowl of broth simmered for 10 hours and noodles aged for three days, you can build your own ramen bowl at the new outpost of JINYA at Hollywood & Highland Center. The fast-casual concept comes from Tomonori Takahashi, CEO and Founder of the Robata JINYA and JINYA Ramen Bar. With the new concept, he aims to marry authentic ramen with a fast-paced life. Once you’re in line, you can go the soup route, or opt for a ramen salad or rice bowl. All the extra ingredients—broths (tonkotsu, spicy chicken, or vegan), pork, chicken, vegetable, noodles (thick or thin), proteins, sauces and garnishes are there for your taking to customize your perfect dish. Not feeling creative? Pick from one of JINYA’s signatures. 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 317, L.A. jinya-ramenbar.com
Magnolia House
The cozy and contemporary bungalow situated on South Lake Avenue in Pasadena welcomes Executive Chef Evan Colter who is adding his point of view to the menu, and kicking off weekly Sunday Suppers. Every month Colter will showcase a region of the United States starting with the Southeast through dishes like buttermilk fried duck, biscuits and gravy and mustard potato salad served with housemade hot sauce. Bar Manager Brian Klemm also adds his playful twist to the dinner, pairing one of his signature specialty cocktails with each meal. 492 South Lake Ave., Pasadena, 626.584.1121. themaghouse.com