Food for Thought

4 restaurants I love, 3 shows to watch, and 1 great event

Bonjour!

I thought it was time to do a LA restaurant round up. Here are a few places I’m loving right now. Some are new, some not so new! And one very exciting opening. All of them are delicious, good vibes and worth driving across town for. Plus a fantastic LA food event and a few things I’ve been watching for good measure…

LEOPARDO

Leopardo is a fantastic Italian restaurant on La Brea from superstar chef Joshua Skenes formerly of Saison and Angler. I loved everything about my meal here. First of all, the room felt fresh and had it’s own point of view and energy. Chef Skenes has said he is serving “unfamiliar takes on the familiar” here, and I think he achieves just that. We began the evening with cocktails at the bar which were inventive and incredible. I had a hot pink rhubarb negroni which is served in a glass teacup and is really good. Friends of ours got the wild strawberry cocktail which was delicious and yes, on the fruity side of things but still balanced and I would happily guzzle it down. Their filthy martini was so savory it was almost like a chicken consomme! Into it. We started off with some oysters that were soooo good we ordered another dozen immediately. The granita mignonette is off the charts. Loved the crudo and salads as well. People are really excited about their deer tartare dish, which we didn’t order this time. I was most looking forward to trying the pizza and it was realllllllly good! I judge all pizza based on their classic margarita style - simple is the hardest to get right! Theirs has a super fluffy and crispy crust with barbecued tomato sauce and the cheese was just right. Flavor BOMB and extra fun served with pizza scissors. Their wine list was a great mix of domestic and old world producers and a lot of excellent champagne. We got a bottle of Frapatto and were really pleased. I can’t wait to go back and try some more bottles on their list. The dessert is an incredible soft serve sundae with honeycomb. Definitely don’t skip it. All in all, it was a great experience. It looks like they don’t post their menu online and the website is pretty sparse, so just trust me and make a res. 

BARRA SANTOS

I finally made it to Barra Santos! The team from Found Oyster and Queen St, has another hit on their hands! It’s a lil Portuguese style restaurant on a cute strip in Cypress Heights with a nice bar and a few standing tables inside and then bistro seating spills out onto the sidewalk. We went for an early Sunday dinner and it couldn’t have been more lovely. They have a lovely vermouth spritz program to wet your whistle while you wait for your table. We ordered pretty much the entire menu. Some highlights were the tuna crudo with orange dressing and cracked black pepper, an endive salad that you’re instructed to eat like nachos with hunks of malvarosa cheese, citrus and toasted hazelnuts, the bacalhau fritters and the fresh cherry sorbet. I wish this was not so far from my house, I would definitely become a regular. Vibes are everything you’d want them to be and people watching the cool young east siders is an extra treat.

MAMIE

My husband and I have been on a bit of a sandwich kick recently. Seems like there are a lot of goodies to be had in LA! And the best sandwiches by far have been from Mamie. It’s a cute lil Italian deli in Weho making sandwiches that can only be described as a revelation. Their bread is called schiacciata and it’s a Tuscan style bread that’s similar to focaccia but truly on another level. They use ancient flour from Florence and ferment their dough for 72 hours resulting in a bread thats crisp and firm on the outside, yet so fluffy on the inside but somehow doesn’t get soggy even if you take them to go! My mouth is literally watering thinking about these. We got a Monaco and a Caprese to share. Let’s start with the Monaco… Probably the best tuna sandwich I’ve had in my life. They use high quality Italian tuna conserva, no mayo, SPICY Calabrian chili spread, artichoke cream, preserved lemon, olives, a pile of fresh arugula and roasted tomatoes. This knocked my socks off. SO so so good with a kick and was one of the highlights of my week. We followed it with the Caprese which was a perfect chaser after all the spice. Again, perfect bread, cold, fresh mozzarella, Castlevetrano olives, fresh pesto, pine nuts, roasted tomatoes and arugula. Soooo good too! I honestly think it is the perfect order. My friend Max introduced us to this place and he loves the Diva. I’ll just say it… Best sandwiches in LA.

RVR

So long MTN, hello RVR! Chef Travis Lett has reclaimed the space on Abbott Kinney that once was the home of his restaurant MTN which closed during covid and sat empty for the past couple of years. A devastating loss to the neighborhood! MTN was my favorite restaurant in LA - a cozy, Japanese izakaya serving heavenly uni hand rolls, crab ramen and a pickle plate I dream of. A few months ago rumors started flying that Travis had taken back over the space and was revisiting the concept! I can’t tell you how excited we were to hear this news!!! They’ve done a nice remodel and are getting ready to open doors very soon. Sounds like there’s going to be homemade noodles, gyoza, yakitori and I’m hoping he brings back some of the classic faves from MTN. Also hearing about a highball cocktail program which will be fun. Looks like reservations are live starting October 1st!!! If you ever want to run into me, this is where I’ll be.

Also for food lovers, check out LA Loves Alex’s Lemonade, a fantastic event supporting children’s cancer research on October 5th at UCLA. Hosted by LA restaurant queens Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne, who gather the best chefs across the city to create special dishes to serve along with an incredible wine selection. We’re talking Pizzeria Bianco, Melisse, Petite Trois, Mozza, Bestia and wineries such as Scribe, Wavy Wines, Lorenza and wayy more! We participate with Lorenza every year and it’s a really great time and helps an important cause. Recently, the wonderful Kris and Sarah Yenbamroong of Night+Market sadly lost their young son Mark to brain cancer. If you’d like to support them, there is a gofundme, and there will be a special fund at LA Loves Alex’s Lemonade in honor of Mark. Or you can visit their excellent restaurants to support them. Come say hi to me in the wine tent on October 5th from 12-4. Tickets always sell out, so grab a couple while you can.

Naomi and Linda by Rose Hartman

For a delicious treat that isn’t food related, I highly recommend the Hulu docuseries, In Vogue: The 90s. Icons of industry such as Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, Tom Ford, Kate Moss and more take you through pivotal moments in the 90s that sparked a change in how people dressed, thought, and lived. We devoured the 6 parts right up and only wish there were more. If you love fashion, the 90s, iconic behavior, and haven’t yet watched the Beckham doc, put that on your list. So much fun! We also just watched the first episode of La Maison, a new show on Apple about a familial power struggle set in the Parisian high fashion scene. It’s fun, a lil bit silly, but also chic and seems to be loosely based on some real life companies and characters. Also, it’s nice to see some luxury on my screen after indulging in a whole lot of Love Island. No regrets though.

Hope everyone had a great week. And in case you missed it, last issue was all about my fave pieces for fall if you’re feeling shoppy. Let me know if you check out any of these spots and what you think! Thanks again for being here. I appreciate it!

Til next time,

Michèle

Falling For You

The Ojai Guide