Shibumi (Los Angeles, CA)

Posted on by September 7, 2016

Shibumi
815 S Hill St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Dining date: 7/14/16

Shibumi

Shibumi opened in June on a quiet block of downtown LA. It’s pretty unassuming from the outside; I walked right past it at first, but it’s a gorgeous spot once you walk in through the door. The restaurant is long and narrow with a very long bar on the left side (apparently 400 year old wood). Much of the action is here, while tables make up the other side of the restaurant for a more intimate setting.

Bar

David Schlosser is the chef, a man who has spent time at a number of notable restaurants including Urasawa in LA and Kikunoi Honten, a three-star kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto. Here, Schlosser brings his experience to Kappo-style dining. There is no sushi on the short menu (although there’s definitely raw fish), focused on raw/cold plates and a section featuring hot fried and grilled foods. Everything is served in small plates meant to be shared. We ordered a bunch of things off the menu, trying quite a bit of what was on there.

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Salazar (Los Angeles, CA)

Posted on by September 7, 2016

Salazar
2490 N Fletcher Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Dining date: 7/24/16

Salazar

Salazar is the latest concept from Esdras Ochoa of Mexicali Taco with business partner Billy Silverman. Located in the Frogtown neighborhood just north of downtown, it’s been a big hit since opening in May.

The concept, to me, is sort of a taqueria-steakhouse mash-up. A variety of tacos are available, similar in style to the ones at Mexicali (of course), as well as large format proteins eaten with tortillas. Appetizers and sides round out the food portion of the menu. A full bar is also available with cocktails and spiked agua frescas. With a party of seven, we were able to try quite a bit of the menu during this visit.

Salazar

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Spring (Los Angeles, CA)

Posted on by September 7, 2016

Spring
257 S Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dining date: 7/9/16

Spring

Spring opened at the corner of Third and Spring in February after a long, long, wait. The restaurant is from the team behind the Arts District’s Church & State with a fairly similar concept. Whereas Church & State is traditional French bistro, Spring expands its scope to a little more of the Mediterranean.

Spring Interior

Spring Interior

The space is beautiful essentially a large open atrium with a tree at its center. Plenty of natural light shines through while an expansive open kitchen greets patrons as they walk in.

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BOA Steakhouse (West Hollywood, CA)

Posted on by September 7, 2016

BOA Steakhouse
9200 Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Dining date: 7/11/16

Boa

Boa Steakhouse is part of the Innovative Dining Group, the Socal-based group that includes concepts like Sushi Roku and Katana. There’s three locations of Boa including this one in West Hollywood, Santa Monica and, of all places, Abu Dhabi. I’ve been to this location of Boa once before for a birthday party and had a good meal. Since it was a large party during that visit, everyone had to order off a set menu. This time, we had free reign to order whatever we wanted off the full menu.

Most of the restaurant’s seating is out on its beautiful and expansive patio. It’s a really nice setting on warm evening.

Patio

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Kali Restaurant (Los Angeles, CA)

Posted on by September 7, 2016

Kali Restaurant
5722 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Dining date: 7/6/16

Kali

Chef Kevin Meehan has been in the Los Angeles dining scene for quite a while, most recently at Patina, Cafe Pinot, and his roving underground dining concept Kali Dining. After developing his version of Californian cuisine for a few years, Kali Restaurant opened last year. Here, Meehan partners up with friend Drew Langley, who came over from Providence where he was wine director.

Kali Bar

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Bottega (Yountville, CA)

Posted on by July 24, 2016

Bottega
6525 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599
Dining date: 7/3/16

Bottega

I’ve been to Michael Chiarello’s Bottega once when it first opened, way back in 2009. I enjoyed the lunch there and always thought to come back. I didn’t think it would take me 7 years to do so (so many options, limited time!), but this time I stopped in for dinner.

The restaurant was packed on this Independence Day weekend. We lucked out and managed a corner booth in the patio which turned out to be an an ideal setting on a warm summer evening. 

Patio

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