Georgie opened just a couple of weeks ago, a brand new concept at the Montage Beverly Hills. It takes the place of Scarpetta, and they’ve swapped one TV chef out for another in bringing Geoffrey Zakarian to prepare his modern American cuisine. This is Zakarian’s first west coast venture after opening up several restaurants in the northeast.
I’ve been to Great Eastern countless times. It’s been a staple for family gatherings on my dad’s side for decades, serving up banquet-style Chinese food. I don’t come here nearly as often since I’m no longer local, but squeezed in a meal on a recent trip.
The restaurant is best known for an impromptu takeout order by Barack Obama in 2012, which reliably brings Chinatown tourists through these doors. I’d like to think the food continues to draw locals into the restaurant too, though.
I first dined at Simbal in February but recently returned for this second visit. Coincidentally, the restaurant celebrated its first anniversary this past week. The restaurant is still going strong serving up its modern southeast Asian-inspired cuisine.
We got seats at the kitchen counter again providing a view of the action. In terms of ordering, we opted to order entirely different things this time just to try more of the menu.
It’s been a little while since I’ve visited chef Kris Yenbamroong’s Night + Market. It’s still going strong – a third location is anticipated for Venice later this month. 2016 has been a big year for Yenbamroong after being named a semifinalist for a James Beard award (Best Chef: West) and named one of the best new chefs by Food & Wine.
It’s been over a year since I last visited Republique; I’ve been twice for dinner, but this was the first time for brunch. I’ve heard great things about brunch here, the combination of Walter Manzke’s cooking and Margherita Manzke’s pastry program.
Brunch service is very different from dinner with a focus on efficiency – no reservations are taken and there is no table service. Rather, you place your order at the front, grab a number, find a seat and wait for your food to be brought to you. It’s a very popular brunch, indicated by the lengthy line at 10:30 on a Sunday. It moved pretty consistently and we were able to place our orders in about 30 minutes.
This was my first time dining at the Las Vegas location of Scarpetta after dining numerous times at the Beverly Hills location. In fact, I had just dined at the BH location twice in the prior two months, just before it closed. I normally wouldn’t have paid a visit here so quickly; however, my dad promised my aunt he would take her here (she had heard about chef Scott Conant’s spaghetti many times and never tried it). My family was in town for Vegas Uncork’d with one dinner slot available so we came here. This would be the first time for my aunt and grandmother, although my parents have been here before.
I’m not the only one that has been frequenting Little Sister, it has been one of the hot restaurants downtown drawing crowds for its modern Asian cuisine. This post recaps two of my most recent meals – a breakfast and a dinner, as I’ve explored more of what the restaurant has to offer.
Charcoal Venice (though technically I think it may be in Marina Del Rey) opened at the end of last year, a modern meat-centric concept from chef Josiah Citrin. Citrin is most notable for fine dining Melisse which is still going strong after 15+ years. The vibe here is much more casual and approachable, anchored around its flame-grilled meats.
Charcoal Venice is more than just beef and potatoes, though it has plenty of that. Two of its most notable dishes are a baked cabbage and a half of a duck. We ordered both of these, as well as a sampling of other items throughout the menu.