LA restaurants, new and notable
GETAWAYS • Los Angeles
Exciting new additions to the Los Angeles dining scene abound. Here, FOUND LA’s recent favorites:
A BIG-TIME REOPENING: Last September, chef Kwang Uh and his wife/partner Mina Park reopened Baroo (above) in a grown-up hunk of Arts District real estate. Formerly a shoestring operation in a Hollywood strip mall where Uh played mad scientist with ferments and pickles, the capital-R restaurant is a welcome upgrade. A prix-fixe menu departs from the previous a la carte setup, with more polished versions of the flavors and techniques that launched them into stardom. It’s a format that allows Uh to flex, deploying more high-end ingredients, like a Peads & Barnett pork collar (served with a "goulash jigae") and wild-caught black cod. The vibe is industrial Zen (fitting for a couple who met at a Buddhist monastery in Korea), but far from austere. And in perhaps the most substantial upgrade, there's now a bar program, focused on lesser-known Korean spirits like yakju and makgeolli, along with a waitstaff well-versed in them. –Jamie Feldmar
→ Baroo (Arts District) • 905 E. 2nd St.
A NEW COOL KID: Everyone’s talking about Melrose Hill, a neighborhood sandwiched between Koreatown and East Hollywood, where a slew of forthcoming openings from notable LA food names are slated for this year. First up is Ètra, an Italian newcomer that hides behind its daytime counterpart, Café Telegrama (where excellent ricotta-flavored pancakes and chopped salads can be had). Handsome and dimly lit, the restaurant is reminiscent of a Bode store: all warm wood, an intimate smattering of tables, and a six-seat wine bar. Chef and co-owner Evan Algorri gives the people what they want, namely crudo, extra-tender meatballs, pastas, chicken with Calabrian chili juice, and steak with grilled cabbage. The silky spaghetti pomodoro has a kick of heat, and the chicory salad with anchovy, black pepper, and cured yolk is the best new Caesar in town. Right out of the gate, Ètra is as hot at night as Telegrama by day. Melrose Hill is off to the races. –Emily Wilson
→ Ètra (Melrose Hill) • 737 N. Western Ave.
→ Cafe Telegrama (Melrose Hill) • 737 N. Western Ave. • 8a-3p daily.
AND A FEW OTHER HOT SPOTS:
London-bred chef Junya Yamasaki’s fine dining Japanese temple, Yess, was on all the best new restaurant lists for good reason.
Stir Crazy is the place to drink wine, eat stellar snacks, and see-and-be-seen.
Head to La Dolce Vita, revamped last year, for a dose of old-school Hollywood glamor.
Dunsmoor is a must-visit.
Word on the street is that Sqirl will open for dinner sometime this winter…