Falling hard
Bengara, The Eastside Rag, Baldwin Hills real estate, Barra Santos, Honey Hi, The Heyday, Baby Grand, MORE
The FOUND 45 is our list of favorite restaurants in Los Angeles — Essentials, New Guard, Neighborhood, Fine Dining/Special Occasion, Subscriber Favorites.
ASK FOUND
FOUND subscribers share their answers to the prompt, “I need a caterer for a casual summer party. Any ideas?”
Little Hat. Chef Olivia is a local young gun to keep an eye on. She’s a farmers’ market regular, always staying inspired by what’s in season, and a romantic when it comes to bright colors, exciting flavors, and energetic food. And she’s a total nerd that’s down to clown! She takes a holistic approach to hosting, involving wine, tablescapes, music, and play.
Sara Tane for catering!
For caterers, I recommend Jodi Taffel, The Bacon Babe.
I love Touch of Paradise Catering. I’ve been using them for 15 years and they have never let us down! Kai Underhill is so great to work with. Big or small, just contact him!
And, last call on this PROMPT for which we seek your guidance:
What’s your favorite specialty bookstore in LA?
If we publish your answer, we’ll comp you a 90-day paid subscription to FOUND LA. Hit reply or email found@itsfoundla.com with more answers or questions.
WORK • Thursday Routine
Doin’ that rag
JOHN FULTON • writer • The Eastside Rag
Neighborhood you live & work in: Echo Park
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
On a Thursday morning around 7a, I’m one of the first people at Canyon Coffee in Echo Park. I order a cold brew, pop open my laptop, and for the next two hours or so, I’m writing the day’s issue of The Rag.
The Rag is a culture newsletter and community platform — I write updates and commentary for east siders, and also, for anyone interested in the intersection of business, design, food, fashion, and the mediasphere. And then we host events to bring those people together. Today I’m interviewing the great Jen Brill, the creative director of HommeGirls. I get a lot of fashion inspiration at Canyon, and I like working there because there’s great people-watching if I’m feeling stuck. It’ll be your neighbor journaling, a writer taking a meeting, and also, randomly, Lorde. Around nine, it’s time to pack up and head to the office for my nine-to-five in marketing strategy.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Right now, I’m writing questions for an interview with newly announced LA mayoral candidate Nithya Raman. We’re grabbing coffee soon. I’m also putting together the invite list for our first singles event, and in terms of longer-lead projects, I’m starting to conceptualize an audio companion to the newsletter. I’m a little hesitant because everyone has a podcast, but I think it’ll be a fun way to build and expand upon the weekly interviews we do in The Rag. And what we do feels different.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Tonight I’m meeting a friend for drinks at Barra Santos, and this weekend, I’m headed to Sam’s Place. I’ll inevitably be at Clark Street Diner or Honey Hi at some point.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Did I go to Lady Gaga at the Forum? Absolutely. I’m also seeing Pillion and The Moment this week.
Any weekend getaways?
I’m a big Palm Springs guy. I love walking around Old Las Palmas and stopping for a burger and martini at The Heyday (or having a night at Melvyn’s). But I’m hoping to get back to Ojai soon — I haven’t been since the Hotel El Roblar (intel) opened.
What was your last great vacation?
I was in Amsterdam a few months ago and fell hard. If you’re going, don’t miss Café De Klepel, Christiaan Smit, and Twee Prinsen.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I bought a pair of Aaron Levine’s double-pleated pants and I’ve been wearing them everywhere. His sweatshirts are great, too.
LA WORK & PLAY LINKS: New park under neglected 6th Street Bridge stirs hope, some fear • LA real estate agents hiring brand managers • LA’s hottest neighborhood is… Downtown Burbank? • That art show at that defunct 99 cent store during Frieze? Ripoff for all artists involved • What exactly is going on with the now-canceled LA Jazz Festival? • Hold on to summer for as long as you can.
YOUR BRAND HERE: 93% of FOUND subscribers recommend products, services, and/or experiences to friends and family. Hit reply or email sales@itsfound.com, and we’ll get to work on your next great sponsorship campaign.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three properties around Baldwin Hills/Baldwin Vista that have come to market in the past 50 days.
→ 5129 Brea Crest Dr (View Park/Windsor Hills) • 4BR/2BA, 3103 SF house • Ask: $1.565M • hillside fixer-upper, panoramic views and pool • Annual taxes: $2731 • Days on market: 16 • Agent: Rachel Turner, Coldwell Banker Realty.
→ 4494 Don Milagro Dr (Baldwin Hills Estates) • 3BR/3BA, 1962 SF house • Ask: $1.775M • midcentury rebuild w/ vaulted open-beam ceilings, sculptural fireplace, and pool • Annual taxes: $15,383 • Days on market: 41 • Agent: Charlie Coronado, Compass.
→ 4152 Terraza Dr (Baldwin Vista, above) • 3BR/3BA, 2827 SF house • Ask: $2.7M • unobstructed Downtown views, midcentury details, hardwood and terrazzo floors • Annual taxes: $7785 • Days on market: 49 • Agent: Beita Williams, Compass.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Take a Walk
San Diego FC at Los Angeles FCl • BMO Stadium (Exposition Park) • Sat @ 730p • Lower 118, Row F $92 per ($64 lowest avail)
Patton Oswalt and Friends • Largo at the Coronet (Hollywood) • Sun @ 8p • GA $50 per
Passion Pit • The Bellwether (City West) • Tue @ 8p • GA $48 per
GETAWAYS • San Diego
Grand style
The Skinny: Formerly a sleepy motel on Coronado Island’s main drag (across from the iconic Hotel Del Coronado), the 31-room Baby Grand has been remade into one of Southern California’s boldest boutique hotels, a wonderland of jungle foliage, Grecian statues, clamshell beds, mirrored bars, and enough patterned wallpaper to make even minimalists reconsider. It’s unlike anything else on Coronado Island.
The Scene: Forget finding the hotel’s hidden bar; the real challenge is locating the lobby. From Orange Avenue, you’ll see a sign for the hotel, but following it leads you into what reads less like a check-in area and more like a dreamy jungle nightclub. Palm fronds tower overhead. Fire pits flicker beneath the trees. Pink velour-suited servers weave between tables carrying elaborate cocktails, while stylish 20-somethings pose for photos against waterfalls, a plunge pool, and greenery.
I felt ridiculously out of place rolling my Target suitcase through it all — I changed into a floral dress the moment I unpacked, just so I could fit the upscale tropical vibe. Which, also, is entirely the point. Baby Grand wants to feel discovered rather than announced, and once you finally stumble upon reception behind an unmarked door by the bar), it becomes clear you’ve entered somewhere genuinely novel.
The Rooms: If San Luis Obispo’s Madonna Inn and the Cosmopolitan in Vegas had a baby, it might be something like Baby Grand. Designed in partnership with Post Company, the studio behind the equally eclectic Lafayette Hotel in San Diego, the rooms are unapologetically maximalist while being undeniably luxurious. Clamshell headboards share space with floral wallpaper, mirrored minibars, golden hangers, dramatic lighting, and robes in shades of hot pink and orange. Bathrooms are nearly as large as bedrooms, with freestanding clawfoot soaking tubs, richly tiled showers big enough for four, separate water closets, and plenty of visual texture everywhere you look.
Also unconventional: the minibar, which takes up an entire corner of the room, stocked not only with premium spirits but also functional wellness elixirs, condoms, and personal massagers. Despite the lively restaurant below, blackout curtains and surprisingly effective soundproofing meant the earplugs placed beside the bed stayed untouched.
The Food: The hotel’s signature Greek restaurant, Night Hawk, features a Mediterranean grotto aesthetic. Guests sink into carved stone booths tucked beneath dense greenery, while servers pour water from silver seashell vessels, and cocktails arrive crowned with layered foams and elaborate garnishes. The Mediterranean-inspired menu ranges from shareable dips and grilled pita to beautifully prepared seafood skewers, whole fish platters, and steaks, including a $190 tomahawk cut.
FOUND Pro: Tucked behind the check-in area and hidden behind an unmarked entrance, the reservation-only bar Fallen Empire is a secret worth keeping (until now!). Inside the dimly lit space, guests squeeze into a handful of tables surrounded by marble, mirrors, and glowing lights, while a sommelier saunters from table to table explaining an extensive Champagne list. Behind the bar, the raw kitchen turns out sashimi, oysters, shrimp cocktail, and shareable bites meant to pair with bubbles. It’s intimate, plush, and just exclusive enough.
Why It’s FOUND: Coronado Island has long been known for its seaside charm over bold design statements. Baby Grand flips the script. It’s over-the-top, whimsical, gorgeously absurd, and completely committed to it all. –Melissa Heckscher
→ Baby Grand (Coronado) • 1315 Orange Ave • Rates from $350/night.
GETAWAYS LINKS: The YouTuber who exposed the LAX people mover • Tracking SFO’s $11 billion capital improvement plan • San Jose-based air taxis move forward.
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Fire walk
Chef-owners Tyler Burges and Phil Mireles built their new Arts District restaurant Bengara around genshiyaki — a 1,500-year-old Japanese cooking method that uses the radiant heat of an open charcoal hearth — but in a very Californian way. The wasabi isn’t flown in from the Izu Peninsula, but rather grown in Half Moon Bay. The soba noodles are made from scratch; the ume, aged in-house.
Bengara’s approach is best represented by the agedashi tomato.