WORK • Thursday Routine
AVNER LEVI • chef/owner • CENTO / CENTO Raw Bar
Neighborhood you live in: West Hollywood
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Buzzing. These last few months have been all grind at our newest concept, Raw Bar, with contractors, designers, and inspectors flowing through nonstop prior to our opening earlier this month. Meanwhile, our prep crew is busy in the back, making sure everything’s set for service. Family meal is at 4p every day — it’s always something different, whether a dish from someone’s hometown or something seasonal. We take pride in these pre-shift meals at CENTO; they’re an important ritual where we eat well and share a laugh. I believe we do that better than anyone else, which explains why most of our team has been with us for years.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Tasting oysters of the day — my favorite. We get fresh seafood delivered daily, and that’s how we craft our specials. I’m meticulous about sampling all of our prep — something I picked up from my time in kitchens with Ori Menashe and Steve Samson. For Raw Bar, we’re offering a flowing list of specials based on what’s swimming — like Dungeness crab sliders or Santa Barbara sea urchin. Myself, my best friend and business partner Adrien D’Attellis, and our creative director Brandon, will bat around ideas in our new office above the restaurant (yes, it has an over-the-door basketball hoop).
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Since it’s just Adrien and I running the show, you’ll likely find us in West Adams, but if I wasn’t in the midst of opening a restaurant, I’d definitely be at one. I love Lawry’s for happy hour. Great vibe, not too busy, and service is always strong. I’ve also been loving Tomat, a new restaurant in Westchester for a familiar infusion of Persian and Jewish flavors. For a longer dinner, Baekjeong in Ktown is great. I love smelling like grilled beef when I get home. Also, Damn, I Miss Paris opened up nearby in West Adams and should be on your hit list.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I’ve been doing Jiu Jitsu for years at 10th Planet. It's my favorite form of exercise and one of the best ways to decompress and come back into my body. That, and a quick trip to the barber shop makes me feel like a new man. Family keeps me busy during downtime — whether dominating my nephews in a game of basketball, or barbecuing at my sister’s house.
Any weekend getaways?
I’ll be honest, I used to be that guy – I'm not that guy anymore. When I was younger, I would spend every dime I made traveling from city to city, trying the best restaurants they had to offer, from Le Mirazur in France to Quintonil in Mexico City. (If you want some specific recommendations, dm me @glutton_ish.) Nowadays, I eat kabobs from Shekarchi, Thai from Pa Ord noodle, and steak from Lawry's. But of course, for something special, I like to go to The Peninsula with my lady, sit by the pool and check out.
What was your last great vacation?
My last great vacation was taking my parents to Europe. We stayed at the most beautiful hotel in Rome called Hotel Eden which had stunning breakfasts every day on the rooftop. I'd highly recommend it to anyone traveling there. Hit Roscioli Salumeria for the best carbonara and cacio e pepe in Rome. I’ll be headed back to Italy this summer for wine tastings at Randi winery in Emilia-Romagna. It’s a family-owned vineyard led by the talented Massimo Randi, who we are working with to create our line of CENTO natural wines.
I also just went on a much needed, last-minute vacation to Cabo last week. When I can get away, I always want a tropical vacation — get on a beach, relax, and drink a piña colada, an extremely undervalued cocktail.