Leg days
Bar Etoile, best omakase, Sōgo Roll Bar, Miznon, Sushi Ginza Onadora, Altadena lots, Ash Narayan, Harbor House Inn, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Shining star
The Skinny: Domaine LA founder Jill Bernheimer and former Rose general manager Julian Kurland dreamt up a wine bar for Larchmont pre-pandemic, but it wasn't until Voodoo Vin chef Travis Hayden joined them that the idea evolved into Bar Etoile, a simple yet sophisticated French bistro in Melrose Hill that debuted last November, and has since very much hit its stride.
The Vibe: The restaurant is tucked between two furniture stores along a stretch of Western Avenue that's redefining itself. Inside, the mood created by design studio Lovers Unite is engrossing and elegant, but never stuffy. A zinc bar splits the dining room, while booths and banquets of smooth, sumptuous leather line the walls. And the ceramic plates on display sport labels of some of Bernheimer's favorite wines that inspired her to get into the business.
The Food: The menu is compact (less than a page long on a recent night), and each plate is dazzling. Over and over, chef Hayden presents a seemingly simplistic dish you've had plenty of times before — with a delightful, often unexpected, and entirely welcome twist. Wedges of endive are stacked up with shards of savory meringue, while a pear crémeux rests beneath. Kampachi crudo and apple slices are paired with a creamy, sweet ajo blanco sauce. Bar Etoile also delivers a winning steak frites, served with crispy frites and zesty chimichurri.
The Drink: The wine list is packed with heavy-hitters, and features mostly old world small-batch natural producers. The bar serves up a few classic cocktails, beers, and several NA beverages.
The Verdict: Bar Etoile is worthy of a celebration or a special evening out, serving one of the more refined and enjoyable dinners on the East Side. –Oren Peleg
→ Bar Etoile (Melrose Hill) • 632 N Western Ave • Tue-Sat 430-11p • Reserve.
RESTAURANTS • Intel
THE SHUTTER: Highly regarded omakase spot Sushi Ginza Onadora announced its closure this week on its website. The last service at its West Hollywood location, following an eight-year run, was 05/30.
ROLLING ON: Popular Los Feliz sushi bar Sōgo Roll Bar opened its new Highland Park outpost last week. If the original Los Feliz is telegraphing “daytime spot,” the Highland Park sequel is definitely for nights: The second Sōgo, on buzzy York Boulevard, is more grown-up than the first, with heron-print wallpaper, a moodier vibe, and a darker, green-hued color palette.
Sushi master Kiminobu Saito’s skills shine just as brightly here, however, with appetizers like baked crab crispy rice and an array of distinctive sushi rolls like a yuzu salmon roll, in which the addition of yuzu gives beautiful brightness and complexity to the salmon’s richness. Also, note the donburi rice bowls, in which miso-marinated black cod is served on seasoned sushi rice with ginger, nori, pickled cucumber, and avocado. Locals walking in for drinks can do just that with a stellar sake, wine, and beer selection. 5535 York Blvd (Highland Park). –Heather Platt
PITA PARTY: Taking over the former Sari Sari space in Grand Central Market, globally beloved middle eastern spot Miznon has finally landed in LA, opening last month with lively energy and bold, flavorful pitas. You’ll wait in line, which will never be long enough to face down the tough decision of what to order: for vegetarians, the falafel burger is a standout, a massive, green fava falafel that’s both crispy and tender, snuggled next to tomatoes and pickles in a hot, fluffy pita, with a dollop of sour cream and spicy green peppers. The juicy lamb kebab is a favorite, but then again, so is the grass-fed rib eye minute steak, rotisserie broken chicken, and the iconic steak and egg. Even branzino gets the Miznon treatment, served up fish ’n’ chips style.
Beyond the pitas, the sides hold their own, but none more so than Miznon’s signature roasted baby cauliflower. It’s Miznon chef/founder Eyal Shani’s MVP, so much so that it’s listed in all caps on the menu (which, like many of his restaurants, is chaotically, delightfully written in comic sans). But the bag of green beans stole the show for me: Rustic, plump, tossed in a lemon garlic vinaigrette, they’re the perfect palate cleanser between bites of meat and tahini. 317 S Broadway, stall E-12 (Downtown). –Victoire Loup
Miznon photo: Wonho Frank Lee
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: The street vendors who used agua frescas to fight tear gas • Noted Southern chef Sean Brock opening Darling in WeHo later this summer • Chef Josh Skenes now dishing fried chicken in Arts District • New women’s sports bar Untamed Spirits opens in Silver Lake • Why the drink of summer 2025 is creamsicle.
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
A recent LA Times article about the sale of burned lots in Altadena and the Palisades notes that vacant properties are moving faster in Altadena, with 145 burned lots sold since the January fires and dozens more in escrow, as compared to about 60 that have sold thus far in the Palisades. Per the LAT:
Despite the surge of lots hitting the market, demand has been steady, and lots are selling fast. Through the first four months of the year, the median property in Altadena spent 19 days on the market compared with 35 days over the same stretch last year, according to Redfin.
Lots have sold for as little as $330,000 and as much as $1.865 million, with most going for somewhere between $500,000 and $700,000. The first lot to hit the market listed for $449,000 and sold for $100,000 over the asking price in an all-cash deal — though with the influx in inventory since then, buyers are typically paying just the full asking price, not more.
Listings for Altadena on Zillow show that some sellers are indeed aiming high, with one cleared lot on 0.64 acres (above) asking $3M, and another cleared lot on 0.68 acres at the base of the foothills asking $1.85M. As for the buyers? Mostly developers. “Everybody in Altadena thought they were going to rebuild, but depending on their situation, a lot of the time it just doesn’t make sense,” Altadena resident and real estate agent Ann Marie Ahern told the Times. “We wanted to keep things local, but unfortunately, Altadena is for sale.”
WORK & PLAY LINKS: How Melrose Hill became LA’s hottest art district • A new mural for Altadena • Dropbox CEO: forcing people into offices is like dragging them ‘back into malls’ • Dressing for work stumps Gen Z • Sneaker drops go digital.
WORK • Thursday Routine
Getting sauced
ASH NARAYAN • stylist and writer • Sauced Noods
Neighborhood you live in: Beachwood Canyon
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m a freelance stylist, so unless I’m on set for a jean brand the hot girls with Longchamps wore in high school in 2015, I’m working from my mattress on the floor — terracotta tiles. But Thursdays are my leg days. I start my morning at Equinox at 530a and I finish my ab set at 8. I throw on my forest green Pizza Slime Erewhon hoodie, hop in the 3 Series I’ve rented from Sixt, and head straight to Proof Bakery in Atwater Village. My order is always the same: cardamom bun and buckwheat chocolate chip cookie. I used to hate that they put both in the same bag. But then I realized the cardamom sugar rubs off on the cookie, and by the time I sit down to eat it, I have a cardamom chocolate chip cookie.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I just got back from Proof, where today I ordered a chocolate croissant. They said they were out of the cardamom bun when I got there. They said it wasn’t ready the last time I was there. I’m determined to make them admit they don’t make it anymore.
Now, I’m in bed putting together a deck for a sportswear-but-not-sportswear brand. Twelve off-court images of Anna Kournikova. Bottega bag and lilac sweatpants, terrycloth robe and cerulean trainers, velvet track jacket and ScHoolboy Q-esque bucket hat. At 1, I’m going to get lunch with my friend Sodi. It’s either Sqirl, Joan’s, or Clark Street Diner. Today is Sqirl.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I don’t cook at home. I didn’t move from the suburbs to a city to do that kind of thing. And I like being a regular at restaurants. It’s fun. It’s social. It feels good when you know a host. A little awkward when you see them on Hinge.
Tomorrow is my birthday, so my girlfriend and I are going to Osteria Mozza. It’s one of my favorite spots in the city. I’ve never made a reservation there. And my order is always the same. Burricotta and spiced walnuts from the mozzarella bar. Grilled octopus salad. Protein for leg day. The potatoes, celery, and green onion — carbs for rowing days. Pappardelle with rabbit ragù because I like a thick, sauced noodle. And the ricotta and egg raviolo because I have an Instagram. I end with the rosemary olive oil cakes and bombolini. Elyssa knows without having to ask.
How about a little leisure or culture?
The last time I drove south of LA, Sascha Zverev got off a private jet and took me to the woodshed in front of every college coach that mattered. But my girlfriend is Balkan, and Novak Djokovic gets closer to retirement every time he slides for a backhand out wide. So we went down to Indian Wells in early March to catch him swearing at his box.
Any weekend getaways?
The only two restaurants in California worth a special journey: Harbor House Inn and Hayato. Neither has three stars, but they should. If I steam enough Field Spec Cotton Heavy Tees this month, I’ll take a trip up to Elk and spend the weekend at Harbor House Inn. Matt Kammerer cut his teeth at Saison, back when the line was a murderer’s row.
These days, most Michelin-starred restaurants have a farm or source from one. If you don’t know this when you book a table, they’ll make sure you do when you sit down. Harbor House has a farm, and you’ll see Matt picking vegetables before service.
He cooks simply. Fire, steam, smoke. His menu changes daily. It says so on the website. Stay for two nights, and you’ll see it’s true.
What was your last great vacation?
I was in Paris for Men’s Week. Just guys in jeans dyed on a rock, placing personal orders for corduroy trousers that mimic tweed before placing store orders for essentially the same zip-up fleece from Rier (for guys with a two-door G-Wagon), Mfpen (for guys who like all the Atelier September butter posts), A.Presse (for guys who print out Noah Johnson columns), and Seya (for guys who like to talk about precise seam allowances at Delicatessen Place).
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I sold Nvidia stock to buy a pair of brushed cashmere trousers from The Row. They’re a 32, and I’m a 30, but for the price I paid, I’ll eat enough fett’unta at Mozza to make them work.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I knew nothing about clothes for a long time. And now I know a little. And it’s only because Emily Bode and Aaron Aujla of Bode took a chance on me. I’m forever grateful to them for everything, and highly recommend you check out their stores in LA or New York. The LA store has a gown embroidered with whitework floral patterns, pleats about the waist, and a long row of ivory buttons down the back. If you’ve been dating someone for over five years, and they haven’t yet proposed, I recommend you buy it with their credit card. It’s $15,000.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Olivetta team opens new Italian restaurant Bar Issi at Thompson Palm Springs • What’s the future for Santa Cruz Wharf, wrecked in winter storm? • Amid outrage, Maui vacation rental ban moves forward • Trending: Coolcationing.
ASK FOUND
Today, three fresh FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we seek intel:
What is your favorite LA flower shop (or flower delivery service)?
Who’s your go-to tailor?
What’s your Restaurant of the Summer?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundla.com.
CULTURE & LEISURE • The Cup
Mumford & Sons • Hollywood Bowl (Hollywood Hills) • tonight @ 730p • Section G1, $242 per
CONCACAF Gold Cup - Mexico vs Dominican Republic • SoFi Stadium (Inglewood) • Sat @ 715p • Section C136, $175 per
Tonight at the Improv ft. Jimmy Shin, Bobby Lee, Darrell Hammond, Sarper Gruven, Nikki Bon and more • Hollywood Improv (Melrose) • Sun @ 630p • GA, $24.19 per
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Omakase
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of LA’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundla.com. For the full archives, click here.
Morihiro (Atwater), helmed by rice-obsessed chef who makes his own ceramics, $250-$400 per, reserve