Whole lot of rhythm
Evan Funke's Bar Avoja, Mar Vista listings, Yess lunch, San Diego retro getaway, global media, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Yess, and…
Yess in the Arts District — the modern Japanese restaurant with a seasonal, seafood-driven menu of creative and beautifully presented dishes — is easily one of LA’s most distinct, rewarding dining experiences. And in a long-awaited move (and a roundabout way back to its original food truck roots), Yess recently added lunch service.
The lunch menu is more sushi-focused than dinner, with a broad selection of impeccable temaki. Options include tender unagi with crunchy local cucumber, smoked trout with wasabi sour cream, seared yellowtail with a gochujang sauce, spicy tuna with a soy-pickled fresno, and the astounding vegan temaki with plum, pickled eggplant, and ume plum miso. You can order each individually, or do three for $35, or five for $55. The portions are generous, but order as much as you can. The temaki come out as they’re ready, wave after spectacular wave.
Certain dishes carry over from the lunch menu, like the silken tofu, topped with a tower of salsa macha, and the Monk’s Chirashi bowl, with its unreal selection of seasonal vegetables. But the lunch menu also has new dishes like a sashimi salad and new chirashi bowls that would work for a more expeditious lunch. Lunch mains come with pickles and a sublime miso soup (which, in and of itself, is probably worth dropping in).
Housed in a landmark former bank building from the 1920s, the cathedral-like dining room at Yess has this minimalist, brutalist, and almost monastic feel, but during the day, the space absolutely glows from the huge walls of glass block windows. The relaxed, chill vibe, alongside the at-times sluggish service, almost encourages you to linger and order at least one of the kakigoris for dessert, stretching what might’ve been a quick lunch all the way into the early afternoon. –Raphael Brion
→ Yess (Arts District) • 2001 E 7th St • Wed-Sun 12-230p & 6-9p • Reserve.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUNDLISTING
Gourmet meals, no planning required
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→ Order: CookUnity • 50% off your first order. [spon]
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: Fire temporarily shutters Funke in Beverly Hills • A look at Century City’s dual concept Casa Dani and Katsuya • Semi-secret Japanese coffee hangout opens in Chinatown • NYC’s Blue Note Jazz Club debuts in Hollywood • Giving blood to get into the Magic Castle • California barbecue more exciting than ever • Trendwatch: restaurants shrinking food due to GLP-1s.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three properties for sale in Mar Vista that have come to market in the past 20 days.
→ 13007 Dewey St (Mar Vista) • 4BR/3BA, 1901 SF • Ask: $2.679M • just-renovated midcentury home on a hill • Annual taxes: $1960 • Days on market: 12 • Agent: Armin Monfared, Innovate Realty.
→ 11622 Charnock Rd (Mar Vista) • 4BR/4.1BA, 3164 SF • Ask: $4.395M • newly built modernist residence with rooftop deck • Annual taxes: $15,567 • Days on market: 10 • Agent: Marc Victor and Jessica Furey, The Agency.
→ 13041 Rose Ave (Mar Vista, above) • 5BR/5.1BA, 4240 SF • Ask: $4.95M • new construction home with detached ADU in Mar Vista hills • Annual taxes: $21,899 • Days on market: 16 • Agent: Meredith Gruszka, Pardee Properties.
WORK & PLAY LINKS: Pickleball club Ballers planned for empty Macy’s Downtown • City Council signs off on 51-story downtown tower • Hollywood Premiere Motel designated LA historic landmark • New modular bus shelters from SOM hitting the streets • Herzog & de Meuron to create Eames design museum in Novato.
WORK • Modern Media
Growing up
Last week’s Eater layoffs — reportedly 15 people, approximately one-third of the brand’s union jobs, mostly at the city site level — are yet another reminder: media is hard and local media is harder. We knew it when we sold Eater (and Curbed and Racked) to Vox Media in 2013. But we were doing it, piece by piece, market by market.
Vox management never quite bought into the local approach, even as they grew the sites over the next decade (and even after they’d evolved from SB Nation, a network of local sports blogs). In the Vox venture capital era, everything was oriented around attracting a mass audience for big, national ad campaigns.
Eventually, Racked fell away, Curbed folded into NY Magazine, and now Eater looks vulnerable as it continues to pare back and zoom out.
Sometimes we reductively describe FOUND as a more grown-up version of Curbed, Eater, and Racked — upmarket, global, hopefully a little sharper. But we’re still building like we did in the 2000s, piece by piece, market by market. The goal: to fashion the next great global media company, sustainably.
We invite you to join us and bring your friends. Here’s how:
Writers and people of taste, pitch us ideas (found@itsfoundla.com). Ex-Eater friends, we welcome you especially.
Brands, consider us an effective new way to reach discerning consumers of quality products, services, and experiences (sales@itsfoundla.com).
New readers, subscribe today in LA, SF, NY, Miami, London, and Paris.
Loyal readers, upgrade to paid for best results!
Thanks for being with us for the early stages of FOUND. More soon. –Josh Albertson
CULTURE & LEISURE • Run-Around
Rüfüs Du Sol • Rose Bowl (Pasadena) • Sat @ 730p • sec 12H, $258 per
Padres v Dodgers • Dodger Stadium (Elysian Park) • Fri @ 710p • sec 28FD, $470 per
Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms & Spin Doctors• Pacific Amphitheatre (Costa Mesa) • Fri @ 615p • circle, $193 per
GETAWAYS • San Diego
Retro revival
No San Diego road trip is complete without a detour into the North Park neighborhood and a night or two at the reborn Lafayette Hotel & Club, a revival of 1940s Hollywood glamor. In a city where original hotel experiences are lacking, the Lafayette has plenty to offer: a lively pool, well-done comfort food, ample booze, and exceptional play time.
Following a $31 million renovation, the Lafayette has transformed into a social hub equal parts Wes Anderson and California cool. The best rooms are poolside; with a sizable deck, I prefer those on the second floor, where you can eyeball the action without being in the middle of it.
The Pool: Anchored by its original 1946 Weissmuller-inspired pool, the courtyard is a sunny stage for daytime lounging, cocktails, and people-watching. The club angle is straightforward: for $25, non-hotel guests can get a day pass for the pool, which explains why it’s packed daily. But in the mornings, there’s space for a rather peaceful workout swim.
The Scene: The setting offers ample surprises: eight bars, a 24-hour retro diner, a jazz lounge, a two-lane vintage bowling alley, a screening room, and a hidden cocktail den, tucked behind velvet curtains.
The Vibe: The designers stole a little from everywhere, but San Diego, SoCal chill is the dominant force. Artists, travelers, locals, and late-night adventurers mix under chandeliers and string lights, drawn by the eclectic energy and kind (yet intentionally unpolished) hospitality. The rooms, a nod to midcentury kitsch and clubby opulence, sport Soho House touches like record players, vinyl libraries, and Marshall Bluetooth speakers.
Why It’s FOUND: Whether you’re stopping in for a poolside paloma, grabbing late-night tacos from the Mexican cantina, or catching a live set after dark, the Lafayette is more than just a hotel. It's an all-hours playground. You’ll come back. –Brad Inman
→ Lafayette Hotel & Club (San Diego, CA) • 2223 El Cajon Blvd • Rates from $288/wknd night.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Inside new maximalist dining destination Bar Issi in Palm Springs • Las Vegas’ latest craze: food halls • The last remaining 747s • RIP passport stamps • Inside Kim Jong Un’s new beach resort.
ASK FOUND
Three fresh PROMPTS for which we seek answers:
Which outdoor dining and rooftop spots are you drawn to the most?
Which fall restaurant opening are you most excited about?
What’s your go-to LA spot for oysters?
Hit reply or email found@itsfoundla.com with more answers or questions.
BARS & RESTAURANTS • First Word
Belly of the wolf
The Skinny: A cocktail and aperitivo lounge in Hollywood by chef Evan Funke, Bar Avoja lies behind tufted cowboy doors, hidden inside his Roman-style restaurant Mother Wolf.