Run it back
Seline, Bar Benjamin, Ocean Park listings, Citrin, Mélisse, E. Dehillerin, NorCal hot springs resorts, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Light and bright
The Skinny: After closing Dialogue in 2020, chef Dave Beran is back with another tasting-menu-only experience, Seline, where dinner runs three hours over 15 to 18 courses. It might sound like a lot, but the prominence of seasonal vegetables from local farms on the menu makes Seline feel lighter than some of its fine dining peers.
The Vibe: Subtle sophistication. Soft lighting and metallic accents in gold and silver accompany playful, feminine artwork by David Choe. Velvet banquettes and brushed linen seat backs are luxe without feeling too formal. Tables are generously spaced for privacy within the 38-seat dining room, and guests have a standing invitation to visit the chefs in the open kitchen, where they can interrupt the quiet concentration with questions or borrow a book to read during their meal.
The Food: Completely different from Beran’s other restaurant, Pasjoli, down the street. Rather than familiar French bistro fare, Seline is all about light, bright flavors and unexpected flavor combinations, like braised leeks paired with banana purée, or caviar and coffee cream. You might be served a single frozen mustard leaf dipped in passion fruit as a palate cleanser, and herbs and edible flowers are tweezered onto nearly every course. Several courses, including buttery roasted potatoes, are disguised under generous herb garnishes, waiting to surprise and delight. Tender grilled sea bass with satisfyingly crispy skin dressed in Thai curry-inspired peanut coconut fish broth was a highlight for its balance of umami, sweet, and spice. Pescatarians and vegetarians will be pleased with their options (just give the kitchen a couple days’ heads up).
The Drink: Choose between an eclectic wine pairing featuring bottles from around the world, or a non-alcoholic pairing where every kombucha, syrup, and infusion is made in house.
The Verdict: A rarified fine dining experience that’s equally memorable and delicious. There’s more than meets the eye with each delicately plated dish. –Amber Gibson
→ Seline (Santa Monica) • 3110 Main St Ste 132 • Tue-Thu 6-9p, Fri-Sat 530-10p • Reserve.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: Five months after fires, Altadena’s restaurants have started reopening • Coastal Mexican restaurant La Ola opens tomorrow on Four Seasons Hotel rooftop • Erewhon-favorite Hasi Bread opens first standalone store in Del Rey/Mar Vista • Where are all of LA’s exceptional South Asian restaurants? • Reclaiming the neighborhood bar.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three properties in Santa Monica’s Ocean Park neighborhood that have come to market in the past 30 days.
→ 2622 2nd St #2 (Ocean Park) • 3BR/3BA, 1884 SF • Ask: $2.195M (reduced from $2.395M) • three-level ‘Craftsman Beach House’ with rooftop deck • Annual taxes: $23,289 • Days on market: 28 (and previous) • Agents: Oliver Thornton, Hollywood Estates & Michael Maganza, Brentwood Real Estate Group.
→ 137 Strand St (Ocean Park) • 2BR/3BA, 1470 SF • Ask: $2.5M • light-filled bungalow two blocks from the beach • Annual taxes: $13,628 • Days on market: 7 • Agents: Andrew Wilson & Pat Ayau, Lee & Associates.
→ 2530 Beverley Ave (Ocean Park, above) • 4BR/3.1BA, 3316 SF • Ask: $4.499M • tri-level new construction with ocean views • Annual taxes: $25,002 • Days on market: 15 • Agents: Raphael Barragan & Guy Reid, Douglas Elliman.
WORK & PLAY LINKS: Palisades Village to reopen next year with Elyse Walker rebuilding flagship store • On Rodeo Drive, Louis Vuitton opens Frank Gehry-designed store • SimpleClosure, the LA-based startup that helps other startups shut down • Los Feliz Farmers Market reopening 06/06 • Go ahead, negotiate that nonnegotiable job offer • Why banana is summer’s hottest scent.
WORK • Thursday Routine
French twist
JOSIAH CITRIN • chef and restaurateur • Citrin Hospitality
Neighborhood you live in: Venice
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
On Thursday mornings, we get our fish deliveries at Citrin and Mélisse from Japan and France, as well as seafood from Santa Barbara. All hands are on deck cleaning those and getting ready for the weekend. The chicken and veal bones are roasting. Aromatic vegetables are simmering in the golden chicken broth while the young chefs skim them to remove all the impurities. All these amazing stocks will be turned into sauces by the evening saucier.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Yesterday, like every Wednesday, I started my day at the Santa Monica Farmers Market to meet all my chefs. We talk about seasonal produce, what we need at the restaurants, and talk to purveyors about the current best products. Today, I had a meeting with our wine director to talk about some new dishes and sauces to go with a wine dinner we’re having on Friday night. In the afternoon, I go to my weekly manager meetings at Dear Jane’s. We review how the week went, discuss any positive or negative things that arise, and generally just check in, to see what we need to know. I stay through pre-shift to talk to the employees and see that everything’s running smoothly. After that, I’ll go back to Citrin and Mélisse for service, and stay there for the rest of the night.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’m looking forward to going to Stella on Sunday night, the new hot Italian restaurant in West Hollywood. I’m really looking forward to trying their Ora King Salmon — it has a squid ink salt I find intriguing. I’ve heard great things about their fisherman seafood pasta, and of course, I’ll order the bistecca tagliata. I don’t get a lot of nights off, so I cherish being able to go out with my girlfriend and experience the up-and-coming restaurants constantly opening in LA.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I saw the Rolling Stones at SoFi Stadium. They’re my favorite band — I’ve seen them 12 times since 1981. I went with two close friends I don’t get to see a lot. We started our night off with an amazing dinner at Felix in Santa Monica, enjoying their pasta and summer salads per usual.
Any weekend getaways?
I recently went to Sonoma to meet some friends who just moved there. At Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, we tasted some excellent cheese on the terrace. I was fascinated by how they used ethane waste as energy to run their plant. We enjoyed a drink at the Montage Healdsburg — I’d definitely stay here in the future. We ended our night at SingleThread. All the courses were creative, flavorful, and prepared with attention to detail.
What was your last great vacation?
My girlfriend Samantha and I rented a villa in the South of France near where my cousin lives. We stayed for a few weeks and enjoyed spending time with my family. France is one of my favorite places to go — it feels like I’m going home, every time. Inevitably, I end up in Paris. Something about the city calls to me.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I always recommend E. Dehillerin in Paris, the best store to buy cooking equipment in the world. It is so inconspicuous, it could be easily mistaken for a hardware store. When you walk in, you’re surrounded by copper pots and pans hanging from the ceiling and aisles filled with any cooking accessory you could ever want. It’s been around since the 1820s and still has the best offerings.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Instrumental interlude
HAUSER • Greek Theater (Los Feliz) • Fri @ 830p • Section B, $172 per
Ricky Gervais • Hollywood Bowl (Hollywood Hills) • Sat @ 730p • row 1752, $438 per
The Black Keys • Greek Theater (Los Feliz) • Tue @ 8p • Section B, $182 per
BARS • First Round
Savory sipping
The Skinny: Two weeks ago, the team behind The Benjamin opened Bar Benjamin at the same Melrose Ave. address. Neatly tucked away upstairs, the chic bar is in direct conversation with its downstairs sibling.
The Vibe: Pass this nondescript section of Melrose during the day, and you might not notice anything. But as the sun sets, the giant neon BAR sign of Bar Benjamin flickers to life. Those familiar with the tasteful, wood-panel aesthetic, curated art pieces, and immaculate sound system of The Benjamin will feel at home walking through the creamy, soft parted curtains framing the bar’s entrance.
A half-dozen horseshoe Mohair banquettes frame a long, well-polished, oak bar. Regardless of where you sit, discretion rules the room, as well-tailored, black-clad hosts handle requests with quietly refined hospitality.
The Drink: Savory, ingredient-heavy drinks from Jason Lee (n/soto, Baroo) and Chad Austin (the Mulholland, Bootlegger Tiki) contrast with the classic cocktails served at the restaurant below. Tom kha soup is recast as the refreshingly piquant Tommy Boy, topped with a foam of coconut and lemongrass for a sweet finish. The Fesenjoon is a brandy and tequila drink with hints of walnut that celebrates the Persian stew of the same name. And The Everything Gibson transforms the bagel into a salty, garlicky gin. Each cocktail is served in a tailor-made glass, and those that call for ice are poured around a perfect cube stamped with a decorative letter “B”.
The Food: A tight snacks menu offers a taste of The Benjamin’s offerings, while also serving up some exclusive Bar Benjamin-only bites. Herbaceous, creamy deviled eggs come as a trio. The menu’s only sandwich is shrimp salad topped with brackish baubles of trout roe on a buttery, grilled brioche bun. Farmers market crudite is served in a shallow bath of creamy, fried-pickle sauce, a bright, tangy counterpoint to all the other rich flavors. Run the whole menu to make a meal of it.
The Verdict: An immediate player in LA’s revelry rotation. –Darin Bresnitz
→ Bar Benjamin (Hollywood) • 7174 Melrose Ave • Tue-Wed 6p-1a, Thu-Sat 6p-2a • Reserve.
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GETAWAYS LINKS: Inside Ryan Murphy’s new suite at the Chateau Marmont • Team behind Montecino’s Bettina opens Tina’s Pizza in Carpinteria • Yosemite access eases with reopening of Tioga Pass • Meet the wine families of Paso Robles • How Napa’s Clos du Val winery seeks to reclaim former glory • Hipcamp’s CA inventory doubles • Sneak peeking the reimagined St. Regis Singapore.
GETAWAYS • The Nines
Hot springs resorts, NorCal
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of the area’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundla.com. For the full archives, click here.
Vichy Springs (Ukiah), no-frills historic landmark, North America’s only naturally carbonated mineral bath resort, $350