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Beverly Hills, Calif.
April 2017
With a strong focus on artisanal flatbread pizzas, The Flats, introduced to Beverly Hills by executive chef Kyle Schutte, also offers a cured meat program; shareable starters, such as bagel and lox cannoli and goat cheese and thyme polenta; and a cocktail program by bar director Pete Capella that pays homage to Los Angeles. Menu highlights include brûléed duck liver & Fernet pâté; macadamia and hibiscus octopus terrine; and creative flatbreads such as duck confit with caramelized red onion, red wine pudding, toasted caraway, herbed goat cheese, pickled red cabbage and baby herbs, and Southern-fried chicken with pink lemonade mozzarella, watermelon powder and house Tabasco. The dining room receives abundant natural light, mixing metals and woods set against an olive tree mural, seating 60 guests at two- and four-top tables and 14 customers at the bar.
Brooklyn, N.Y.
May 2017
Originating from the Hebrew word for restaurant (“misada”), Miss Ada in Brooklyn offers a modern Mediterranean menu with an innovative slant on traditional Israeli cooking. Chef and owner Tomer Blechman, once found in nearby kitchens Lupa, Gramercy Tavern and Cookshop, is now showing off his Israeli roots with menu items such as baba ghanoush with ginger aioli; eggplant chips and za’atar; shakshuka with poached egg and goat cheese; and falafel with feta, olives and green tahini. A semi-open kitchen shows off backyard herbs that are destined for integration into entrees for the dining room and patio and cocktails at the marble-topped bar.
Los Olivos, Calif.
May 2017
Inspired by the Santa Ynez Valley and the Texas heritage of the Parker family, The Bear and Star unites Texas and California, with Texas-born chef and partner John Cox leading the team on a ride that showcases “refined ranch cuisine.” The nearby 714-acre Fess Parker Ranch supplies the restaurant with Wagyu beef, chickens, quail, rabbits, pigs, heirloom fruits and vegetables. Designed by chef Cox, a 30-foot custom, reverse-flow mobile Texas smoker houses a self-contained wood-fired kitchen, complete with pizza oven, Big Green Egg, sink and refrigeration, which is the source for slow smoking and barbecuing many of the restaurant’s signature dishes. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch is served, with highlights including smoked Wagyu hash with farm eggs; Parker Ranch chile with cheddar, chives and cornbread crouton; and cast-iron steaks with crispy shallots, demi-glace and herb butter.
Las Vegas
June 2017
A 24-foot mural of a sheep-dotted landscape and a ’90s hip-hop, rock and soul soundtrack greets guests at The Black Sheep in Las Vegas. The casual, 50-seat, modern American-Vietnamese restaurant is the creation of chef and partner Jamie Tran, who trained under Charlie Palmer and most recently served as executive chef of DB Brasserie. The restaurant’s name is a nod to Tran’s breakthrough in a male-dominated industry and a break from the Strip’s costly dining prices. In partnership with hospitality veterans Andy Hooper and Jon Schwalb, signature dishes at The Black Sheep include bao sliders with housemade pork sausage, fried quail egg, crispy shallot and jalapeno aioli; Scottish king salmon “clay pot” with smoked eggplant, fresh plum salad and scented farro; and slow-cooked short rib with housemade yucca gnocchi, summer squash ratatouille and crispy yucca threads.
Phoenix
April 2017
Fox Restaurant Concepts, the group behind restaurants including Culinary Dropout, Flower Child and True Food Kitchen, has opened Doughbird Pizza & Rotisserie, a 5,500-square-foot, Northern-California-inspired space in Phoenix. The open concept draws eyes toward the sky-blue, subway-tiled, wood-burning pizza oven, which pumps out pies such as crispy pastrami with aged Gruyère, pickled mustard seed, purple kale and rye salt; bacon and truffled eggs with fennel sausage, roasted onion, smoked mozzarella and arugula; and pepperoni and burrata with organic tomato and wild oregano. A rotisserie cranks out chicken, prime rib, fish and caramelized cauliflower, while desserts like warm butterscotch cream cake and peach streusel pie finish the experience.
