Simone, Los Angeles, September 2018
Rob Stark Photography
Charred squash with nectarine, macadamia and salsa macha
Rob Stark Photography
The menu at Simone is steeped in Largey’s childhood in the agricultural region of Ventura County. It’s focused on produce, but you’ll also find some dry-aged ribeye and even abalone on the menu (it’s on avocado toast).
Burrata with plum confit, nigella, purslane and mint
Rob Stark Photography
Largey’s cooking has been described as bright and acid-forward, and there’s a wine list to match with a focus on Germany and Austria, created by NoMad and Boka Group alum Jordan Egan, the beverage director.
Two powerful female namesakes set the mood
Rob Stark Photography
Simone is named for two famous Simones: Nina Simone, the high priestess of soul, and Simone de Beauvoir, the fierce feminist writer. Their rebelliousness, intellectual curiosity and dangerous moodiness are evident in both the menu and the design.
Sans, Brooklyn, N.Y., September 2018
Sans
Chef Champ Jones, most recently of Eleven Madison Park and The NoMad, is taking the plant-based path with his menu at the new Sans, his first solo venture. Jones isn’t a vegan personally, but, like many diners today, he enjoys his vegetables and aims to prove that plant-based dining can be indulgent and satisfying.
Black plum terrine
Sans
Small plates include black plum terrine served with orchard-fruit jam, pickled plum and house-made brioche; sea vegetables in their broth, smoke and fat with dulse, wakame and smoked olive oil; and a sunchoke salad with roasted and pickled sunchokes, fried sunchoke skin and almond curds.
One More
Sans
Overseeing the beverage program is partner Daniel Beedle, who served previously as sommelier at The NoMad before becoming wine director at Betony and Juni, and later becoming corporate beverage director at Old World Hospitality, opening the Indian Accent concept in London and New York. The One More, for example, features pineapple-skin rum, peach and mint for a variation on a daiquiri.
Novikov Restaurant & Bar Miami, Miami, summer 2018
Libby Volgyes
Overlooking Biscayne Bay, this is the first U.S. outpost of the London-Dubai-Moscow Chinese-Japanese concept by namesake chef-owner, Arkadiy Novikov, who’s known as a maverick from Moscow doing incredible things in the realm of wok, robata, dim sum and sushi.
Truffle honey king crab leg
Libby Volgyes
Novikov’s menu has elements of South Beach decadence with attention to culinary detail. This crab leg looks destined to become a signature dish.
Link to Miami
Libby Volgyes
The menu focuses on seafood and artful presentations. The managing partner at Novikov is Philippe Moullet, a Miami-based restaurateur known internationally for the concepts Zuma and Le Petit Maison.
Henry NoMad, New York City, August 2018
Bea da Costa
Located on the ground floor of the LIFE Hotel on Manhattan’s West 31st Street, Henry NoMad is a revitalized concept from Chef Joseph “JJ” Johnson and Craveable Hospitality Group. The James Beard-nominated chef is bringing pan-African flavors to the building where LIFE Magazine was originally headquartered.
Piri piri clams with fennel, Asian pear and Thai basil
Bea da Costa
Johnson defines pan-African cuisine as a culmination of influences from the African diaspora. He’s inspired by African, Latin and Caribbean cultures, and he’s translated that to the menu.
Rice pop at Henry NoMad
Bea da Costa
With so many cool menu items, there’s a solution for those who can’t decide: the “it was all a dream” option found at the end of the menu offers one of everything.
Get On Back
Bea da Costa
Johnson is teaming up with longtime pal Pam Wiznitzer to create a seasonal, minimal-waste cocktail program including mojitos and martinis on draft. This retro-fabulous, made-for-fall drink includes Irish Whiskey, Applejack, sherry, amaro and bitters.
Camper, Menlo Park, Calif., September 2018
Camper
The “California” aesthetic — relaxed, casual and cozy but chic and modern at the same time — is what Chef Greg Kuzia-Carmel and Managing Partner Logan Levant hope to establish at Camper. Kuzia-Carmel worked previously at the restaurants Cotogna and Per Se, and Levant comes from Buttercake Bakery in Los Angeles.
A woodsy setting
Camper
The 70-seat venue, in the former home of LB Steak, was designed by San Francisco-based The Martin Group for a simultaneously sleek and rustic look, welcoming to all.
Roast chicken
Camper
Dishes are solid, grounded and very homey at Camper, including roast chicken, ribeye, a “Sunday Bolognese.”
Ribeye for two at Camper
Camper
The Camper menu also includes dishes like spicy pimenton bucatini with pork ragu, peppers and basil; seaweed cioppino with chili relish; and an accessible kid’s menu with house-made spaghetti with butter and cheese, organic chicken fingers and classic cod fishsticks.