1 9
1 9
Venice, CA
Opened: November 2015
After an eight-month overhaul, Rose Cafe–Restaurant reopened its Venice, CA, doors this month under the direction of new owners Bill Chait (Sprout LA) and Jason Neroni (Superba, Catch & Release). Originally opened in 1979, the expansive space became not only a go-to neighborhood restaurant, but also a venue for Venice’s community of artists to display its works. With an in-house bakery, wood-fired oven for pizzas and roasted meats, and state-of the art coffee and pour-over bar, Rose Café-Restaurant has positioned itself as a kind of all-day marketplace and eatery. The breakfast menu includes items like pumpkin pancakes with chocolate chips and bacon crumble. Lunch offerings include lamb shwarma pizza with pickled fresno chile, cherry tomatoes and cucumber yogurt; and kale salad with Parmesan, pine nuts, jalapeño-pickled apricots and mint. The more upscale, yet still bohemian design gives a nod to the evolution of the Venice community.
Houston
Opened: October 2015
Multi-concept operator Treadsack’s newest concept is Foreign Correspondents, located in the Heights neighborhood of Houston. Executive chef PJ Stoops’s farm-to-table menu focuses on the foods of Northern and Northeastern Thailand—appropriate, says Stoops, as the Texas climate is so similar to that of the Asian nation. Stoops, a former and well-known fishmonger, is a by-catch disciple, so plenty of lesser-used species are on the menu for the adventurous diner to try. The menu includes items such as the fruit and shrimp salad with magenta rice shown above, snacks such as sticky coconut rice stuffed with grilled mackerel, caramelized shallots and fresh cucumber, spicy fruit salad with mixed seasonal fruit and shredded vegetables; and lemongrass and tamarind fish soup. Cocktails like Thai cream soda with vodka, hibiscus syrup, soda and cream complete the menu. A psychedelic mural featuring space aliens shatters any preconceptions of what a Thai restaurant should be.
New York
Opened: November 2015
The Gerber Group’s just-opened Mr. Purple lounge and restaurant occupies a rooftop space at the new Hotel Indigo on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The restaurant features 6,000 square feet of outdoor terrace space as well as a rooftop pool. Along with craft cocktails, Mr. Purple celebrates local food icons, collaborating with and serving some favorites from spots like 2nd Avenue Deli, Russ & Daughters, Il Laboratorio del Gelato and Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery.
Chicago
Opened: November 2015
Eating on the go in Chicago just hit a new level of awesome. BomboBar, the dessert shop component of the multilevel, recently opened Bar Siena in the city’s South Loop, just opened a fast-casual walk-up window serving coffee, gelato, bomboloni (donuts) and other Italian treats by day. When the green light goes late night Friday and Saturday, BomboBar serves up midnight snacks like the BomboBurger (bomboloni stuffed with a juicy beef patty, braised onions, sharp American cheese and garlic aioli); and crispy truffle potato skins with a lemon garlic dipping sauce. Bar Siena’s executive chef Fabio Viviani and DineAmic pastry chef Amy Arnold oversee BomboBar. DineAmic is the company behind other successful Chicago restaurants such as Siena Tavern and Prime & Provisions.
Los Angeles
Opened: April 2015
Remember back when you’d go to a steakhouse and a smartly tuxedoed waiter would appear at your table to toss a green salad or set alight some cherries flambé? Of course you don’t. You’re too young. But the fancy old days of tableside service are back at L.A.’s swanky Baltaire steakhouse, where executive chef Travis Strickland has taught his serving staff to gracefully perform a variety of tableside preparations, including a Greek salad, complete with a butterflied shrimp on top. Another tableside show is sautéed Dover sole, presented in French copper pans and fileted and deboned in front guests. Baltaire collaborated with Art of Tea to create a special blend for the restaurant’s tableside matcha tea service. The matcha is whisked and blended before the guest in glazed bowls designed by a local artisan.
Austin
Opened: November 2015
Geraldine’s at the Hotel Van Zandt (Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants’ first foray into Austin) features executive chef Frank Mnuk’s contemporary Austin fare, including a seasonal menu of shared plates (like this grilled cauliflower with cashews, basil and mustard) and family-style feasts headlined by items such as braised beef osso bucco with charred tomato red wine sauce and whole roasted porchetta with shallot mustard pork jus. The lounge, which exudes a vibe of chic worn luxury, embraces Austin’s quirky culture and live music scene. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy one of the 80 American whiskeys on Geraldine’s bar menu.
Summerlin, NV
Opened: Sept 2015
Although authentic Southern Italian fare is not the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Las Vegas dining, Luciano Sautto’s new Salute Trattoria at the Red Rock Resort could change our minds. Sautto comes to Vegas with great credentials, including acclaimed stints at the Joia, Vita and Bianca (at the Delano hotel) restaurants in Miami. Salute’s warm-but-contemporary dining room features Italian marble antipasto bar and serves up items such as ossobucco ravioli and Sautto’s signature dish, Piedmontese black truffle tagilatelle garnished with microchives and truffle shavings served tableside.
Durham, NC
Opened: October 2015
A midcentury landmark building is home to the chic new Durham Hotel, where James Beard Award-winning chef Andrea Reusing (Best Chef, Southeast, The Lantern, Chapel Hill) heads up the efficiently named The Restaurant at The Durham Hotel. Reusing says her focus is “elemental American flavors” executed in simple, refined menus “that revive melting pot and hotel classics in a modern context.” With a focus on local ingredients, she respectfully elevates humble dishes: An appetizer of whole hog scrapple is a signature appetizer, as is a soup of local mushrooms and oloroso sherry. Roasted chicken served with field peas shares menu space with a dry-aged, bone-in ribeye. A la carte sides include beef fat French fries, charred okra and pole beans with country ham. Y’all will find us on the expansive rooftop overlooking downtown Durham, where there’s a raw bar and cocktails like the signature Durham: cognac, rum, 10-year tawny port, Benedictine and Angostura bitters.
Los Angeles
Opened: October 2015
Tin Vuong and Jed Sanford of Blackhouse Hospitality unveiled their sixth restaurant, Little Sister Downtown, in the heart of downtown L.A.’s Historic Core. The location is a refined French colonial interpretation of Little Sister Manhattan Beach with a lighter look and an expanded menu of breakfast, midday and late night offerings. 19th century Vietnam is on display in breakfast items like the congee—confit of duck served with cilantro, scallions, fried shallots, and Chinese savory crullers. Lunch and dinner offerings include bo kho (Vietnamese beef stew) with marrow, tendons, oxtail and rib meat, served with a baguette and French butter; and crispy chao tom with black tea salt and spicy curried crab dipping sauce.
