Cleo in Hollywood: Early Bird restaurant review

On Vine Street just north of Hollywood Boulevard, valets stand at attention, ready to usher guests into the new Redbury Hotel. The latest project from SBE's Sam Nazarian, the hotel design braids elements of Morocco, France and Egypt into an exotic, Old Hollywood look.

The hotel restaurant is called Cleo after the Egyptian queen, and for those who don't quite get it, a giant black-and-white photo of Theda Bara from the 1917 film "Cleopatra" greets visitors at the entrance. She's fabulously fierce with hooded eyes and a revealing costume that probably wouldn't raise eyebrows on Hollywood Boulevard these days. It makes me want to go and rent the movie immediately, though.

Cleo the restaurant is much more welcoming. It's about time somebody did a hip Middle Eastern restaurant, and that somebody is SBE corporate chef Danny Elmaleh. The menu is mostly small plates, but instead of an annoying sprawl of platters that don't fit on the table, the delicious spreads and dips are presented in small bowls. Who wouldn't swoon over the slurry of piquillo peppers with feta or the thick Lebanese yogurt with olive oil, lemon and dried oregano? They're wonderful spread on warm, freshly baked flatbread.

Read more in Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila's review: "Early Bird: Cleo."

Photo: Diners sit at the bar of Cleo, a new restaurant at the Redbury Hotel in Hollywood. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Early Bird: True Food Kitchen in Newport Beach

You can't miss Dr. Andrew Weil's new restaurant, True Food Kitchen, at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. It's big and wedged right between Roy's and Fleming's, two of the biggest players in the high-end chain game. But True Food Kitchen purports to be something different: vegetarian-friendly and based on the bearded doctor's anti-inflammatory-diet food pyramid. Most of the produce is organic and local, I'm told, though it's not specifically labeled as such on the menu. (The wines, however, are labeled organic when that description applies.)

The Fashion Island locale is the second to roll out from Weil through Fox Restaurant Concepts. The first is in a fashion park in Phoenix.

To read the rest of S. Irene Virbila's story, click here.

Photo: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

 

Early Bird: Darioush in Beverly Hills

At Darioush -- a new French-Persian restaurant in Beverly Hills -- unexpected flavors dart across the tongue as quickly as exclamations of surprise and with equal vicissitude.

What you thought was a hint of cinnamon quickly changes direction, leaving a sweet trace of mint, and the rich, full-bodied flavor that permeates a slender slice of eggplant turns out to be the work of a mesquite broiler rather than a coating of smoky spice. Ingredients are both exotic and familiar: pomegranate, mint, saffron, lime, mango, dates and basmati rice play prominently on the menu and are prepared using modern French cooking techniques. Read on:

Darioush Danesh holding mesquite-grilled filet at his new restaurant in Beverly Hills.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times / July 14, 2010)

 

New Koreatown restaurant is fast, fun and smoke-free

There are several surprises at Bann Restaurant in Koreatown. It pulls out all the stops with its design, which features soaring ceilings hung with giant stylized lanterns. Grills are set into rust-and-green marble tables, each with a fan that sucks up the smoke from the charcoal. (Which means that your clothes won't end up smelling of beef and smoke, so you can wear your best.) And it's got valet parking for a jaw-dropping $2.

Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila has the details on restaurateur Young Sook Choi's new eatery.

Photo: Lunchtime diners at Bann Restaurant, a new upscale Korean restaurant in Koreatown with contemporary design. The old Woo Lae Oak spot on Western Avenue has been completely remodeled with high ceilings, dramatic giant lanterns with tassels and tables with barbecues set in the middle. Credit: Katie Falkenberg / For The Times

The pho beef tacos at Xoia Vietnamese should be named phacos!

On a recent Wednesday night in Echo Park, sun-glazed party people smoked American Spirits outside of El Prado while an herbal-cloud crowd gathered for Dub Club at the Echoplex. Families with small children holding soccer balls strolled toward the park and a street vendor pushed a shopping cart full of boiled corn past gangly twentysomethings skulking in and out of Origami Vinyl, heading to Two Boots for a slice of Earth Mother pizza or down the street to Mooi for a chilly scoop of raw-vegan ice cream.

New to this local scene is a restaurant called Xoia Vietnamese Eats. Owned by husband and wife Jose Sarinana (who is Mexican) and Thien Ho (who is Vietnamese), Xoia comes at the right moment to perfectly embody the swiftly changing face of a neighborhood that is for the moment balanced in a mixed and vibrant spot between its working-class ethnic past and a gentrified future.

Xoia is in the old Par paint space across from Masa. It has a crisp, deeply urban feel not yet found in the neighborhood's other restaurants. That may be because its large, enclosed, sidewalk-facing patio caters to the pedestrian culture that has sprung up along that stretch of Sunset in response to its increasingly popular bars, restaurants and shops. Read more about Xoia, and its pho tacos, here:

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo credit: Iris Estes, 4, enjoys her noodles at Xoia, a new Vietnamese restaurant in Echo Park. (Glenn Koenig, Los Angeles Times

 

Wolfgang Puck's latest helps turn downtown into full-fledged dining destination

The valet was full, as was the eastern garage next door, so we were directed around L.A. Live to the western garage, where we managed to snag the second to last parking space available, just in front of a purring Corvette.

Big night on the city. But what could have been a hassle -- and a lost reservation -- turned into a delight once we found our way to the 24th floor of the spanking new Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles. Why? Because that's where Wolfgang Puck's latest restaurant -- WP24 (his initials plus the number of the floor) -- is located. And what a spot! The sprawling wraparound lounge and smaller restaurant beyond are both all windows, looking onto a segment of skyscrapers right out of "Batman."

From up here, downtown L.A. looks ravishingly glamorous at night. Read more here from Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila:

Photo: Vintages are artfully displayed in WP24's wine room. Credit: Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times

Celadon Thai Kitchen: A strip mall treasure for your list

Finding the culinary treasures hidden in the concrete quilt of Los Angeles' strip malls is one of this city's hallmark traditions. Given the wealth of options, it's especially satisfying when you get in on the ground floor of a discovery. Which is why you might want to pilot yourself to an odd corner of our metropolis where Marina del Rey, Venice and Culver City rub noses to a new restaurant called Celadon Thai Kitchen.

Opened by lifelong friends Joey Tate and Santi Boonleerawath, Celadon celebrates simplicity and consistency with attention to detail. "We try to stick to the basics," Tate says. "I've seen Thai fusion, and personally, it just turns me off. I want people to know that we're focused on Thai food, and it's what we do best."

To that end, you'll find the usual stars on the menu: pad thai in a tangy peanut sauce; juicy chicken satay; rich tom kha gai soup in a peppery-red coconut broth; tongue-tingling panang curry; tender beef with chili and mint leaves; and the attendant Thai iced tea (a beer and wine license is pending).

To read the rest of Jessica Gelt's story, click here.

Photo: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Umami flavors the name and specialties at new outpost in Los Feliz

For ages, it was accepted that there were only four primary tastes on the tongue from which all others arose. Those would be sweet, sour, salty and bitter. But over the last few decades a fifth taste, called umami, has gained acceptance among gourmands worldwide. A Japanese scientist identified it in 1908, and it can best be described as savory.

That flavor (enhanced by an all-natural umami rub made of proprietary ingredients) is the secret in the sauce at the ascendant L.A. chain Umami Burger. The first Umami Burger opened less than a year ago on La Brea; last month, a second outpost opened in the old Cobras & Matadors space on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Feliz. The second Umami has an attached Japanese-centric beer and wine bar called Salaryman (the space was formerly Sgt. Recruiter). Read more here.

Photo: An umami burger and hand-cut fries at Umami Burger in Los Feliz. Credit: Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times

Early Bird: Tin Roof Bistro

Writing up an early report on a new restaurant can sometimes be awkward. At just a week or two old, some places are not yet ready for prime time, which is why we generally wait two or three months before publishing a full review of a new restaurant. Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach falls into that awkward phase -- almost ready but not quite. Read more from Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila.

Photo: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Chef John Rivera Sedlar makes auspicious return

The visionary behind such onetime L.A. eateries as Saint Estephe, Bikini and Abiquiu does himself proud with the Latin-themed Rivera.

According to Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila's Early Bird look:

Spread the word: John Rivera Sedlar is back! The chef who brought us Saint Estephe in the late '80s, then Bikini and Abiquiu (all, sadly, gone) and then took a break from restaurants for far too long, has opened Rivera in downtown L.A. on Flower Street, a stone's throw from L.A. Live.

Rivera's presence on the street is so discreet, think of it as a stealth restaurant. Look for the grid of stylized Rs (for Rivera) at the bottom level of the Met Lofts building on the south side of Flower. Trust me, it's there.

At this casual, Latin-themed restaurant, Sedlar is sending out small plates calibrated to get even the most jaded foodie excited. He grinds his own maize for the handmade Nixtamal tortillas florales with flowers and herbs pressed into their surface. Served with a silken avocado butter, these are a must....

Photo: Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times