Plus Le Coq is La Jolla’s Latest Top Table
Words by DAVID NASH, ELIZABETH VARNELL, and S. IRENE VIRBILA
Le Coq, c’est Chic
Christopher Puffer and chef Brian Malarkey, the team behind Herb & Wood and Animae in San Diego, just opened LE COQ, a glamorous but cheeky French steakhouse in downtown La Jolla. At the helm is Tara Monsod, who is going for a menu that’s “French forward with subtleties of Asian technique and California ingredients.” To that end, dry-aged rib-eye comes with a side dish of creamed wakame seaweed. Instead of the classic duck à l’orange, Monsod frames duck breast with candied kumquats, tamarind puree, and charred chicory cooked in duck fat. Don’t miss the frites dusted with powdered chicken glacé to dip in a proper garlicky aioli. 7837 Herschel Ave.,La Jolla, 858-427-1500; lecoq.com. S.I.V.
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Hits the Spot
L.A. is a pizza lover’s fever dream of outstanding spots turning out pies both classic and, well, eccentric. Enter one more: LEOPARDO. The space is the latest from chef Joshua Skenes, founder of the radical Saison in San Francisco (which earned three Michelin stars under his helm) and the seafood experiment Angler. Skenes spent months researching flours and perfecting the wild yeasted dough he ferments for several days. His pies are billowy visions with splotches of char at the edges (hence the leopard reference) and topped with the kitchen’s DIY canned early girl tomatoes, housemade mozzarella, and much more. But the menu, which changes regularly, isn’t all pizza. Consider the raw bar, where oysters are garnished with seaweed granita, and a deer tartare is presented with a giant pizza dough cracker and silky roasted bone marrow. The caprese salad subs in tomatoes slow-roasted in the wood burning oven and stracciatella for the usual mozzarella. Wood-grilled ocean whitefish comes from Skenes’ favorite fisherman. Be sure to try the frozen “soft cream” with honeycomb. 460 S. La Brea Ave., L.A., 323-272-3535; leopardola.com. S.I.V.
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Omakase, Oh My!
Omakase dining has never felt more theatrical than when you’re occupying one of the eight seats at MORI NOZOMI in West Los Angeles. Chef Nozomi opened her eponymous — and incredibly intimate — Japanese restaurant in March, but in just a few short months it has become one of the most coveted reservations in town. With fish flown in from Japan and the freshest produce from the Santa Monica farmers market, the Sushi Ginza Onodera alum offers an up-to-20-course omakase menu for $250 with an optional tea pairing for $55. For a menu that changes daily, dishes might include chawanmushi (a steamed egg dashi soup), otoro and chutoro nigiri, and kegani (hairy crab), which factors prominently in her specialty dish that’s been nicknamed Kinkaku-ji for the golden temple in Kyoto. Each meal concludes with a traditional matcha tea prepared ceremonially by Nozomi as elegantly as she presents each dish. 11500 Pico Blvd., L.A.; morinozomi.com. D.N.
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Caffè Culture
GIORGIO ARMANI celebrated his 90th birthday at work, so it comes as no surprise that he also took the reins — in collaboration with his team of architects — to rework his latest eponymous boutique in Costa Mesa. The 5,400-sq.-ft. shop contains five separate spaces for men and women, fine jewelry, made-to-measure, beauty, and Armani Casa furniture. Wallpaper from the interiors line as well as angular Barbican armchairs and lush carpets are reflected and refracted by mirrors and glass shelves. Additionally, the adjacent Armani/Caffè coffee bar is opening with a menu for breakfast and lunch that includes croissants filled with tomato and provolone alongside buffalo caprese and baby spinach salads as well as delectable savoiardi tiramisu for dessert. 3333 Bristol St., South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-546-9377; armani.com. E.V.
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Cult Coffee
Ever wonder why there’s always a line outside Silver Lake’s CAMEL CAFÉ? It’s the Seoul import’s signature coffee, an iced flat white with a little milk at the bottom, followed by two shots of espresso and a svelte layer of lightly sweetened cream. Do not mix: You’ll want to taste all the layers together. “People come back just for that and don’t want to order anything else,” says owner-manager Joshua Park. He and his wife, Alice Kim, partnered to open the first Camel outside Korea. They even have the recipe for the original Tigre, a special madeleine pastry made with hazelnuts and chocolate beloved by Korean coffee fanciers. That and croissants and other pastries come from their Silver Lake neighbor Clark Street Bakery. Camel roasts its own beans, so the coffee is always fresh, and you can grab a bag on your way out. 4459 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A., 213-434-1997; @camelcoffee_us. S.I.V.
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San Fran Sandos
Watch for the flotilla of marigold yellow umbrellas along Lincoln Boulevard. That’s TARTINE VENICE, the latest SoCal bakery and café from the famed San Francisco bakery. Take a seat outside on the broad, breezy sidewalk terrace for coffee and morning pastries and especially toast with butter and jam. A small breakfast menu is served all day, but the best bets are the tartines (toast with topping) and sandwiches that showcase Tartine’s coveted breads. A smoked salmon version with cream cheese gets a punch from preserved lemon. Turkey club or tuna sandwiches come on the hearty housemade multigrain loaf. And a double smashburger of grass-fed beef stands out with celery remoulade on a sweet potato bun. Don’t leave without taking home a sourdough loaf. 2903 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica; tartinebakery.com/los-angeles/venice. S.I.V.
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Tiki With a Twist
It turns out a crazy-fun tiki bar is just what Anaheim needed. Owners Ying Chang and Robert Adamson put in years of research and thought before launching STRONG WATER. It’s not exactly tiki classic, which may be why it caught the attention of the James Beard Awards this year and was a semifinalist for outstanding beverage program. Adamson dubs the salvaged and recycled decor “shipwreck.” As for the drinks, bring ’em on: The 50-strong list is half subtly tweaked classic tiki and half the owners’ original cocktails, like the Zombie King, a blend of several rums with lime, pineapple, and both black walnut and angostura bitters. The place also serves a short menu of Asian-tilted food. 270 S. Clementine Blvd., Anaheim; strongwateranaheim.com. S.I.V.
Portions of this story originally appeared in the Fall 2024 issue and Mens Fall 2024 issue of C Magazine.
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