Plus Montecito’s new oyster bar and savory Spanish arrivals in Los Angeles
Words by CATHERINE BIGELOW, DAVID NASH, S. IRENE VIRBILA
Alba Ushers in a New Dawn in West Hollywood
Yet another swank New York City Italian spot has arrived in L.A. ALBA in WeHo opens into a grand patio with skinny cypress trees, potted rosemary, and a festive bar under a scalloped awning. Artichoke fanciers will love chef Adam Leonti’s crispy Roman-style version with mustardy bagna cauda. Almost everything on the focused menu is worth ordering, especially the pastas. High marks to the signature pillowy agnolotti filled with sweet caramelized onions and cloaked in black truffle fonduta. To follow, consider branzino with yellow pepper cream, swordfish Livornese, and lovely lamb chops with a piquant gremolata. Dessert? No question but the custardy semolina cake slicked with candied kumquats, best enjoyed with a small glass of Fèlsina vin santo. 8451 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 424-484-3992; cucinaalba.com. S.I.V.
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A Tapas Bar Wakes Up Silver Lake
The new BAR SIESTA is just down the street from Heather Sperling’s vegetable-centric Botanica restaurant and draws in an appreciative neighborhood crowd for its tapas-inspired menu. Start with a Manchego and ham-flecked croquette that’s perfectly crisp on the outside and molten within. Then a wedge of egg-and-potato tortilla, patatas bravas with aioli, or toast heaped with tiny conserved clams and fennel in a spicy sofrito. King trumpet mushrooms are cooked in amontillado sherry. Gently spiced morcilla comes with lentils dosed with Asturian cider. There’s more, including olive oil ice cream and classic turrón (almond nougat). Walk-ins can snag tables on the sidewalk or, if very lucky, a spot at the bar. 1710 Silver Lake Blvd., L.A., 322-284-8325; barsiesta.co. S.I.V.
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This O.C. Hot Spot Returns With South Asian Cuisine
Come halal or high water, one of South Orange County’s most popular dining spots, MINT, was bound to reopen with a bang. After a fire extinguished its earlier renovation work in 2022, the perception-shifting halal restaurant is once again welcoming its loyal following while redefining Western ideas of Desi cuisine. The sister concept to four-time Michelin-recognized Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen in Fullerton and Hawaiian Gardens’ Shor Bazaar offers an impressive menu crafted by head chef Jamil Hosseini and award-winning consulting chef Ali Mookhi that showcases the culinary traditions of India and Pakistan’s diverse regions and subcultures. Dishes like steaming goat karahi, a Pakistani staple served tableside in a wok, and a unique veg biryani, made with Thai chiles and charred market-fresh vegetables, are prepared with refined presentations and techniques. Its fully reimagined interior — with intricate wood accents, rustic exposed brick walls, contemporary metallic fixtures, rich velour seating, and brilliant jewel tones — feels like a Bollywood film. Sticking with halal tradition, the alcohol-free bar program — crafted by the group’s master mixologist, Ahmad Hosseini — features a creative array of tasty mocktails, like the Falsa-tini, made with Grewia asiatica pulp and black salt. 25381 Alicia Pwy., Laguna Hills, 949-297-8480; mintdesikitchen.com. D.N.
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A New Calistoga Tasting Room With a View
Swirl, sniff, sip, and savor one of Napa Valley’s most sought-after collectible wines without having to secure a coveted spot on its allocation list with the opening of REALM NORTH. Set just outside Calistoga’s city center, with sweeping views of the Vaca Mountains, Realm Cellars co-owner Scott Becker brought his vision for an approachable tasting salon to life in an effort to present his award-winning juice to a wider audience. Guests can expect to enjoy a flight of current releases for $125 per person, a steal for the opportunity to enjoy wines that might otherwise cost five or six times that per bottle on the secondary market. Taste winemaker Benoit Touquette’s latest vintages of The Bard, Fidelio, and Houyle Estate at a private table or in a more communal setting bedecked with original artworks by Craig Frazier, Sergio Albiac, Alea Pinar Du Pre, Richard Twose, and Yang Jiechang. Library wines and wines that serve as inspiration to Realm will also be offered for an additional fee and, as a bonus, tenured winery members are welcome to book complimentary tasting experiences. By appointment only, the site also serves as the dedicated winemaking home to The Bard, Realm’s most recognized Cabernet Sauvignon. 1171 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga; realmcellars.com. D.N.
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Oysters and Classic Chowder Move West to Montecito
Austin oyster bar CLARK’S, from chef and owner Larry McGuire, is making the move west to Montecito. The menu courts seafood lovers with fat crab cakes, classic New England clam chowder, lobster rolls with drawn butter, California sea bass — and, of course, oysters and more oysters. Settle in with a martini and steak tartare accompanied by hand-cut shoestring fries dusted with rosemary. Or go for broke with a giant plateau de fruits de mer, which is definitely more of a two-martini affair. A pan-roasted black Angus burger with Gruyère and sauce gribiche deserves its place on the menu. It’s SoCal, after all, so grab a spot on the patio under one of the umbrellas. 1212 Coast Village Rd., Montecito, 805-974-0655; clarksoysterbar.com. S.I.V.
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A San Francisco Standard Is Primed
Although a secret knock is not required to pass through the heavy wooden door of IZZY’S STEAKS AND CHOPS, it exudes a swanky supper club vibe. Samantha DuVall Bechtel commissioned Gachot Studios to refurbish the space in homage to her father, restaurateur Sam DuVall, who founded it in 1987. The classic menu (including oysters Rockefeller, classic wedge salad, potato gratin, creamed spinach, and succulent Creekstone Farms steaks) has been updated by executive chef Daniel Lucero. Upstairs, the mezzanine dining room features a stone-clad fireplace, plush lounge seating, and a gallery of old-school artwork. On the main floor, wavy-glass partitions define refurbished wood-paneled booths and banquettes. Above, diners can admire a soaring mural by Matthew Benedict depicting socialites and raconteurs. 3345 Steiner St., S.F., 415-563-0487; izzyssanfrancisco.com. C.B.
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West Hollywood’s Dreamiest Tasting Menu
A breathtakingly ambitious and highly exclusive restaurant just opened on a quiet street in WeHo. SOMNI (“dream” in Catalan) is the long-nurtured project of chef Aitor Zabala. It is also a 14-seat restaurant in the tasting-menu-only format that earned the chef two Michelin stars the first time out. Think magical country house where a crazy genie chef and his helpers are turning out extremely polished cuisine that’s as delicious as it is cutting edge. Take the dashi caviar bite, a 1-inch-high fish-shaped meringue flavored with dashi and topped with smoked butter cream and caviar — lots of caviar — framed with violet rosemary flower petals. $495 per person. 9045 Nemo St., L.A.; somnirestaurant.com. S.I.V.
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New York’s Marea Brings Its Coastal Catch to Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills’ restaurant scene is heating up with New York’s Daniel Boulud and Milos on the way. The city’s top high-end Italian seafood spot, MAREA, is already here with palm trees behind the octopus logo and P.J. Calapa, the executive chef of the New York and the Beverly Hills restaurants.
Start with crostini topped with uni and lard, langoustine tartare, or anything from the crudo bar. Primi dishes shine, including their signature fusilli with red wine–braised octopus and bone marrow, a classic spaghetti with clams and baby leeks, and lobster risotto lavished with hazelnut brown butter. For the main course, go for the “tunahawk” — a big-eye tuna loin paired with cauliflower or a grilled swordfish with clams in a chorizo vinaigrette. Or go bigger with a massive 40-ounce Tomahawk prime rib eye. Choose your accompaniment from a well-padded Italian-focused wine list that offers many by the glass.
The room defines quiet luxury, all honeyed wood and natural tones with a pop of blue in the Murano glass chandelier. If you missed the Golden Globes after-party there, make a reservation. Marea is perfect for a night to dress up and eat very, very well. 430 N. Camden Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-620-8463; marearestaurant.com/beverly-hills. S.I.V.
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Portions of this story originally appeared in the Spring and Men’s Spring 2025 issues of C Magazine.
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