Los Angeles Official Visitor Guide 2008 - (Page 62) Dining Celebrity-Owned Finding a celebrity-owned restaurant in LA isn’t exactly a challenge. All you have to do is toss your dog-eared copy of US Weekly in the air and you’re bound to hit one. That’s not to say you shouldn’t bother checking them out, but celebrity-owned restaurants that truly succeed have more going for them than famous investors and the occasional mention in the gossip columns. There’s got to be a reason to pay for the privilege of eating there, and this means having food that’s worth the price, an atmosphere that’s unique and memorable and professional employees who haven’t forgotten that the customers are the ones who make the whole thing work. While these restaurants have celebrity ownership in common — whether it’s Hollywood royalty as investors or celebrity chefs as owner/operators — the similarity ends there as each establishment puts its own spin on LA cuisine. Restaurants in legendary rock status, but it’s the fresh take on sushi that makes this restaurant an LA hipster hotspot. The Asian fusion menu is health conscious as it features traditional sushi, sashimi and salads. A new twist on sake is offered with an array of original sake cocktails featuring premium imports. All of this and a DJ spinning techno, too. 9229 West Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069. carnitas. 445 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071. Cut Located inside the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, A Four Seasons Hotel, Cut is famed chef Wolfgang Puck’s newest dining sensation. Calling it a steakhouse doesn’t really cover all that Cut offers. Sure, you can order your favorite cut of beef from a variety of top qualities ranging from USDA cuts to Wagyu-raised and Kobe beef. But Cut also offers a range of delectable seafood and scrumptious side dishes. Inside the Richard Meier-designed dining space you’ll find light plays an integral part in the contemporary style from the custom-designed wood furniture to the linear skylight in the dining room’s center. Another bonus, swivel chairs that make people-watching easy. At Cut, celeb spotting is practically guaranteed, but it’s the food that will bring you back. 9500 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Ciudad Colorful décor makes Ciudad a lively place to experience two hot tamales. In this case, it’s not a food reference, but the title for chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, famous for their “Too Hot Tamales” TV show. The unique Latin cuisine they created at Ciudad is an unexpected take on Mexican food influenced by the bold and seductive flavors of the Latin world. The menu gives a taste of where the chefs have traveled, including dishes such as Honduran ceviche, Argentine empanadas and Brazilian moqueca. Diners could be the happiest during happy hour when inexpensive drinks are accompanied by yummy appetizers like fish tacos and Blowfish Sushi Blowfish Sushi is known as the place to get sushi with attitude and a side of rock ‘n’ roll. It helps that one of the owners is Julian Lennon, whose family tree is deeply rooted Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante Classic Italian food meets ultra-hip stylings in a dining room where it’s as much fun to see who’s there as it is to eat the food. 62
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.