Hand-forged
N/Naka, Trousdale Estates listings, François Ghebaly Gallery, Dunsmoor, non-power lunches, River Lodge Paso Robles, best SLO hotels, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
N/Naka 2.0
The Skinny: Chef/owner Niki Nakayama recently completed a complete renovation of n/naka, her dreamy 13-year-old Culver City restaurant serving a 13-course kaiseki, $365 per. It’s serene, tranquil, and transportive, an oasis worthy of the most special celebrations.
The Vibe: Entering the building on a corner of Overland Avenue, guests are face-to-face with the restaurant’s name hand-forged in metal letters mounted to a slate wall, like the opening credit to an Oscar-worthy film. The reimagined space — headed by Tokyo-based Oyamatsu Design Studio — is full of these kinds of artisan details. One dramatic new addition: a traditional Japanese tobishi-style stone path leading into the intimate dining room.
The service, decor, and food at n/naka exist in harmony; attention to detail is meticulous — from hand-crafted California black walnut tables and chairs, to the delicate way Nakayama plates live scallop with white asparagus and kimo aioli in its shell with a small pink flower, to the server’s deep knowledge of the sake list.
The Food: The traditional kaiseki meal begins with an array of zensai, seven different small dishes presented on a wooden tray. Many are revelatory and the ones that are familiar and simple — like a golden bowl of sashimi — are the most satisfying, fresh-tasting, melt-in-your mouth versions. Lobster, uni, and morels are served on a hot stone, still sizzling as they arrive. Spaghetti with abalone, pickled cod roe, truffle, and daikon radish sprouts is a longtime menu staple for good reason. The A5 wagyu, with arugula wasabi and Weiser Farm sunchokes, proved a non-seafood standout. For dessert, there’s cherry sorbet with umeshiso and elderflower, followed by toasted rice pudding with strawberry buttermilk ice cream, Kinako and millet granola, Kuzumochi and lilac mitsu.
The Verdict: Chef Nakayama greeted our table at the end of the meal with a familiar kindness and care — the same that goes into every detail of n/naka, making it the exceptional spot that it is. –Heather Platt
→ n/naka (Culver City) • 3455 Overland Ave • Reserve (releases Sundays @ 10a PT: 8/4 for 9/4-9/7; 8/11 for 9/11-9/14).
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: Annals of fine dining: Curtis Stone’s Beverly Hills tasting menu restaurant Maude closing Sept. 28, will flip to casual Pie Room • Culver City’s Ms Chi to close this Sunday following chef’s cancer diagnosis • NYC’s legendary H&H Bagels opening first west coast store on Montana Ave • Good Friend Coffee coming to Virgil Village.
REAL ESTATE • Sold
Estates sale
A few months back, when we surveyed the real estate offerings in the Bird Streets, we noted houses in the neighborhood regularly bouncing on and off the market as sellers test the waters with aspirational prices. Next door in the equally tony Trousdale Estates neighborhood of Beverly Hills, sellers weren’t playing games with days on market, but instead, showed price flexibility — a willingness to negotiate a lower price, including for a 1970s contemporary that required an adjustment downward (of over $3 million).
Here, three recently completed transactions in the winding streets of Trousdale Estates that saw price cuts, including that $3M+ chop:
→ 550 Haynes Ave (Trousdale Estates, above) • 3BR/4BA, 3200 SF • restored midcentury A-frame, architected by David Hyun • Listed: 5/23/24 for $11.495M • Sold 7/24/24 for $10.8M • Agents: Branden Williams, The Beverly Hills Estates and Cooper Mount, Carolwood Estates.
→ 1705 Carla Rdg (Trousdale Estates) • 5BR/7.2BA, 6000 SF • sprawling 1970s contemporary that could use updating • Listed: 12/29/23 for $9.49M • Sold 4/23/24 for $6.5M • Agent: Michael Carter, Compass.
→ 1925 Loma Vista Dr (Trousdale Estates) • 3BR/4.1BA, 3885 SF • 1960s midcentury modern fixer-upper • Listed: 11/8/23 for $5.95M • Sold 6/4/24 for $5.55M • Agent: Myra Nourmand, Nourmand & Associates.
WORK • Thursday Routine
Gallery hopping
BELEN PIÑEIRO • partner • François Ghebaly Gallery
Neighborhood you live in: Highland Park
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
A typical workday can be pretty different, depending on whether I’m in the LA or NY gallery space, traveling for an art fair, or installing a show. I generally start the day with all things related to our projects in Europe, a meeting with my team, or at the studio with one of our artists.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m working on a bunch of shows coming up for our artists: Max Hooper Schneider has a major solo exhibition opening at UCCA in China this summer, Kathleen Ryan has a mid-career survey at the Hamburger Kunsthalle. We also just opened a fantastic solo by Maia Ruth Lee in Los Angeles.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
With a kid at home, I had to tone down my nightly outings. But Dunsmoor in Highland Park has become a personal favorite for a date night or to catch up with a friend. If I’m meeting a client close by the gallery in Downtown, I like going to Ditroit. Also, Sunday mornings are off to a great start if I stop by Bub and Grandma’s to grab bread and coffee, or indulge in their almond cake. Otherwise, Rincon Argentino when I’m feeling homesick for all things Argentine.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Working at a gallery makes exposure to culture pretty constant. Aside from what we do here, I’d recommend catching Paul Pfeiffer’s show at MOCA. Our neighbors at Los Angeles Dance Project put up incredible contemporary dance performances using the language of classical ballet. I also really enjoy myself in areas that I know very little about. My friend Erick Garcia is an amazing interior decorator and has been introducing me to a lot of Brazilian brutalist furniture design.
Any weekend getaways?
Does it count if it’s wishful thinking? I used to skydive and had to put that on hold with the baby. I want to get back to the drop zone in Lake Elsinore.
What was your last great vacation?
The Azores this winter. My sister has a house in Faial facing the volcano Pico which is otherworldly. It gathers all the stuff that I like: wild lush botanicals, black sand beaches, tons of wildlife, some underrated architectural gems and lots of quiet time.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
A little work on silk by Joeun Kim Aatchim. Also, a gorgeous edition by Patricia Iglesias Peco from Foreign & Domestic. They both deal with different aspects related to the body and femininity that speak to me.
What store or service do you always recommend?
LOQ for shoes has become a new favorite. They also have a great selection of clothes by Shaina Mote.
WORK • The Cafeteria
Non-power lunches
Last week’s news that chef Daniel Boulud is launching a corporate catering business in New York seemed like a natural evolution in the world of office amenities.
Meals are a key battleground in the war against work-from-home, and it’s hard to compete with a well-stocked refrigerator. Boulud could do it, though maybe not for everyone (prices start at $30 a person for breakfast and could hit $1000 for “a parade of caviar and truffles,” per Bloomberg).
Fresh out of college, my investment banking friends used to crow about free dinner via Seamless every time they stayed late to work, 18-hour days a small price to pay for Sparks at your desk.
I used to enjoy bringing lunch back to my office from the neighborhood, too, even though it was usually on my own dime. It was better in the East Village — where the options weren’t tailored to office workers — than in Midtown, where they definitely were. But in all locations, the novelty inevitably wore off.
Now, in the home office, I usually piece together some leftovers in a way that feels luxurious only in that I’m in complete control. It’d be a hard routine to give up.
Of course, when a business lunch with an old friend is an option, I’ll happily make exceptions. I might even come into an office for Boulud delivery. Maybe I’d stay past dinner as a fair trade for the caviar parade. –Josh Albertson
LA WORK AND PLAY LINKS: End of an era: Fred Segal shutters remaining two stores • French media company Partizan Entertainment opens US office in Historic Filipinotown • The Last Bookstore opening new location in North Hollywood • How to manage the career arc of superstar employees.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Outdoor Shows
An Evening with John Legend • Greek Theatre (Griffith Park) • Fri @ 8p • section A, $239 per
Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks • Hollywood Bowl (Hollywood) • Sat @ 8p • section D, $104 per
Sublime @ 2024 US Open of Surfing • Huntington Beach Pier (Huntington Beach) • Sat @ 8p • GA, $316 per
GETAWAYS • Paso Robles
Lodge life
The most popular style for hotel revamps in California these days is a converted motor lodge — and nobody does a better roadside inn flip than Nomada Hotel Group. Already known for their Los Alamos property, Skyview, the cozy Hotel Ynez in Solvang and another recently-opened Paso Robles property, Farmhouse Motel, their work on River Lodge is especially notable as it balances modern updates while still preserving a beloved piece of local history. It reopened in June.
Originally built in 1947, River Lodge is a prime example of Googie architecture, the Jetsons-esque futuristic style characterized by bright colors, angular shapes, and other hallmarks of America’s once feverish obsession with the Space Age. Safeguarding the hallmarks of this style — while addressing a serious need for renovations — meant converting a former parking lot into an in-ground pool inset with checkered green tile, adding an onsite Italian-inspired restaurant, Ciao Papi, and constructing an eight-foot wall around the entire property to add privacy to the space.
While plenty of the more-reserved examples of the mid-century modern architecture have been protected and refurbished in and around California, lots of incredible Googie history has been demolished. This only makes the surviving examples that much more rare, and the original sign for the property is part of a design process which worked to keep as much of the historic building intact as possible.
In the lobby, a cylindrical brick fireplace is another retro hallmark, but rose gardens, fire pits, front yards with hammocks, and a poolside cocktail bar are brand new amenities that bring the 28-room property firmly into the 21st century. Some rooms have brick or tiled fireplaces, outdoor showers, and private backyards. All rooms are dog-friendly for an additional fee, but none are kid-friendly — this hotel holds a firm 21-and-over policy, including the heated pool, hot tub, and restaurant, a rarity along the Central Coast where family-friend accommodations are more commonplace. –Caitlin White
→ River Lodge (Paso Robles) • 1955 Theater Dr • Weekend king rates from $474.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Detailed photo tour of all the changes at LGB • Top Chef alum Richard Blais to open Kestrel at Indian Wells Golf Resort in Palm Springs this fall • Stateline Road Smokehouse will be Napa’s first Kansas City BBQ spot • Why airlines in Hawaii are always one step away from chaos.
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GETAWAYS • The Nines
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Hotels, San Luis Obispo region
Granada Hotel (Downtown SLO, above), cozy rooms w/exposed brick and Persian rugs, plus acclaimed bistro and hidden speakeasy, $948