Summer's time
Baroo, Violet Bistro, Sushi Gen, Toteme, White Caps Beach Club, Big Sur hotels, personality hires, MORE
WORK • Thursday Routine
Hanging lanterns, seeking balance
KWANG UH & MINA PARK • chef/owner & GM/owner • Baroo & Shiku
Neighborhood you live in: Koreatown
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Mina: I’m finishing up a dispatch of my Substack, and then, on a more glamorous note, catching up on bookkeeping and paying vendor bills.
Kwang: I’m out picking up some last-minute Korean ingredients for our two restaurants. I’ll check on the morning prep team at Baroo, then go to Grand Central Market to our restaurant Shiku, and check with our sous chef and team there, before going back to Baroo for the day/night. Our prep cooks have been working at Baroo since 9 a.m. so the restaurant will usually smell of seaweed and fermented funkiness.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Kwang: Finishing R&D for our new tasting menu. My R&D process is mostly spent studying and imagining dishes that are something new, something I haven’t seen or tasted before. We're also plotting future restaurants — today we're brainstorming and casually looking online at potential sites.
Mina: It's Buddha's Birthday today, so we're decorating the Baroo dining room with lanterns made by our friend Christina at Dosa. In Korea, Buddha's Birthday is a major holiday and there are paper lanterns strung above the streets throughout the country, so we're trying to evoke that feeling for people who are homesick like us. For many reasons, Buddha's Birthday is an important holiday for us to celebrate.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Kwang: On Tuesdays, we usually treat ourselves to a quick lunch in Little Tokyo within walking distance of Baroo. Mina's favorite place is Azay for its homey (but refined) Japanese breakfast set. My favorite place is Sushi Gen for their ridiculously good-value sashimi lunch special. You have to get there well before they open to wait in line with the many Korean aunties who also love a good deal and raw fish.
Mina: We're going to Antico Nuovo for dinner on Sunday. It's a three-minute walk from where we live. Our son can eat an entire loaf of their focaccia by himself, so we need to make sure to order two. He’s four-years-old and in a picky phase that’s heartbreaking for us, as people whose whole life is food. Right now, he loves pizza and tacos. So, we've taken him to places like Quarter Sheets, Pizzeria Sei, Tacos Arabes de Puebla, and Angel's Tijuana.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Kwang: With two restaurants, balance in our lives is a work in progress. When we have time, we love to go hiking as a family and with our wild mountain dog whom I adopted in Hong Kong. With a toddler, we go on strolls rather than hikes. When he was a baby, we would strap him into the baby carrier and hike almost everyday.
Mina: I love art almost as much as food and will try to see shows at galleries like Marta Gallery, run by another husband-and-wife duo, Heidi and Benjamin. Visiting Marta Gallery means we also stop by Plant Material which has an incredible selection of native plants and cool gear for gardeners. We got a gorgeously wispy Australian bottle tree for Baroo there. Other galleries we like are Stroll Garden, Francis Gallery, Francois Ghebaly, Commonwealth & Council and Various Small Fires.
Any weekend getaways?
Mina: Our weekend is Sunday and Monday, since that's when Baroo is closed. Kwang loves amusement parks, especially roller coasters, and is training our son to also love them. So we're going to Disneyland (again!). It’s also an excuse to explore the restaurant scene in Orange County, whether it's pho in Garden Grove or places in Little Arabia in Anaheim. Last time, we checked out Forn Al Hara for their spiced lahmajun and boat-shaped cheese bread.
What was your last great vacation?
Kwang: In March, we closed our restaurant for a week, gave our team a paid break, and flew to Korea straight from our last service. We took Kwang's parents and our son to Jeju Island for a few days.
What store or service do you always recommend?
Mina: NowServing in Chinatown, for all the cookbooks, food magazines and adorable children's aprons by White Bark Workwear, and kids sweatshirts designed by the owners' sister, Nancy.
Photo: Justin Chung.
RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table
Violet hues
As sometimes happens to me in Los Angeles, I recently found myself missing my Parisian days. I wanted to be en terrasse with attentive (but not obsequious) service, taking le temps de vivre.
My solution: Violet Bistro, in the heart of Westwood Village, where the owner Dana Slatkin welcomes her guests with a warm je-ne-sais-quoi. Slatkin has an impressive background, as a chef, cookbook author, and entrepreneur. Once you settle into the gentle ambiance filling the place, pass the bar and dining room, and step onto the charming brick patio in the back — where stairs lead up to Violet’s second-floor cooking school — it’ll be clear that she’s also, very much, a restaurateur. Take it all in, including the flora climbing the wall, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll feel whisked away to one of Paris’ secret covered passages.
The menu is bistro fare — French staples, with California flair. Nicoise salad with olive tapenade hidden underneath local Weiser potatoes and confit tuna, crispy and show-stealing pommes frites piled next to a perfectly seasoned petite bistro steak, homemade harissa ketchup optional (but extremely advisable).
The recently updated wine list is worth giving a look: A Provence rosé made of the ancient Tibouren grape might catch your eye, or you could just indulge in a reserve glass of Côte Rotie from the Rhône region and find — like I did — that perfect sip, to complete that perfect little Proustian voyage back to France. –Marine White
→ Violet Bistro (Westwood Village) • 1121 Glendon Ave • Lunch Mon-Fri 12-2p, Dinner Mon-Thurs 5-9p, Fri-Sat 5-930p • Reserve.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: Roman-style Triple Beam Pizza, from Nancy Silverton/Matt Molina/Randy Cleme, finally opens in Santa Monica • Game-changing Downtown cocktail bar The Varnish to shutter next Wednesday • Marelle bringing beachy summer vibes to new Sandborne hotel in Santa Monica • What the fuck is an Oklahoma martini?
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop
Nordic Roots
If you care at all about fashion, you’ve likely coveted something from Toteme, that Swedish house ever-synonymous with “quiet luxury,” with their tumbled cotton trench coats and oversized silk sets. Angelenos can now browse such treasures in real life with the opening of Toteme’s new store on Melrose. The brand is beloved by LA’s It Girls — Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, et al — so it’s not surprising the new store is situated near celeb hangouts like Craig’s and Maxfield’s. Also in line with the brand, the store’s design is modernist and somehow warm, just like your friend’s fabulous house in the Bird Streets. –Zoe Schaeffer
→ Shop: Toteme (West Hollywood) • 8910 Melrose Ave • Mon-Sat 11a-7p, Sun 12-6p.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Sat Night
Roots Picnic: Hip-Hop is the Love of My Life, Hollywood Bowl (Hollywood), Sat @ 8p, garden 5, $538 per
Tim McGraw, Kia Forum (Inglewood), section 107, Fri @ 7p, $143 per
Iron & WIne, The Bellwether (Downtown), Sat @ 8p, GA, $66 per
WORK • Culture
Staffing up
We’ve added a handful of new folks to the FOUND team this month. It feels good — especially since, during our first year, we’d been doing most of the work ourselves (except for our group of excellent regular editorial contributors — love you guys!).
The staffing plan was on purpose, because 1) we wanted to be as hands-on as possible in the earliest stages, 2) media is weird right now and we’re being careful not to get over our skis, and 3) it takes a little while to figure out what you really need. It’s the same idea as living in a house for a year or two before undertaking any renovations.
New work culture memes suggest that, in their own recruitment efforts, some employers are currently focusing mostly on vibes. Per the WSJ:
Skill was king during the talent war of 2021 and 2022, but recent layoffs suggest a lot of companies believe they have enough, or even too many, capable employees.
Enter the “personality hire,” deliverer of sunshine and good times (except when other employees have to do their work). Maybe we’ll get there someday! But for now, there’s enough work to go around, no office to put the vibes in, and a general wariness about building capital-C culture.
All that said, we’re still and always on the lookout for talent. Like more contributors to write about restaurants, bars, shopping, and the retail scene here in Los Angeles. If that’s you, reply to this email or drop us a line at found@itsfoundla.com. Vibes not required. –Josh Albertson
LA WORK AND PLAY LINKS: New private club Gravitas to open in Beverly Hills in September • DTLA’s graffiti towers heading to foreclosure auction this fall • CA Supreme Court rebuffs challenge to mansion tax • New Hollywood Bowl rideshare lot is a total gamechanger • In Altadena, new wine shop from Silverlake Wine team has opened • The push to preserve the Hollywood Arby’s sign.
GETAWAYS • Summerland
Beach town chic
Summerland is no longer the kid sister of Santa Barbara. It’s officially a proper destination as of last month, when the White Caps Beach Club’s opening on Memorial Day weekend exponentially grew the curb appeal of the town’s main drag, Lillie Avenue.
Set just back from the buzz of the 101, this terraced, outdoor-focused property begins with a restaurant operating out of a 16-foot-long custom-made trailer. Get the lobster roll made, as it should be, with Maine lobster, and served on Röckenwagner Bakery rolls. There are plenty of other food and drink options, and plenty of picnic tables to spread out, play games, socialize, and generally soak in the California coastline.
Hanging out with a bottle of wine and some snacks here makes for a great day trip, but anyone driving all the way up from LA should check out the three casitas crowning the top of the hill. Casually decorated by proprietor Michael Haber, a local photographer who recently began the trek into hospitality, these airy one- and two- bedrooms read more like your artsy friend’s beach apartment than formal hotel rooms.
All three of the Summerland bungalows come equipped with kitchens, separate living spaces, and ocean views, along with private fire pits and decks for stargazing. Haber calls his decorative style “eclectic modern farmhouse,” and insists that White Caps Beach Club is a place where “everyone’s a member.”
It’s not exclusive, but it is interesting, set here in what’s still decidedly a beach town just five or so miles from Santa Barbara. White Caps Beach Club might not fit neatly into the luxury category, but it is luxurious on its own terms. –Caitlin White
→ White Caps Beach Club (Summerland) • 120 Hollister St • Weekend rooms from $887 (Fri-Sun).
GETAWAYS LINKS: New Air France lounge opens in TBIT at LAX • In San Francisco, Waymo opens robotaxi service to anyone, no more waitlist • Noted seafood shack The Marshall Store opens second outpost, Out the Door, in Tomales • Here’s Le Coq, a new ‘new wave French’ steakhouse in San Diego.
ASK FOUND
Four FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we’re seeking intel:
What's the best flight school to take a flying lesson in LA?
I’m looking for something special. What are the best jewelry stores in LA?
Where should I be drinking al fresco this summer?
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Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundla.com.
GETAWAYS • The Nines
Hotels, Big Sur
Ventana (Santa Lucia Mountains, above), 59-suite luxury outpost with outdoor Japanese baths and wood-burning fireplaces, $3859