The wave never dies
Echigo, Shins Pizza, Kahani, boutique fitness, Beverly Hills architecture, The Elder Statesman, MORE
RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table
Strip mall stalwart
Echigo, perched atop a Prime Pizza in a plaza on the outskirts of Sawtelle, is the poster child of strip mall sushi.
Run by chef Toshi Kataoka, Echigo epitomizes this uniquely LA form of sushi experience. Behind an unassuming facade, its bare-bones interior houses a 12-seat sushi bar (exclusively for omakase) framing a smattering of tables (a la carte orders). Walk-ins get seated swiftly. The volume? Blissfully hushed. Exceptional, relatively affordable nigiri come in pairs.
Since opening in 2002, the restaurant has more than galvanized its status as a classic, while managing to stay relatively under the radar. Highlights from a recent dinner included pudgy scallops glistening over warm rice, and a blue crab hand roll, an Echigo signature (well before Sugarfish took it mainstream). Try to order only one.
After dinner, head to nearby The Bigg Chill, another institution, for a cup of LA’s best frozen yogurt. A timeless bang bang. –Emily Wilson
→ Echigo (Sawtelle) • 12217 Santa Monica Blvd. Ste 201 • Lunch Mon.-Fri., Dinner Mon.-Sat. • Reserve.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: My new favorite Peking duck in LA• New wood-fired Sicilian Prima Donna opens in Culver City • From ‘Bad Vegan’ to mass restaurant closures — inside Matthew Kenney’s crumbling raw food empire • Should more restaurants consider a fully domestic wine list?
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Boutique fitness
Silver Springs (West Hollywood), hot yoga and HIIT pilates in stylish environs
TriFit (Santa Monica), husband-and-wife-run boutique health club
Heimat (Hollywood), luxury members-only gym and spa w/rooftop pool
Speir Pilates (West Hollywood & Venice), reformer classes by a seasoned instructor
Easton (Studio City & Hollywood), since 1938
Love Yoga (Venice, above), flow classes and a beachy vibe
Los Angeles Athletic Club (Downtown), longstanding private club w/ squash courts and swimming pool
Heated Room (Beverly Grove), high-intensity pilates in a state-of-the-art heated room
Open (Venice), skylit meditation and yoga
Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundla.com.
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
The architects of Beverly Hills
After coming to market in October for the first time since 2001, The Sommers House, a classic mid-century modern in Beverly Hills, had its price slashed 10% to $4.995M in December. The 1954 house is the first solo project of architect Robert Kennard, who had previously worked with Richard Neutra and later designed a new entrance to the Hollywood Bowl.
Down in The Flats, 601 N Beverly is also making its first listing appearance in decades. Despite its own architectural heritage, the photos only show the prime corner lot and not the “preserved original charm” promised inside. It’s priced at $6.8M, just north of the median sales price in Beverly Hills.
And finally, further upmarket, nary a word of preservation at 609 N Bedford, where the $8.495M tag comes with architect Richard Landry’s plans for a new 10k SF redo.
→ 1143 Coldwater Canyon Dr. (Coldwater Canyon) • 4BR/4BA, 3322 SF • Ask: $4.995M (reduced on 12/15/23 from $5.5M) • Mid-century work from Richard Neutra tree • Days on market: 84 • Agent: Crosby Doe, Crosby Doe Associates.
→ 601 N Beverly Dr. (The Flats) • 5BR/5BA, 4015 SF • Ask: $6.8M • Trading for first time in 50 years • Days on market: 87 • Agent: Susan Pekich, Hilton & Hyland.
→ 609 N Bedford Dr. (The Flats) • 3BR/3BA, 2281 SF • Ask: $8.495M • Includes big plans for a big new house • Days on market: 93 • Agents: The Altman Brothers, Elliman.
LA WORK AND PLAY LINKS: FanDuel reportedly pays $1410 per foot for new Beverly Hills office • LA office leasing down sharply in 2023 • LA market’s first $20M home sale of year comes from Pacific Palisades • Hilton estate in Bel Air sold for $25M, 55% off list • How Barry’s turned grueling military workouts into a sexy lifestyle.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Object
Sweater weather
This is a really nice gift. Like, really nice. Made by LA-based The Elder Statesman (purveyors of “laidback, quiet luxury”), it’s 100% cashmere, also comes in rust, and is the ultimate armor for the guy in your life struggling with those 40-degree LA winter nights. –Zoe Schaeffer
→ Shop: Shawl Collar Cardigan (The Elder Statesman), some sizes out of stock, $2095.
WORK • Thursday Routine
Kitchen hopping
MELISSA LÓPEZ • chef partner • Barra Santos and Shins Pizza, Last Word Hospitality
Neighborhood you live in: Santa Monica
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
We're prepping for the weekend, and I have a Barra Santos/Shins Pizza ops meeting at 2pm. I usually get in at 10am, and check in with both prep teams. Then, it's going back and forth between the two, to see where I'm most needed. It's usually in the early afternoon before our ops meeting that me and my sous chef Adrian are able to R&D recipes for both spots.
Then, it's right into getting set up for service. One of my favorite times throughout the day: staff meal with the team. Service starts at Barra, and then we’re usually the most busy at Shins for that early dinner rush. It's hard to be in two places at once, but I thrive under that pressure.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I just developed a new recipe with our lead cook Sam to run as a special. It's a great winter dish of PEI mussels with a cilantro and mint sauce, potatoes, and croutons.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I've heard that The Palm has a good chicken parm, which I've been craving and will be trying before a Clippers game! But generally I love supporting chefs who I've previously worked with. Recently, I had an amazing meal at Kuya Lord.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I love going to gallery openings, and I’m a huge fan of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.
Any weekend getaways?
Before both restaurants opened, I loved to go to Palm Springs and literally do nothing but hang by the pool. The San Jacinto Mountains remind me of home (I’m originally from AZ). That and the intense heat. I also love going to antique stores and the thrill of finding the diamond in the rough.
What was your last great vacation?
Last spring, I went with my business partners, Mike and Holly, to Lisbon to eat and drink. Rua de Flores Taberna is a small restaurant in the heart of Lisbon. There were some takes on traditional Portuguese food that definitely inspired our menu at Barra Santos.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Symphonies
Comedy Gives Back, Oswalt, Silverman, Galifianakis et al., El Rey Theatre (Miracle Mile), Thurs @ 730p, orchestra center, $200 per
Suns vs. Lakers, Crypto.com Arena, (Downtown), Thurs @ 7p, section 111, $362 per
Mahler 6 with Dudamel, Walt Disney Concert Hall (Downtown), Sat @ 11a, front orchestra, $399 per
GETAWAYS • Laguna
Surf and saag
Dana Point, famous for its surf, is also home to several oceanfront resorts, including a Ritz Carlton atop Salt Creek Beach. Because creek drains lead to sand buildup, the wave never dies in this particular pocket of Laguna. Book a suite with ocean views for a front-row seat to SoCal’s surf scene and the tranquility of the expansive sea.
Another reason to visit Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel: a new fine-dining Indian restaurant, KAHANI, helmed by New Delhi native Sanjay Rawat. The Ritz brought Rawat on board in 2022 to upgrade the catering for its Indian weddings business. The program was so successful that a full-scale restaurant followed suit.
KAHANI is a tad stuffy — it’s a resort restaurant, after all. The dining room is brown and beige, with roomy chairs, leather booths, and red lace runners laid across each table. Never mind, because it’s the food you’re here for.
Specifically, the refined takes on Rawat’s grandmother’s recipes, like a caramelized goat cheese salad with masala-spiced beets, and flakey Chennai-style sea bass with delicata squash and curry leaf. Don’t miss the classics, either: malai kofta, chana masala, saag paneer.
Seriously good Indian food is hard to come by in Los Angeles proper. Your best bet is to head south to Artesia. Or, book a one-night stay at the Ritz, plus a dinner reservation at KAHANI. –Emily Wilson
→ The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel (Dana Point, CA) • One Ritz Carlton Dr.
→ KAHANI • Dinner Tues.-Sat. (except 1/14-2/6, when chef Rawat will be in India) • Reserve.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Maria Sharapova’s guide to Santa Barbara • NYT’s 52 places to go (Pasadena!) in 2024 • 10 more from the WSJ (Kansas City!) • How will the Boeing 737 Max 9 problem affect air travel? • Should you take your toddler on safari?
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