From a sleek omakase in Santa Barbara to a charming new arrival from the East Coast Words by ANDREW BARKER and S. IRENE VIRBILA   From P-Town to Tinseltown It seems the appetite for Italian American restaurants never abates. SAL’S PLACE joins in from the other coast, specifically Provincetown, Massachusetts, at the tip of Cape Cod. The original, founded in 1975, has a casual, bohemian vibe moderated with plenty of red sauce and parmigiana. At the new WeHo outpost, owner Siobhán Carew is going for a similar local-hangout feel. The restaurant is cash only and accepts reservations only by p ..read more

Che Fico takes its pizzas to Menlo Park and Northern Spanish cuisine comes to L.A. Words by S. IRENE VIRBILA and DAVID NASH   PHOTO: Eric Wolfinger. Make Mine a Menlo Margherita When it opened in San Francisco in 2018, Che Fico quickly earned spots on the Best New Restaurants in America lists for Bon Appetit and Esquire. Six years later the accolades haven’t stopped: This spring chef and co-owner David Nayfeld was recognized as a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist in the Outstanding Chef category. Now the Michelin Guide–listed hotspot, which focuses on Italian cuisine with a Califo ..read more

The Venice Beach food scene expands and seafood platters land in Eagle Rock Words by KELSEY McKINNON and S. IRENE VIRBILA   BEST BET is chef Jason Neroni’s love letter to pizza. Photography by Pascal Shirley. Pizza at Last Jason Neroni, the chef behind the Venice juggernaut The Rose, finally has the pizza restaurant he’s been obsessing over for the past few years — and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. At Best Bet Neroni is going deep with not one, but three entirely different styles of pizza. Consider the Montanara, his take on fried pizza from Napoli’s street-food scene, blanketed ..read more

Is there any better gift this Father’s Day than a handcrafted bottle of Clase Azul tequila, distilled from premium agave in Guadalajara? Words by THE C MAGAZINE EDITORS     The evolution of the cocktail has been a long, sugary, vodka-laden path from the dirty martini to the Harvey Wallbanger to the Long Island iced tea that preceded Carrie Bradshaw’s cosmopolitans. In recent years, though, there has been a gold rush for tequila, and in particular something you can sip. The elixir is praised for its health benefits (along with having less sugar than other hard alcohols, it’s also sai ..read more

The filmmaker son of celebrity chef Todd English wants every community to improve its green spaces Words by MARTHA HAYES Photography by RAINER HOSCH   OLIVER ENGLISH in his Venice garden.   Filmmaker and food advocate Oliver English is showing me the “small garden that evolved into a food forest” in front of his Venice bungalow. What started as a few holes in the ground for compost food waste is now a flourishing oasis of leafy greens and perennial herbs. “Now I come out here and grab some Swiss chard to make an omelet,” he says, smiling and pointing out a hummingbird with the enthu ..read more

From a post-modern menu in Pacific Heights to a Neapolitan pizzeria in Santa Barbara Words by ANDREW BARKER, ANUSH J. BENLIYAN, KELSEY McKINNON and DAVID NASH   So Sonoma Having trouble with your sourdough starter? Husband-and-wife team Sean McGaughey and Melissa Yanc are breaking bread, quite literally, with the opening of their new French dining concept inside their Healdsburg sandwich shop, Troubadour Bread and Bistro. The locale is a sandwich-proffering boulangerie by day that transforms into an intimate, 20-seat bistro by night. For the couple—who cut their teeth at the Michelin-sta ..read more

Wow your nearest and dearest with a reservation at these hip new openings Words by ANDREW BARKER and ANUSH J. BENLIYAN   The pink-plastered, Mediterranean-inspired exterior of GREAT WHITE. Great White, Melrose Avenue After making a name for itself with legendary wood-fired pizzas, pastas, brunches, bowls and excellent coffee in the L.A. villages of Venice and Larchmont, Great White has landed with its third premises in West Hollywood. Next to Verve cafe and opposite Byredo on Melrose Avenue, the Australian-owned all-day cafe is run by Chilean chef Juan Ferreiro (formerly of Per Se), whos ..read more

As a second-generation vintner and former college athlete, he explains  how he keeps his fitness in check as he joins the family business Photography by ALANNA HALE Words by DAVID NASH   JOHN BAILEY and Knights Bridge winemaker Derek Baljeu taste from barrels in the winery’s caves.   In 2006, John Bailey was just 13 years old when his father and uncle—Jim and Essel Bailey—bought an 83-acre plot of land in Knights Valley, one of Sonoma County’s original five AVAs known for producing stellar cabernet sauvignon. That site would become home to the family and its award-winning Knigh ..read more

In conversation with San Francisco’s and the U.S.’s first (and only) three-Michelin-star woman chef Words by KELLY ATTERTON   Where do you live? Sonoma. Where do you feel most Zen? At home, looking out at the ocean. Favorite park/hike? I love this hike near my Los Angeles home in Laurel Canyon. It’s near the big city but feels like such a relaxing retreat. I spend a lot of time there meditating. Favorite relaxing getaway? Ojai Valley Inn. They have the most beautiful grounds, an amazing spa, delicious food and culinary events. Favorite comfort food? Literally anything my mom makes. My fav ..read more

From Carmel to La Jolla via Bel Air and Hollywood, here’s where to book now Words by S. IRENE VIRBILA   From left: Paradisaea chef de cuisine Gabriel Bonis and culinary director Mark Welker. Baja Kumiai oysters topped with frozen passion fruit sangrito. Photos by Jtran Photos.   Fresh Perspective Owners Eric and Zoe Kleinbub scored a terrific location for their new La Jolla restaurant, Paradisaea, in the modernist Piano Building designed by William Kesling and built in 1949. Culinary director Mark Weller, who spent over a decade cooking at New York City’s Eleven Madison Park and Nom ..read more