Latest news with #CaliforniaMichelinGuide
Los Angeles Times
25-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Lido Bottle Works shakes things up with new spirits program
Lido Bottle Works has established itself as a restaurant that cooks with the seasons. Since opening in 2016, the Newport Beach restaurant has prepared dishes with in-season produce from local farms for a menu that is always fresh. Recently, the Lido Marina Village eatery, which earned a place in the California Michelin Guide in 2022, secured a full liquor license that allowed the restaurant to add cocktails to the drink menu that already boasted 15 beer taps and a collection of wine. 'We have been in the process of getting a liquor license for over a year, but we just launched a liquor program about three months ago,' said Zack Lovejoy, bar manager at Lido Bottle Works. The resulting cocktail menu is one that continues their commitment to seasonality. 'I wanted to make sure the bar program matched the food program. Chef is all about using fresh ingredients and we wanted to do that same thing,' Lovejoy said, as he was heading out to the farmer's market on Thursday morning. Executive chef Joel Gutierrez is using stone fruit on the menu now, Lovejoy notes, so he makes an effort to incorporate that into the cocktail menu too. 'Right now, I am about to go to the farmer's market to pick up peaches,' said Lovejoy. The fresh fruit could end up in a cocktail that pairs well with the burrata and stone fruit salad, served with arugula, cornbread coutons and peach vinaigrette. Lovejoy also makes an effort to stock the bar with local and independently produced spirits. 'We are all about the little guy, the locals, so we are trying to pull as much local liquor as we can, including stuff like Redwood Bourbon out of San Fransisco,' said Lovejoy. Gutierrez said he has enjoyed adding another layer of hospitality to the restaurant. 'Zack and I work really well together and we have been on this plan of trying to utilize the entire ingredient, so that nothing goes to waste,' said Gutierrez. 'Even if it is just garnishes, we are trying to use the byproduct of that ingredient, which is really what the restaurant has been doing since day one.' To celebrate the new cocktail program, Lido Bottle Works is hosting a five-course tequila and mezcal cocktail pairing dinner on July 31 at 6 p.m., in partnership with El Cristiano Tequila. Gutierrez will serve a menu that leans into the Mexican heritage of the tequila brand and Lovejoy will pair each course with a creative cocktail that considers the restaurant's signature seasonality. Guests can expect dishes like a summer squash tamal and braised short rib birria, served alongside libations like a cara cara plum margarita. 'Doing the beer and wine pairings dinners, I am pretty comfortable with those, but this was one of the first times we got to pair with liquor, ' said Gutierrez. 'We really wanted to keep it playful and have fun with it.' For his part, Lovejoy has worked extensively with the staff to make sure they are not only trained in the signature cocktails on the menu, but also classic cocktails guest might ask for as the bar catches on. 'We are excited and just trying to bring in a cocktail program that is at the same level the food has always been at Lido Bottle Works and to the standard that is expected in Newport,' said Lovejoy. Lido Bottle Works' tequila cocktail pairing dinner takes place on Thursday, July 31 at 6 p.m. at 3408 Via Oporto #103, Newport Beach. Tickets are priced at $150 per person and include tax and gratuity. To make a reservation, visit
Eater
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Lilo in Carlsbad Earns San Diego's Only Michelin Star for 2025
The 2025 California Michelin Guide was announced last night in Sacramento's SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center to a crowd of chefs and restaurant professionals, with new stars awarded across the state. Carlsbad's Lilo from the Jeune et Jolie/Campfire team came home with the San Diego area's only star, while Atelier Manna in Leucadia was given a Bib Gourmand. No other awards were doled out for San Diego, though the one star for Lilo marks a significant moment for chef Eric Bost and partner John Resnick. Lilo opened a little over 10 weeks ago behind Bost and Resnick's casual all-day restaurant Wildland. Lilo serves 22 diners at a time across mostly counter seating that wraps around a fully open cooking area (there are also two four-top tables for larger groups) inside a stunning, architecturally compelling space. There, diners enjoy seven full courses with counterside flourishes by kitchen staff. Just outside, diners are escorted to lounge areas before and after their meal for pre-dinner snacks and post-prandial drinks. The multi-faceted tasting menu reflects a more ambitious dinner compared to Bost and Resnick's other Michelin-starred restaurant, Jeune et Jolie, hinting that Lilo could very well earn two or more stars in the coming years. In Leucadia, Atelier Manna opened in April 2023 from the former Jeune et Jolie chef Andrew Bachelier as a chic neighborhood cafe. With a 'food as medicine' approach serving overnight oats with ancient grains and Turkish-style poached eggs, the casual cafe earned the San Diego area's only new Bib Gourmand. The overall relatively subtle award action for San Diego raises questions about the focus of the guide on larger locales like San Francisco (which gained two new two-star restaurants) and Los Angeles (which gained two new three-star restaurants). The southern stretch of California now has six total Michelin-starred restaurants (five with one, and Addison with three). San Diego also came up empty in this month's James Beard Awards, with Animae chef Tara Monsod earning a finalist nod but losing out Best Chef: California to Kato's Jon across the border in Baja California's Valle de Guadalupe, the Michelin Guide for Mexico awarded stars for the first time to Olivea Farm to Table and Lunario. See More: San Diego Restaurant News
Eater
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Fine Dining Chef Josh Skenes Opens a Spicy Fried Chicken Restaurant in Arts District
One of the world's most acclaimed chefs is getting into the fried chicken business. Joshua Skenes, the founding chef of Saison and Angler in San Francisco (and part of Angler LA at opening), is opening a fast-casual restaurant on June 6 called Happies Hand Made in the Arts District in the space adjacent to Tatsu Ramen. Skenes, who opened Leopardo in mid-2024 and temporarily closed it in early 2025 to work on Happies, is serving thick, spicy, Sichuan-inflected fried chicken tenders with fruit and tea drinks; heavily seasoned beef tallow fries; soft serve topped with passionfruit and strawberry; and frozen cocktails. The tenders will be served atop crispy waffles, milk bread slices, or a pile of dressed salad greens. The surprise debut comes after months of speculation about the fate of Leopardo, Skenes' Italian American pizza and seafood restaurant that opened in 2024 along La Brea Avenue. Leopardo had garnered some local and national recognition for its pizza and was included in the California Michelin Guide. The restaurant quietly closed in early 2025 and has yet to set a reopening date, but promises a renovated interior design. Prior to Leopardo, Skenes founded Saison, which reached three Michelin stars (it's currently at two after his departure), and Angler, which still has a single Michelin star. Angler in Los Angeles operated at the Beverly Center from 2019 to 2023. His only previous foray into casual dining was with Fat Noodle, a venture with Umami Burger founder Adam Fleischman that never fully opened. In the meantime, Skenes' Happies Hand Made restaurant opens its doors today at noon with limited hours of operation from Friday to Sunday. The fried chicken tenders are possibly the biggest in the city, encrusted with a crispy Southern-style exterior and dressed with a mildly spicy Sichuan-style chile sauce. A gentle smokiness comes through with each bite, which distinguishes these tenders from other versions around town. Craggly fries are coated in black pepper and heavy seasoning, resembling Chinese and Korean snacks, and they're fried in beef tallow for good measure. Skenes has always excelled in soft serve ice cream, with compelling renditions at Angler and Leopardo. Here, soft serve swirls are topped with strawberry sauce, passionfruit, or whole honeycomb. Prices are fairly reasonable, with fried tender combos at $26 for two tenders, a choice of crispy 'liquid' waffle, milk bread, or salad, and a housemade soda. Fries are $5, and soft serve is $8. To round out the menu, Skenes has a huge array of beverages, like fruit sodas; lemon mint, honey oolong, and hojicha tea, cold brew coffee with a whole doughnut on top; boozy slushies flavored with coconut or kyoho grape; and a few other fruity cocktails. The wood-lined space conjures a retro diner, with a slatted divider barely separating the rest of the high-ceiling industrial space from the next-door Tatsu Ramen. Still, a few wall counter stools and plush booth seating make for decent on-premise dining. The restaurant is currently dine-in only, with take-out and delivery forthcoming. Happies Hand Made is open Friday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and is located at 427 S. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90013. Sign up for our newsletter.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michelin Adds Seven L.A. Restaurants to its California Guide
On March 12, Michelin added seven Los Angeles restaurants to its California Michelin Guide. The seven restaurants listed on the guide as "new" and "recommended" will have the opportunity to earn a coveted Michelin star later this year, adding to the current list of 26 Los Angeles-based restaurants with Michelin stars. Bar Etoile — Julian Kurland, Jill Bernheimer and chef Travis Hayden's French-inspired bistro in Melrose Hill. Translated from French, the name means "star bar," which is a nod to Los Angeles' entertainment industry and Paris' bistronomy scene. The spot serves two European-leaning menus, one with just bar bites and another comprised of small and large plates. Kusano — This intimate eight-seat omakase restaurant in Culver City is a "one-man show" and named for the chef that takes everything from drink orders to cleared plates. The menu offers a focus on nigiri and is often simply Nozomi — Chef Nozomi Mori's sophisticated West Lake omakase counter. The minimally appointed space is dominated by towering cherry blossoms and a single lamp. Their ingredient sourcing, elegant style and iconic flavors pack a punch, landing them on the — The Chinese-Malaysian restaurant where Chef Johnny Lee incorporates Malay culture, alongside Indian and Indonesian flavors sits in the heart of Filipinotown. The higher price point is made up for in large servings that are perfect for — Chef Dave Beran's striking new open-concept restaurant in Santa Monica presents a memorable menu on custom plateware. This unique space and dishes foster meaningful conversation and connection. Tomat — London arrives in Westchester at this popular all-day eatery, which takes inspiration from Persian and British influences in their menu. Co-owners Natalie Dial and Harry Posner work with farmers to produce fresh and seasonal dishes. Restaurant Ki — Named after chef and owner Ki Kim, this intimate restaurant serves a multi-course counter tasting menu with Korean-influenced flavors in Little Tokyo.
