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Eater
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
Susanna MacManus, Longtime Owner of LA's Original Taqueria Cielito Lindo, Dies at Age 82
Susanna MacManus, a co-owner of Olvera Street institutions taquería Cielito Lindo and restaurant Las Anitas, died in her sleep at the age of 82 on Wednesday, June 25, due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. For decades, MacManus — a second-generation Angeleno — was the face of Cielito Lindo, a taqueria where most people would order the combination number one — an order of two beef taquitos drowned in a complex avocado salsa and a side of refried beans with melted cheese. Just after the founding of the city of Los Angeles in the 1780s, the area that became known as Olvera Street (Placita Olvera) was a thriving commercial hub until the 1920s, when it began to decline. Los Angeles socialite Christine Sterling led the revival of the area in 1930. It was there that McManus's grandmother Aurora Guerrero eventually opened a small retail shop on Placita Olvera and later sold food out of a neighboring stall. Guerrero, who immigrated from Huanusco, Zacatecas, arrived in Los Angeles with her children to search for her husband, a bracero who had come to the U.S. three years prior. Sterling asked her to come up with a different recipe than what was being served at other restaurants on the street, and Guerrero settled on taquitos covered in her original avocado sauce. The dish earned her the chance to open Cielito Lindo in 1934, named after a Mexican folk song popularized by the great mariachi singers. As for the taquitos, their rise to fame was swift in a segregated Los Angeles, where many white Angelenos and tourists alike got their first taste of Mexican culture. Taco USA author Gustavo Arellano has argued that this was the birthplace of America's interest in tacos, and Los Angeles became an epicenter of Mexican American cuisine. Guerrero's daughter Ana Natalia Guerrero went on to open Las Anitas in Olvera Street and other locations. On June 12, 1943, Ana Natalia gave birth to Susanna MacManus in Lincoln Heights, as Cielito Lindo was celebrating nine years in business. MacManus eventually married Carlos Eduardo MacManus, not too long after his arrival in Los Angeles from Mexico City in the 1970s. Susanna received a bachelor's degree at Cal State Los Angeles and went on to earn a master's degree in Spanish at UCLA. She taught Introduction to Spanish at Occidental College in Eagle Rock in the 1980s and 1990s while completing coursework for her Ph.D. 'She was teaching full time and raising us, and never got around to writing her dissertation,' says Carlos Eduardo Jr. Ana Natalia died in 2000, and the following year Susanna stepped in to run Cielito Lindo along with her sister, Diana, who served as the CFO. Her other sister, Marianna, became a silent partner in the restaurant. Susanna MacManus in her youth. I interviewed Susanna for my 2017 book, LA Mexicano, getting to experience her sharp wit and gregarious nature firsthand over in-person interviews and multiple phone calls. She joined me for some events, including my book release at Vroman's in Pasadena, where her team served Cielito Lindo's iconic taquitos in avocado sauce. To this day, it's difficult to fathom how easily she just shared the recipe for the salsa, something so good that customers slurp it up from their plates and order it to-go. I remember telling her that I knew she couldn't give up the recipe for the salsa, and she just cut me off mid-sentence. 'Why not? I'll give it to you,' said Susanna with one corner of her mouth turned up. That's just the way she was. Susanna continued to come to events to represent Cielito Lindo. 'She loved being on stage, but above all, carrying on the legacy of the family,' says her son Carlos MacManus Jr. 'I loved how she would talk to random people [in line], like this older gentleman with his grandkid and he would say, 'I would come here with my grandfather as a kid and now I'm taking my grandchild,'' says Susunna's daughter Viviana MacManus, 'She was so touched by that importance.' Beyond her profession, MacManus had a thirst for knowledge, and particularly oral histories. According to her children, she had hoped to document the stories of her customers and their connection to Cielito Lindo, and took a keen interest in young people. 'You know, she even tried to be hip with all the lingo with the music, that new music to keep up with the current generation,' says Carlos MacManus Jr. Susanna's outgoing, infectious nature that helped Cielito Lindo stay relevant and help maintain its status as a Mexican American and Los Angeles institution. It may have been Susanna's outgoing, infectious nature that helped Cielito Lindo stay relevant and help maintain its status as a Mexican American and Los Angeles institution. 'I know that for her, the connection to how important Cielito Lindo is in the story of immigrant Los Angeles needed to be preserved,' says Viviana. In 2017, Cielito Lindo was featured on CNN's Parts Unknown, where the late-Anthony Bourdain discussed Mexican culture in Los Angeles with Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano and comedian Al Madrigal over plates of olive green salsa. There's a satisfying comfort and simplicity in dredging crispy taquitos into a tart, fruity salsa alongside refried beans and shards of melted cheese. Cielito Lindo's signature recipe was born out of desperate times. Susanna's grandmother, Aurora, on her own as a single mother, crafted an unforgettable recipe and secured a restaurant space for posterity. 'The women always took care of business, and my mom grew up very independent since her mom, Ana Natalia, always worked,' says Carlos Eduardo MacManus Jr. Carlos Eduardo recounted a story that his mother told him that she would pass out in one of Cielito Lindo's booths to take a nap while her mother served locals and tourists their post-church ritual of crispy taquitos slathered in salsa. It held true for me as well after attending the No Kings protest in Downtown Los Angeles on June 14. Many of those who participated in the march ended up at Cielito Lindo for combination #1. Dragging pro-immigration banners, marchers full of hope sought the timeless comfort of Chicano food. One pair of elderly women commented on how there was no place to sit, so I directed them to Las Anitas restaurant, where they could enjoy their taquitos in air conditioning surrounded by an array of pastels. The rally took place less than two weeks before Susanna's passing, which followed the March 2025 death of her younger sister, Diana Robertson. The restaurant will remain in the family as the fourth generation of Cielito Lindo sorts out the details. Seamlessly, the line keeps moving on Olvera Street as another leader of this storied institution becomes etched into the legacy of an immortal combo plate. 'Mom always thought of the restaurant as a sort of nexus or a gathering place of solidarity and community for the immigrant population in Los Angeles,' says Carlos Eduardo MacManus Jr. Susanna MacManus is survived by her husband, Carlos Eduardo MacManus, sister Mariana Robertson, and children Carlos Eduardo MacManus Jr. and Viviana MacManus. Cielito Lindo's taquitos with avocado salsa. Bill Esparza Eater LA All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . 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Eater
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
Welcome to the Jungle Bar
is a journalist and longtime Las Vegas resident who has been covering entertainment and following trends within the city's restaurant and bar scene for the better part of two decades. The crew behind the popular dog-themed shipwreck bar Stray Pirate is trading pups for cats — big cats. On Thursday, June 12, they unveiled Prowl right next door, a new jungle-inspired cocktail lounge with shadowy rock walls and adventurous cocktails — all under the watchful gaze of a black panther that stalks silently across the screens behind the bar. Chris 'Tater' Gutierrez, general manager and cocktail creator at both Stray Pirate and Prowl, saw an opportunity when the T-shirt shop closed next door. But he didn't want to disrupt the cozy, chaotic vibe he fostered at Stray Pirate. 'So we wanted to do something else and create an entirely different bar, a bit the same, but more refined,' he says. Inspired by Elvis's Jungle Room at Graceland, Gutierrez leaned into the kitsch: a moss-covered lava rock wall with a carved Olmec face, a crystal-lined cave hallway, and two standout bathrooms — one with an overhead butterfly display and the other with twinkling fiber optic 'fireflies' dangling from the ceiling. The 1,200-square-foot room seats just under 50 and features a retro feel with booths of burnt orange and avocado green beneath glowing glass orbs. Prowl. Louiie Victa Prowl's cocktails follow the same inventive playbook Gutierrez developed next door at Stray Pirate — housemade syrups, fresh fruit, and unexpected flavors, all anchored by top-shelf spirits. Think ingredients like mashed sugar snap peas, honeydew, and housemade orgeat made from roasted pepitas, and a ginger beer infused with makrut lime leaf and hibiscus. It's a style Gutierrez has honed over the years behind the bar at the likes of Corduroy, Oak & Ivy, and Atomic Liquors. The drinks at Prowl are cheeky by design. Gutierrez describes the Jungle Spirits menu as 'playfully raunchy,' with irreverent names and cult movie references. There's Sex Panther, a blend of reposado tequila and Oaxacan rum served in a ceramic panther head and teased on the menu as containing 'bits of real panther.' For a Good Time Call includes an actual phone number that patrons can dial for entertainment. 'We're trying to make the menu lighthearted and fun to read,' Gutierrez says. But for him, it's still all about what's in the glass. Monstera Mash combines Capurro Quebranta Pisco with savory sugar snap peas, citrus, mint, elderflower, cardamom, and egg white. The Cougar is a light grapefruit-and-rose vodka drink, while the Morning Wood blends Vesta coffee with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, maple, Italian amaro, and sherry for something bold, balanced, and a little bit naughty. Prowl. Louiie Victa Prowl's opening is the latest sign of the cocktail bar revolution that's happening in the Arts District. It joins other new arrivals like Natalie Young's Echo Taste and Sound, James Tree's Petite Boheme, Corner Bar Management's Doberman, and Nocturno from Milpa's DJ Flores — all run by bartenders with deep roots in Vegas and serious culinary chops. Together, they're redefining the Las Vegas cocktail bar: serving elevated drinks in high-concept spaces built for bar-hopping nights in a walkable, fast-evolving neighborhood. 'This is the area where people's dreams are coming true,' Gutierrez says about the Arts District. 'You can go into a spot and see somebody's dream come together within four walls.' Louiie Victa Prowl. Louiie Victa Prowl. Louiie Victa
Eater
14 hours ago
- Business
- Eater
Smash Burger Restaurant Gets an Opening Date on the Las Vegas Strip
The Cosmopolitan has been without a dedicated burger restaurant ever since Holsteins closed in July 2024. This changes as of Monday, July 28, when Naughty Patty's opens its doors at the Block 16 Urban Food Hall, near China Poblano. The casual, retro-style spot leans into Las Vegas's ongoing obsession with smash burgers, serving thin, lacy patties with nearly caramelized edges. The burgers are made from a blend of ground chuck and brisket, seared and topped with lettuce, tomato, and raw onion, plus a citrusy yuzu and sesame oil sauce. The anticipated restaurant will also serve chili-style hot dogs, crispy grilled cheese sandwiches, and seasoned fries tossed in furikake. For dessert, thick concretes come loaded with toppings in nostalgic flavors like Oreo and strawberry shortcake. Naughty Patty's will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Naughty Patty's. Janna Karel Dave's Hot Chicken Opens at the Airport Travelers flying out of Harry Reid International Airport's Terminal D — like those on American, Delta, and Frontier — can soon grab spicy sandwiches before takeoff. Dave's Hot Chicken opens its first airport location on Friday, July 18, debuting a breakfast menu for the first time. Offerings will include hot chicken and waffles, breakfast sliders with eggs, and burritos stuffed with hot chicken and hashbrowns. LA Rice Bowl Restaurant Opens Another Vegas Location Los Angeles-based rice bowl chain, WaBa Grill, opened another Southern Nevada location on Monday, July 14, at 7060 South Durango Drive #115 near West Warm Springs Road. Menu items include chicken rice bowls, salmon with steamed vegetables, shrimp tacos, and dumplings. Superior Grocers Opens Another Las Vegas Location It's been a banner year for regional grocers in Las Vegas. Following the recent arrivals of H-Mart and Aldi, Southern California-based Superior Grocers will open its second local store on Wednesday, July 23, at 390 South Decatur Boulevard, near West Charleston. Eater Vegas All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Eater
15 hours ago
- Business
- Eater
Michael Chiarello's Estate Just Filed a Lawsuit Against Its (Now) Former Restaurant Bottega
The estate of chef Michael Chiarello, seen here in 2015, filed a lawsuit against the chef's restaurant Bottega, in Yountville. Chiarello passed away in 2023. Getty Images The estate of influential wine country chef Michael Chiarello has filed a lawsuit against the restaurant started by the late chef and his wife, Eileen Gordon. The Chiarello estate and their company, Gruppo Chiarello, have filed a complaint against Bottega in Yountville, according to an Instagram post on Tuesday, July 15, announcing the litigation. A statement from Gordonalleges 'wrong-doing surrounding this very unfortunate 18-months in which important assets were stripped from [Chiarello's] Estate and separated from his legacy.' Michael died in October 2023 from an undisclosed severe allergic reaction. A press release on behalf of the Chiarello family details the lawsuit filed on Monday, July 14, in the Superior Court of Napa County is seeking 'declaratory and injunctive relief and damages.' The defendants are former Disney studio chief Richard Frank, John Hansen, Peter Crowley, JH Capital Partners II, LP, and Monte Savello Limited Partnership, all financial investors in the restaurant. The plaintiff's claim in the filing that the defendants participated in 'a campaign of coercion, fraud, and interference to try to trick, intimidate, and pressure Chef Chiarello's Estate to surrender to Defendants' efforts to wrest control of the valuable assets rightfully belonging to Chef Chiarello's Estate.' Bottega in Napa Valley's dining room. Bottega The lengthy court filing and press release detail a scenario in which these minority stake owners allegedly set upon the Chiarello family with the goal of wresting further control and gaining money from the restaurant group and Chiarello's fame. The press release also details that the ownership group filed its own lawsuit in May 2024 against Gordon, Solo Io, and Gruppo Chiarello Inc., requesting a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. But when the court refused to grant relief, according to the press release, the investors pushed forward with arbitration, which led to Bottega and its associated menus, concepts, custom furnishings, and recipes (among other assets) to be sold to Frank and Hansen. In the Instagram post, Gordon writes that she and the Chiarello family are no longer associated with Bottega. The Chiarellos restaurants include Coqueta at Pier 5 and Bottega, Ottimo, and Coqueta in Yountville. Eater attempted to reach out to representatives for JH Partners, Monte Savello, and directly to Bottega Napa but did not hear back at press time. Chiarello, who grew up in the Central Valley, was a controversial figure by the time of his death in late 2023. Eater reported in 2016 that two former employees of Coqueta sued over an alleged 'sexually charged, hostile, and abusive environment.' That same year Gruppo Chiarello was sued over late pay and 'manipulated clocks and timesheets.' Then Chiarello was arrested in November 2016 for driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance in Napa. Still his dominance in Northern California restaurants cannot be overstated. At 24 years old, he became executive chef at St. Helena's Tra Vigne restaurant in 1987. His winery Chiarello Family Vineyards came next, then national stardom with his Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello Food Network show. Coqueta on the water remains a San Francisco staple, as does Napa's Ottimo. 'Given the joy, laughter, and delicious moments he gave people for decades, how could we sit by in silence?' Gordon wrote in part. Eater SF All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Eater
16 hours ago
- Business
- Eater
A Health-Conscious Nigerian Chain Expands to Downtown D.C.
Nuli, the Nigeria-based, fast-casual chain, hopes to challenge misconceptions about African cuisine, one jollof super bowl at a time — through its first U.S. location opening soon in downtown Washington. Scheduled to round out The Square food hall (1850 K St. NW) in August, the health-food restaurant's warm bowls and toasted wraps not only emphasize nutrient-rich African ingredients locally sourced from the DMV, but they also reflect culinary traditions across the continent's 54 countries, including its Mediterranean and Indian influences. 'We need to tell these stories of how, at the end of the day, we are one people,' said Ada Osakwe, the Lagos-based entrepreneur and founder behind Nuli. 'Broader than Africa, just we are one, and we need to break down those barriers for building this community.' Nuli founder and Lagos-based entrepreneur Ada Osakwe. Gazmudu The freshly baked naan bread surrounding the toasted wraps is a nod to the Indian diaspora on the African continent — its best sellers are the Naanini and Naan Pepper wraps. Osakwe added couscous as a base option to some of Nuli's bowls because it's something she ate during the four years she lived in Tunisia and worked in development finance for the African Development Bank Group. 'When I lived in Tunisia, that was an eye opener for me,' Osakwe tells Eater. '…That for me was the foundation in terms of realizing that we had such diverse cultures on the continent. North Africans were quite different from us.' Jollof-flavored pasta, called Pasta Magic. Nuli Foods As for the West African influence, Nuli's warm bowls come in a smoky jollof version as well. Its fonio, couscous, and rice offer the red pepper flavorful spice that jollof is famous for, Osakwe said. You can order your bowls with tandoori chicken, spicy prawns, or lamb meatballs, alongside vegan options that include avocado or veggie meat chunks. Osakwe highly recommends that you order sweet plantain fries as a side. Fonio super bowls combine the ancient, protein-packed West African grain with fresh vegetables for a cold salad, or a warm, stir-fried bowl. Salad dressings and Tahini-like creamy spreads are designed around egusi, a West African melon seed that's rich in essential minerals and a valuable source of creamy, planet protein. Items unique to the D.C. location include steamed bean cakes known as moin-moin, and nutritious moringa smoothies and parfaits. Moringa, also known as the 'miracle tree,' has become a popular superfood. Nuli in D.C. will also use gluten-free cassava flour for the naan bread that surrounds the toasted wraps, something that is not available at the Lagos locations. And in keeping with African culinary practices, Nuli's staff will make the menu items from scratch each day. The Naanini Wrap Nuli Foods The melted beef naan wrap. Nuli Foods In Osakwe's experience, many people think of African cuisine as oily, too fatty, and visually unappealing. Or they think Ethiopian cuisine is representative of the entire continent. That's why she presents Nuli's cuisine in a familiar way — through wraps, bowls, and smoothies. 'I'm so excited about finally changing the narrative or perceptions on African food,' she said. 'It doesn't have to be this, sort of, 'What's that floating in the red sauce, I don't understand,'' Osakwe said. Nuli comes from the female name 'Anwuli' and is unique to the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria. It means happiness or joy — 'Taste Joy,' the company's tagline, is also Nuli's ethos. Osakwe founded Nuli in 2016 when she was incorporating exercise and healthy food into her lifestyle. Her goal was making healthy food more accessible in terms of price and convenience. Beyond that, she wanted to build a homegrown brand on the African continent that translates globally and that she could eventually bring to the United States. A 'berrylicious' smoothie from Nuli's smoothie lineup. Nuli Foods 'I was tired of the Burger Kings or the Pizza Huts coming into our countries and people paying huge franchise fees for those, and yet, we weren't developing and backing our own people,' said Osakwe, who also invests in underrepresented founders in Africa and beyond. 'So yeah, this is like a dream come true.' Tunisia is where Osakwe learned how to back projects that push Africa forward, whether they're in the agriculture, infrastructure or food system spaces. In keeping with that mission, a portion of Nuli's sales support farmer cooperatives owned by African women, who make up more than 50 percent of the farming population. Osakwe operates six Nuli locations in Lagos. In the past, Nuli partnered with Uber to deliver its juice to Lagosians. Google and McKinsey & Company have also regularly placed bulk orders for their workforces in Lagos. Nuli marks the latest spot for The Square, which houses about a dozen eateries. Las Hermanas Coffee Shop, from sisters Keren and Nataly Moreno, arrived at the end of June. Before that, Donisima, the Latin-American pop-up doughnut shop from Miguel Guerra of the Michelin-starred Mita, opened earlier in the month. Osakwe zeroed in on D.C. in part to follow the same trajectory of fast-casual chains Cava and Sweetgreen. Both of them launched their businesses in the area and now operate hundreds of locations across the United States. With Chipotle Mexican Grill among the chains leading the way, the global fast-casual market is expected to grow by $181.6 billion between 2024 and 2029, according to Technavio, a global market research and advisory firm. It predicts that North America will comprise 43 percent of that expansion. To that end, Osakwe hopes to spend the next decade opening 1,000 Nuli locations across the United States. 'What Chipotle is for Mexican-inspired food, what Cava is for Mediterranean-inspired food, Nuli is that for African-inspired food,' Osakwe said.
