This downtown pizzeria from Issa Rae and partners comes with spritzes and classic funk
'The daytime is really for the drip, and the nighttime is for the dough,' said co-owner Ajay Relan.
Relan and business partner Yonnie Hagos launched Hilltop via their hospitality group, GVO, and quickly partnered with the 'Insecure' actor and producer, whose mission of creating inclusive spaces aligned with theirs. In the years since, the trio launched another four Hilltop locations, downtown rooftop bar Lost and a sleek restaurant, bar and jazz club called Somerville.
'We could not think of a better partner and ambassador for our mission,' said Relan, who added that Rae is 'very involved' in the restaurants' operations and menu planning.
At Downtown Dough, the menu calls for almond wood sourced from Northern California, which is used at the wood-fired grill — for dishes such as chicken, branzino and steak — as well as in the pizza oven. Chef Geter Atienza (previously of Broken Spanish, Bouchon Bistro, the Fig) brushes his crust with garlic oil and sprinkles it with Parmesan and tops the pizzas with pepperoni, local honey and Fresno chiles; truffled fondue and farmers market cauliflower; bacon, Manila clams and caramelized onions; and more. There are pastas, Black Angus meatballs, salads and crispy calamari.
Funk can be found in the restaurant's flavor — and in the air and on the walls.
'All of GVO's venues have a very music-first vibe curation, but funk is a genre that we had always enjoyed the most,' Relan said. 'It was just always the most fun, and [we're] marrying our love for pizza with the free and forward era of the '70s and the music that came along with it.'
Artwork, color schemes and, of course, the playlist will all take their inspiration from funk. Expect to hear James Brown, Bootsy Collins, the Womacks, Sly and the Family Stone and other classics, plus newer acts inspired by those bands. Steen Bojsen Moller (also of Lost and Somerville) oversees the full bar, which focuses on spritzes — some of which are named for funk musicians, their albums and the movements they started.
This particular Hilltop, which debuted in 2023, was intended to serve as a pop-up, but due to its popularity it became permanent. The 6,000-square-foot location accommodates nearly 200, including a 22-seat private dining room. In the evenings the trio previously used the open kitchen and ample space for catering and events but knew they wanted to open a full restaurant eventually.
Rae, Hagos and Relan hope to serve the downtown community with a series of experiences: coffee by day at Hilltop, pizza and spritzes by evening at Downtown Dough, a nightcap and a taco at Lost's nearby rooftop — and more projects for Rae and GVO are already in the works. Downtown Dough launches May 3, and will open Wednesday to Sunday from 6 to 11 p.m.
718 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, instagram.com/downtowndoughco
One of the best wine shops in Long Beach recently expanded next door with a restaurant and wine bar. Last year, Alicia Kemper closed her cafe, Mangette, which she co-owned and sat next to her popular natural-wine shop, Buvons. Now, she's reimagining the Mangette space as an evening-only restaurant and wine bar that works in tandem with the bottle shop.
Buvons Wine Bar + Restaurant offers a more extensive food menu than what was found at Mangette and in Buvons (which offers by-the-glass pours and snacks). It draws on weekly farmers market bounty and plays off the bottle shop's lengthy wine offerings. Both the food and wine menus rotate each month. Guests might find smoked-eel carbonara with dashi and a confit egg; duck confit with leek chutney; or house-made terrine. Sometimes the kitchen will be helmed by a guest chef; May features a menu by Côme Richard, who is visiting from Paris.
Plates such as charcuterie and cheese boards can still be found in the bottle shop alongside wines by the glass, but more prepared dishes can only be found in the new wine bar and restaurant. The new wine bar and restaurant also features more seating areas than were available in Mangette, and hosts classes and events such as a monthly pasta workshop. Buvons Wine Bar is open Wednesday to Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m., while the adjacent bottle shop's hours are now Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 7 p.m.
1145 and 1147 Loma Ave., Long Beach, (562) 342-6557, buvonswine.com
A 'Top Chef' contestant with a range of Italian restaurants is branching out with his first taqueria.
Via his hospitality group Memento Mori, chef Jackson Kalb operates Ospi in Venice and Brentwood, Jemma in Hollywood, Jame Enoteca and John Thomas Bar in El Segundo and the temporarily closed Jemma Pizzeria in the Palisades. He launched Jaime Taqueria, his newest restaurant and first foray into tacos, to bring some new flavor close to home.
'This isn't supposed to be inspired by any one regionality,' Kalb said, telling The Times that he lives in the area and wanted to open a cantina for the neighborhood. He tapped executive chef Marco Arreguin (Puesto, MXO) to lead the kitchen, and together they're serving large-format plates such as al pastor-inspired pork shank under pineapple glaze; starters such as guacamole topped with scallion and black garlic chile crunch; sides like brown-butter esquites; and tacos piled with beef cheek quesabirria, filet mignon, citrus-achiote chicken and mojo shrimp gobernador. Wash it down with margaritas, mezcal old-fashioneds, tequila flights, mocktails and more. Jaime Taqueria is open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with brunch slated for the future.
450 Main St., El Segundo, (310) 648-8231, jaimetaqueria.com
One of the country's most famous doughnut chains just launched a bright-pink outpost at the corner of Melrose and La Brea. Voodoo Doughnuts — which also operates a smaller location in Studio City's Universal CityWalk — can now be found slinging its signature bacon-topped maple bars along with classics, an array of vegan options, and seasonal specials such as cherry cola. The new Fairfax-neighborhood Voodoo Doughnut is open nearly 24 hours a day and features a larger menu than the shop in CityWalk. It also offers merch such as shirts, crewnecks, pink mugs and bags of coffee. A beachy location just under the famous Venice sign is also in the works. Melrose Avenue's Voodoo Doughnut is open daily from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m.
7101 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 782-7666, voodoodoughnut.com
Sign up for our Tasting Notes newsletter for restaurant reviews, Los Angeles food-related news and more.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
71-Year-Old Jockey Perry Ouzts Approaching New Record
71-Year-Old Jockey Perry Ouzts Approaching New Record originally appeared on Paulick Report. "Ironman" jockey Perry Ouzts, 71, will start a new record for starts in a Thoroughbred horse race in this Saturday's fifth race at Belterra Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. The veteran jockey will enter the starting gate for a 53,579th time, eclipsing the previous record set by retired California-based rider Russell Baze. At this writing, Ouzts sports a record of 53,570 starts– 7,514 wins – 7,013 seconds – 6,694 thirds, for earnings of $53,055,913. The next active rider is Hall of Famer John Velazquez with 37,363 mounts and 6,703 is also the record holder as the oldest jockey to win a race in North America — a feat he accomplished last summer. Ouzts has spent most of his career riding in Northern Kentucky and Ohio. Though he has never won a graded stakes race, he was the subject of an award-winning 2015 documentary "Ironman Perry Ouzts," produced by the Hennegan ranks fifth all-time in wins, trailing only Russell Baze (12,842 wins), Laffit Pincay Jr. (9,530), William Shoemaker (8,833), and Pat Day (8,803).Ouzts told John Engelhardt that loyalty has been a key factor in his success. He credits the support of trainers W.J. Danner, Larry Holt, Joe Woodard, Bill Connelly, Matt Kordenbrock, Barb Riley and Larry Smith for the many winners they have put him up on. He has also had the same agent, Jamie Fowler, for 38 years. Fowler contracted throat cancer in February of 2023 and has undergone 50 radiation treatments, several surgeries, and 10 months of physical therapy. This week, Fowler was declared cancer-free. According to Ouzts: 'I asked if he could still do the job from home when it was discovered, and with texting, video replays and other on-line features, he hasn't missed a beat.' He has won 35 meet titles at River Downs/Belterra Park, 13 titles at the now defunct, Beulah Park and 2 titles at Turfway Park. He won the last race at River Downs and the first race there under its new name Belterra Park. He was the first jockey to win a stakes race at 70 years old. His richest races won were the $200,000 Cradle Stakes (2007), the $100,000 Queen City Oaks (1988) and the $100,000 Green Carpet Stakes (this season). He won four races on a horse named Oats N' Ouzts. He and his wife, Toni have two sons – Kyle (35) and Tyler (32). This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
Eater
16 hours ago
- Eater
It's All About Realistic Corn Gummies in Cocktails at This D.C. Bar
As Halloween-meets-summer continues to trend, one uppity D.C. bar is taking the concept of candy corn to new heights. The lounge at Bourbon Steak, celebrity chef Michael Mina's sleek, people-watching magnet tucked inside Georgetown's Four Seasons hotel, has come up with a cocktail garnish that (we can attest) literally looks and tastes like the freshly shucked summer vegetable. But this yellow corn-ament of sorts, found in the new It's A-Maiz-Ing cocktail, is of the gummy and small variety. 'Engi' Alebachew, Bourbon Steak's head bartender, tells Eater that he has long wanted to invent such a believable, realistic cocktail accoutrement. And the sweet and savory grain ingredient is definitely having a moment at D.C. bars as of late. Since the drink debuted two weeks ago, Alebachew says the team's sold around 100 little corn garnishes. 'Some people ask for it without the drink — 'can I have one more of those?' I can't say no, even though it takes forever to make,' he says. So, how does he make it? 'We buy fresh corn and slowly cook it. Then we throw away the cob and blend the juice [extract] with sugar and salt,' Alebachew says. The syrup then joins pectin (as a gelling agent) and combines with agave nectar and fruit juice to produce a 'gummy candy' of sorts. The complex compilation goes into a cute corn-shaped mold before it's finally 'thrown in the freezer' for a couple of hours, he explains. Bourbon Steak's collection of new summer cocktails. Bourbon Steak Bourbon Steak's Engi Alebachew preparing the Beekeeper (Bar Hill Gin, yellow Chartreuse, lemongrass, honey, lemon). Bourbon Steak Due to limited kitchen prep space, sheer time constraints, and popularity, however, he's now looking to potentially outsource the edible party favor. 'I found a good garnish company online making the same kind of them,' he says, reporting that their recently sent sample hit his high standards. And there's not just corn on the cocktail menu. A new vodka-and-sherry coupe called Rice and Shine also comes topped with a tasty conversation starter: a big piece of rice paper that's fried in hot oil and sprinkled with green matcha. 'There are so many kinds of fun and edible things I want to work on,' he says. A riff on a gin Bee's Knees loops in lemongrass and is garnished with real honeycomb. And a big cluster of grapes dangles off the Singani 63-infused Grape Expectations. All of the new summer cocktails are $26 each (2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). Executive chef Quentin Welch is also having fun in the kitchen during her second summer in the head role. She recently perfected a delightfully fluffy, caviar-topped 'twinkie' made with cornbread cake and yuzu creme fraiche. Meanwhile, Mina is gearing up to expand in D.C. with the opening of Acqua Bistecca, his newly named coastal Italian restaurant coming to City Ridge. Stay tuned for more. Eater DC 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.
Geek Tyrant
19 hours ago
- Geek Tyrant
The SILVER SURFER Rock Opera Film Almost Made in the '80s With Olivia Newton-John and a Score by Paul McCartney — GeekTyrant
There was a moment in the '80s and early '90s when the Silver Surfer almost rode a wave of psychedelic rock straight onto the big screen. This nearly-made movie would've mashed up the philosophical space opera energy of 2001: A Space Odyssey with a soundtrack driven by a rock 'n' roll legend. Executive producer Lee Kramer had a vision, and it was wild. He once explained: 'We're going to make an epic picture on the scope of 2001: A Space Odyssey with the kind of soundtrack that that film had, only using contemporary rock 'n' roll. It's even conceivable that the Surfer might have a chant or a fanfare made up of one thousand electric guitars.' One. Thousand. Electric guitars. And if that wasn't ambitious enough, the soundtrack was supposed to be written by Paul McCartney. According to reports, the Beatles icon was approached, and interested, in scoring this cosmic jam session. It's the kind of idea that could only come out of the high-concept, high-risk creativity of the 1980s. The film would have focused solely on the Surfer, with Marvel having lost the rights to the Fantastic Four at the time. Kramer turned to Stan Lee and asked for a standalone story. Lee, teaming with Jack Kirby, crafted a new narrative that reimagined the Surfer's arrival on Earth and his defiance of Galactus, no Fantastic Four required. This version leaned harder into the existential elements of the character's arc and introduced an original character named Ardina, a female counterpart to the Surfer created by Galactus to lure his herald back. Why a female Silver Surfer? Because Kramer wanted a role for his girlfriend at the time… none other than Olivia Newton-John. This movie would've paired the shiny, brooding bodybuilder-turned-Surfer Frank Zane with Newton-John's luminous, rebellious space goddess. In this retelling, Ardina falls in love with the Surfer and ultimately sacrifices herself, forcing the Surfer to return to Galactus in order to save Earth. Shakespeare in space with killer lighting and synth. Concept art from the film, which you can see above, shows the chrome-plated Surfer floating alone in the void, staring into the reflective surface of his board. But, like many overly ambitious passion projects, it fell apart. Financing collapsed, and this gloriously over-the-top space rock opera was scrapped Still, if you're a fan of the Surfer or just weird, almost-happened Hollywood tales, it's hard not to sit back and imagine what could've been: a Silver Surfer movie scored by Paul McCartney, starring Olivia Newton-John, with a thousand electric guitars echoing through the cosmos. Honestly? Still sounds better than most of the other Fantastic Four films that have been made.
