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One of Mexico City's best restaurants is popping up in downtown L.A.

One of Mexico City's best restaurants is popping up in downtown L.A.

Yahoo19-03-2025
At Mexico City's Pujol, Enrique Olvera makes what could be the world's most famous mole, and next month, Angelenos can taste it at a pop-up he's planning for the restaurant's 25th anniversary.
From April 22 to 30, Olvera and his mole madre will touch down in L.A. to take over a few of his West Coast restaurants. While Pujol pops up at Damian in downtown's Arts District with a tasting menu, it also will offer a more casual experience called Molino el Pujol at Olvera's adjacent taqueria, Ditroit, serving a la carte options.
Through the years, Pujol's tasting menu has highlighted the history, heirloom ingredients and vibrancy of Mexican cuisine, earning it two Michelin stars and a perennial spot on global best-of lists. At Damian, the special tasting menu will pull from some of Pujol's most iconic dishes, including the mole madre.
Read more: L.A.'s tacos are filled with a world of flavors; chef Enrique Olvera loves that about us
Olvera continually adds to his original mole at Pujol to enhance and 'age' its flavors — similar to a mother dough or starter for bread.
'On Tuesday [March 11], it was 3,650 days [old], which is crazy,' Olvera said of his mole. 'I feel like a grandfather now, with the mole being 10 and the restaurant being 25. … When we opened 25 years ago we never dreamed that Pujol would become such a part of the Mexico City culinary scene, and we're very grateful for that.'
Olvera is remodeling Pujol's terrace, which requires shutting down the restaurant until May 5. In the meantime, he wondered, why not bring Pujol to another city? Most of its customers travel from New York or California; either would be an ideal pop-up location, he thought, especially considering Olvera's multiple restaurants in both states. But after witnessing the way Los Angeles rallied for its residents after the devastating wildfires in January, he knew where he wanted to bring Pujol.
'We wanted to help revitalize a little bit of the energy,' Olvera said. 'The beginning of the year was very hard for a lot of people, and we see the city having events and trying to revitalize not only the economy but also now the energy of the city. I think it's a great moment.'
He and his team — some from Pujol, but primarily from Damian — will be revisiting past recipes, tweaking and updating them for seasonality and ingredients available in Southern California. Olvera is considering reprising his flauta with avocado and shrimp, or a cappuccino made with squash blossoms.
'We did that [cappuccino] in 2005, in that era we used to be a little bit more playful,' he said. 'We all were playing around with food and making new things.'
When the restaurant opened, Pujol was more experimental and contemporary in its format but more strict in its use of only local, traditional Mexican ingredients. Now, the chef said, he's more open to using new ingredients — provided they're still local and seasonal. But when it comes to technique and his recipes, he's become more classically minded.
Read more: From a modest farm to Mexico City's fanciest restaurant
The L.A. tasting menu will offer roughly six courses, plus a few additional bites. Expect two seatings, one around 5:50 p.m. and another around 8:30 p.m., for 90 guests at each time slot. The prices have yet to be determined for the Damian tasting menu and the items at Ditroit, but a portion of the profits will benefit No Us Without You, a local nonprofit that provides food and other resources to undocumented workers in the service industry and beyond.
Beverage pairings can be ordered separately, most likely following the format of Pujol's, which involves mezcal or tequila along with Mexican beer and wine.
Reservations for the pop-up go live Friday at noon via Damian's Resy page.
As Olvera readies his menu and his team for a brief L.A. residency, he's looking to the future and imagining what Pujol might look like at 50 years old.
'As a mature restaurant, the next 25 years are going to be more challenging because staying relevant is going to require a lot of effort,' Olvera said. 'It doesn't get easier, that we know. But we're really looking forward to it as well.'
pujol.com.mx/eng; Damian is located at 2132 E. 7th Place, Los Angeles, (213) 270-0178, damiandtla.com
Din Tai Fung's popular-all-over-the-world soup dumplings can now be eaten with an ocean view: The xiao long bao specialist recently expanded to Santa Monica with a sprawling restaurant that features playful steamer-basket decor and spans more than 10,600 square feet.
The Taiwan-founded dumpling chain began in 1972 and now operates more than 165 locations. Its latest outpost in L.A. is one of its largest in the U.S., perched atop the Santa Monica Place mall, and features oversize dim sum-basket touches across the space, such as the large wood structure affixed to the entrance of the restaurant or the main dining room's booths that seat guests in what look like circular bamboo dumpling trays. Ocean views can be seen from the upper deck of the patio, which also features a firepit.
The food menu mirrors Din Tai Fung's other Southern California locations, offering a range of hand-folded soup dumplings and wontons, plus appetizer salads, noodle soups, fried pork chops, stir-fried rice and noodles from the wok, yuzu margaritas and more. Unlike Din Tai Fung's other local outposts, its latest is reservation-only for the time being. Din Tai Fung is open in Santa Monica from Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., then 4 to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
395 Santa Monica Place, Suite FC01, Santa Monica, (310) 737-2088, dtf.com/en
With bubbling cauldrons of lobster stew and steaming pots of rice brimming with toppings, a prolific Koreatown restaurant group is getting into the tofu-house game.
Lasung Tofu & Pot Rice is the latest project from On6thAvenue Hospitality, the team behind Korean-barbecue operations Quarters, Origin and Moohan, plus katsu specialist Lasung House, nightclub Terra Cotta and Long Beach Korean fusion spot Marinate. Lasung Tofu & Pot Rice is the group's take on a soondubu house, or a specialist in Korean soft-tofu stews, with modern twists.
The focus is soondubu, and the bubbling red broth simmers for 10 hours and can be ordered in four spice levels, from light to extra strong. It can come chock full of crab, beef short ribs, mixed intestines, ham, the signature lobster tail and more, and ordered a la carte or as part of a set meal. Crisp-bottomed pot rice is also on offer — in options such as minari and clams, seasoned short ribs with garlic butter and grilled eel — as are pork jowl platters, fried dumplings, bone broths, bulgogi and grilled gochujang whole squid. Meanwhile, the menu details the health benefits of some of the restaurant's ingredients such as green peas, whole barley, oats and black beans. Lasung Tofu & Pot Rice is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
3060 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite #150, Los Angeles, (213) 232-3136, instagram.com/lasungtofu
A new bar in Long Beach is serving inventive cocktails with dim sum from a team of familiar faces. Midnight Oil recently debuted in the former Rosemallows space with a new owner: Leonard Chan of hospitality group and consulting firm the Alchemists, which operates Anaheim speakeasy the Blind Rabbit, San Clemente tiki bar the Lost Inferno and others.
Chan kept much of the Rosemallows staff to run Midnight Oil, with alum Peter Ross leading a beverage menu that includes Japanese whisky with persimmons and apple soda; shochu with lemongrass and winter melon; and a fried-rice-inspired cocktail of baijiu, gin, pineapple, basil and five spice. To pair, there's a tight menu of dim sum such as har gao, shumai, fried rice, Taiwanese popcorn chicken and egg rolls stuffed with pork and mushrooms — the latter a recipe from Chan's aunt.
Attached to Midnight Oil is a down-home speakeasy called Roadkill, a 'hidden bar with tropical-country vibes' that originally cropped up in Rosemallows. It serves frozen piña coladas, Twisted Tea, a large-format cocktail called Big Dolly Energy and other drinks with names like Girth Brooks, Merle's Mai Tai and Grandma's Purse Candy. An additional cocktail concept is slated to open within the Midnight Oil space in the coming months. Midnight Oil is open Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday from 4:30 to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to midnight.
255 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, (949) 433-3854, mnolbc.com
After 15 years of succulent barbacoa and rich moles, one of L.A.'s premier Oaxacan restaurants has closed in Arlington Heights — but reopened in nearby Pico-Union.
The new Casa Gish Bac, from owners David and Maria Ramos, is a larger iteration of their celebrated restaurant Gish Bac. The Ramoses have moved their operation to a banquet hall in a strip mall, seating more than 100 guests, and are newly offering alcohol alongside their grilled and stewed specialties.
Casa Gish Bac's menu is nearly identical as its Gish Bac predecessor, with tlayudas, enchiladas, caldos, tortas and all-day breakfasts, plus the addition of wine, bottled and draft beer, buckets of beer, micheladas, soju, mimosas and a range of margaritas all to be enjoyed under a rainbow of hanging papel picado. Casa Gish Bac is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
1436 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 315-5105, instagram.com/casagishbac
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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La Bastide: A Taste Of Provence, One Hour From New York City
La Bastide: A Taste Of Provence, One Hour From New York City

Forbes

time4 hours ago

  • Forbes

La Bastide: A Taste Of Provence, One Hour From New York City

View of the dining room from the patio at La Bastide, North Salem, New York La Bastide/ In less than a year, La Bastide by Andrea Calstier, a fine dining experience in North Salem, New York, earned a Michelin star. Such early recognition, like this, is uncommon but not surprising to those who have dined at this bespoke, six-table restaurant in northern Westchester. Chef Andrea Calstier and General Manager Elena Oliver, a husband-wife team, own the restaurant and its sister property, Cenadou Bistrot. Two perfectionists, the couple has brought their abundant talents, creativity, love of Provencal cooking, and moxie to America. North Salem (Westchester County), incorporated as a town in 1788, is only about one hour from Manhattan. But its tree-lined two-lane roads and rolling hills, punctuated by lakes, rivers and reservoirs, offer the vibe of a place much farther away from the bustling city. Soon after arriving at La Bastide, guests are led to a comfortable seating area on a stone patio outside the glass door of the dining room. The pairing of aperitifs and canapés, accompanied by views of the bucolic countryside and herb garden in the backyard, feels transportative. The intimate dining room is as picture-perfect as the outdoors. Well-spaced, round tables accommodate parties of no more than six persons each, so the room never feels crowded. 'This is a very personal space where we spend much of our time,' says Elena. 'We want our guests to feel like we are welcoming them to our home.' Careful thought has gone into the design and decor. An open kitchen on one side of the room allows guests to watch the careful final plating of each dish, while the other side features a striking, contemporary wine wall. 'The open kitchen offers an air of transparency and allows us to feel connected to our diners,' says Calstier. The chairs and tablecloths are made of fine Italian leather. The tableware includes custom ceramics by Esther Kwon and knives from blacksmith Coutellerie du Panier, from the couple's hometown in Marseille. Also featured are porcelains from Studio Matte, Belgium, and French Limoges from Jacque Pergay. The Journey From France To North Salem Elena Oliver and Chef Andrea Calstier La Bastide Chef Calstier has a noble culinary lineage. He began cooking at age 15 and trained in some of France's most esteemed Michelin-starred kitchens, including Christophe Bacquie's La Table du Castellet in Provence and L'Abbaye de la Bussiere in Burgundy. In 2017, the young chef seized an opportunity to work in the kitchen of celebrated Chef Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel in New York City. Elena, his soulmate since high school, joined him on this foray. The chef describes the year he spent working at Daniel's as becoming 'part of a family." There, he not only honed his culinary skills but built his confidence and developed connections. It also gave him the opportunity to learn English from the brigade in the kitchen. Within a year, the couple signed a lease for a very tiny dining space and opened their own French bistro, Papilles, in the East Village. The fearless chef was only 23 then. In that small space, Elena was able to elevate her management skills, and the restaurant achieved immediate success. 'It taught us how to become proper restaurant owners,' he says. 'Learning how to hire, inspire, attract, and mentor staff is what sets chefs apart from cooks.' When a partner of Chef Boulud introduced the couple to the North Salem property, they were smitten by the area and knew it offered more possibilities than they could possibly achieve in New York City. 'The region resonated with us because it would more fully allow us to express ourselves,' says Calstier. La Bastide: Impeccable Cuisine and Service Hors d'oeuvres at La Bastide, North Salem, NY La Bastide/ After a year and a half of renovation, La Bastide opened its doors in February 2024. Although it was difficult to fill the dining room at first, perseverance, consistency and staying true to their vision helped them achieve the Michelin star that 'put the restaurant on the map.' The chef's training in classical French cooking enabled him to set aside his ego. But it allows him to innovate and create dishes that showcase the foods rather than the technique. 'We think about the customer experience at every stage of the meal,' he says. While the cuisine at La Bastide pays homage to the couple's roots in Provence, the menu is seasonal, sometimes even microseasonal, capitalizing on the rich bounty the Hudson Valley offers. The chef adapts classic Provencal recipes, including those his grandmother used to prepare, and is inspired by meeting with local farmers in the area to see what they are cultivating. 'The menu is 80% seafood, even if it is only to complement a vegetable dish, because there is so much amazing seafood on the East Coast from Maine to Long Island to New Jersey,' he says. 'In terms of high-quality products, we've never felt limited by the supply.' Currently, the restaurant offers tasting menus at two seatings, 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM, Wednesday through Sunday. Diners have the option of an additional cheese course and/or wine pairing. Sommelier David Berube, who also worked for Chef Boulud, has curated a Wine Spectator award-winning list of 600 French regional wines for the restaurant. Service is seamless, thanks to a well-trained, attentive, and knowledgeable team. From the amuse-bouche to the appetizers, and from the moment the waitstaff lifts the silver domes from the entrées in unison, every dish offers a profusion of delightful flavors presented with artistry and flair. Fabulous desserts (like the popular chocolate with goat cheese) provide the proverbial icing on the cake, leaving sweet memories of an excellent meal. Cenadou Bistrot: More Casual, But Also Not To Be Missed Welcoming bar at Cenadou The more casual, 50-seat Cenadou Bistrot is co-located in the same building as La Bastide, one floor above the fine dining restaurant. Like its sibling, its menu reflects a fusion of delectable influences from Provence and the Hudson Valley. Diners can choose from hors d'oeuvres, charcuterie, mains like Steak Frites, cheeses, and more. The room also offers views of the surrounding landscape and features a welcoming bar (with a limited bar menu). The Bistrot first opened in June 2023. Extremely popular with locals, it has even received glowing accolades from Martha Stewart, who held a holiday party there for her staff. This dining room can stand on its own excellence and only pales when compared to the elegance of La Bastide. La Bastide: A Bastion Of True Hospitality La Bastide is a truly unique restaurant, perfect for a special occasion or for making any occasion special. Many guests choose to enjoy a special dinner at the restaurant and return the following day for a more casual lunch at Cenadou. Elena is always pleased to provide recommendations for nearby boutique hotels and small inns. She aptly describes the destination as 'a perfect getaway that offers the feel of being somewhere in France.' After a visit, the most lasting impression of La Bastide, beyond the exceptional food and ambiance, is the genuine warmth, hospitality, and dedication of the owners. 'If you believe in what you want to do, you don't have to compromise,' says Chef Calstier. IF YOU GO La Bastide By Andrea Calstier 721 Titicus Road, North Salem, New York, (914) 485-1519

FireAid's concerts raised $100 million for recovery. Six months later, 'there's still such significant need'
FireAid's concerts raised $100 million for recovery. Six months later, 'there's still such significant need'

Los Angeles Times

time6 hours ago

  • Los Angeles Times

FireAid's concerts raised $100 million for recovery. Six months later, 'there's still such significant need'

When the wildfires ripped through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena in January, Michael Flood, chief executive of the L.A. Regional Food Bank, knew the demand for aid would explode. 'It was especially high in January through March as so many people were displaced and lost power and water,' Flood said. He saw demand for food relief rise 30%. 'It is still high,' he said. 'People had to move in with family and friends around the county. We did a food bank in Inglewood in February and we saw just how many had been displaced by both fires.' His organization, which provides food assistance to hundreds of thousands of Angelenos every month, got significant help from the FireAid benefit concert in January. That show, produced by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and music mogul Irving Azoff, featured dozens of A-list musicians like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and the Red Hot Chili Peppers performing at the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome. The event — along with matching donations from Ballmer and his wife Connie — raised $100 million for wildfire relief. Six months after the fires, The Times individually contacted over a hundred organizations that received FireAid funds, nonprofits in food aid, housing, mental health, childcare and ecological resilience. A review of the beneficiaries' grants and work showed how FireAid was an urgent lifeline in the worst of the disaster and beyond. 'We want people to understand that there's been a thoughtful process behind this, and our top priority was trying to do what people needed, and do what's best for fire survivors,' said Lisa Cleri Reale, a member of FireAid's grant advisory committee. Yet the grant recipients are still grappling with the deep, intertwined needs of a scarred Los Angeles. That work will require investment for years to come. 'The high cost of rent, and food prices being 25% higher, it all puts pressure on people already struggling to meet basic needs,' Flood said. 'Even though we're six months from the fires, there's still such a significant need.' In between sets, FireAid highlighted individual stories of incalculable tragedy. One family, the Williams of Altadena, recalled onstage that 'At 3:30 in the morning, the warning hit our phones. We grabbed what we could — our grandmother's special clock, our father's ashes, our 47-year-old parrot Hank. Among the five of us standing here, we lost four homes and we're struggling to find places to live.' For music fans calling in donations during Stevie Nicks' and Sting's sets though, it was fair to ask how those specific groups were chosen, and how they were making a difference to families like the Williams. In late May, the Palisades Community Council sent a letter to the Annenberg Foundation and FireAid organizers. The critical letter asked for a full accounting of the grants, and clarity on the decision-making process behind them. The FireAid organization responded with the full timeline and the grant amounts they'd dispersed, along with plans for future rounds and applications for small groups to apply. 'This is very different from other philanthropy. We have a different magnifying glass looking at us,' Reale said. 'There are people who bought tickets to these concerts, who donated on the website, the musicians who gave their time, these people want to know that their contributions are doing what's best. We have fire survivors as our top priority, but we're also asking — can we look at the FireAid donors and explain our decisions in a tangible way?' In breaking down the group's grant-making process, FireAid representatives showed how its earliest priorities were organizations providing direct cash, food and shelter to survivors. In February, $1 million went to the L.A. Regional Food Bank, followed by a second grant of $250,000. The money went to pay extra drivers, forklift operators and warehouse workers to help process and distribute donations after the fires. 'We're a year-round program, so when disaster strikes, that gets laid on top of it,' Flood said. With its February grant, the group Inclusive Action distributed $500 cash grants to landscapers, street vendors and other outdoor workers who lost jobs or homes in the fires. The Change Reaction, a direct-aid group, got $2 million from the first round of FireAid grants. Change Reaction's president, Wade Trimmer, said that the funds provided 2,500 recipients with grants up to $15,000 for immediate rent and transportation needs. 'The strategy was to stabilize as many households as we could because when you have stability, you make better decisions,' Trimmer said. 'Even for wealthy people in the Palisades, it was still a full-time job and an absolute nightmare dealing with it all. But in Altadena, there was an older population with multigenerational households, so for every house that burned, that affected two or three households.' That money helped sustain Elizabeth Jackson, the owner of White Lotus, a workout studio in the Palisades that employed 14 fitness instructors. Jackson lost both her home and business in the fires. 'We lost every single client at the studio because our clients lost their homes,' Jackson said. 'They're all starting their lives over.' Through a White Lotus regular, Jackson got in touch with Change Reaction, which used some of its FireAid funds to give $1,000 to each White Lotus staffer and replace fire-damaged equipment so Jackson could reopen in a smaller space nearby. She hopes to return to her old property once it is rebuilt. 'That support was a bright light in all the ugliness that happened,' she said. 'It's awful to lose the studio, but being on the receiving side of that beauty, it's even more powerful than the negative. It keeps me going.' The physical devastation in the burn zones was incomprehensible. For the immediate work of debris removal, flood prevention and vegetation clearing, Team Rubicon got a $250,000 grant. 'FireAid demonstrated a clear understanding of the unpredictable nature of wildfire response, and they recognized the importance of flexibility and agility during both the immediate relief and long-term recovery phases,' the group's spokesperson Thomas Brown said. 'They invested in our work at a critical moment.' Wounded and displaced pets received free veterinary care through groups like the Pasadena Humane Society and Community Animal Medicine Project. Yet many people tasked with helping others were also suffering. Many local nonprofit workers lost homes and workplaces, and needed aid to stay afloat while serving others. 'A lot of our staff were in crisis too, where they lost homes or were the only house left on their street in Altadena,' said Stacey Roth of Hillsides, a Pasadena foster care and youth mental health facility near the Eaton fire zone. One of Hillsides' main residential buildings suffered significant smoke damage, and the FireAid grant allowed the facility to move its vulnerable population to hotels nearby. Michael Sidman of Jewish Family Service lost his own home in the Eaton fire in Altadena. 'I'm very lucky to have a strong support system, but it's been a nightmare navigating this,' he said. 'When you think about people navigating this alone with no family, and unsure how to connect with services, I don't know what they'd do.' His organization used its $250,000 grant from FireAid largely for comprehensive disaster case management work, particularly for survivors to manage the FEMA bureaucracy. Other early grants went to groups like Legal Aid, Bet Tzedek Legal and Public Counsel to help with insurance claims, as documents lost in the fires made proving residence and home ownership challenging. 'At first, people didn't know where they'd spend the night, didn't know where to get food and were all grieving for their mental health,' Sidman said. 'Now we see the need shifting to long-term effects and recovery plans, providing step-by-step facilitation of how to get their lives back on track.' As the weeks of recovery continued, FireAid's priorities for its second $25-million grant round expanded to longer-term efforts like insurance and government case management, mental health services, navigating home rebuilding permits and environmental recovery. 'It's one thing to get people cash aid, but it's another to help them navigate the future,' Reale said. 'Even though rebuilding seemed far away back in January, we knew that people needed to figure out their finances. Some of the fire victims our grantees were working with were on precarious ground financially even before the fires. Our job was to get them into a strong position so when they were ready to rebuild their lives, they wouldn't be floundering.' The fires significantly disrupted school and childcare for young families, many of whom are now homeless or miles away from family and resources. Victor Dominguez, president and chief executive of YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, said its FireAid grant provided emergency childcare for a thousand displaced children, along with mental health resources and camp activities for children to reconnect with their fire-scarred neighborhoods. 'Young kids experienced so many traumatic things in their local communities,' Dominguez said. 'After the fires, kids and families had an opportunity to go somewhere safe where they trust. Now we are seeing the shock, the reality of this being a long-term experience. We were able to hire more licensed social workers, and the money we received from FireAid helped support that.' Mental health services remained a complex and ongoing need, especially for youth and children. 'I went to the Sears building a couple of months ago, where Pali High is temporally housed, to look at this big wall where kids had posted notes about how they felt post-fires,' Reale said. 'You could see that the trauma is still alive and well. Nobody's healing overnight.' Much of the aid dispersed was less visible to the public, if lifesaving for its recipients. Yet two marquee FireAid projects involved rebuilding and revamping damaged public green space, including Loma Alta Park, near Altadena. A second site, Palisades Park, will open this summer. As residents in the burned areas explore rebuilding homes, issues like soil testing, remediation and permitting have emerged as new bureaucratic challenges for future FireAid grants to help navigate. Questions around how to support rebuilding — or where it should happen at all — are complex. FireAid's third round of grants are likely to focus on longer-term mitigation efforts and environmental resilience to prevent and manage future fires, which are all but inevitable in climate change. 'The reality is we don't have enough money to rebuild every lot that was lost,' Reale said. 'What we can do is wrap ourselves around tools or ways that a lot of people can benefit from when they're ready to rebuild, and that could be the sustainable models. We can't rebuild the same way. So we'll put our money toward things that are helping people with home hardening models, and things to prevent and mitigate future fires.' For the more intangible cultural communities lost — like the music studios, rehearsal rooms and artists' homes burned in both fires — recovery will be diffuse. The January concert made FireAid a natural fit as a partner for MusiCares, the Recording Academy's affiliated charity. That organization declined to say how much FireAid gave specifically, but said that the grant contributed to $6.25 million in fire recovery aid given to 3,200 affected music professionals to help rebuild studios, pay medical bills and evacuate burn sites. Post-fire gentrification and financial speculating are new major fears. The Palisades has always been a coveted neighborhood, where working-class residents will face challenges returning to any affordable apartments lost. Altadena — home to a long-standing Black community and many blue-collar, intergenerational households — could see longtime residents forced out of their beloved neighborhood yet again, this time by economic forces. A spokesperson for the Black LA Relief and Recovery Fund said it will use its FireAid grant to 'build power among residents so they can return, reclaim and rebuild amidst political and financial threats like land grabs and gentrification.' FireAid moved heaven and earth to produce a benefit concert on par with the Concert For Bangladesh and Live Aid. Yet that $100 million is just a sliver of the billions in damage inflicted on Altadena and the Palisades. (Applications for the final round of small nonprofit grants are still open). Reale and other FireAid organizers admit that the scale of aid needed is staggering, universally painful yet fraught with class and racial stratification. The FireAid concert made a profound impact for the groups serving survivors on the ground. It's also nowhere near enough to meet the need, and never could be. 'At the beginning, we were just worried about basic necessities. Then the reality set in of 'I have no home, I can't go back,'' Hillsides' Roth said. 'The need we're seeing now is helping people process that, and get a path to move forward.'

The Tesla Diner is officially open ‘from now until forever.' What we learned on Day 1
The Tesla Diner is officially open ‘from now until forever.' What we learned on Day 1

Los Angeles Times

time15 hours ago

  • Los Angeles Times

The Tesla Diner is officially open ‘from now until forever.' What we learned on Day 1

Was it a restaurant opening or a car show? On Monday, Cybertrucks and Teslas filed into the parking lot and lined around the block for the opening of the Tesla Diner: a two-story, retro-modern, steel-covered restaurant with two towering movie screens for customers to watch as they 'supercharge' their cars. It marks the popular but controversial car company's first foray into the restaurant industry. Should it prove successful, Musk posted to his social media platform X, the L.A. Tesla Diner will be the first of many. The contentious new Hollywood diner will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The chef and co-operator Eric Greenspan posted a video of the diner set to Guns N' Roses' 'Welcome to the Jungle' to his personal Instagram account with the caption, 'Tesla Diner now open. 24/7 from now until forever.' The roughly 9,300-square-foot Tesla Diner drew at least a thousand customers, according to co-operator Bill Chait, and at least one protester, on its first day. Some traveled for hours and arrived early in the morning to wait in line until the doors opened, in memelord Musk fashion, at 4:20 p.m. The opening day scene was a parade of Tesla owners, Musk fans and curious Angelenos who flocked to Santa Monica Boulevard to find parking lots outfitted with 80 superchargers compatible with any electric car, according to Chait. Some of the vehicles outside were covered with custom decals, at least one done up in purple glitter, another with sparkly polka dots and one plastered with the face of the Musk-beloved crypto-meme dog, Doge. Inside, the diner boasts the smell of an In-N-Out in a space that looks as if it were plucked from Disney's Tomorrowland. From behind the pass in the kitchen, Greenspan shouted customer orders: 'Epic Bacon,' tuna melt, grilled cheese, egg sandwich add avocado — most of which come served in paper boxes shaped like Tesla Cybertrucks. Some customers wore them as hats. The diner is also fully electric, from the fryers to the griddles (no gas stoves). 'If our retro-futuristic diner turns out well, which I think it will, @Tesla will establish these in major cities around the world, as well as at Supercharger sites on long distance routes,' Musk, a former President Trump senior advisor, wrote on X. 'An island of good food, good vibes & entertainment, all while Supercharging!' At the center of the diner are two industry veterans: restaurateur Chait, whose credits include Tartine, Mian, Paloma and Firstborn, among others, and Greenspan, a former Foundry and Patina chef, the creator of New School American Cheese and the culinary lead on MrBeast Burger. The company gave Chait and Greenspan 'more or less carte blanche to operate the diner within the Tesla brand,' Chait said. Tesla began planning the diner in 2018. Franz von Holzhausen, a lead automotive designer at Tesla, oversaw much of the restaurant's design and consulted with Chait and Greenspan to bring Musk's vision to life. Chait characterizes Musk — who has been lambasted by critics for his work in the Trump administration as well as a recent alleged Nazi salute, which he denied — as 'a big thinker.' Longtime Tesla fan, investor and cinematographer James Miller, who arrived at the diner at 6:30 a.m. Monday, likened him to Michelangelo or 'Steve Jobs on steroids.' As smooth as the diner's opening has proved for the operating duo, sometimes the restaurateurs learn news of it just like the rest of the world: from social media outbursts by its polarizing tech billionaire. 'We hear it before he posts it, usually, but there is stuff that he posts, you know, in the middle of the night: out come proclamations,' Chait said. Chait said he submitted a proposal for the diner years ago; Tesla chose another operating team, then parted ways, and Chait reentered the picture. When it came to tapping a chef, the restaurateur said he knew who to call. He and Greenspan were already in development of a modern Jewish deli, called Mish, which is planned to open Oct. 3 on La Brea. 'He's an American chef, he knows this food really well, he understands the system,' Chait said. Greenspan envisioned a pseudo-retro diner. 'Charged sodas' on draft are meant to evoke phosphates, and breakfast is served all day long. There are hot dogs, club sandwiches, biscuits with gravy, tallow French fries, cinnamon buns and slices of apple pie served with vanilla ice cream. Tesla's branding — and occasionally Musk's meme-leaning humor — seep into the food. Waffles come stamped with Tesla's lightning bolt, while a white paper carton holds four maple-glazed strips of 'Epic Bacon.' Tesla's engineers devised their own smashburger press, which produces crispy edges and a juicy center for the burger topped with caramelized onions, shredded lettuce, pickles, a punchy 'Electric Sauce' and Greenspan's brand of American cheese. Even the electric vehicles' range influenced the restaurant: Greenspan and Chait wanted to build a menu using purveyors found within a Tesla's mileage from a single charge. Burbank's RC Provisions makes the diner's wagyu chili. Colton's Chino Valley Ranchers provides the eggs, while Buena Park's Brandt Beef supplies the burger patties. Tartine, with a location two blocks away, delivers the bread. The diner does not allow tipping the staff; instead, Chait said, Tesla covers a 20% tip pool, which is distributed to both front- and back-of-house employees. 'Being in food service myself, it's always great to see innovation,' said Nathan Hoover, a Tesla owner who drove from San Diego at 4 a.m. that morning. 'I was impressed. It was worth the wait.' Chait said he finds the integration of food and technology 'outrageous.' Orders can be placed up to 24 hours in advance, while a new 'geofence' system tracks when a Tesla enters a set perimeter, alerting the kitchen to ready its order 15 to 20 minutes from arrival. Guests can select their preference of dining in or utilizing carhop-inspired delivery. Movies projected onto two large screens in the parking lot can also be viewed within the vehicle. 'Easter eggs' are hidden in the menu; Chait said some may or may not pertain to how long certain buttons are held while ordering. On opening day, rumors ran rampant. Does the diner take crypto as a form of payment? No, Chait said, at least not currently. Will robots deliver the food? No, but one was serving popcorn. The restaurant's 360-degree rooftop — accessible by an all-white winding staircase with museum-like displays of Tesla's humanoid Optimus robots in glass cases — offers ample seating and prime views of the movie screens. At the bar is the Diner Shop, where customers clamored for $40 Tesla Diner T-shirts and $175 levitating Cybertruck models. Adjacent sat a popcorn stand operated by none other than an Optimus itself. Fans giggled as the robot slowly filled paper boxes with popcorn, handed them to customers and gave a wave and peace sign. Not everyone was there to plug in and dine. Outside the entrance on Santa Monica Boulevard, a man strode the block carrying a sign that read 'Workers should have power not the billionaires!' It was, he promised, the first of many Tesla Diner protests to come. 'I'm putting word out to Action Network and a variety of other Tesla takedown organizations, so we will be here in vast numbers from now on,' said Charles Happold, who lives in the neighborhood. 'We will do everything in our power to get him to sell this place and get out of here.' The activist said he regularly protests Tesla dealerships on weekends, and considers Musk to be a threat to democracy alongside President Trump. Happold also pointed to Musk's estrangement from his trans daughter as proof of poor character. Happold paced the sidewalk, occasionally garnering honks of support from passing cars. As guests exited the restaurant, he stopped them to ask why they supported Musk; many responded that they were unaware of the billionaire's involvement. 'They're playing dumb,' he said. Los Angeles, Happold said, is not a city receptive to Musk. But Teslas queued down the block to enter the diner's parking lot. 'I wanted to make sure there was sound presence here today at this secret grand opening that will make people understand that this is not something we will tolerate in Los Angeles,' Happold said. 'We do not want this restaurant here unless he sells it: It's a unique place and that would be fine, but we don't want Musk involved at all.'

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