Latest news with #DinerAntonette
Eater
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
The Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week: July 14
The editors at Eater LA dine out several times a week, if not per day, which means we're always encountering standout dishes that deserve time in the limelight. Here's the very best of everything the team has eaten this week. Mapo tofu and minced pork on rice from Pine & Crane in Silver Lake Pine & Crane. Meals at Pine & Crane have been a constant in my life for longer than I can remember. I've spent numerous nights in the lively dining room, sipping on Taiwanese beer and splitting plates of fluffy buns. The no-reservations set up keeps the restaurant a flexible option for any kind of night, and minimal pre-planning is needed to swing by. Lately, Pine & Crane has become part of my go-to takeout rotation. The minced pork over rice and mapo tofu travel incredibly well (as does most of the menu), and the affordable prices and generous portions mean that there are usually leftovers in the refrigerator for the next day. 1521 Griffith Park Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026. — Rebecca Roland, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest Cinnamon roll from Badash Bakes in Pasadena Cinnamon roll from Badash Bakes in Pasadena. Mona Holmes In a city where cinnamon rolls from non-corporate operators are fairly easy to find, it's always fantastic to find one that suits my personal taste. For me, the requirements include a balance of frosting, layers of cinnamon, and sweetness that is not overpowering, plus a well-proofed dough that is good hot or cold. Badash Bakes prepares one of LA's best cinnamon rolls that hits each of these perfectly, and it is easy to understand why entering Ashley Cunningham's Pasadena bakery is so popular. The display case is packed with cookies, brownies, lemon loaves, and two types of rolls (matcha and traditional), and more. Of all the delicious baked goods, the cinnamon rolls are replenished by staff the most often. Though the buzz surrounding Badash Bakes has definitely slowed down, it remains busy. If hanging out long enough, one will witness another patron bite into one of her celebrated cinnamon rolls with a reaction that's best described as euphoric. Actually, that was my response. As someone who isn't always attracted to sweets or dessert, Cunningham's cinnamon rolls are actually that good. As are her s'mores cookies and ceremonial grade matcha drinks. 247 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, 91101. — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest Heirloom melon salad at Diner Antonette in Santa Monica In the height of summer, nothing is better than in-season melons. Diner Antonette's charming space in Santa Monica occupies the former Ingo's Tasty Diner, and feels like a kind of Musso & Frank west, though instead of pure silence at the old Hollywood haunt, it's booming bebop jazz played on a hi-fi system. The food is also much more contemporary, and this melon salad is proof positive. Chef Jordan Lynn takes delicate, even slices of melon with salty prosciutto, mache, and almond oil, which would feel appropriate in Italy right about now, except that he sprinkles on chile flakes for a Tajin-esque punch. The balanced assemblage felt so thoughtful and fun for a weekday dinner — an appetizer that doesn't fill you up before the mains. By the way, the crispy fried chicken with rowdy greens, the crust tinted with turmeric and juicy to the bone, is a stunning shareable entree to enjoy after this melon salad. 1213 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90403. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest Sweet and sour mushroom at Men & Beasts in Echo Park Sweet and sour mushroom at Men & Beasts in Echo Park. Matthew Kang It's wild how quickly a new space can turn over in Los Angeles. The former Cosa Buona has been morphed into Men & Beasts (a reference to a Confucius quote), a modern Chinese restaurant that eschews meat, replacing everything with plant-based proteins. For the most part, the meat won't feel like it's really missing, and that is best illustrated in the sweet & sour mushroom, typically pork or chicken, but here breaded, fried, and seasoned to an appealing ruddy color. Each bite popped with tangy sauce and a gentle interior of what seemed like oyster mushrooms. Bites of cashew, garlic, and bell pepper bring in textural contrast. It's still fairly early in the Minty Zhu and Alex Falco's foray into the LA market (they were previously in Miami), but with their sleek patio and indoor tea lounge, it's clear Echo Park denizens have already bought into their plant-based approach to Chinese cuisine. 2100 W. Sunset Boulevard, Echo Park, CA, 90026. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest 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 . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Eater
25-06-2025
- Business
- Eater
An Iconic Santa Monica Diner Resurrects as an Art Deco American Bistro
One of Santa Monica's most charming restaurants has reopened with a fresh new look and name. Diner Antonette, named after owner Bob Lynn's late mother, opened on June 18 in the former Ingo's Tasty Diner along Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, sporting a new adjacent retail wine shop, gift boutique, and spacious hidden back patio. Inside, Ingo's darker teal tones and chalkboard display have been replaced by warm neutral tones, sleek black leather upholstery, and three showcase paintings by artist Sara Abbott (Lynn's wife). Outside, an Art Deco Streamline Moderne facade with a beaming neon sign beckons diners in while the former restaurant's original terrazzo flooring remains, a reminder of the building's storied history. Restaurateur Bob Lynn operates seven restaurants in Los Angeles and the Phoenix area, including the Misfit in Santa Monica. In March of this year, his Pasadena restaurants, La Grande Orange and Luggage Room Pizzeria, closed after 18 and 10 year runs, respectively. Lynn, a trained chef who had a 25-year career as an executive at Hillstone group opening restaurants like Rutherford Grill in Napa, Gulfstream in Newport Beach, and Cafe R&D (which later became R&D Kitchen), tries his best to purchase the buildings his restaurants operate in (except the Pasadena ones, which contributed to their closures) in order to set them up for long term success. Lynn acquired the barrel-ceiling bowstruss-reinforced building that now houses Diner Antonette years ago, which also had the next-door Vienna Bakery. He and Abbott, who live a few blocks away, were always charmed by the diner, which felt like a neighborhood bistro in Brooklyn or Paris with this sunken floor counter and cozy booths. Lynn waited for the owner of the former Callahan's diner to retire before opening Ingo's there in 2014, then waited for the owners of Vienna Bakery, who were in their 80s, to retire and close in 2021 after 57 years of business. From 2021 to 2025, Lynn and his team took apart the bakery to make way for the retail area and patio, exposing its glorious ceiling and even some catwalk mezzanines. Lynn thinks owning the property should give Diner Antonette staying power long after he eventually retires, and hopes it becomes a neighborhood institution like Callahan's and Vienna were before. Although Ingo's had operated for four years until its hiatus, Lynn refreshed the American bistro menu with the help of his longtime director of culinary Jordan Lynn (who also happens to be his son). The menu features plenty of ingredients at their seasonal prime, like poached baby artichokes, peaches with scratch-made ricotta and sorrel pesto, and pan-roasted Scottish salmon with braised Tuscan kale. Ingo's popular crispy Brussels sprouts remain, served with marcona almonds and baked goat cheese. The mains will seem familiar and timeless, like meatballs and rolled spaghetti, steak au poivre with fries, and a cheddar-topped burger using a meat patty that's ground to order (something Lynn claims no one else does). Whole roast branzino Provençal comes with the perfume of vermouth and the comfort of sliced roasted vegetables, while dungeness crab and lobster are served over handmade pasta. For dessert, there's an olive oil cake with saffron and gelato from Lynn's Phoenix-based artisanal Grateful Spoon ($20 to try every flavor, with a 'Do It!' on the menu). Expect quality, smaller producer wines by bottle or glass and a tight set of inventive cocktails. 'We never spent a dime on PR or marketing, like Hillstone. What we do is be patient and focus on execution,' says Lynn, who still praises the consistency and overall operation of his former employer. Still, he thinks Diner Antonette's food takes the familiar American bistro classics and brings them into a more appropriate California-inflected seasonality: 'We're not running items all year long, we're much more focused on what's in season. We try and use all of our seafood daily instead of carrying it overnight. It's just a younger attitude.' Eventually, Diner Antonette will have brunch service, an appealing proposition with that airy patio that fits 60 people, and an expedited 'lunch hour' with reasonably priced, quick-fired items to cater to the neighborhood. Diner Antonette is open daily for happy hour at 4 p.m., with dinner commencing at 5 p.m. It closes at 10:30 p.m., with lunch and brunch service to come. Located at 1213 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA, 90403. See More: Eater Inside LA Restaurant News
