One of the city’s best chefs opens a sports bar
Free Play
Timothy Hollingsworth, the chef and owner of Otium in downtown L.A., has opened a sports bar-style restaurant called Free Play on the second floor of the Fields LA food hall in Exposition Park. The menu includes double cheeseburgers, tri-tip nachos and savory garlic-cheese doughnuts; diversions include pinball, foosball and arcade games along with plenty of TVs showing sports games. Info: 3939 S. Figueroa St., 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, (213) 419-9481, freeplaydtla.com.
Atrium
Beau Laughlin and Jay Milliken of Kettle Black in Silver Lake, Scout and Sawyer, have opened a new restaurant on Vermont Avenue in Los Feliz called Atrium. Under skylights and exposed truss beams, executive chef and partner Hunter Pritchett is serving dishes such as uni cacio e pepe spaghetti, Hawaiian hamachi crudo with passion fruit nuoc cham, and a dry-aged rib-eye steak from San Rafael’s Flannery Beef that comes with a Szechuan au poivre. Partner Gregory Baumgartner, previously pastry chef at Spring, is making the desserts, including an avocado mousse. Info: 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 607-6944, atriumlosfeliz.com.
Momofuku Noodle Bar
David Chang is opening a Momofuku Noodle Bar, his popular ramen shop in Manhattan. The Los Angeles location will be ,on La Cienega Boulevard, just south of Melrose Avenue, and will open some time in 2019. The opening will be Chang’s second in L.A., following Majordo mo, which opened in Chinatown this year. Info: 514 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, momofuku.com.
Bar Franca
Rachel Thomas, one half of the team that introduced the Must and Perch to downtown L.A., recently opened Bar Franca, a low-lighted, seductive cocktail bar on Main Street. Count on wine, beer and drinks including martinis, vieux carré, the Roald Dahl-inspired Fizzy Drifting Link — with gin, Lillet Blanc, lemon, prosecco and grapefruit-chamomile honey — and Puttin’ on the Spritz, with Rooibos-infused aperol. Happy hour runs Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m. Info:438 S. Main St., Los Angeles, (213) 935-8515, barfranca.com.
Lodge Bread Co.
The Culver City-based bakery known for its sourdough breads and wood-fired pizza has a new location open at Woodland Hills’ Valley Country Mart. The new outlet has a smaller menu than the original, offering sandwiches, avocado toast and Bicycle Coffee Co. coffee. Pizza will be available starting next week. Info: 20929 Ventura Blvd., Unit No. 22, Woodland Hills, (747) 888-3398, lodgebread.com /valley-location.
The Waterfront
The venerable beachfront biergarten On the Waterfront Café has reopened and is now called the Waterfront. Diners can order from a taqueria or order from a new sit-down restaurant with fish and chips, burgers and $32 lobster rolls. Change-resistant Boardwalk locals may be somewhat relieved to know there’s still a patio for drinking sunny afternoons away with a soft pretzel and cold beer. Info: 205 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, (424) 309-5331, thewaterfrontvenice.com