CHECK, PLEASE!
Phenakite: A Restaurant With 20,000 People on Its Waitlist
It’s no surprise Hollywood’s hidden tasting-menu restaurant Phenakite is one of the toughest reservations anywhere, with more than , people on the waitlist. Chef Minh Phan had to close her indoor-only café Porridge + Puffs during the COVID crisis, and had no idea Phenakite, which came together in days, would go on to win a Michelin star in less than a year. Named for a mineral that becomes a gem under pressure, the restaurant — which is tucked inside the lush Second Home Hollywood campus — represents a triumph of turning the hardships of the pandemic into a rare jewel of an eatery.
Phenakite offers a -course tasting menu with subtle, artfully composed plates marked by pickling, Asian flavors and lesser-known ingredients. Phan considers her exquisitely arranged bouquets of flavor to be as much art practice as culinary achievement. “The soul and the love for ingredients” are the same, she says. “It’s expressing emotions” rather than simply assembling food components. Phenakite uses only sustainable proteins, mostly fish, that are “aligned with our ethos,” says Phan, who loves putting together menus for vegan and vegetarian diners and omnivores alike. One of her favorite constructions is called Dance Party — an amuse-bouche that changes constantly, gathering seasonal pickles such as watermelon rind-passion fruit with textured surprises like spicy fermented plum gelée and makrut lime foam. (For reservations, go to exploretock.com.) N. St. Andrews Place, Los Angeles
Superba Food & Bread Goes Hollywood
Hollywood’s Cat & Fiddle indoor-outdoor space has been revived by Superba Food & Bread, the Venice all-day restaurant. Owner Paul Hibler, a former movie caterer, calls the new location his “director’s cut,” with a full raw bar, a cocktail program and an expanded menu that includes freshly baked bread, fried chicken sandwiches and daily specials like prime rib, beef cheek tagine and cioppino. W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles