It's hard to keep up with all the restaurant and bar openings, closings, chef swaps and revamps that happen every day in this city. What's worth spending your money on and what's all just hype? We're here to help you out with that. At the end of each month, I'll give a recap of the most exciting additions to enter LA's dining and drinking scene, whether it's a new ice cream shop or a creative cocktail bar. Here are a few December openings that are worth a visit:
Charcoal Venice (Venice): Chef Josiah Citrin is used to working in fine-dining restaurants (ahem, Mélisse), but his latest project, Charcoal Venice, is far more casual. Much of the food is cooked over charcoal, lending a smoky barbecue flavor to dishes like coal-roasted carrots, dry-aged porterhouse and aged duck. And nary a white tablecloth in sight.
Cento Pasta Bar (Downtown): We're not sure how long Cento is going to be around—it's popping up for an indefinite period of time in the wine bar Mignon—but we're planning on taking advantage of the affordable pasta here for as long as we can. Handcrafted noodles start at $9, like butternut squash agnolotti, spaghetti with Santa Barbara uni and beef bolognese orecchiette; pair with a $6 glass of wine and you'll still walk out with money to burn.
Eatsa (Canoga Park): LA's first automated cafe opened at Westfield Topanga, offering shoppers a chance to grab a quick lunch (mostly quinoa bowls) without ever uttering a word to another human being. Our friends at Time Out San Francisco wrote about the company's first location in SF's FiDi neighborhood, and the concept seems simple enough: order from an iPad, swipe a card and wait for your highlighted name to appear on a mounted screen, which will then direct you to a numbered cubby where your quinoa bowl sits ready for pick-up. It's affordable, fast, easy and totally futuristic.
Spartina (West Hollywood): Chef Steven Kalt opened Spartina, his first independent restaurant in LA, this past month. It's an Italian spot serving burrata ravioli and chicken leg ragu, along with white and red pizzas. It takes the place of Melgard Public House, which had a dedicated following for trivia night—though we're not mad about the new resident, especially after eyeing that lemon curd tart on the menu.
Arts District Brewing Co. (Downtown): The craft beer boom grew even more in December with the addition of Arts District Brewing Co., a massive brewery run by head brewer Devon Randall. They debuted nine beers, along with Fritzi, a small takeout window from chef Neal Fraser that sells burgers, ham fries and potato waffles. Oh, and the space has skee-ball and pingpong, so it's pretty much our new go-to happy hour spot.
Smitten Ice Cream (El Segundo): Yet another transplant has landed in LA—this time from our neighbors up north. The San Francisco-based Smitten Ice Cream, known for its liquid nitrogen freezing technique and churned-to-order scoops, opened at the Point in El Segundo. Not near where you live? They'll be opening a second location in Silver Lake this summer.
Rubies + Diamonds (Hollywood): Rubies + Diamonds is the latest gem to land in this developing part of Hollywood, a coffee shop flanked by other newcomers Sweetgreen and Sugarfish. An entire section of their menu is dedicated to nitro coffee and tea, and their signature drinks are unique, to say the least: a smoked chili mocha latte, for example, or an oatmeal steamer with notes of Rice Krispies.
Did you miss our favorite openings from November? Check out the list from last month.