Jessica Koslow

Tima Bell was born in New York City and raised part-time in Venice Beach. Growing up, the Venice locals referred to the last block of Washington Boulevard, which has always been a lively area peppered with restaurants and shops, as Washington Square. About two years ago, when the space on the block between Doobi’s Smoke Shop and Fat Sal’s Deli became vacant, Bell began hatching a plan to bring New York-style pizza to his beloved beach community. 

“You can’t get a good New York-style slice of pizza anywhere on the Westside, so that was part of the driver and also something we’re very passionate about,” said Bell’s partner, Alessandro Nicolaci of Playbook Advisors, about opening this new venture, Washington Square Pizza, at the beach. 

“We thought, what can we do that is family friendly and helps us build the community of Washington Boulevard, aka Washington Square, back up.” Nicolaci and Playbook Advisors will handle the operations of Washington Square Pizza, which will open to the public on June 26.  . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

Lady Gaga loves the book, and so does Jennifer Aniston and Chris Pine. Author Deborah Davis’ three rescue dogs, Bellissima (Bella), Bootsie and Daisy, really love the book. “The Art of Canine Cuisine” is a vet-approved cookbook for foodies and their furry friends. It is 100-plus pages of recipes, food and dog photography, stories of rescued dogs, and histories of dog breeds. Plus, a portion of the proceeds from sales are donated to dog rescue and support charities.

Davis dedicated the book to her dad, a world traveler with a passion for food and dogs. An early retiree in his 30s, her father led the family on global adventures across Europe and South America, where Davis was exposed to different cultures and their creative meals. Her entire family loved to cook, and during her formative years Davis grew to love and learn about cooking by watching them.

When Davis settled in the United States to launch her career in the entertainment industry — she now lives in Santa Monica — she began to foster dogs. Davis can count at least 20 rescue dogs for whom she has found homes, including her own home.  . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

After spending just one minute with Tony Palermo and Danny Ringwood, the owners of Tony P’s Dockside Grill on the marina waterfront, it is obvious that what the two best friends (since they were 18) will miss most about retiring is seeing each other each day.

Sunday, June 29 will be the last day Tony P’s will be open for business. After serving 300,000 mai tais and 350,000 orders of fish and chips (its No.1-selling menu item) over the last 28 years, the largest sports bar on the Westside is packing up its prized collection of 3,500 tap handles and calling it quits.

Palermo and Ringwood met each other in 1975 at their first restaurant job at Alfred’s in the Somerset Mall in Troy, Michigan. Ringwood’s father worked for the railroad business, and he was transferred from New York during Ringwood’s senior year in high school. Palermo was born and raised in Detroit. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

As Ippudo’s second Los Angeles location opens in Culver City, Ippudo V — its first LA location in West Hollywood — is going vegan. The restaurant is the brand’s first fully vegan spot on the West Coast and the second in the world after its Brooklyn location.

Chief Operating Officer Takashige Miyaki prides himself on the fact that the ramen group from Japan could adapt to local cultures.

“Our mission to deliver smiles and heartfelt experiences through a bowl of ramen remains unchanged no matter the country or culture,” he said. “At the same time, executing that mission in different cultural contexts has reminded me of the challenges and importance of staying true to our brand while adapting locally.” . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

In Japan, “kaizen” is the practice of continuous improvement. 

Tomo Takahashi learned this principle while growing up in his family’s restaurant, and he brings it to guests at his new establishment, Saijo. 

Takahashi considers kaizen to be the foundation of hospitality.  

“One of the biggest lessons I have learned being in the restaurant business for 25 years is that it is important to constantly be improving,” Takahashi said. 

“Whether in food quality, service or branding, maintaining a high standard is what keeps customers coming back. This has been our core principle since the founding of our company. We always ask ourselves how we can bring more joy to our guests. Instead of settling for ‘this is good enough,’ we strive for ‘this is the best.’” . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

American-born Anthony Wang, who opened his first restaurant, Firstborn, inside the Mandarin Plaza in Chinatown on March 28, credits his older sister, Lulu, for his career as a chef. He would not be cooking today if it were not for her support and encouragement.

Wang studied classical piano as a kid, and he was really good, often placing at the top in state competitions. But when he turned 18, he stopped loving his instrument. His sister sat him down for a chat.

“It is obvious that you like cooking,” she told him. “Why don’t you try to pursue it?” . . .

Read the full article at LA Downtown News.

Levain Bakery owners Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald began baking at their first shop on 74th Street in New York City in 1995. The friends and running mates aimed to create a great place to work, be part of a community, and bake and share delicious breads and pastries. They had no expectations beyond the original 74th Street location.

Now, Weekes and McDonald have hit their stride with the opening of the Venice shop on Friday, April 4. They plan to stay in it for the long haul.

The latest Levain location takes over where Lemonade served delicious and healthful salads since 2009. Levain is upping the ante. The scent of bakeries wafting from the doors at the corner of Abbot Kinney and Venice boulevards will be a welcome addition to the popular shopping street.  . . .

Read the full article at The Argonaut.

Tomat is the name of the new California cuisine restaurant that husband-and-wife team Harry Posner and Natalie Dial opened five months ago in The Triangle area of Westchester. It is also the nickname given independently to each one because they both turn red in the sun.

The former health care professionals serendipitously met at a research facility in The Gambia in Africa in 2013. Once Dial realized Posner could cook — and would often make things that she requested — she began to sit one seat closer to him each night at dinner.

“We became best friends through the years,” Dial said about her husband with whom she now has a 2-year-old. “We shared a desire and dream to eventually switch careers and open a restaurant. An opportunity came along that expedited this timeline for us.” . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

Enter the lobby of the U.S. Bank Tower, a 1,018-foot skyscraper on West Fifth Street, and take the elevator to the 54th floor. But wait, there is more. A second elevator escorts guests to the 71st floor. The doors open into 71Above, a dining experience like no other in Los Angeles.

On many occasions, the first words from diners’ mouths when they see the view is, “Wow.”

“We are very fortunate because we get to share that wow moment,” said general manager Alex Hasbany, who has worked at 71Above since it opened its doors in 2016. . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

The Olympics are heading to Los Angeles in the summer of 2028, and Barbara Jacobs wants Downtown Los Angeles to shine. As the executive vice president of Allureum Experiences and project coordinator of The Gallery, she is familiar with the playbook because she has managed it previously.

“You walk around Downtown LA, and every place is half filled,” Jacobs said. “We need to make a concerted effort to make Downtown look beautiful, and I was part of that in 2008 with Bringing Back Broadway.”

Jacobs was also part of a small group of forward-thinking business leaders that introduced mixology to LA with the opening of The Edison — where she continued to work for nine years — which forever changed the local nightlife scene and the national cocktail conversation. . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.