Jessica Koslow

Hotel Erwin is revving up to celebrate 50 years of hosting Venice Beach tourists and neighbors.

Throughout the past half century, the property has watched restaurants come and go. In September 2023, Springboard Hospitality, a hotel management company that owns 47 properties in 13 states, acquired Hotel Erwin. The Sokol family, including 89-year-old Erwin Sokol, still owns and operates it.

Springboard has set out to reimagine, refresh and revolutionize the culinary options in Hotel Erwin’s three eateries: a reopened Barlo Kitchen downstairs, a reimagined High Rooftop Lounge and the first brick-and-mortar location of Pizza Girl in the lobby.

Read the cover story at The Argonaut.

Alejandro Meza is passionate about the simplicity of good food and good ingredients.

He shares that at Joliet Café & Bar, which opened its doors three years ago in Runway Playa Vista’s Free Market. The eatery celebrated its anniversary on Aug. 17 

“I love the concept we have created here,” said Meza, who goes by Alex.  . . .

Read the full article at The Argonaut.

A new restaurant debuted inside The Grayson Bar on South Broadway on Aug. 1. Where Fabby’s once served up sandwiches showcasing Mexican ingredients and a French technique now sits Temaki Society, featuring handrolls made in Los Angeles.

Temaki is a Japanese word for handroll.

“I am excited to be starting my business in downtown LA,” said Hoon Kang, the Korean-born owner/chef. . . .

Read the full article at LA Downtown News.

Chef Daniel Holzman is a walking encyclopedia of pizza. On July 17, the opening day of his Westwood location (his second but first standalone), the New York native is greeting customers and slipping back into the kitchen to make sure everything is coming out just right. 

A little after noon, he takes a minute to sit, relax and dish pizza history.

First, he spins the tale of how Italian immigrants supported each other in setting up pizza shops when they arrived in America at the turn of the 20th century. Because they faced xenophobia, they stuck together and taught each other how to make dough and do business. It is the reason why New York pizza is so uniform. . . .

Read the full article at The Argonaut.

Playa Vista is fun for families all year round. With its outdoor play structures and parks, the summer season ushers in more activities that pair perfectly with a picnic from one of the Runway’s restaurants.

In July and August, catch a flick on the big screen at Movies Under the Stars at Runway on select Thursdays at 8 p.m., or live music every Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Runway Summer Concert Series. Each week features a different genre — country, jazz, reggae and rock.

For both series, families can bring blankets and chairs. Although buttery popcorn will, of course, be available at concession stands during the films, below are a selection of to-go meals that will delight taste buds and bellies while the eyes and ears are being entertained. . . .

Read the full article at Playa Vista Magazine.

In 2022, Elizabeth Levitt was in an unusual predicament. She was a graphic designer in the alcohol industry and her husband decided to stop drinking.

“My job no longer aligned with my lifestyle,” she said.

Levitt eventually stopped drinking alcohol, too. She decided it was time for a change, which led her to develop Dri/kit. She launched the mocktail kit company online in March 2023.

“I started the online company just as I was adjusting to my personal lifestyle,” Levitt, who lives in El Segundo, said. “I was seeing these amazing non-alcoholic brands gaining popularity and the industry taking off. The non-alcoholic space is having a moment.” . . .

Read the full article at Playa Vista Magazine.

Last month, Tartine Bakery opened its sixth LA spot on Lincoln Boulevard in Venice. Exclusive to this location are three dishes: French toast made with Tartine’s croissant bread; a soft scramble with labneh, white cheddar, smoked trout roe, and horseradish; and a croque madame with gruyere, black forest ham, bechamel, and dijon topped with a sunny egg. 

“My favorite dish on the menu is the croque madame,” Brian Bertelsen, Tartine’s culinary director, said. “I could eat it every day.”

When Bertelsen and his Venice team were developing special items for their menu, they wanted to add dishes that appealed to everyone. . . .

Read the full article at The Argonaut.

In the last 10 years, Adrienne Borlongan’s passion for artisanal ice cream led her from crafting homemade batches of explorative flavors in her tiny kitchen to opening eight brick-and-mortar locations of her concept, Wanderlust Creamery. Next month, the mother of three is launching a cookbook, “The World of Ice Cream,” and on June 4. 

Copies will be available at Wanderlust’s Venice location on Lincoln Boulevard. Every copy sold includes a free scoop of ice cream.

In addition, each person who purchases a book will be entered to win a Wanderlust Package, which includes a Breville ice cream maker, pints of Wanderlust ice cream, specialty ingredients, and an ice cream scoop and tea towel from Williams Sonoma. . . .

Read the full article at The Argonaut.

Starbird is open in Marina del Rey. The location is the fried chicken chain’s third in Los Angeles, with a fourth slated to open in Torrance by the end of the year. 

When Starbird founder and CEO Aaron Noveshen and his company, The Culinary Edge, surveyed the American marketplace in 2016 as they were gearing up to launch a brand and company, chicken presented itself as a big growth industry over the past nine years. 

“Chicken was the next big thing,” said Noveshen, whose Culinary Edge is the largest food and beverage innovation company in the country.

Read the full article at The Argonaut.