2026: the year of the pop-up / pivot

sqirl dinner! cafes in homes! horses bruce! kismet steakhouse!

this year every headline is more shocking than the next (a big ol’ fuck ice!) sooo going to disassociate by hyperfocusing on where i want to eat. sqirl is finally finally FINALLY launching dinner (have a hot little resy for thursday! update post resy below!), we have granada, echo park’s cafe hiding in plain sight (literally someone’s very well designed home), horses closure leading to a bruce pop-up at cafe triste (must try the rice pudding and/or parsnip cake!), and everyone shitting on noma for the insane ticket price. hopefully noma will read the room and continue more accessible collabs like their courage bagels special.

granada’s tucked away in a beautifully designed echo park home

pregnancy cravings:

shakes, cardamom buns, oj, masa cake, porridge, air fries

the prego cravings continue third trimester style (4.8 eta!) with tacos 1986 mushroom tacos on freshly made tortillas (had their cart serve at our bb shower — highly rec!), saffy’s cardamom bun or really any cardamom bun right now, wilde’s savory breakfast menu, little fish melrose’s masa cake with a splash of piquette, homemade tuna melt using bub & grandma’s bread & siesta co. tuna, fresh squeezed oj from our citrus tree, sasha’s biscuit + jam at granada, vegan milkshakes at fluffys, homemade fries + buffalo aioli from our new our place air fryer

cute baby shower at ours with tacos 1986 tacos + bub and grandma's pastries

la openings + happenings:

• sqirl dinner - came back to update this post my res this week. it’s lovely! worth the wait! amazing branding, ambiance and thoughtful menu. love the mini martini and multiple aiolis (saffron aioli with the sqimps and morita aioli with the fries)

  

  sqirl but pm!

• bar di bello - silverlake’s italian bar + restaurant’s coming to sunset row oh so soon

• el condor - unfortunately closing in silverlake because of rent but they’re looking for new locations

• taix - echo park’s icon is finally closing for construction :/ but plans on reopening down the line

• el moro - mexico city’s churros has echo park lining up

go on a wkday to skip el moro’s line + keep it simple (for once, no dips needed)

• frieze la returns to the westside at santa monica airport

• woon lunar new year specials return - one of my favorite ways to bring in the lunar new year (year of the horse!)

• nyc chef (+ friend!) natasha pickowicz’s promoting her new everyone hot pot cookbook with resy at cafe telegrama + etra (i’ll be there shooting / sampling!)

• graza mayo - graza entered the mayo chat with glass or squeeze bottles in original, fancy or garlic aioli… uh oh ayoh!…

• kismet steakhouse - annual winter steakhouse takeover’s coming to a close but def go next year — we had our v-day dinner here <3

don’t zzz on the spätzle at kismet’s (temp pivot!) steakhouse

• highland (park) theatre’s under new ownership (kristen stewart!)

• rumor has it, bar stella’s closing (b and i had our first date there!), great white’s taking over the silverlake shake shack space and erewhon’s coming to dtla

• not la, but rip to one of the truly great ones: achilles heel closing in greenpoint :/

now playing:

titi me pregunto by bad bunny
not a new new, but can’t stop listening post half time show

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oh and accepting mammoth recs — going next weekend for a little après ski (sans the ski)