Celebrity chef Michael Mina opens new restaurant in Santa Monica

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At Michael Mina's newest restaurant, the meal begins with a wooden box, in which nine spices hint at what's to come: At Orla, the celebrated chef's interpretation of his Egyptian heritage weaves these and other aromatics together. on kebab plates, baklava ice cream on the table, charcoal plates. Grilled octopus, caviar-covered fater, and chicken-stuffed dolmas overlooking the ocean at the Regent Santa Monica Beach hotel.

Mina, who now operates approximately 30 restaurants, including Glendale's Bourbon Steak, grew up in a house full of parents, aunts and uncles. Born in Egypt but raised in the United States from the age of 2, Mina always wanted to focus her culinary attention on this upbringing and the flavors of the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

Grilled octopus with preserved chickpeas, saffron broth and green sauce in Orla.

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

“There was always something in my mind and in my heart that I knew I was going to do: a concept that really went back to my roots,” Mina said. “My mom had a big influence on my cooking, both why I enjoy cooking so much and how I cook, but I also wanted to do it a little later in my career, when I had a little more depth. “

About a decade ago he built a test kitchen for Mina Group, and it was here that he and his team began to dabble; He was so revitalized that he launched a cookbook. “My Egypt: Cooking from My Roots” was seven years in the making and debuted earlier this month, informing Orla along the way, with about 80% of the new restaurant's dishes layered with recipes from the book. Six visits to Egypt during the writing process helped Mina better understand the country, beyond her family's interpretations of the classic dishes she had grown up eating in the US.

“What I learned throughout my career was that Egyptian food had its staples, but then it had a lot of influence from different countries because of how much it had been invaded,” Mina said. “Probably the biggest influence was Greek cuisine, at least from what I ate growing up… a lot of what I thought was Egyptian had a lot of Greek influence. In fact, it made it even more magical in many ways.”

Tan leather seating and brass accents in Orla's main dining room.

During the pandemic there was a lot of focus on the new cookbook and Orla's concept. He opened the inaugural outpost in Las Vegas earlier this year, then followed it up in October with a location in Santa Monica, which features an expanded menu and executive chef Jacob Solomon (formerly of Chicago's Testaccio). He offers his own versions of dishes that span cultures and family recipes. His mother's falafel, studded with bell peppers and red onions, slid into the pocket bread; At Orla, Mina serves her version topped with raw tuna sprinkled with urfa. Her mother only made the labor-intensive layered puff pastry fatier on weekends and topped it with jam; Mina uses hers as a vehicle for the caviar.

Everything is available a la carte, with an additional fixed-price express menu available for lunch and a larger family-style option for dinner. Mina Group beverage director Michael Lay incorporated much of the flavor from the savory menu into Orla's cocktails, resulting in a baharat-tinged rum with elderflower and pomegranate; gin infused with melon, almond and lemon tea; and a cardamom and ginger negroni. He also compiled approximately 800 wines for Orla's extensive and eclectic list, which ranges from affordable by-the-glass options to hard-to-find vintage bottles. Orla is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for breakfast and lunch, and from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for dinner, and the bar is open all day and night.

1700 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 899-4050, orlasantamonica.com

Ettore Wine and Cooking

An octopus and sausage skewer with red sauce, a plate of spinach salad and a glass of white wine at Ettore Vino e Cucina

A new Italian restaurant and wine bar is open at the Original Farmers Market with fresh pastas, grilled meats, wines and a patio. Filippo Cortivo, sommelier and owner of Osteria Mamma de Larchmont, had wanted to expand to the famous gastronomic landmark for years, periodically checking to see if any stores were open. He began consulting for Mendocino-based Italian-influenced winery Ettore, and now he and the brand have teamed up for a new restaurant: Ettore Vino e Cucina, where Ettore's organic wines are offered by the glass and bottle and are even They are used in some of the dishes in the kitchen. The menu, Cortivo said, is almost a complete departure from the dishes found at Osteria Mamma.

“There's a little bit of everything here, with some northern dishes, some coastal dishes,” he said. “We just open it up to everything we like. [Osteria] Mamma is more traditional, but here we want to have our traditional flavors in a more fun way.”

Chef Mònica Angelats Coll, formerly of Brera Ristorante and Flor y Solera, heads up a menu that includes rolled lasagna Bolognese, grilled octopus and sausage skewers, braised leg of lamb, fried anchovies and more. The new restaurant and wine bar also sells limited pantry items, including imported dried pastas and Ettore house olive oil. Ettore Vino e Cucina is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

6333 W. 3rd St., Booth #120, Los Angeles, (628) 529-5616, instagram.com/ettorevinocucina

A hand with red nail polish pours tea into a bright orange cup on a yellow table.

The best of the flower

A new shop from a small-batch tea retailer offers tea service, weekend baked goods, vintage home goods, tea blending classes and more. Flower's Finest, from the team behind Flowerhead Tea, recently opened in Eagle Rock as a colorful spot that the owners hope will build a community around tea, on every level.

“I respect a lot of tea makers and growers around the world and I think there is this representation that feels very serious,” said founder Karina Vlastnik. “While I respect him a lot, I wanted to have a really fun, non-intimidating place.”

She and her business partner, Kendall Brinkley, moved their headquarters from the Bay Area to Los Angeles over the past two years, operating their tea service through a traveling truck while they prepared the space.

Karina Vlastnik stands behind the counter of her wood-paneled tea shop.

Now that they're open, baker Emily Alben (Pinyon Ojai) sells baked goods like apple cider muffins and bruléed fig scones, and Vlastnik and Brinkley are hosting hands-on tea workshops, book clubs, chess nights, and more. Antique cocktail glasses and tea sets from the 1930s sit on the shelves alongside new tea strainers and other accessories, while tea boxes and bags, plus other pantry items, add even more options in the kitchen. colorful space. The collection of vintage items for sale includes trinkets the team has been collecting for years.

“We were very excited for the opportunity to grow in a new place,” Vlastnik said. “We knew it was going to be very difficult, but we thought: 'If we can do it here [in L.A.]we can do it anywhere.' It has been building up to this moment.”

Flower's Finest is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

4538 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles, floresfinest.com

White Rice

A popular fast-casual Filipino restaurant from San Diego has just landed in the Los Angeles area. White Rice, from chef-owner and Momofuku veterinarian Phillip Esteban, is the latest seller at Montebello's. BLVD MRKT food hall. Esteban's menu is geared toward silog, or rice bowls loaded with garlic and egg, and here they can come accompanied by longanisa, crispy suckling pig, soy-braised pork, mushrooms with tofu, and more. Two varieties of lumpia are offered, one vegetarian and one with pork and shrimp, as well as fresh ube sweet rolls with whipped ube butter and calamansi iced tea. White Rice is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

520 Whittier Blvd., Montebello, ricebowlsforall.com

Mid-City New York Chopped Cheese

Two open halves of chopped New York cheese on white paper, showing beef, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.

One of the East Coast's favorite sandwiches is popping up in town thanks in large part to Harlem's own Anthony Arias. The founder of New York's Chopped Cheese began appearing in Los Angeles in 2021 via a bright yellow food truck, serving up fluffy buns filled with chopped grilled beef, plus American cheese, sweet onions, lettuce, tomato, tomato sauce and mayonnaise.

Last year it opened a warehouse-inspired brick-and-mortar store in Hollywood, and this month it added a new location in Mid-City with ample seating and parking. New York Chopped Cheese serves the classic version of the sandwich, as well as twists that include jalapenos or barbecue sauce, while others are made with chopped chicken, mushrooms, or vegan Impossible beef. Other New York-inspired classics, like bacon, egg and cheese or a chopped Italian sandwich, are available alongside the gooey, meaty namesake. New York's Chopped Cheese is open in Mid-City Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to midnight.

5109 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, newyorkschoppedcheese.com

A trio of mini lobster rolls on a white tray with chips, pickles and a cup of chowder.

Lucas's lobster

A prolific East Coast lobster roll chain just arrived in Southern California. Luke's Lobster specializes in wild-caught seafood, stuffed with lobster, crab, and shrimp on buttery buns, sometimes drizzled with butter sauces flavored like truffle or spicy honey. Founder and third-generation lobsterman Luke Holden founded the company in 2009 and has opened outposts in Maine, New York, Japan, Rhode Island, San Francisco, Singapore and beyond, including his latest, a “lobster 22-seat lobster depot in Santa Monica. Here you'll find Maine lobster rolls; Jonah crab rolls in lemon butter; grilled cheese with seafood; bowls of clam chowder; and local craft beer like Crowns and Hops. Los Angeles' first Luke's Lobster also serves trios of lobster rolls and seafood rolls to sample, plus seafood kits and lobster rolls by the pound to prepare at home. Luke's Lobster is open in Santa Monica daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

200 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, (424) 298-2080, lukeslobster.com