When people tell you they don't like Los Angeles: there's too much traffic; everyone drives and no one walks; Nancy Silverton doesn't try to defend her hometown. “I understand all those things,” says the James Beard Award-winning chef, whose Pizzeria Mozza is considered one of the best pizzerias in the United States. “On the other hand, I don't know any other place with the variety and diversity that we have in Los Angeles.”
In Sunday Funday, the people of Los Angeles tell us step by step their ideal Sunday in the city. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
When she's not feeding people, Silverton has a busy schedule maintaining Michelin-starred Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza and Chi Spacca in Los Angeles, writing cookbooks, including the recently published “The Cookie That Changed My Life: and More of 100 other classic cakes. , cookies, muffins and cakes that will change yours”, organizes European food tours, hosts podcasts and acts as an ambassador for HexClad cookware.
Born and raised in Sherman Oaks and Encino, Silverton divides her time between Italy and Hancock Park. When she is in Los Angeles, her ideal Sunday consists of spending time with friends and family, shopping, and exploring the vast neighborhoods of Los Angeles. “Los Angeles is vast and different,” she says. “And we will be able to see everything.” Here is a summary.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
6:30 am Enjoy a cappuccino while reading the Sunday newspaper.
The first thing I do when I get out of bed is go downstairs and make myself a cappuccino. I recently purchased a restaurant quality espresso machine (finally, after all these years) from Coffee machine warehouse on Washington Boulevard. It really improved my game and means I don't have to run for Go find them tiger on Larchmont Boulevard. I enjoy my ritual of reading the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, which I receive from my parents, both avid newspaper readers. So I'll go out, pick up both papers, and as we say in this family, I'll fillet them, meaning I pick the sections I like first. I'm obsessed with obituaries. So first I read the obituaries in the Los Angeles Times and then I went to “Modern Love” in the New York Times and then I go back to the Los Angeles Times and read all the sections.
9 a.m. Catch up with friends while walking through adjacent Hancock Park
I often walk around my neighborhood. I have a three-mile walk that lasts an hour and I never change routes. Somehow, I managed to get my friends to find me in my territory, and since this is my ideal On Sunday, Ruth Reichl and Joan Nathan are in town. We are great walking companions. We walk at the same pace, we try not to trip over each other, and we never run out of things to talk about. After our three-mile walk, which takes us up Van Ness to Lillian Way, around Rosewood, and back to my house, Ruth always insists that we go to the Hollywood Farmers Market.
10 a.m. Celebrity Sightings and Puntarelles at the Hollywood Farmers Market
The Hollywood Farmers Market is the only market I can visit during the week. While we're there, Ruth and I play this game: Keep track of who gets the most attention. Ruth and I are very competitive. People often recognize us and ask us for shopping advice, but we only care about how many comments we receive. I always say I win and she always says she wins. I love the white escarole and the seasonal puntarelle in Garden of… . In season, you could pick 12 heads of puntarelle and leave them later at the restaurant. Or if I try a fantastic beetroot Weiser Family FarmsI'll buy it.
11:30 am Watch a youth soccer game in the Valley.
Then I'll run to the Valley to watch my grandson Ike's soccer game. Obviously I'm not a soccer mom, but I try to support him as a soccer grandma. It is very important for him to get our support and I am very proud of him for participating in the sports he loves. It only lasts an hour and it's perfect.
13:00 Retail therapy
Sunday is a good day to visit my friend Caryl Lee, whose Noodle Stories store on Third Street has the best curated clothing in Los Angeles, or probably the world. I say I'm going to visit Caryl, but what it really means is that I need retail therapy. I could come home with some things that will improve my life. Shopping Noodle stories It makes my day and being surrounded by such beautifully designed clothing makes me feel good.
2:30 p.m. Master an elusive recipe at home
Sunday is the only day where if I need to master something for the restaurant, I will do it in the privacy of my own home. I am obsessed with so many things related to food. The most recent is a tortino di carciofi, a spiral omelet with an artichoke in the middle that I eat at Trattoria Sostanza in Florence. Doing this has puzzled me for a long time, but I recently perfected it. What you need for this open spiral omelet is the perfect Teflon-coated stainless steel skillet, which I just received from HexClad. It takes some practice, but don't be intimidated.
4 pm Go for a walk on Sunday
I have a small car, a convertible. On a nice day, I love driving with the top down in the Hollywood Hills; That's Los Angeles. I love driving on Sundays because it's not crowded, allowing me to explore different neighborhoods and the eclectic architecture and food of Los Angeles.
7 pm Try a new restaurant and stop by Mozza
I've traveled so much in recent years that I'm rarely home. So, I'm out of touch with the restaurant world and community. But if I had to try a new restaurant, I would try it. Etra. It's behind Café Telegrama at Western and Melrose, a large new development with a Fiipino restaurant, a chicken restaurant and the beautiful Telegram Coffee. The other day I popped my head into Etra and it seemed like a perfect neighborhood Italian restaurant. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it will be good because their morning coffee is perfectly executed. After dinner, I'll stop by my restaurants. I spend a good hour there, no matter what, every day.
9 pm Catch up on trending TV shows
I don't stay up late, but I do like to catch up on some shows that people are talking about. One that I enjoyed recently, given the cooking parts, is “Nothing,” a short series with only five episodes. It's about a moody food critic from Buenos Aires who lost the housekeeper who did everything for him. He relearns how to shop and cook, even falling in love with the simple flavors of food. I thought he was charming. He used to put me to sleep at midnight, but now, at 10:30 p.m., there is no light anymore.
