All stories about "John Sedlar"

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FAIRFAX DISTRICT: The former Nova Express on Fairfax will become a restaurant and wine/beer bar called Golden State, per the The Guide. Owners Jason Bernstein and James Starr say it will feature "the best from all over the state": Cali-made food, beer and wine, and locally made sausages, cheese and more. Target date is August. With the newly opened Animal across the street, and the pending Mec Restaurant and Bar a few doors away, looks like the neighborhood is definitely changing. [PLYWOOD]

Big news out of downtown: Chef John Sedlar along with Bill Chait (founder of Louise's Trattoira fame, now managing partner of Spark Woodfire Gril) will open Rivera at the Met Lofts on Flower and 11th, a stone's throw from L.A. Live, later this year. The third partner is designer Eddie Sotto, who helped bring Encounter at LAX to life. You see, this is some serious pedigree happening here. Sedlar, who hasn't been on the main dining scene since the 90's, literally wrote the book on modern Southwestern cuisine. He started with the French restaurant St. Estephe, which he opened in Manhattan Beach in the early 80's. It was there that he started introducing Southwestern flavors (he was raised in New Mexico); fusion, yes. But refined fusion. Later he opened Bikini on Fifth Street in Santa Monica, and then changed it to Abuquiu (named after his hometown), which closed within a couple years. We were but babes in the blogosphere womb back then, so we asked Jonathan Gold about Sedlar's impact. It's a total love-fest.