Fine Dining Hero Josiah Citrin Gets Comfortable in Koreatown

The sun still pours into the roomy restaurant atrium on the second floor of the Line Hotel in Koreatown, but now the name, design, menu, and chef are completely different. This is Openaire, acclaimed chef Josiah Citrin’s breezy new rooftop hideaway right off the Wilshire corridor, and it opens on Sunday.

Openaire is the hotel’s next iteration following the loss of Commissary and all of Roy Choi’s other projects at the property. Choi left after five years to focus on his upcoming Las Vegas creation, and now in comes Citrin, the decidedly dedicated Westsider known for the Michelin-starred Melisse as well as the more laid-back Venice restaurant Charcoal.

With Openaire, the plan is to keep things simple while still focusing on the ingredients and techniques that have made Citrin’s career as one of the best chefs in Los Angeles. Expect simple California starters like a hamachi crudo with a citrus squeeze, or salt-baked beets with sunflower tahini. Light seafood, fried quail, and housemade pastas all make an appearance alongside steaks, sides, and cocktails. This is still a hotel restaurant after all.

As for the space, the Sydell Group in charge of the hotel has done a subtle job of keeping the restaurant’s strengths — the light, the greenery, the open air as it were — while embracing something new. The light blue seats are plush and comfortable, and the bright bar area feels like a poolside getaway in the middle of the city. Citrin and co. are also helping out with the lobby bar downstairs, and have helped to bring in more color and greenery to the ground-floor space as well.

Per the LA Times, Citrin’s new deal at the Line Hotel does not include the still-empty former Pot space just off the lobby. The Sydell Group has so far declined to state what, if anything, is going to be done with the room, while Alfred Coffee has taken over day-to-day operations at the coffee bar and cafe in the front.

Openaire opens Sunday, keeping hours from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. for breakfast, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch, and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. for dinner. The opening menu is below.

Openaire. 3515 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.

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