Award-Winning Central Coast Restaurant Stars Plot a Pair of New Openings Next Year

Central Coast culinary star Bell’s in Los Alamos is branching out. The restaurant’s Food & Wine Best New Chef-winning Daisy Ryan was on the new-ish Fork in the Road podcast to talk all things French food, wine country dining, and what it means to keep afloat during the pandemic this week, and along the way dropped a few nuggets on 2021 openings. The interview is an interesting look at two restaurant operators (Daisy and partner Greg Ryan) with big city fine dining backgrounds who have decided to forego the hustle and bustle for a more direct relationship with their farmers, purveyors, and local community — including through their non-profit Feed the Valley. Along the way, Daisy Ryan also teased two new restaurant projects for the pair.

The first is Texas-influenced barbecue setup at their site in Los Alamos, which is really more of a branching-out from what they’ve been doing at Bell’s with chef Nick Priedite for the past year or so. If approved, the grounds will get a new off-street smoker, some raised planter beds, and a whole new outdoor Texas feel. The second project, a long-gestating standalone restaurant, is slated to open sometime next year further south in Los Olivos, which is a bustling wine country weekend destination. The small town was previously home to beloved ranch-style restaurant the Bear and Star, which closed at the end of last year. Both restaurants are coming along, but with the pandemic now entering its third wave, true timing remains to be seen.

In other news:

• Two LA restaurants had their chefs named to Plate Magazine’s annual Chefs to Watch feature. They include Doug Rankin of Bar Restaurant in Silver Lake, and Raymond Yaptinchay and Jay Sugas of Spoon & Pork.
• Speaking of helping people directly, Long Beach has partnered with Accountability PAC, raising awareness for laid-off workers and asking the public to help fulfill their holiday wish lists.
• Alma’s Cider & Beer has quietly opened at 904 N. Virgil Avenue in Virgil Village. The tiny restaurant and bar has been in the works for years, aiming to be a destination for hard-to-find ciders (and small plates eventually) but given the current moment ownership is sticking with Saturday-only drink pickups. Orders can be made on Toast Tab.

• Chinatown retail shop Now Serving has continued to partner with Australian micropress Somekind to bring a few new titles to LA next May. The books will focus on four restaurant businesses (the first two announced were for Kato and Sonoratown): Bub & Grandma’s, Holbox, Porridge + Puffs, and Hop Woo. Preorders are available now, and represent yet another way to support restaurants for those who can.
• Seattle-style teriyaki shop Teriyaki Madness has opened its first LA location at 1120 W. 6th Street, just west of Downtown.
• Here’s the official menu for Go Go Bird, the new delivery and takeout Japanese-style fried chicken spot from chef Brandon Kida in Hollywood. Hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, with orders made through Tock.