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When Flor y Solera opens in January 2023, expect to find an array of dishes that wind through Spain’s 17 regions in a boldly designed dining room featuring a standalone sherry bar and a full view of the kitchen. Behind the project are chef Mònica Angelats and Factory Place Hospitality Group; together, they’ve transformed the former Sixth+Mill Pizzeria & Bar space into a destination for thoughtful Spanish cooking and drinking.
“After many years in the U.S., I realized how often the diversity and nuances of Spanish cuisine are overlooked. There is so much more than paella, octopus, and sangria,” Angelats tells Eater LA. “Flor y Solera is my way of sharing what I love about less well-known aspects of Spanish cuisine.” Angelats grew up in Barcelona and earned a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering before entering a career in hospitality. She most recently served as the chef de cuisine at the Italian restaurant Brera Ristorante, which is located next door to the forthcoming restaurant and also owned by Factory Place Hospitality Group.
Angelats’s menu, which draws from her Catalan heritage and travels throughout Spain, features regional specialties including migas camperas and arròs amb crosta, along with more popular Spanish hits like tortilla de patatas and fideus rossejats. “My menu will be a balance of traditional dishes — many of which were passed down by my grandmother and mother — prepared with a more modern technique that echoes how food is cooked in the streets of Spain,” says Angelat. To drink, beverage director Francine Diamond-Ferdinandi curated a selection that includes plenty of sherries, wines, gin and tonics, beer, and more.
Over the past year, the Los Angeles dining scene has been peppered with Spanish-inspired openings including Bar Maruno in Silver Lake, Dono in Santa Monica, and San Laurel and Agua Viva from chef José Andrés in Downtown. Flor y Solera, in turn, will work to further expand Angelenos’ understanding of Catalan cuisine and Angelats’s own style of cooking.