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De Buena Planta is back in Silver Lake this week, opening up again on Cinco de Mayo with a new outlook and a brand new menu. Previously, the mostly-outdoor, vegetable-forward hangout at 2815 Sunset Boulevard acted as a full-fledged restaurant extension of the original lush location in Venice. Now the focus is on drinks and accompanying snacks, with a subtle title change to boot: don’t call it a restaurant, this is a “garden club and mezcaleria.” Cocktails hover around $17 and include a full slate of margaritas and frozen options as well as zero-proof drinks, best enjoyed alongside small snack items like Tajín-lemon cucumbers, guacamole and chips, elote, and tacos, like a roasted yuba al pastor and faux-beef barbacoa. The reopening menu is below.
As for the space, customers will still enter through the low-key entrance just off Sunset, but will now land first inside of a small curated plant shop and garden area, where items will be for sale. Open-air seating is beyond that, with the indoor cocktail space (called La Casita Mezcaleria, open 6 p.m. to late) off to one side. Starting Friday, the outdoor dining Garden Club space will run 4 p.m. to midnight, Thursday and Friday, and noon to midnight on Saturday and Sunday (closed Monday to Wednesday). There will be a happy hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with the kitchen staying open until 10 p.m.
Breakfast tacos in Culver City
HomeState has scored a new location, taking over the closed former Konbi restaurant in Culver City. The new build in the mixed-use building at 10000 Washington Boulevard is mostly ready to go, so expect HomeState to be up and running sometime this summer. The restaurant joins its existing neighbors in Los Feliz, Go Get Em Tiger and Kismet Rotisserie, which are also located in the same Culver City development.
Holbox is back
Take a peek at the new-look Holbox just south of Downtown. The University Park-adjacent seafood restaurant has been cooking from a food truck in front of Mercado La Paloma for the past several weeks as it overhauled its dining counter, and now the finished look is here.
Plant-based problems in LA?
What’s the status on plant-based eating in Los Angeles? LAist dives into the question, particularly as it surrounds faux meat companies like Beyond and Impossible. It seems, per the story, that some restaurant operators and diners have begun to move away from processed vegetarian protein alternatives specifically, though there is still plenty of room for enduring and new vegetable-focused restaurants around the city, especially those that haven’t gone all-in on being plant-based.
Three big food events
There’s a big barbecue party coming to Long Beach on May 13, with food from Axiom Kitchen, Brother’s Keeper, and more. The event goes down at Trademark Brewing and is free, but expect to pay for food.
Meanwhile, in the Melrose Hill area, Kuya Lord is hosting its own backyard grill and chill with Ggiata, Le Couple Fried Chicken, and others on Thursday, May 4 starting 5 p.m. Expect music, food, and more.
Further east, Lingua Franca is hosting a night of Italian cooking and family recipes with Cascina Boschetti on May 8, pairing dishes like a ricotta agnolotti with wines across a multi-course menu.
A new show to know
My Two Cents chef Alisa Reynolds has a new show coming out with Hulu, titled Searching for Soul Food. The unscripted series follows Reynolds all over the world as she seeks out different soul foods from cultures in Jamaica, Peru, Italy, Los Angeles, and beyond.
