New restaurant Gunsmoke, from chef Brandon Kida, riffs on Japanese flavors

Stephanie Breijo
·3 min read

Gunsmoke

Chef Brandon Kida of Hinoki & the Bird, Go Go Gyoza and Go Go Bird has a new restaurant, this time in Hollywood. Gunsmoke is at the base of the Columbia Square Living building — once the CBS studio where the original “Gunsmoke” radio show was produced — and serves cuisine that blends Japanese flavor with a range of other cultures, including Filipino, French, Mexican, Spanish and Californian with dishes such as tuna and country ham with pickled green strawberries atop gnocco fritto; escargot-inspired shiitake mushrooms with garlic butter and house-made baguette; and lamb sisig with ssam-like accoutrement. Rhino Williams of Lost Property Bar helped design Gunsmoke’s cocktail menu, which also incorporates Japanese flavor profiles with ingredients such as Macallan scotch infused with tea or the house martini featuring a dashi olive. Gunsmoke is open from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, with the bar open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

1550 N. El Centro Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 396-9400, gunsmokehollywood.com

Nossa Caipirinha Bar

Los Feliz Brazilian restaurant Nossa has rebranded and reopened as Nossa Caipirinha Bar, modeled after Brazilian botecos, or neighborhood bars, and offering multiple variations on Brazil’s most popular drink. A new partnership among the owners of neighboring spot Farfalla, as well as the teams behind Found Oyster and Red Dog Saloon, instated Rory Cameron (Found Oyster) as executive chef and partner, and Shannon Inouye (Imperial Western Beer Co.) and Steven Zakarian (All Season Brewing Co.) as bar leads and partners. The menu riffs on Brazilian bar snacks with pão de queijo; grilled xixo, or skewers; and coxhinas, or croquettes. Salads, larger plates, sides and sweets round out the menu. Nossa Caipirinha Bar is currently open from 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday to Monday, with extended menu and weekend hours to follow.

1966 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 644-1798, caipirinhala.com

Savida

Seafood restaurant and raw bar Savida — founded in and formerly of Israel — is now open in Santa Monica, bringing ceviches, crudos, oysters and more to the former Sushi Sho space. Chef Dan Smulovitz (Craft, the Hungry Cat) takes inspiration chiefly from the Mediterranean as well as Japan for dishes such as octopus tostada with harissa, preserved lemon, kalamata olives and tzatziki; hamachi with tomato soy yuzu kosho dressing; and flounder ceviche with aji amarillo. Savida is open from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.

1303 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 310-3772, savidabar.com

Seoulmates

Seoulmates, a new quick-and-casual spot in Beverly Grove, is serving Korean and Korean fusion dishes born of Christina Hong’s pandemic-spurred pop-up, BulgHoagie. The menu includes Hong’s signature hoagie filled with bulgogi, kimchi remoulade, provolone and grilled onions; galbi tacos; gochujang jackfruit “birria” tacos; bibimbap; and Korean fried chicken. Seoulmates is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

8320 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (323) 424-4863, seoulmatesla.com

A man stands at an espresso machine.
Owner and coffee roaster Max Gualtieri is bringing Joules and Watts to Koreatown with single-origin-sourced coffee beans, a mobile espresso bar and pastries on weekdays. (Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

Joules and Watts

Local coffee bar and roaster Joules and Watts is popping up indefinitely in Koreatown at Sugar Bank art space. Max Gualtieri's former Joules and Watts site in Malibu is now Broad Street Coffee Co. — run by the team behind local seafood chain Broad Street Oyster Co. — and Gualtieri is selling lattes, cold brews, bags of coffee beans, and croissants, danishes and other pastries from bakery Friends & Family out of a mobile rig that he built himself. Joules and Watts is popping up in K-town from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Friday.

205 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles, joulesandwattscoffee.com

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.