The Rose chef Jason Neroni announces new pizza spot in Culver City

An overhead photo of a scallion-topped pizza on a marble background.

Dec. 14, 2022 7 AM PT

Best Bet

By the time Best Bet opens, chef Jason Neroni says it will have been more than three years since he was handed the keys to one of Culver City’s remaining A-frames. The Rose chef is looking forward to finally opening his newest restaurant, Best Bet, in early 2023 with a focus on multiple styles of wood-fired pizza, plus a rotisserie, appetizers and seasonal vegetables. While Best Bet is by no means a strictly Italian restaurant — riffing on the chef’s love of Japanese food and on the French technique he acquired in restaurants such as Le Cirque — Neroni’s latest will spotlight three styles of pizza, fresh pastas, imported ingredients and other Italian dishes seen through the creative California-cuisine lens that’s become a hallmark of his cooking at the Rose.

“[Italian food] is something that I know makes me comfortable, and a lot of people comfortable, and I felt like leaning into this a little bit more,” Neroni said. “It’s one of my comfort zones; there will be a little bit of French, there will be a little bit of Japanese, but I was there [in Italy] again this summer and it’s actually the first time I’ve been there in two years since we were allowed to.” While on vacation he used the trip to source for his new restaurant, including buffalo burrata from Puglia, plus salami and prosciutto. The menu also will feature a rotisserie section, small bites such as green-garlic knots and dishes such as spaghetti verde with fresh crab, uni butter and jalapeno vinegar.

The pizzas will range in style, including the fried pizza Montanara; Sicilian focaccia-style; what Neroni calls a cross between New York style and Neapolitan that requires three days of dough preparation; and most likely a calzone or two, with some pizzas available in sizes as big as 20 inches for large parties. Brunch will see dishes such as oven-baked pancakes, plus an ’nduja scramble served atop Montanara pizza. He also hopes to launch a late-night food menu to supplement the restaurant’s cocktail program, which builds on classics such as a Negroni featuring bell pepper and pineapple, while the wine program will source from both California and Italy.

The retro building — designed as a 1960s IHOP and later housing Roy Choi’s own pancake house, called A-Frame — will maintain its iconic structure, but Neroni and his team stripped the interior “to the bones,” renovating the dining room, the kitchen and the bar, adding a Fiero Forni oven and adding new plumbing and electrical. The aesthetic and feel of the place will harken back to the era shortly after the business’s first run; Neroni, a self-described child of the ’70s, wants to riff on the aesthetic from the walls to the seating to the glassware.

“We kind of want it to feel like our home and more comfortable,” Neroni said. “A couple of things that we saw when designers first came to us, it was a little too mod and a little too Scandinavian. I was like, ‘It needs to have more personality to it.’” So they sought out vintage furniture, including 1970s school chairs and vintage French chairs, along with light fixtures and a very ’70s-inspired shade of green for the interior walls. The restaurant is set to open in late winter or early spring, with 110 seats spread across the dining room, the bar and the patio.

“It’s funny to go back to a smaller restaurant after the Rose, to go from 350 seats to 110,” Neroni said. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun to have this really small, personal experience. The Rose is like the mothership; it’s interesting to step off and do a new one, but I would be lying if I said I was never nervous, but I’m also extremely excited to finally get this done.”

12565 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, bestbetpizzeria.la

John Thomas Bar

The team behind El Segundo’s Jame Enoteca and Venice’s Ospi recently unveiled a cocktail bar for drinks and late-night bites. John Thomas Bar, also called Jame Bar, is now open in an extension of the Enoteca space. It’s serving cocktails named for beloved local chefs whom co-owner Jackson Kalb sees as mentors, such as the Jazz Singsanong, made with Thai-spiced cotton candy in an ode to the Jitlada chef-owner; the Negroni served from a golden fountain, named for Pizzana’s Daniele Uditi; and the basil-tincture spin on a margarita with salt air for Guelaguetza’s Bricia Lopez. The menu of bar snacks includes grilled cheese panini, chips with onion-and-fonduta dip, marinated olives, rosemary almonds and spicy bocconcini cheese. Fresh pasta, to be prepared at home, can be purchased from the counter as well. The new bar is open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight. A new concept from the same team — Gemma, an Italian-American seafood restaurant — is planned to open in Brentwood in spring.

241 Main St., El Segundo, (310) 648-8554, eatjame.com

An interior photo of a cocktail bar; in the foreground, a display case of fresh, uncooked pasta sits full.

Sticky Rice West Third

A local chain inspired by Bangkok street food is expanding west, bringing curries, satay, laab and wok’d noodles to West Third Street. The newest Sticky Rice, expected to open in April in the former Uli’s Gelato space, also takes over the adjacent footprint (formerly home to a training gym), which will be repurposed into a dining room. That dining space will feature a long noodle-shop-inspired counter, as well as a number of dishes unique to that location; as West Third will be the nearest Sticky Rice to the beach, co-owner Bryan Sharafkhah-Sharp says guests can expect seafood dishes, perhaps whole grilled fish. A new offering of an express menu, inspired by rotating steam tables and designed for quick service, also is expected. “Every three months when I have blood drawn at Cedars, the phlebotomists and nurses always lament their lunch options given that they are often in a hurry, so I’m making that menu with them in mind and heart,” said Sharafkhah-Sharp. “In the evenings we hope to cultivate that same neighborhood feel that we have at our Echo Park and Highland Park locations, so we will be offering a curated selection of natural wines, craft beers and sakes to encourage communion.”

8044 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, eatstickyrice.com

Goop Kitchen El Segundo

The culinary offshoot of Gwenyth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand has expanded into the South Bay this month with an outpost in El Segundo’s the Works Food Hall. Goop Kitchen, which launched in 2021 and maintains outposts in Santa Monica and Studio City, specializes in gluten-free meals with options for vegan, vegetarian and other diets. The concept splits its offerings into three brands, all of which are served in El Segundo for pickup and delivery: Goop Kitchen, with salads, grain bowls, lettuce cups and summer rolls; Goop Rotisserie, which begins service at 2 p.m. daily and features organic roast chicken, whole cauliflower, sauces and sides; and Goop Superfina, which opens at 3 p.m. daily and serves gluten-free pizzas, pastas and sides such as turkey meatballs. Goop Kitchen is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and serves El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and North Redondo for delivery.

710 S. Allied Way, El Segundo, (310) 954-1286, goopkitchen.com

Holiday Wonderland at Grand Central Market

Now through Dec. 31, downtown’s historic food hall is a festive scene. Grand Central Market’s annual holiday market is underway, hosting a series of events such as workshops on how to build the perfect charcuterie board; boozy painting classes with wine and beer; cookie decorating parties; ugly-sweater karaoke; holiday-themed pancake breakfasts; movie screenings; and live music, all in addition to festive specials from the market’s food and beverage vendors. Event prices, dates and times vary.

317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, grandcentralmarket.com/events

Arezou Appel’s popular cookie brand, Zooies, can always be found at its Cheviot Hills storefront, but it’s now popping up in Culver City with its own cookie cart and a new, exclusive flavor. Running indefinitely, the Zooies Cookie Cart can be found parked in front of food hall Citizen Public Market from Thursday to Saturday with a range of flavors, such as the Peppermint Crunch, the Vegan Chocolate Chip, the Oreo-dotted Panda and a new flavor unique to the cookie cart: the Espresso Crunch, made with milk chocolate, dark chocolate and chocolate-covered espresso beans. The Zooies Cookie Cart operates from 2 to 10 p.m.

9355 Culver Blvd., Culver City, (310) 820-8282, zooies.com