Wine & Spirits - April 2020 - 34

reflected in his glass offers: on
the one hand, the 2017 Donkey
& Goat Ramato Pinot Gris; on
the other, a 2015 Château Desmirail Margaux. -L.D.
114 E. 2nd St., Los Angeles;
213-788-1191, redbird.la

40
République

38
Petit Trois
The trois mecs of Trois Mec-
Ludovic Lefebvre, Jon Shook
and Vinny Dotolo-founded
their French-inflected bistro
in a scruffy Hollywood strip
mall, where it instantly became
the quintessential LA prix-fixe
experience. One year later they
opened Petit Trois next door,
with the same vibe but an à la
carte menu, and a wine program
freed from obligatory prix-fixe
pairings. Helen Johannesen (see
Jon & Vinny's, #21) still oversees
the list, mostly French, falling
between the folds of classic and
natural, like the Meinklang Muschelkalk white from Austria's
Burgenland, or the Las Jaras
Glou Glou from Mendocino.
TIP: You can stretch out in Petit's
more capacious satellite in Sherman Oaks. -P.J.C.
718 N. Highland Ave.,
Los Angeles/13705 Ventura Blvd.,
Sherman Oaks; petittrois.com

39
Redbird
Redbird is housed in what was
once the rectory for the now
decommissioned St. Vibiana
cathedral. Chef Neal Fraser
admits to having a thing for
history, too: he draws from
the dozens of culinary traditions he grew up alongside in
LA, offering dishes like Thai
crab soup, smoked tofu with
Japanese yams, and Red Wattle
pork with peach mostarda and
hazelnuts. Josh Wibbenmeyer's
wine list blends traditional and
contemporary wines, and that's
34

WINE & SPIRITS

République remains the beating
heart of restaurant culture in
Los Angeles, a fixed point in the
city's unwieldy geography, with
a swirling pot of ethnic influences, ingredients and diners.
Chef Walter Manzke's current
menu has a wintry cast, as in
Wolfe Ranch quail roasted with
morels and showered in truffles,
or Thao Farms' cauliflower and
broccoli served on sweet potato
hummus. Sam Rethmeier's wine
list is deep in everything, with
many extravagant pursuits, but
it's hard to stray from the Tuesday Night page, a selection of 40
wines under $100. -P.J.C.
624 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles;
323-362-6115, republiquela.com

41
The Rose
The Rose is Venice's original
melting-pot restaurant, a short
beach-cruiser ride from the
Boardwalk. Open since 1979, it's
been a place to get strong coffee, cold beer and three squares,
but now, after a spectacular facelift in 2015, it's also a place to
get some great wine. Under the
direction of Nathaniel Muñoz,
the wine program went from
basically nothing to formidable;
Jason Saidy now oversees it,
using a "wines for the people"
approach, like Dutraive's spicy
St-Amour and Jeff Fischer's
Habit Chenin by the glass: Who
can resist a wine list subsection
called "Punk Rock" reds, or not
want to address the question,
"Orange you glad we have skincontact wines?" -P.J.C.
220 Rose Ave., Venice;
310-399-0711, therosevenice.la

APRIL 2020

42
Spago
Spago Beverly Hills remains
one of LA's signature fine dining experiences, the pinnacle
of the Wolfgang Puck empire.
The kitchen is in the hands of
chef Tetsu Yahagi, whose interpretations of California cuisine
are deft and unique, employing
local ingredients, such as Devil's
Gulch rabbit and Marcho Farms
veal. Since 2013, Phillip Dunn
has run the wine program, one
of the largest in California. The
list runs classic and deep, strong
in many regions but renowned
for its continental selections,
especially from Germany and
Puck's home country, Austria,
where he works with star vintners F.X. Pichler for a Spagoexclusive Wachau grüner veltliner. -P.J.C.
176 Canon Dr., Beverly Hills;
310-385-0880, wolfgangpuck.com

43
Stanley's Wet Goods
John Stanley's wine shop is one
of the most beautiful storefronts
on LA's west side, with unvarnished wood, high ceilings, floor
to roof windows and gorgeous
natural light in the afternoon-
the perfect time to grab a glass
of Cava at the wine bar that
occupies a corner of the space.
By nightfall it's jamming with
wine lovers enjoying a naturalleaning wine selection, noshing
on cheese and seafood conservas.
Stanley's offers four wines on
tap, and many more by the glass,
like Rosi Schuster's youthful
Burgenland rotburger, or Folk
Machine's field blend, White
Light. -P.J.C.
9620 Venice Blvd, Culver City;
424-341-2870, stanleys.la

http://www.redbird.la http://www.republiquela.com http://www.wolfgangpuck.com http://www.petittrois.com http://therosevenice.la http://www.stanleys.la

Wine & Spirits - April 2020

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