General Grant

Where Grant Achatz Plans to Eat and Drink in L.A. When Visiting Next Week

Grant Achatz
Grant Achatz Photo: Patrick McMullan

Chef Grant Achatz and his crew from Alinea are making a brief stop in Los Angeles next Friday to cook in a Downtown loft as part of his work with Absolut’s Sensory Analysis Workshop. Naturally, upon hearing that the Chicago wonder-chef was coming to our city, we had to know where he was planning to eat and drink with his staff. Reaching out to us this morning, Achatz tells Grub Street L.A., “This is a short trip, one night of which will be mostly consumed with work, so we will try to fit as much in as we can.” So which restaurants make the top of his list?

Like many chefs who come to town, the chef says, “We are currently planning to eat at Animal. I have had great meals in L.A. over the past few years at Spago, Osteria Mozza, and an amazing meal at Sona. This time we will be a very large group, so we wanted something more casual and energetic.”

Achatz says he also needs a “a tasty late night option for after the event,” which Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo’s restaurant should fulfill, seeing as it stays open until 2:00 A.M. on weekends.

The chef also appears well-informed when it comes to L.A.’s beverage department. For drinks, he says the group will likely drop in on their fellow molecular-gastro gurus at The Bazaar and make a trip to Cedd Moses’s The Varnish, which also fits the bill for a great late-night bite in Downtown, since it is wedged into the back of historic Cole’s, which claims to have invented the French dip.

Overall, Achatz has a great drinking and eating agenda ahead of him when he hits L.A. Do you have your own dining recommendations for the chef’s visit? Please let us know in our comments.

Where Grant Achatz Plans to Eat and Drink in L.A. When Visiting Next Week