Los Angeles, a dizzying melting pot

He's fond of surfer bracelets, large dark glasses, David Bowie, Porsches and always wears his brown locks tousled, as if he'd just come out of the water: you're just as likely to run into Josiah Citrin in one of his seven Los Angeles restaurants as on the crest of a Pacific wave or on a bike near the Santa Monica pier. This city, nestled in the heart of Los Angeles, is one that the Californian chef has hardly ever left, apart from a brief interlude in France. " Why leave? We're so lucky to have exceptional produce and sunshine all year round. Every time a new season starts, it's my favorite, because each one brings new inspiration." He's also spent his whole life in front of a piano. " My mother was a caterer and cooked with my grandmother, who was born in France. I loved watching them and learning. "

A land of milk and honey

Almost every Wednesday, you'll come across the chef, accompanied by his faithful partner Ken Takayama, at the Santa Monica market. This market is the place to be if you want to collect selfies. All the restaurateurs are there, scrutinizing the produce sent in by Californian farms from San Diego to Napa Valley, greeting each other and exchanging gossip. What's really stirring things up right now is the California government's decision to raise the minimum wage for restaurant workers. This vertiginous increase in charges has already driven many restaurateurs out of business. Josiah Citrin himself closed his last establishment - Charcoal, in West Hollywood - less than a year after it opened. The caution of an old hand in the business, present in the field for nearly thirty-five years. Today, he heads up seven addresses dedicated to Californian cuisine in all its facets. His first Angeleno restaurant was called JiRaffe, and it wasn't long before a gourmet table was added: Mélisse, which has been at the top of the Los Angeles " Top Food " list ever since, winning awards in the process. Mélisse, which has evolved at the same pace as the local culinary scene, has weathered crises and Covid, and remains a cornerstone of the city, today offering a high-flying 18-course tasting menu.

Pioneers of "farm to table

Restaurateurs are resilient," smiles Josiah Citrin. It's a sink-or-swim industry, which means you have to learn to swim fast! "Austrian chef Wolfgang Puck, with whom he cut his teeth like a host of other American chefs, would agree: Wolfgang Puck has taken up the torch from two pioneers who, in the 1970s, were the first to feature healthy, local produce on a gourmet plate: the iconic Alice Waters, a locavore before her time with her unforgettable Chez Panisse, and Helen Evans Brown, author of the famous West Coast Cook Book. She launched a veritable revolution in the American culinary landscape at a time when, on the West Coast, the descendants of the Gold Rush were fond only of plates overflowing with meat and gravy, and were flocking to the first fast-food restaurants. And let's not even mention Sally Schmitt, the unassuming, little-known heroine who, at the helm of the famous French Laundry, initiated the " farm to table " concept that continues to inspire chefs the world over. Their direct heir, Wolfgang Puck, absolute star of the 1980s, still remembers Madonna, Michael Jackson and Prince lining up to enter Spago, launched on the Sunset Strip in 1982. " It was the first restaurant with an open kitchen like a stage in the middle of the room. We were also the first to use a wood-fired oven," explains Wolfgang Puck, who didn't hesitate to cover his pizzas with caviar and dared to speak of " Californian cuisine ". " People used to ask me what that meant. Well, we use local ingredients and mix different cultures in our menu. "

Los Angeles attitude

When you arrive in the City of Angels, all your habits have to go. Don't expect a decent hairdryer in the hotel room, for example: what American woman would ever think of blow-drying her own hair? When it comes to dress code, make sure you're not overdressed during the day, or you'll be relegated to the tourist category for good. Faded T-shirts and slouchy (brand-name) sneakers are recommended for men; the hippie dress is making a big comeback for girls, with a cardigan (with the logo, anyway) and a bonnet. And above all: " no make-up " before the aperitif - sorry, afterwork. Dinnertime, on the other hand, is open bar.

At breakfast, you're likely to attack your pancake and black tea under the hallucinated gaze of your neighbor, focused on her kale spirulina turmeric smoothie, washed down with an Ayurvedic detox tea. You can either bravely accept it, or convert to the " healthy attitude ".

By the way, we're no longer talking about brunch so much as breakfast. " With intermittent fasting and the new habit of limiting oneself to two meals a day, the morning meal has expanded its range," says food critic Victoire Loup (who goes on to tell us about her favorite addresses). The menu is variable, and so are the opening hours. In the " all day cafes ", you'll find the telecommuting generation happily mixing sweet and savoury.

Finally, make sure you don't finish your plate. In this city, where ultra-thinness is " mandatory ", it's easy to become a glutton. This advice is hard to take with the addresses we've unearthed in Downtown, West Hollywood and Santa Monica, neighborhoods renowned for their fine dining. Follow us on a world tour of culinary influences, reviewed and corrected with a Californian twist, and make an exception - don't leave a crumb!

First came the Koreans of Koreatown in San Francisco, then the Japanese of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. Today, Filipinos are particularly popular, not to mention Near Eastern cuisine, the Ashkenazi Jewish tradition of delicatessens and, of course, the flavors of Latin America. To the east of Downtown, the El Pueblo district is teeming with charming Mexican churches and little addresses where you can feast on tacos and ceviches.

" The gastronomy of the City of Angels has been enriched by all these influences, and my style is rooted in classic French techniques as much as it is imbued with the global flavors of Californian cuisine. Josiah Citrin, who doesn't hesitate to combine caviar and yuzu, pigeon and eel, king crab and miso in the Mélisse tasting menu. And to choose presentation plates bearing the Rolling Stones effigy to welcome his guests, to a rather rock'n'roll soundtrack, in this intimate room designed as a private club for 14 guests. Access is via a hidden entrance in his sistership restaurant, Citrin. Never short of daring, the chef has just had the idea of launching a " happy hour " at Citrin, offering to taste the gastronomic menu at friendly prices in the early evening, without reservation. This allows " first come, first serve " diners to enjoy the warm ambience of the dining room, seated at the bar, while sampling the chef's sophisticated cuisine, including a number of signature dishes. The famous " Lobster Bolognese ", a dish of Maine lobster served with fresh capellini and a truffle mousse with hazelnut butter, for example, is priced at $19! Los Angeles, the city of dreams that sometimes come true.

This article is taken from Gault&Millau magazine #5. If you don't want to miss any future issues, subscribe now.