Skip to main content

LA’s Newest Destination Restaurant: Hinoki & the Bird

las newest destination restaurant hinoki the bird  amp interior10 dylan jeni 2
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Hinoki & the Bird is spurring many Angelinos, and visitors alike to the fair city of Los Angeles, to do something they probably never considered before— driving to the isolated neighborhood of Century City for something other than a visit to, you know, their agents. Right across the street from famed offices of CAA (the agents everyone in Hollywood wants) and beneath luxury high rise residences of The Century, Hinoki and the Bird has built a culinary nest that’s become LA’s best new destination restaurant.

Having renown chef and restaurateur, David Myers at the helm might have something to do with it. Myers, who you might know from (sadly closed) Michelin starred Sona in LA or Comme Ça brasserie, has imparted the food at Hinoki & the Bird with an informed mix of California Cuisine (think crispy and Raw Kale with curried almonds, pecorino and lemon vinaigrette) with flavors he discovered while traveling through parts of Asia (See below).

We had the opportunity to sample just about everything on the menu (don’t hate). Usually when that happens, things get lost or only a few things manage to stand out. Not so here, but pressed to pick….don’t miss the savory Caramel Braised Kurobuta Pork with radish and mustard greens (a play on the Vietnamese classic) or the Hinoki Scented Black Cod with sweet potato and pistachio is the most buttery and divine homage to the restaurant’s fragrant namesake cypress wood you could dream of (Hinoki means cypress in Japanese). Other dishes that stood out include a charcoaled Lobster Roll with green curry and Thai-basil, and Braised Lamb with tiny potatoes and cumin seed. You’ll note that plates in the Simply Grilled section are cooked to perfection over Binchotan, a Japanese charcoal and including the best wing of Skate we’ve ever tasted— Sambal Skate Wing.

Designed by Milo Garcia’s LA-based MAI Studio (Gjelina, Zinque), Hinoki & the Bird comes across as both handsome and cozy, evoking the unexpected combo of an outdoor patio living room with swank library cum cafeteria set within the frame of cedar wood, walnut and brass.

It’s in LA..so mandatory celeb shout outs include Cameron Diaz, David Schwimmer, Joshua Jackson, Molly Ringwald, Conan O’Brien, Chelsea Handler and Timothy Olyphant.

The restaurant is currently serving dinner only, from 5-10pm though plans are in motion to begin a lunch menu before summer. LA’s next power lunch spot? We’d put money on it.

Check them out at www.hinokiandthebird.com

Matt Bell
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Matt Bell is a travel and grooming writer. He's endured Thai face slapping massages, swam in a cage with crocodiles and…
What foods are high in iron? These staples will help you live a healthier life
Add these high-iron foods to your shopping list today
Ribeye caps topped with garlic and herbs cooked in a cast iron pan over charcoal.

What foods are high in iron? We all know that iron is important for a healthy, balanced diet, but did you know you can find two different kinds of iron in food: heme and non-heme. Your body can absorb iron from heme (animal-based) food better than from non-heme (plant-based) food sources. Where can you find heme food sources? Read on to find out about foods high in iron.

If you eat a plant-based diet, you’ll get a lot of non-heme types of iron. As a result, your body might need a bit of help to absorb it properly. Sometimes vitamin C can aid with the absorption of plant-based kinds of iron. Regularly consume both plant and animal-based sources of iron to get the best of both for your body. 
What is iron?

Read more
The Macallan, Bentley serve up a single malt Scotch whisky worth more than a car
The Macallan and Bentley mean luxury
The Macallan

When it comes to luxury, The Macallan and Bentley are two of the biggest names in the world. While one is a single malt Scotch whisky brand and one is a car company, they both carry a certain, fancy weight. It only makes sense that the two brands would collaborate for a special bottle of Scotch whisky. This is likely because a whisky-powered car is more science fiction than reality.
What does the new whisky look like?

It's called The Macallan Horizon, and its bottle was created in collaboration with British automobile brand Bentley Motors. It was designed to meld the worlds of single malt scotch whisky and the sleek, elegant car brand. The result is a horizontal (hence the name) bottle crafted with a breathtaking 180-degree twist.

Read more
Forget wine — Beer and cheese is an unbeatable combination
Put the corkscrew away and crack open a cold one
Beer and cheese

When one hears the term cheese pairings, wine is the beverage that most often comes to mind, we'd wager. Because, of course, it is. The pairing of wine and cheese is as classic a coupling as peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, or chocolate and strawberries. They're meant to be together. But that certainly doesn't mean that wine is the only adult beverage that can dance an alluring tango alongside everyone's favorite dairy product. Beer, as humble as its reputation can be, is also a beautiful balance to cheese's immense offering of flavors. While some may think of beer as not being as multi-dimensional and varied in its palate-pleasing capabilities as wine, this is not the case - especially now that we live in a world with so many exquisite craft beers, stouts, and lagers.
Of course, another classic accompaniment to cheese is bread or crackers. Why might that be, one might ask. Is it because we're simply in need of a starchy vessel to usher the cheese into our mouths? The answer is actually a bit deeper than that. Starches like bread and crackers are made from the same yeasty ingredients as beer, so their pairing makes perfect culinary sense.
This isn't to say, though, that one can simply pick up a hunk of cheddar and crack open a Budweiser and expect culinary artistry. The science is a bit more nuanced than that, so we're here to help you find the best pairings for your favorite beers and cheeses.

How to pair beer and cheese

Read more