Redbird, (114 E. Second St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; 213.788.1191) by Neal Fraser, is taking over the old 1933-built rectory inside the Vibiana Cathedral.Wife, Amy Knoll Fraser (Grace, BLD), and designer, Robert Weimer, have been part of the five year overhaul that is named after former cardinal’s offices, which were located upstairs.
Walk in, past the Adam Silverman lanterns, and enter a lounge space decorated with mid-century style furniture, a ceiling painted by Guerin Swing with motifs from the cathedral, a wine cellar, paintings from local artist Nancy Baker Cahill, and a 360-degree bar serving cocktails by Julian Cox. You can sip on one of his concoctions like the KCB (gin, apricot and cumin-spiced kümmel) on a tuft, leather sofa or a bright red leather stool at the marble bar.
The patio space will serve as the main dining room, with a retractable roof that gives way to a view of the steeple. There, you will enjoy a menu of New American dishes including Santa Barbara prawns with uni and wasabi snow, Thai Dungeness crab soup, potato-crusted pork shank and Rabbitchetta placed over Anson Mills polenta and pea tendrils. There’s also bites called kickshaws, including shishito peppers with bottarga or chicken pot pie with chanterelles. The menu can be customized into a tasting menu, or served in a traditional three-course meal.
You can also dine in the nest, which is upstairs, and it looks like a swanky apartment. Decor is made up of marble kitchen countertop, butcher-block table and sleek lines.
Soft-opens today, officially opens January 7.
