Owners Breegan and Kristian Vallas are opening LEONA (123 Washington Blvd., Venice Beach, CA 90291; 310.822.5379) at the end of July right in my hood! They will have SoCal native Nyesha Arrington in the kitchen with a menu inspired by her California roots, cultural heritage, and the local Venice neighborhood. The Venice influence is rooted in everything from the restaurant’s identity from the design to the name. Dating back to the early 1900s, LEONA was the original name for Washington Boulevard, that leads right into the Venice Pier. The roughly 2,000 square foot restaurant offers multiple seating areas, including a chef’s counter, banquette wall, communal tables and outdoor patio. An expansive antique mirror, massive custom brass lighting fixtures and assembled collection of historic Venice photography complement whitewashed brick walls, beachy dark wood chairs and wall decor reminiscent of a night in Havana.
Entrees include dishes with innovative techniques like the Chicken ‘Brick’ with layers of crispy chicken skin and slow roasted apricots, or signature dishes of Arrington’s like Honey Mustard Broiled Black Cod, made with local honey. You can share starters like Fish n Chips made of whole crispy smelt finished with a house fermented malt vinegar with Thai chili; and a soft cooked Farm Egg wrapped in a nest of thinly sliced potato, floating in smokey bacon broth. Arrington also creates all of the desserts in-house, including Sweet Corn Tumeric Ice Cream with white peaches, rosewater and pistachios, and fun dishes like “Adult Frosted Flakes.” Lunch and Brunch will offer similar artistic takes on familiar favorites, and menus will change based on the season. A carefully selected menu of beer and wine will also be offered.
