It's been a yr since chef Wes Whitsell left Hatchet Corridor in Culver Metropolis, the well-known southern restaurant that was awarded a Michelin star beneath his culinary path. Since then, he has consulted on the opening menus for the restaurant duo at West Hollywood's Pleasure Med and signed on as culinary director of Native LA, the restaurant group based by Jake Matthews and Cory McGuire that’s behind Winston Home and Waterfront in Venice. . Now, Whitsell has launched his Texas-meets-California sensibility to each places and is planning to take over the Enterprise Fish Co. constructing. of 16,000 sq. ft in Santa Monica with a brand new restaurant.
On the Waterfront, an enormous indoor-outdoor restaurant that opened in 2018 on the Venice boardwalk, Whitsell retains the all-day menu accessible however infuses it with Tex-Mex touches. “What it was and what it’s is just about nonetheless the identical factor: A giant outside get together place,” says Whitsell. “However one thing I [cook] It can have the texture of South Texas, whereas additionally that includes California farms and native produce.” Menu highlights embody a taco board served on handmade corn tortillas from Kernel of Fact masa o tortillas of flour with Tehachapi Heritage Grain Challenge Sonora. The blackened fish taco recipe comes from Whitsell's mom, whereas the double-decker cheeseburger is made with wagyu beef and pimiento cheese. “There's a whole lot of integrity in what we do , but it surely's quite simple, simple, simply seaside meals, however with a Tex-Mex affect,” says Whitsell.
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In the meantime, at Winston Home, the moody dinner membership and reside music venue that opened in 2021, Whitsell continues to attract from his Texas upbringing with a brand new idea known as Mama's Boy. “It's a small menu, but it surely's fairly targeted and speaks to 'I-talian' — what we name it in Texas,” says Whitsell. The pink sauce menu contains skinny crust pizzas like what Whitsell's father made, and manicotti full of cottage cheese and ricotta after which topped with vena ragu, a dish Whitsell's mom made throughout her childhood. Arancini al pimento, fried oysters with cornmeal and pasta, comparable to agnolotti with smoked breast, full the meals supply. Each venues promote wines, beers, non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails from bartender Dave Purcell, the restaurant group's beverage director.
“[Whitsell’s] The household's Texas roots and culinary heritage align completely with our imaginative and prescient of creating Winston and the Waterfront really feel like dwelling,” McGuire tells Eater.
Looking forward to 2025, Whitsell says he's excited to take over the large former Enterprise Fish Co. house, which homes 250 diners. “He's my child,” Whitsell says. The summers the chef spent in Louisiana as a baby inform the seafood-centric menu that may embody biscuits, “a number of greens” and Creole classics like etouffee. The kitchen was constructed to Whitsell's specs with a wood-burning grill and smoker.
Whereas the title of the restaurant continues to be beneath wraps, demolition is underway and the inside design has been finalized. Whitsell tells Eater that the point of interest of the eating room is a grand piano with seating that surrounds it. “It's very a lot a restaurant, however there shall be exhibits that aren't deliberate,” he says. “It's going to be like traditional jazzy vibes, a spot for a extra grown-up crowd.” Given the restaurant's giant footprint, Native LA plans to tie in with an current vinyl report bar on “somewhat speakeasy bar within the again,” says Whitsell.
“I've been part of such critical stuff for therefore lengthy,” says Whitsell. “It is a likelihood to have some enjoyable, and I'm having time.”
