Joyce — the forthcoming restaurant by chef Sammy Monsour — is set to open this summer where he’ll introduce a restaurant focused on Southern but keeping his sights on sustainable seafood with a raw bar and American cavias at Eighth and Grand near the Downtown Whole Foods. Monsour’s former restaurant Preux & Proper was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation back in 2019.
Joyce is a collaboration between Monsour, Prince Riley, and former Preux & Proper beverage director Kassady Wiggins. At Joyce, Monsour is cooking cornmeal-encrusted Nashville hot catfish, shrimp and oyster perloo, and a smoked tomahawk pork chop. Wiggins also has Southern-flavored cocktails on deck for the opening.
A festival for gelato lovers
Those harboring an obsession with gelato can head to Ovation Hollywood on September 2 and 3 for an event called Gelato Festival World Masters. It’ll take place directly across the street from the three-year-old shop Gelato Festival at Ovation Hollywood. Tickets range from $40 to $60 to see and taste the goods from gelato chefs from across the US and from Canada.
New Long Beach restaurant overlooking Alamitos Bay
A PCH — Long Beach’s forthcoming restaurant — opens next week on Thursday, July 19. It’s a huge addition to the retail and restaurant hub 2ND & PCH with a second-floor location that overlooks Alamitos Bay. The Orange County-based River Jetty Restaurant Group developed this 5,400-square-foot restaurant with a menu that leans heavily on modern surf-and-turf, but diners will likely battle for a seat on the 2,500-square-foot weatherproofed patio.
More Long Beach happenings
A Taste of Downtown: Waterfront is not only free but scheduled for two days on August 9 and 10. Organizers curated a group of brewers, chefs, and cocktails from favorite local spots right on the waterfront with live music. Check back to their site to see the lineup.
Kamala Harris restaurant stop in LA
Vice President Kamala Harris made a pit stop last week to Alfalfa in Santa Monica to tout the government’s Community Advantage Program, an Obama Administration loan program designed to assist entrepreneurs having a hard time securing capital, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Dino’s Chicken pop-up at ADB
Throughout July, Silver Lake’s All Day Baby hosts a series of dinners featuring LA chefs. The first is Thursday, July 13, when chef Royce Burke will temporarily create Bar Dino’s, a one-night dinner homage to legendary LA restaurant Dino’s Famous Chicken. As a Dino’s partner, Burke’s preparing a wedge salad, steak frites, Dino’s wings tossed in sauce, martinis, and Dinos’ fiery red-tinged chicken. Dish prices range from $8 to $32 so secure a reservation at Open Table. The future dinners include chefs Daniel Patterson and KCRW Good Food host Evan Kleinman.