Darling

Southern Chef Sean Brock Debuts ‘Darling’ West Hollywood Hi-Fi Lounge | Eater LA

"A hi-fi listening lounge meets live-fire California cooking in Sean Brock’s West Hollywood debut, a departure from his Southern roots that leans into rotating, seasonal menus and meticulous analog sensibilities. The 12-item menu shifts monthly and is built around custom hand-forged wood grills, with standouts like a 45-day bone-in New York strip grilled over red oak, a dry-aged steak burger, almond wood-grilled Dungeness crab with green almonds and cucumber, and Shigoku oysters paired with sour melon, yuzu, and borage; sweet corn hits the grill with dandelion and artichokes to echo creamed corn, and Brock and former Husk chef Ben Norton experiment with concentrated flavors using California woods from citrus to white oak. Jason Lee (Pijja Palace, Kali, N/soto, Baroo) oversees a bar program that launches with two zero-proof options and eight cocktails, including a smoky margarita and a rum drink with allspice, roasted eggplant, toasted coconut cream, pineapple, and lime, alongside negronis, milk punch, and piña coladas. The space encourages slowing down to “listen with intention” via a dedicated listening lounge featuring a long banquette facing turntables, a wall of vinyl in walnut and birch, and seven custom speakers created with music director MaxV, while the dining room showcases Narsiso Martinez’s 23-foot mural Legal Tender, painted on flattened produce boxes to honor California’s undocumented Mexican farmworkers. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 5:30 to 10 p.m., reservations are available via Resy." - Mona Holmes