Garage Mahal Recording

New Hollywood Restaurant Grandmaster Records Is Big, Bold, Historic | Eater LA

"Residing in a 15,000-square-foot former recording studio across from the former Amoeba Music with entrances on Ivar and Cahuenga, this three-story restaurant, lounge and rooftop bar is steeped in rock-and-roll history — David Bowie recorded here, Stevie Wonder rehearsed Songs In The Key Of Life, the Red Hot Chili Peppers cut early work and Kanye West made Late Registration on the property. Owners David Combes and Grant Smillie transformed the space into an "elevated coastal Italian and Australian-inspired" dining concept and recruited chef Monty Kulodrovic as culinary director; his menu is intentionally "100 percent rock and roll," heavy on crudo and fresh seafood like a Baja tuna insalata with pickled persimmon, radish, caviar and crunchy sourdough croutons schmaltzed over, sea urchin with orange, chives, Japanese kosho and seaweed crisps, plus a caviar service. The secondi include two cavatellis (one made with handmade sourdough, one with squid ink), a butterflied chicken piccata, a Queensland-raised wagyu and a Maine lobster stew with fish, mussels, clams, seasonal vegetables and lobster knuckle grits; Jaci Kulodrovic’s desserts — notably a passionfruit sorbetto and a Weiss chocolate tiramisu shaped like a mini-album — are highlighted. Cocktails by Milosz Cieslak skew toward European-style gin and tonics (a martini with a caviar “bump” is recommended), and a nearly 2,000-bottle wine list curated by Devon Darcangelo sits in two temperature-controlled rooms. Grant Smillie personally oversaw playlists and sound systems for each room, and the space preserves glam-filled tributes and commemorative albums that honor its recording-studio past. The restaurant is open daily 5 p.m.–11 p.m.; reservations on Resy are advised (walk-ins accepted only for the rooftop and 71 Studio Bar)." - Mona Holmes