Pastry king Dominique Ansel comes west with a full-flavor debut.
“LA demands something special for restaurants, a different way of thinking.” So says Dominique Ansel, a figure known for innovation. The 39-year-old, named best pastry chef at this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, is the father of the Cronut, a Time magazine “Best Invention of 2013” and the reason for the term “viral pastry.” Since opening his eponymous NYC bakery in 2011, after six years at the restaurant Daniel, Ansel has spread the reach of his groundbreaking baking approach with a New York café and bakeries in Tokyo and London. Now, he’s looking west, debuting his first full restaurant, 189 by Dominique Ansel, at the Grove. Not only will this be the James Beard Award winner’s first savory menu and complete bar program, but at 10,000 square feet across two levels, the project is on a different scale altogether (his original bakery’s kitchen is roughly 100 square feet). To get 189 ready for its November opening, the Frenchman—who entered the kitchen at 16 to help support his family—traveled often to LA. On a recent visit, he recounted a Sunday spent prepping, gaining inspiration—and becoming a little more Angeleno.
189 The Grove Drive, LA, dominiqueansella.com
By Murat Oztaskin