Otium impresses well before you walk through its doors, as it sits next to the new, gleaming Broad Museum, whose scalloped façade looms over the restaurant like a massive, airy piece of modern sculpture. It feels airy inside, too, floor-to ceiling glass squared off with rough-hewn wood and steel, anchored by chef Tim Hollingsworth’s open kitchen, through which a steady stream of meals issues, from brunch ’til almost midnight. Hollingsworth came from the French Laundry and competed at Bocuse d’Or, so you’d expect sophistication and detail, but it’s a relief to see a menu with such a range of flavors, whether the foie gras funnel cake, the chicory tart with oxtail marinade, or the cod with sea beans, clams and burnt onion. Sommelier Elizabeth Huettinger’s wine list is classic in most respects, with depth in Burgundy, Bordeaux and California pinot noir, but she’s tucked in all sorts of wild cards from the Loire, Slovenia and South Africa—with an impressive selection of Cape wines from cult vintner Eben Sadie, including his sappy, saturated cinsault, Pofadder.
222 S. Hope St., Los Angeles, California
New American
213-935-8500
Patrick J. Comiskey covers US wines for Wine & Spirits magazine, focusing on the Pacific Northwest, California’s Central Coast and New York’s Finger Lakes.
This story appears in the print issue of April 2016.
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