Café Basque opening in DTLA, at the Hoxton hotel - replacing Sibling Rival. Per the LA Times, the estimated opening is late July, “perhaps in phases, but always offering something throughout the day.” Seems more like an all-day place with even a coffee stand, but also breakfast and brunch, and of course more to follow.
I’m a big fan of Le Coucou in NYC and it’s a must for me whenever I touch down in Soho. Le Coucou is by STARR Restaurants, from Philadelphia, NYC, and Florida. With that said, chef Daniel Rose came to notoriety with his Paris bistros Spring and La Bourse et La Vie.
Here, Café Basque seems like it may be a little bit more casual. Also, it is coming by a different group, BOKA restaurant group, a Chicago-based group which operates Girl & The Goat, Cabra, Boka, etc. Cabra is actually right next door at The Proper.
I’ve never had Le Coucou. If I may ask, I’m guessing Chef Rose is great at training his staff to run his various restaurants? (In other words, Chef Rose himself need not be there to enjoy the greatness of his recipes?) Just wanting to understand how important the chef is vs. his team. (We see this is fine with many chefs, from Chef Joel Robuchon’s vision to Wolfgang Puck and many others.) Thanks!
I’m not sure, but each time I’ve been to Le Coucou it’s been excellent, both for brunch and dinner. Now, Le Coucou is a bit more of an upscale neo bistrot / brasserie, with a beautiful address (11 Howard, which is connected to a great interior design store, an exclusive club, and a hotel), but more importantly, very good food. I believe that Le Coucou more in line with his restaurants in Paris, and perhaps it has attracted good kitchen talent.
According to the LA Times article, it seems that chef Daniel Rose “will himself also be cooking and stationed into the fall, at which point he’ll begin rotating Chicago more frequently.” So, he’s definitely expanding his restaurant portfolio - Paris, NYC, now LA, then Chicago right after - but I hope they can keep a high level of execution and consistency here.
I did notice that it’s not STARR restaurant group (whose restaurants I rather like). Also, the setup sounds different here, with a bit more casual and all-day. Here’s to hoping Café Basque is a good addition to DTLA!
Just wanting to understand how important the chef is vs. his team. (We see this is fine with many chefs, from Chef Joel Robuchon’s vision to Wolfgang Puck and many others.) Thanks!