The Angels It is a special, warm and multicolored city, known worldwide for being the world capital of audiovisual entertainment –both on the small and on the big screen– and music. Since Hollywood the stories and songs that make us dream come from, being a showcase for the rest of the world, as is also reflected in its gastronomic scene.
And just as it has been said of Caesar’s wife that it is not enough that she is, but that she must also appear so, the restaurants of the capital of the Western United States are also obliged to combine good quality with their neat appearance. And it is that to succeed in Hollywood you have to understand that idiosyncrasy, as the team formed by the chef Raphaël Francois and the winemaker and restaurateur jordan ogron (in the opening photo next to the author of the text).
Having run restaurants of the stature and fame of Ventana, Hakkasan, Herringbone, Bestia or Fig & Olive (where President Obama himself dined), Ogron always wanted to open his own place. His dream came true in 2018 when, together with the well-known businessman Bill Chait and French/Belgian chef extraordinaire Raphaël François, created Tesse. Located on the iconic street sunset boulevard, in the heart of Hollywood, it offers Mediterranean cuisine –mainly French-influenced– with one of the best wine lists in the city.
In the words of Jordan Ogron himself, with whom we shared a table a few days ago at Tesse: “When I decided that I no longer wanted to work for other restaurants or chains, I called Bill Chait, with whom I had already collaborated on several occasions, and proposed opening a restaurant together. We had both already launched Beast in an area of the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles that at the time was not as well known as it is now for its culinary scene, and we wanted to do the same with this part of Sunset Boulevard where Tesse is located, with the difference that I would be one of the owners.
Jordan and Raphaël have an excellent relationship, forming a solid team that complements each other perfectly. The first focuses on running the place and its wine list (as well as organizing the constant events and winery dinners that populate its calendar), while the chef does his thing: cooking. After having worked in places of prestige in the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, the restaurant Helene Darroze in Brussels, the Connaught hotel in London or the Le Cirque restaurant in New York, François opened Le DeSales in Washington in 2017 (which he still runs). The following year he moved to the West Coast to create Tesse with Ogron and Chait.
Tesse’s letter fits on a page where everything makes sense and nothing is superfluous
“The original idea gravitated around a mediterranean rustic cuisine, where wine, cheese and charcuterie had their leading role”, the chef confessed to us, with a glass of wine in his hand. “Then Jordan proposed the idea of having a wine shop within the restaurant itself, and that’s how Boutellier was born.”
we sat in Boutellierundoubtedly a benchmark for wine lovers in Los Angeles, to chat around a table of house cheeses and sausages, seasoned with three Spanish reds selected by Jordan Ogron himself (a great lover of gastronomy and wines from Spain): La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 2011, Tinto Arzuaga Crianza 2018 and Pintia 2011.
Tesse’s letter fits on a page where everything makes sense and nothing is superfluous. The original concept of the chef is very present, since the selection of cheeses and sausages It is generous, with creative starters based on typical and well-known dishes such as onion rings, raw Hamachi or potatoes with mayonnaise that really make your mouth water.
Then the selection of pasta, fish and meat are already big words, with star dishes such as bucatini pasta with marrowsea bass (served whole) or its different marinated meats.
And for nostalgic people with a sweet tooth, nothing like Raphaël’s pancakes…
The wine list is select (being Jordan’s right eye). Furthermore, few charts in the United States devote as much attention to Spanish wines. The list of offers by the glass is extraordinary, including different amounts for those who want to try different wines. And as the night progresses, the bar, with its original assortment of cocktails, becomes a meeting point.
In the end you leave Tesse not only having enjoyed a great dinner (it is also open on weekends for brunch), but a whole experience in the heart of hollywood, where this unique restaurant has quickly become a point of reference. Los Angeles is a city where some dreams come true, but others are devoured, so if it’s hard to get to the top, it’s even harder to stay there. The novelty has its appeal, but having been one of the places to go for 4 years, it has a lot of merit.
To the conquest of the home of the Oscars
However, far from resting on their laurels, Jordan Ogron and Raphaël François soon embarked on another worthwhile project to mark the opening of the Museum of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Hollywood, which each year delivers those precious golden statuettes called Oscars. With more than 70 years of history, the Hollywood academy is undoubtedly the epicenter of the seventh art, and it needed a place that would honor its brilliant history. So last year The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures was born on the famous Wilshire Street, and within its walls the extraordinary restaurant Fanny’s by Ogron and François.
Full of light and glamour, as the place deserves, Fanny’s boasts a high-quality international menu
Full of light and glamour, as the place deserves, Fanny’s boasts a high-quality international menu, delighting the museum’s visitors, who come from all over the world. Its name is due to the famous artist of the early twentieth century FannyBrice, performed on the big screen in 1968 by Barbra Streisand in her unforgettable movie “Funny Girl” (which earned her a well-deserved Oscar for Best Actress).
The café opens its doors in the morning at the same time as the museum, navigating organically towards lunch and dinner, where its guests are divided between those who have enjoyed the museum and those who have converted the restaurant and its effervescent bar. at your destination for the night. Among its most significant cocktails, designed by Julian Cox with film references, there are: “Easy Rider”, “All About Eve”, “The Gladiator”, “LA Confidential” or “Black Panther”, among others. Always present is the wine expert and partner of Ogron, Henri Marquisa great lover of champagne, who has made an attractive letter where he appears drawn together with Fanny and Ogron.
The menu varies throughout the day, without losing an iota of its quality stamp. Brunch offers different egg dishes and delicious sandwiches, as well as unforgettable smoked salmon and meatballs, among other delicacies.
At night the wood-fired oven takes center stage where chef Françoise delights us with her hamburger, baked chicken and different house brand meats.
Desserts deserve a special mention, present throughout the day at Fanny’s bakery/pastry shop, another of its great attractions. Raphaël proudly showed us the chocolate cake that he learned from his mother, and which also deserves an Oscar.
After Tesse and Fanny’s, who knows what the next gastronomic project of the duo Ogron/François. For now, they have conquered Hollywood with their vision, work, heart, talent and enthusiasm.
Tesse practical data:
Where: 8500 W Sunset Blvd, Ste B West Hollywood, CA 90069
Schedules: closed monday
Bookings: 310-360-3866 and on their website.Fanny’s practical data
Where: 6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Schedules: Closed Sundays and Mondays for dinner.
Bookings: (323) 930-3080 and on their website.
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