Culver City's Vespertine Earns Michelin Guide 2-Star Rating

CULVER CITY (CNS) - Chef Jordan Kahn's contemporary-cuisine eatery Vespertine in Culver City was basking Tuesday in its new status as a two-star Michelin Guide restaurant.

Vespertine was the only new two-star Southern California restaurant announced Monday night. In addition to its two stars, Michelin awarded the eatery a green star for its environmentally sustainable operation. The restaurant reopened earlier this year after closing mid-pandemic in 2020.

"Beginning a new chapter, chef Jordan Kahn's singular operation emerges from a lengthy hiatus with a renewed creative vision," according to the guide.

"Diners enjoy a tasting menu that is likewise out of the ordinary, moving between floors as the meal progresses. Each dish is visually stunning, with cuisine that is not only daringly inventive, but also marshals finely honed technique and impeccably balanced flavors as in an artful dish of scallop with passionfruit, ají amarillo, and petals of horseradish tuile, or an `obsidian mirror' of smoked mussel cream with salted plum. The meal ends as strong as it begins, with a mesmerizing dessert that features kaleidoscopic flavors."

Three other Los Angeles eateries and one in Orange County were announced as new one-star Michelin Guide restaurants:

-- Holbox in Los Angeles;

-- Meteora in Los Angeles;

-- Rebel Omakase in Laguna Beach; and

-- Uka in Los Angeles.

According to the Michelin Guide, a one-star rating indicates "high quality cooking, worth a stop," while a two-star rank denotes "excellent cuisine, worth a detour." A three-star ranking is for "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey."

No new three-star designations were added in California for this year's guide. The only Southern California eatery to carry that honor remains Addison in San Diego.

Eight LA/OC eateries were added to the guide's list of Bib Gourmand honorees, which are restaurants that offer "great food at a great value." Those new honorees are:

-- Grá, Los Angeles;

-- Little Fish, Los Angeles;

-- Liu's Cafe, Los Angeles;

-- Lola Gaspar, Santa Ana;

-- Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles, Los Angeles;

-- Manohar's Deli Palace, La Puente;

-- Pollo a la Brasa, Los Angeles; and

-- Quarter Sheets, Los Angeles.