Jacaranda Restaurant

I am actually in near tears and feeling so much gratitude for @kcrwevan ‘s piece on our little restaurant. I might be shaking a little. I can’t believe it. 💜💜💜💜 -Sarah Just to add that Evan is a total legend and someone I respect so much, and I’m also feeling a bit emotional and so so grateful -D.

First night trying things out on people who don’t actually work in the restaurant. I was THRILLED when people showed up in gowns and tuxes (as per the dress code of: “this is a great chance to wear the ‘when will I ever get a chance to wear this!?!!?’ outfit.” Our friend @elliottlester88 promised to wear a panda suit tomorrow. Is that a costume? British slang for a tux? Does it matter? No. Me? I’m wearing a dress I made that matches @chefdanielpatterson ‘s patch on his jeans. I’m wearing a ball gown. I’m dressed as Mrs Furley. I’m in a giant papier-mâché jacaranda. Room designed by @preeninc , who nailed the brief. Food designed by Chef Daniel Patterson, who read the brief, ripped it up, and wrote his own. Music and vibes designed by @ultragrrrl (hey that’s me), here to hold you hostage. Artwork by @landeslewitin (incredible luck to have the same last name. This artwork is unreal irl).

Hey, we’re opening a restaurant! It doesn’t look like it right now, but this is going to be a dining room. Soon! Sarah is a music person who likes food. Daniel is a food person who likes music. We worked together creating the Jaca Social Club popup last year and we had so much fun that we decided to make it a real restaurant. It’s going to be called Jacaranda, an intimate fine dining restaurant with dinner party vibes. What does that mean, you ask? We’re not sure but we’re going to find out! We’ve got about a month to get the space together and work out the kinks, and then we’ll open in early May, in the heart of Jacaranda season :) Reservations should go live next week. In the meantime we’re excited to tell you about our amazing team, the food and drinks we’re working on, and everything else that goes into opening a restaurant in this crazy world. Thanks to everyone who has helped us along the way. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on! Much love, Sarah and Daniel

My sister @sararose.yoga had a yoga studio in Western MA for many years, and one time when I was visiting she gave me a shirt. The studio logo was on the back and on the front it just said, Practice. I wore that shirt until it fell apart, and even then I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. I loved it because yoga, like cooking, is a practice, but also because the word suggests commitment, humility, constancy, the idea that every day I’m going to practice to get better, even though I know I will never be perfect. In cooking or life. The internets these days are full of perceived perfection. Carefully cultivated stories, perfect molds that make perfect little tart shells, the perfect dish captured at the perfect time for all to see that so much winning is happening. It’s dizzying, because every day I go into the kitchen with the intention to do everything perfectly and every day I - we - struggle. Sometimes ingredients, equipment, people aren’t at their best. But we try! This is a dish of artichoke. It’s painstakingly trimmed and cooked with lemon and olive oil, then the middle is cut out and turned into a thick puree that we use to refill the center. On top of that is a puree of onion and green garlic that is sharpened with champagne vinegar. Some ribbons of steamed sweet potato (surprise!), some spring things, a broth of pea tendrils and mint that is made with ice and water just before serving that is light and flavorful and almost creamy in body but not fixed with fat so it’s evanescent, brilliant green when made and then fading within an hour or so. Some good olive oil. They don’t all look this good. Sometimes the sweet potato breaks in places or the ribbons don’t fall perfectly or the shape is just less pleasing. Maybe other people don’t notice but I do. And I accept it. I’d love for every one to be perfect but that’s not possible. Difficult shapes that are made by hand to look beautiful and simple will never be perfect every time. The important thing is that every day we try to make them a little better. Practice 💜 📸 @wonhophoto

Today’s flowers by @a.l.basa 🥰

Such a great addition to LA’s fine dining scene 💜 10 course tasting menu @jacaranda.la by chef @chefdanielpatterson just opened on Melrose featuring Californian cuisine! Cover photo by @eatswithanthony #lafoodie #finedining #tastingmenu #losangelesfood #artofplating

Big, big gratitude to this guy! Dick Rude @rebelswood was our contractor and he was amazing. Kind and thoughtful and handled all the usual bumps in the road with grace and patience. His team did great work and they were a pleasure to work with. And then we’re talking one day about creative stuff and he mentions that he’s done some acting and writing (as one does in LA). Anything we’ve heard of, we ask. Repo Man, he says. WHAT???? He was in Repo Man?? Yeah, and Sid and Nancy. Damn. And he made a doc about Joe Strummer and god knows what else (I mean, his IMDB knows lol). So thanks to this legend for helping us bring Jacaranda to life! If you need a really great restaurant contractor you should hit him up 😊❤️

Which one was your favorite? Photos by @sugarray8

@chefdanielpatterson and Sarah Lewitinn (@ultragrrrl ) want their new Los Angeles restaurant to be a fine-dining destination with dinner-party vibes. ⁠ ⁠ So at @jacaranda.la , which will open today, the married couple has a six-seat communal table for guests who are inclined to make new friends. ⁠ ⁠ Patterson wants to rethink tasting-menu culture at the 30-seat restaurant. And one thing that Lewitinn noticed at Jaca Social Club, Jacaranda’s precursor, was demand from solo diners. ⁠ ⁠ Read more by @andywangnyla at the link in our bio.

Our publicist @khuongphan has been calling Jacaranda a “mom and pop fine dining restaurant with dinner party vibes.” This has puzzled people tremendously until they come and see that it is in fact a fine dining restaurant, run (and completely owned) by a married couple, that actually turns into a dinner party of sorts. There are no rules (except, maybe sit down so we can serve you the next course). You will eat @chefdanielpatterson ‘s tribute to the ingredients from California. You will taste ingredients you know in ways you never know they could taste. You will taste ingredient you don’t know that suddenly feel familiar. You will own the table for the night because there are no turns. We will insist you stay a little bit longer. This is our home and we make the rules and there are none (except for exceptional front of house service and food).

Counting down the hours to the opening of Jacaranda! I can’t believe it. We got the keys on March 1, and suddenly we have a whole restaurant finished and it’s beautiful. Thank you @turntotaste for the photo!

When @_ajmillz started as CDC at Coi in 2011 he came with the kind of resume no one has anymore (Ducasse! TK!) but what really impressed me was his palate. We season in a very idiosyncratic way and he had it down within two weeks. I never forgot that. Now when he tastes something I know it’s exactly the same as if I tasted it. Andrew is one of the smartest cooks I’ve ever seen. Disciplined and organized, with tremendous attention to detail. Great creative problem solving and so many good ideas. His calm and kind leadership makes everyone around him better. Over the years we became close friends. The late night drinks (so many!), family hangouts, watching our kids grow up together. Having Andrew in the kitchen helping open @jacaranda.la has not only saved my life, it’s been a real joy. Doing work you love with people you love is the best. If you have good food at Jacaranda it’s in large part because of this guy. Very grateful for you Andrew!!! 🙏💜 -Daniel