Michele StuevenKicking off on Wednesday, April 8, Chef Jonathan Harris at Linden in Hollywood will launch his new spring menu and revive some of the cozy restaurant’s cult favorites.
Each of Harris’s inventive dishes comes with stories of his life and travels, like the lamb tartare, paired with Luxardo cherry chutney, mint, fennel, and cured egg yolk, served with house-made focaccia. It’s his play on the traditional midtown Manhattan expense account beef tartare lunch.
The Concrete Beach is a Linden-style surf and turf with Manila and smoked pastrami, and the Cali-Flower is cauliflower in four ways—puréed, grilled, pickled, and fried, finished with a Southern-inspired collard green verde topped with fried parsnips
Returning favorites include the dairy-free, Sweet Corn & Pea Agnolotti, and the 24-hour braised Rice Over Lamb, rib topped with fried, puffed saffron rice, the chef’s take on memories of late-night street stops at the Halal Guys at 53rd and 6th in Manhattan. The German Chocolate Tart is a glistening dark chocolate creme set in a house-made sable crust, finished with a coconut pecan topping, fresh chili cream, and a dusting of powdered sugar.
The Concrete Beach (Courtesy Linden)
Signature dishes on the menu not to miss are the breaking bread appetizer, featuring a trio of house-made breads—warm cornbread, herbed focaccia, and an everything bagel, all served with a trio of savory spreads like fried chicken butter, schmaltz cream cheese, and extra virgin seasoned olive oil, reflecting the Jewish and Italian cultures Harris grew up with on Long Island.
The Not a Pot Pie is always a sellout. Inspired by the meat pies of the UK and the Caribbean, it features Wagyu oxtail in a deep oxtail demi-glace, balanced by a sweet plantain chutney that nods to his Costa Rican roots. Only 25 are made each night and take two full days to prepare, from the 24-hour slow-cooked Wagyu oxtail to the hybrid puff-croissant pastry.
Herbed Duck Fat Fries are mashed potato-style fries double-fried in duck fat and tossed with herbs and served with an elegant lemon caviar aioli.
Chocolate tart (Courtesy Linden)
Launching on Friday, April 24, All’Antico Vinaio in Santa Monica will be launching Florence Underground, a new dinner series that transforms the space into a late-night Tuscan table, built around one of Italy’s most legendary dishes: bistecca alla Fiorentina.
Running on the last Friday of every month, the reservation-only experience is $65 per person, with an additional $35 for a wine pairing, and is designed for groups of two to ten and served entirely family-style. With just 30 seats available per seating, the format is intentionally intimate with shared plates and a menu that unfolds the way it would in Florence: abundant, unfussy, and anchored in tradition.
The evening begins with a spread of cured meats and cheeses alongside All’Antico Vinaio’s signature house-made schiacciata, before moving into the main event, a thick-cut, Tuscan-style T-bone, grilled over high heat and served rare to medium-rare. No marinades, no heavy seasoning, just salt, olive oil, and technique. Classic sides and dessert follow, with optional wine pairings and a curated selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic offerings available.
Florence Underground (Courtesy All’Antico Vinaio)
At the center of Florence Underground is the bistecca alla Fiorentina itself, a dish with roots tracing back to the Renaissance and a defining symbol of Tuscan cuisine.
Available exclusively at the Santa Monica location and offered on limited dates, Florence Underground marks the first time All’Antico Vinaio has introduced this immersive, dinner-only format in the U.S., shifting from its fast-casual roots into something slower, more intimate, and harder to access. It’s Florence, after dark. Reservations are now available for April 24 through June 26, 2026, on Toast.
What’s Popping Up is a column in the L.A. Weekly that explores everything new in food and drink