Last night at Snyder Diamond in Santa Monica, Los Angeles Magazine co-hosted an event with John Sedlar of Rivera – one of their recent top 10 restaurant picks in LA. Sedlar and his crew whipped up sea scallops with eggplant puree and Ras El Hanout Sauce; and a chocolate torte with caramel lime sauce while sharing tips, stories and insights about his ‘spice-ology’ philosophy. ‘Food has the ability to communicate’ via the stenciling of provocative messages using seasonings, such as chilies and cacao on the dinner plates. Unfortunately, Julian Cox had a family emergency and could not be there as planned to pair cocktails with the dishes, but that did not stop the crowd from enjoying a pre-dinner concoction, Casino, with gin, orange bitters, Maraschino liquor and lemon – made famous originally at The American Bar in London.
John Sedlar of Rivera at Snyder Diamond
“We support the food industry and culinary art – also any education in nutrition, food savoring history and what are the building blocks of our city. This is an exciting time in the food industry,” said Sedlar. Exciting, indeed. One of the changes being made in the coming weeks at Rivera will include a ‘trilogy of cuisine’ menu that will highlight Latin cuisine’s journey across three continents and three millennia. “Every bite of contemporary California cuisine resonates with a long, rich history. Rivera's three new menus - one for each continent - reflect the myriad influences and events that has shaped this journey,” explains Sedlar.
Also, as reported earlier, Sedlar is poised to move into the Grace space on Beverly this fall and hopefully, re-open in Santa Monica sometime in the near future. ”Los Angeles is a community, and there are a lot of people that you can connect and reconnect with, and when you take 15 years off like I did, you can come back to Santa Monica, get reacquainted and get to know them again. It is a community of communities.”
