Fraîche Santa Monica
Opens Wed at 312 Wilshire; Santa Monica; 310.451.7482
Parents always say they love all of their children equally, but they're not fooling anyone: Chet sucks, and they know it. Now opening in Santa Monica, Fraîche.
Having decided that they might-as-well put all their focus on their best child, the owners of Fraîche decided to kick Riva out of its room and are turning it into a second location for their ultra- Mediterranean-via-California gastro-operation gussied up with new dishes, a broader bar, new light fixtures, and a fresh paint job, which feels a lot better when it's wet. Dishes exclusive to the new location include a foie gras terrine w/ prosciutto, black fig puree, orange gelee, and campari gastrique; tagliatelle w/ lobster, salsify, chestnuts, peas, and a lobster glace; and a pearl onion/baby turnip/baby carrot/toasted brioche crumbed St Pierre, a Northern European fish described as "small and ugly," meaning eating it'll make you a cannibal. They've also got classics from the original location, including branzino w/ roasted peppers, black olives, and fennel; the dijon creme fraiche/marinated lentil "Boudin Noir"; and a monkfish Francaise that wears flowing robes and thinks Zinedine Zidane was a hero.
This Fraîche's also got a sweet new cocktail menu ("Winter Sage" w/ gin, green chartreuse, lime, cucumber juice, sage leaves) and they're using Riva's old built-in wood fire oven for a small bar-only menu (roasted moulles w/ flash-roasted Merguez sausage; meatball sliders), because with the room comes the toys.
