Plugs — Arielle Eshel

L.A. food, drink, and leisure recs from the Affection Archives editor + LINKS

Plugs is The Angel’s recs column. Every week, you’ll get six picks—a restaurant, a bar, a shop, an ingredient, a person, and a treat—from someone in Los Angeles who knows what they’re talking about, plus a selection of Angel-curated links. (Plugs are for paid subscribers of The Angel only; upgrade your subscription to receive all six!)

#59 is Arielle Eshel, a creative consultant and the writer-curator of

Affection Archives

on Substack. Ari is a 7th-generation Angeleno who grew up in Brentwood, frequenting now-closed haunts like Zen Zoo Tea, Mauro’s, Fred Segal Cafe in Santa Monica, La Scala Brentwood, Koo Koo Roo, and Stan’s Donuts. “Thank god Reddi Chick is still there (and has been since 1979),” she wrote over email. Her great taste extends beyond restaurants to include other people with great taste and fine art. On Substack, she invites creatives like Lily Clark and Chris Black to share their “affections” alongside her roundups of art shows worth seeing in New York and L.A. (Although she currently lives in L.A., Ari works in New York, too, and is there frequently.) Here are her L.A. Plugs!

Psst: I myself am currently on the way back from a 10-day trip home, during which I had many memorable meals. Paid subscribers can expect updates to The Angel’s New York City in the coming weeks (yes, Bridges is all that).

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Restaurant — Antico Nuovo

I imagine dinner in heaven having trees climbing up the walls, dim lights, long communal tables, and an open-fire kitchen with a stack of firewood close by. Luckily, I can shoot down Beverly Blvd and have this exact experience at Antico Nuovo. Go with someone you really love and share the focaccia, whipped ricotta, a pasta, and maybe even the “zucca arrostita — kabocha squash, vegetable jus, fried pepitas.” I’ve never had it, but now I’m curious. End the night sharing one or two of their homemade gelatos — I like the honeycomb and pistachio crunch. Seriously, that’s heaven.