For the past several years we’ve seen an influx of major world renowned chefs open up shop here in Los Angeles. Mario Batali, Thomas Keller, Jose Andres are just some of the few who have finally realized that Los Angeles is indeed an American epicurean center rivaling New York and Chicago.
But what we’re most proud of are those chefs that are born and raised in this city. Those chefs who have stayed true to their heritage and dug their culinary roots deep into this city.
Mark Peel is one of those gentlemen. Mark is best known for Campanile, the extraordinary pillar of Angeleno dining with Italian dishes built around wine.
Just this week Chef Peel had the soft opening for The Tar Pit, a restaurant with a menu built around cocktails. Among Chef Peel’s cohorts at the pit are noted bartenders Chad Solomon and Christy Pope and Manhattan cocktail impresario Audrey Saunders from Pegu Club.
LA Mag reporter Lesley Bargar Suter writes: “The cream-and-gold color scheme makes the space feel light and airy. There are banquettes and snug booths galore as well as plenty of art-deco flourishes inspired by, Peel says, the Coconut Grove and the 1940s film My Man Godfrey. “At the very end, they’re in this fabulous bar owned by William Powell’s character, Godfrey, and it’s called the Dump because it was built right on top of the dump where they found him.” And such is the story behind the name The Tar Pit—after all, that’s exactly what lies beneath a majority of the mid-city area.”
Make sure to check out The Tar Pit at 609 N. La Brea Avenue or online at www.tarpitbar.com