Where: Los Angeles
What: Elysian Chef/owner’s favorite local businesses in and around Frogtown.
Who: David Thorne is the Chef/Owner of Elysian, a newly reopened hidden treasure in Elysian Valley (AKA Frogtown) along the LA River. Aside from dishing out California freshness with a hint of mediterranean flare on one of LA’s most underrated patios, David is also big into community collaboration. Currently, he’s joined forces with Clockshop, an arts production non-profit housed in the same building as the restaurant, for HEAR Sundays. The monthly concert series hosts various musical artists on the aforementioned magical patio with drinks provided by Elysian. Buy tickets for HEAR HERE and before the show, check out some nearby local businesses that David frequents.
Elysian patio
Find Mark Hendrix behind the bar
Baller Hardware
David Thorne: If there are minor repairs that I can do myself and don't need to call anyone in for, I get parts and pieces at Baller Hardware in Silver Lake. Old school style store, with a slightly grumpy edge that gives it charm. And they have smoker chips if someone has forgotten to tell me we are out and I need them right away. When I am in Glendale area, Virgil's for the same types of things.
The Dish Depot
DT: When I don't have time to go to Charlie's Fixtures for something we need in the kitchen or for the bar, Samy at Dish Depot has almost everything in a crammed-full warehouse in Glendale, where the feeling inside is a bit claustrophobic, vertiginous, there is so much stuff packed in … one or two people seem to know where everything is and how much it costs ...
Kozanian's Ranch Market
DT: Run out of a spice and no time to add to an order? Za'atar on the fly? Massive selection of eastern european candies? Crazy eagle sculpture bottle of brandy? Portable silicone hookah? This small Armenian market has it. Good when I can't brave the crowds at Super King Market on San Fernando Rd., though I often do that too.
Say Cheese
DT: This long-time Silverlake shop has some fantastic cheeses, and the owner Glen Harrell is always a pleasure to see. He knows his cheese and will run me through an impromptu tasting flight when I am looking for a smallish amount of something for a particular dish—good pecorino for a radicchio salad, or manchego for brussel sprout dish, for instance … I always leave having tried a fantastic cheese that I did not know about before, like a pecorino soaked in grappa with dried fruit somehow attached to the top surface of the wheel...
Thomas Rug Cleaning Co.
DT: We have a lot of carpets at elysian and when one of them needs cleaning, this is the place we take it. They do a great job and it is incredibly satisfying, sometimes even exhilarating, to see a freshly cleaned Sumak or kilim back on the floor with renewed brightness and depth. Small pleasures go a long way these days ...
A-Grocery Warehouse
DT: For thai basil, galangal, shrimp paste, and other stuff for certain dishes, very happy that this place is still at it, and falls within the desired 10 to 15 minute radius.
Clockshop
DT: Clockshop is a local arts organization in LA working to expand the dialogue around cultural productions, politics and urban space by commissioning new projects by artists and writers and partnering with diverse institutions. They are also our non-profit partners that we share space with as well as collab on special events with at elysian. We are currently partnering for a new music series called HEAR Sundays, it's a monthly concert series that features diverse musical styles performed in an intimate setting—Elysian's bar will be open for all performances. Tickets Sold at the door or online HERE.
Image courtesy of The Dish Depot
Kozanian's Ranch Market courtesy of Yelp
Header image courtesy of Elysian