16 DIGS.NET | 9.28.2018
On Los Angeles's famed Figueroa Street,
Café Birdie takes flight as a charming
Parisian-style bistro
Meets
MEDITERRANEAN
"Cuban expat Birdie moves to Miami and meets Clyde
[her future husband]; they migrate back to his native
New Orleans to open this restaurant. He's dressed in
a different suit every day of the week, is infectiously
charming and adores Birdie. She's passionate about
food and the power it has to bring people together."
is simple narrative, as retold by interior designer
Sally Breer—who cofounded Los Angeles-based firm
ETC.etera with slist/creative director Jake Rodehuth-
Harrison—inspired Café Birdie's whole concept. But
there's more to the story.
Located in a 1920s-era building in historic L.A.
neighborhood Highland Park, the restaurant-bar is
open daily for dinner and on weekends for brunch.
Helmed by chef Russell Victorioso, the establishment
features a seasonal menu that blends Californian and
Mediterranean references and includes farmers' market
salads, handmade pastas, burrata and Moroccan-spiced
fried chicken, as well as a varie of cocktails such as
Summer in the Ci, Flora and Overnight Flight, that
showcase tequila, gin, vodka and fruit.
An expression of the ETC.etera team's creative
philosophy, this project required outside-the-
box thinking, as well as an expert blend of form,
functionali and mood. "Our spaces are equal parts
tactile and narrative," ETC.etera designers say. "To us,
there's a difference between simply furnishing a space
and decorating it, between creating environments that
are based on trends and those that have lasting appeal."
Shaped to please the eye and the soul, Café Birdie—which
also has an outdoor back patio—features marble-top
counters, high ceilings, copper tables with banquettes
and hanging pendant lighting. e combination makes
it a lively space, both casual and energetic. "We really
wanted Café Birdie to transcend place and time," says
Rodehuth-Harrison. "[We wanted it to be] a space that
you loved being in, but couldn't quite put a finger on
what exactly felt so comfortable, even familiar." It's this
intangible sense of surprise that gives the neighborhood
bistro a come-one-come-all flavor. cafebirdiela.com
Café Birdie is a
quintessential
neighborhood
bistro in
Highland Park.
C I T Y | C A F E B I R D I E
W R I T T E N B Y K A R I N E M O N I É
PHOTOGRAPH:
COURTESY
OF
TESSA
NEUSTADT
California