🦪 Friend of Camber: Kate (kactus.jpg)
What she's gatekeeping, crossing the 405, & where she's a regular
Mads here! Say hey to Friend of Camber, our new series where the people we adore share the LA spots they can’t shut up about.
First up is Kate, one of my favorite people to split a bottle of orange wine with. We met online, and she quickly became my go-to for the kind of restaurant recommendations that make you look cool without even trying.
She’s got incredible taste and even better instincts. If she says go, you go.
Kate is one of those LA clichés with four creative jobs: part-time creative producer, event manager, and digital marketer. No two days look the same. Some are spent deep in research, firing off emails, others at a photo shoot or styling a tablescape for a wedding.
She’s obsessed with restaurants and all things hospitality (which she shares in her Substack, Bite Sized). She loves work that exercises both the left and right sides of my brain, organizing all my creative ideas in a Google Sheet. She says it pleases the Libra in her.
Let’s get to know her LA!
What’s your “I don’t want to gatekeep, but I kind of do” rec?
Definitely have a short list of go-to spots I Kate-keep… mostly sushi joints you can still walk into. But for this, I’ll say Sam’s Place. I’ve known the guys for years, and the second I heard they were opening something, I knew it would be special, with amazing food and wine, also stunning. (Sam, one of the owners’ wives, is an interior designer.) Order the herb salad, potatoes, and grilled bread with cornichon butter. Let Scotty pick your wine. You can’t go wrong. Even without an Instagram, the word’s gotten around. I mentioned them to Emily, and she ended up doing a great feature in The Angel. Is It a Bar? Or Is It a Restaurant? Who Cares? It’s Sam’s Place! Watching Sam’s grow has been such a joy. It still feels personal, even as it’s gotten more popular.
Where do you go when you want to feel like a regular?
Maybe Queen St? I accidentally had the staff copy of Ari’s cookbook for a weekend, so I’m basically on the team. But honestly, I think anyone who dines there would feel special, they’re just that good. The hospitality is top notch.
Where’s the one place you’ll actually cross the 405 for?
Dudley, Gjusta + Felix. Been meaning to get out to Endless Color for years, too!
Which neighborhood do you talk about like it’s your personality?
Easy, Highland Park. Wrote a little love letter to the coffee shops last year for Bite Sized here.
What place would absolutely destroy you if it ever closed.
Kinda surprising myself with this answer but probably Civil Coffee! Is it the my favorite coffee or ambiance in the world? No. But it was my local spot for years when I lived down the street and I still find myself driving back often. It’s a familiar comfort place for sure.
Find Kate on substack, instagram, and on her website.
See ya around,
Mads
Reply to this email if you wanna chit-chat 📧
This was a love letter to Highland Park and I'm here for it <3
KATEEEEEE!