Jacaranda is a new 30-seat fine dining restaurant at the corner of Melrose and N. Citrus in Los Angeles from former Michelin-starred chef Daniel Patterson and his wife, Sarah Lewitinn.<\/p>\n
Jacaranda<\/p>\n
Launching a new fine-dining restaurant in the current Southern California culinary scene isn\u2019t easy. More than 100 restaurants closed<\/a> in Los Angeles last year alone. As they prepare to open Jacaranda<\/a>, Daniel Patterson and Sarah Lewitinn seem to know that as well as anyone. What they’re betting on is that taste, determination and a punk-rock spirit might just be enough to beat the odds. <\/p>\n Patterson is the former two-Michelin star chef from San Francisco\u2019s Coi restaurant and co-founder of Alta Adams in L.A. His wife is the former Spin Magazine tastemaker known as \u201cUltragrrrl,\u201d who helped put My Chemical Romance on the map and championed The Killers before launching her own record label. <\/p>\n Chef Daniel Patterson and host Sarah Lewitinn, co-founders of Jacaranda.<\/p>\n Daniel PattersonFrom Underground Supper Club To Los Angeles Restaurant<\/p>\n The couple spent much of 2025 operating an intimate underground supper club<\/a> out of their storybook Los Angeles home with a fine-dining pop-up called Jaca Social Club. Twelve (mostly) strangers sat at nearby tables as Lewitinn helped the group connect between ten courses of Patterson\u2019s $250 tasting menu. <\/p>\n On May 6, they\u2019re making the experiment real. Jacaranda<\/a>, their 30-seat restaurant at the corner of Melrose and North Citrus, occupies prime real estate amid a cluster of deliciousness, with Osteria Mozza across the street, Meteora next door and Petit Troi around the corner. <\/p>\n Jacaranda feels less like a splashy opening salvo than an extension of the Pattersons’ own home. Fresh flowers are everywhere. Wool coasters and napkins were crafted by Lewitinn herself. And, notably, the walls are hung with original pieces by Lewitinn\u2019s great-uncle, Land\u00e8s Lewitin (no second n), a founding member of the influential New York art collective known as The Club, whose ranks included Willem de Kooning, Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell, and Isamu Noguchi.<\/p>\n An Intimate Space With Personal Touches That Feel Like Home<\/p>\n The couple cares about the guest experience down to the smallest details. Diners are asked in advance what their favorite songs are, and Lewitinn weaves them into the evening’s soundtrack, so that sitting down to dinner at Jacaranda feels less like a reservation and more like a party thrown specifically for you. Especially if you are a fan of bands like Hole and James. <\/p>\n Artichoke flower with “spring things” at Jacaranda.<\/p>\n Ruth Kennison<\/p>\n The menu is still being finalized, drawn fresh from Wednesday and Saturday farmers\u2019 markets and given to spotlighting lesser-known seasonal rarities \u2014 pea tendrils, yerba santa, nasturtium, artichoke flower, vermilion. One standout: a pepper-crusted duck served in a sauce of roasted blueberries and wild bay leaves, accompanied by a salad of pickled shallots and crispy duck cracklings in a blueberry-tinged dressing. It\u2019s served alongside a small cup of broth made from grilled duck bones and scented with pepper tree.<\/p>\n At Jacaranda, Desserts To Write Home About<\/p>\n Pastry chef Matthew Tinder brings a streak of the cosmic to desserts. A veteran of Patterson’s kitchen at Coi and the Michelin-starred team at Meadowood Napa Valley<\/a>, Tinder is producing dishes that linger in the imagination: cherry, cherimoya and green almond arranged around a mound of gently shaved yellow ice (a dish that practically dares you to call it \u201cDo Eat Yellow Snow\u201d). There’s also a riff on chocolate mousse \u2014 raw chocolate, dates, and roasted kelp \u2014 that tastes considerably better than it sounds. <\/p>\n For a meal-ending treat called Fruit Anarchy, Tinder reaches for the etrog, a knobby, intensely fragrant citrus traditionally used in Sukkot observances. He found a Fresno farmer who specializes in them<\/a> and sells the imperfect specimens \u2014 the ones too blemished for ceremonial use but no less extraordinary on a plate.<\/p>\n Jacaranda<\/a> has two seatings a night, Wednesday through Saturday, starting at 5:30 pm with plans to open for lunch on Sundays from 12:00 pm\u20133:00 pm. Whatever comes next for Jacaranda, the Pattersons are clearly just getting started.<\/p>\n Also From ForbesForbesWhy Audiences Can\u2019t Stop Showing Up For \u2018Ragtime\u2019By David Hochman<\/a>ForbesFrom World Cup To Olympics, Santa Monica Hotels Fight For VIP GuestsBy David Hochman<\/a>ForbesInside The Immersive \u2018Phantom Of The Opera\u2019 Show Fans Are Seeing 20 TimesBy David Hochman<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jacaranda is a new 30-seat fine dining restaurant at the corner of Melrose and N. 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