When in Venice...
It seems like anyone in this town with a pulse and a modicum of style is now branded a "tastemaker." We’re a little weary of the label, though Jason Bentley would be on our shortlist for the real deal. Remember Metropolis? Somehow the weeknight KCRW show turned our crappy commutes into something quasi-meditative.
The Metropolis beat may be no more, but as music director, Bentley has filled Nic Harcourt’s formidable shoes for Morning Becomes Eclectic over the last eighteen months with aplomb, curating artists like David Gray and Roseanne Cash and Röyksopp for unforgettable studio sessions. “There’s a responsibility of respecting the history of that show, but I felt like I knew what to do from the beginning,” he says. “I’m happiest when I’m able to step away from a week and see a nice range of music. If I can see that balance, then I think we’ve done a good job.” Though ask him what in-studio guests failed to measure up to his expectations, and one immediately comes to in mind: Ray LaMontagne. “He didn’t want to meet me halfway in the interview. I've had very artsy and unusual people, so I can really be forgiving. So I was disappointed, because I really like him."
A Venice devotee through-and-through, Bentley caught up with Style Section L.A. for a recent afternoon stroll down Abbot Kinney — a street we’ve been neglecting, given our Hollywood and Eastside proclivities. Clad in J. Lindeberg jeans and a Gram Parsons T-shirt — “It’s an inside joke for my dad, he’d always be trying to convince me to get into Gram, and I’d be like, Dad…,” — Bentley was on his way to a Jane’s Addiction studio session, but gave us the low-down on some of his favorite restaurants in a neighborhood that’s always a pain for the non-Westsider to get to, but one well worth a trip on the 10. He recommends these haunts, especially on First Fridays, the newly minted, unofficial block party where galleries and boutiques are open well past their normal hours.
INK ON BRICK: KCRW's Jason Bentley wears a shirt by Nice Collective.
Au courant: Gjelina
Chef Travis Lett’s shishito peppers with bottarga and lamb chops are legendary here (or at least unforgettable during our recent visit), though the fresh appeal is what brings Bentley back. “It’s all the rage, of course," he says. "Very funky California, the menu changes every day, and the vegetables are all farmers market-fresh.”
Gjelina, 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. www.gjelina.com
Chic: The Tasting Kitchen
Casey Lane had Portland on the brain when the former Oregonian descended upon Abbot Kinney with one of L.A.’s tastiest flatiron steaks and rillettes judged by Jonathan Gold to be “the best I have ever tasted outside the Languedoc.” Bentley is simply wooed by the ambiance: “It has a little more sophistication, these amazing floor-to-ceiling windows and a great bar. I love it.”
The Tasting Kitchen, 1633 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice. www.thetastingkitchen.com
Sans pretense: Piccolo Ristorante Italiano
Piccolo’s a bit of a jaunt from Abbot Kinney, located steps from the beach, but it’s Bentley’s choice for Italian without the mob (er, crowds, we mean). “It really is a true Italian hole-in-the-wall what that traditional vibe, very romantic,” Bentley says.
Piccolo Ristorante Italiano, 5 Dudley Ave., Venice. www.piccolovenice.com
A post-meal cocktail? The Brig
It’s an aggravating motif, usually with downtown origins: A once-perfect dive bar, slowly transformed into hipster haven. The Brig is Abbot Kinney’s analog for a tavern makeover. Worth it? “It depends,” Bentley says. “If you’re enteretaining guests, then it’s cool. If you want to drink and avoid the crowds, it’s too much of a hassle.”
The Brig, 1515 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. www.thebrig.com
Summer anthem predictions?
Memo from Bentley: Keep your ears peeled for the three following bands as June gloom descends and summer interns flout the office dress code by wearing flip-flops.