Lincoln & Rose

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Barbershop Ristorante Pops Up At Flake

Chef Walter el Nagar is back in Venice with his latest Barbershop Ristorante pop-up project debuting at Flake on Rose Ave. for Valentine's Day weekend.

It'll feature a five-course prix fixe meal for $85 per person Friday and Saturday February 13 and 14. It's BYOB with no corkage fee, so you can pick up a bottle of something sparkly at Simon's on your way there. Or, opt for the chef's Moon Juice pairing. For those who prefer to dine at home on Valentine's Day weekend, el Nagar will likely settle in at Flake for a little while longer, so there's still time to try something you've (guaranteed) never tasted before.

The new-wave Italian cuisine highlights traditional flavors from the Milan-born chef with inventive techniques and unlikely pairings undoubtedly influenced by el Nagar's pre-culinary years as a world traveling art curator. His Valentine's Day tasting menu for instance features a "sea bonbon" with sea urchin, white chocolate and raspberry.

Perhaps this also speaks to his appetite for reinventing the Barbershop experience again and again at various pop-ups throughout L.A. This will be its seventh incarnation, and the second here in Venice. The first was on Abbot Kinney at the former Local 1205. It was there that he met Adam Fleischman of AdVantage Restaurant Partners, and together they announced plans in August to open Barberia, a permanent space for el Nagar in Downtown LA. It was slated to debut this spring, but never came to fruition. Instead, el Nagar decided to pursue new opportunities starting here where's he's totally back in his element. Will it lead to a permanent space on the Westside? Time will tell.

In the meantime, you can experience the prolific pop-up close to home. They're offering guests two dinner seatings, one at 6:30 p.m. and one at 8:30 p.m. Call for reservations or use the Reserve app to secure one online.

Barbershop Ristorante
513 Rose Ave. Venice, 90291 // 424-272-5849
info@barbershop-ristorante.com