Kerry Simon Introduces A Delicious Exploration of American Cuisine With Simon LA

After successfully collaborating in Las Vegas, Chef Kerry Simon and business partner Elizabeth Blau entered the Los Angeles market with the opening of Simon LA in 2006. If we want to understand Kerry Simon this is where to start. Tucked away inside Sofitel LA, a French and Hollywood-inspired hotel that anchors the majestic skyline of Hollywood behind it, Simon LA resides in the heart of Hollywood luxury. Rodeo Drive, Melrose Avenue, Beverly Hills and the extravagance of the Sunset Strip are all within reach.

All About The Food

So what kind of menu does a chef create for a restaurant surrounded by glamour? Some might try to match the glitz by overwhelming the menu with exotic or trendy selections. When you’re Kerry Simon, whose quiet confidence is cultivated through years of classical training and creative experimentation, you reinvent comfort food by accentuating the flavors we love through a playful manipulation of classic foods. At Simon LA the freshest seasonal ingredients are used in marrying American influenced cuisine with a global sophistication, creating a perfect tribute to LA’s own blend of Americana and international cultures.

He’s always introducing seasonal new items that cater specifically to Simon LA guests, including a whimsical California Pizza, a savory nod to the classic sushi roll that includes raw tuna, avocado, jumbo lump crab, cucumber and taman soy. Other highlights from the menu are tangy Smoked Chicken Wings as a bar snack and a “raw” selection of dishes featuring both vegetables and fish.

How It Began

The thriving restaurant on the corner of La Cienega and Beverly sheds light on the culinary craftsman’s career yet it is a building just 4 miles east of Simon LA that points to how it all began. Located in the five thousand block of Santa Monica Boulevard is a Little Caesars pizza restaurant.

As a teenager in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Simon wanted to be a musician and secured a job at a nearby Little Caesars in hopes of saving enough money to buy an electric guitar. But a funny thing happened on the way to the stage as coworker Dave Glatt opened his own restaurant and invited Simon to join him. Working at Dave’s Italian Kitchen rekindled the passion for food he felt as a boy when he spent summers surrounded by the fresh fruit and fish of Puget Sound. Simon would stay well after the last customer left the restaurant, practicing dishes and devouring the lessons found in a cookbook from Julia Child.

If You Can Make It Here

Glat recommended to Simon that he apply to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. It was here that Simon began to develop the culinary acumen he’s now famous for. Days were spent at the Institute while weekends meant an internship at L’Hostellerie Bressane. Under the tutelage of legendary Chef Jean Morel, Simon gained an appreciation for French cuisine and Morel’s notorious cooking discipline.

Upon graduating he moved to Manhattan and threw himself into the New York restaurant scene, working for industry titans like Jean-Jacques Rachou of La Cote Basque and Andre Soltner of Lutece. He later found himself under Louis Outier at the now closed Lafayette restaurant in the Drake Hotel. Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten had no positions available but Simon agreed to work for free before eventually holding both pastry and sous chef positions, helping the restaurant receive a four-star rating from the New York Times in 1988.

That’s when things got interesting. That’s when Ivana Trump came calling.

The Trump Effect

Trump hired Simon as Executive Chef of the Plaza Hotel’s Edwardian Room, the youngest ever in that position. When he brought back the tradition of a chef’s table to the Edwardian Room, Diane Keaton came for dinner. David Bowie proposed to Iman in Simon’s kitchen.

The buzz spread quickly as tables were booked weeks and then months in advance. The guitar-strumming teen working at Little Caesars was now serving the likes of Bono and Debbie Harry as New York’s hottest chef. His celebrity stature was solidified in 1991 when Rolling Stone Magazine dubbed Simon the “Rock n’ Roll Chef”.

Rock n’ Roll Chef?

It’s easy to call Kerry Simon the Rock n’ Roll Chef, and that’s just the problem. There’s nothing easy about a man who tackles life with an almost maniacal work ethic. When you think rock star, you often think of everything but the music; the lavish parties, photo spreads and running the gauntlet of paparazzi while sporting an ear to ear grin. If Kerry Simon were rock ‘n roll, he would be all about the music.

That’s not to say Simon can’t put on a great show. His CatHouse at the Luxor Hotel & Casino features lingerie clad waitresses and a European bordello decor. Palms Resort and Casino, the hippest Las Vegas destination for the young and beautiful is buoyed by the success of Simon Restaurant & Lounge.

Still, Simon’s greatness has always been in his love for the food itself as he continually seeks new challenges. More Bob Dylan than Guitar Hero, one can imagine Simon playing acoustic performances in every small town café and reinventing himself with every new album release.

Leaving New York

And when Simon’s rock ‘n roll celebrity stature was exploding with the ferocity of a supernova, he did the one thing nobody expected. He walked away.

In 1992 Simon’s recipes were featured in iconic publications like Vogue and the New York Times. However, when Ivana left the Plaza management team Simon decided to leave his position and rising fame behind. His sabbatical included traveling overseas as he visited Russia, Europe and the Far East before finally returning to the U.S. by way of Miami.

Comfort Food

The game changing impact of Simon’s time in Miami was like Dylan going electric. Simon introduced his take on what he coined “comfort food” while at Miami Beach’s Raleigh Hotel. He applied his artistic touch to classic American cuisine. Mashed potatoes became wasabi mashed, meatloaf was prepared with the addition of veal and seasoned barbeque sauce.

Simon expanded the menu with Starfish, a restaurant located in a speakeasy formerly owned by Al Capone. In going from food musician to cuisine composer, Simon turned to developing restaurants here and abroad with restaurants in Las Vegas as well as New York, Hong Kong, London and Chicago.

Simon LA

That brings us back to Simon LA in Los Angeles, the latest in restaurant openings from Kerry Simon. Once inside, guests’ senses are treated to the delicious smells emanating from an exhibition-style kitchen and the awe inspiring visuals of marble water walls and fire pit.

Simon LA serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner with seating that includes private dining rooms and outdoor patio tables. Bold, crisp colors illustrate the décor with plush couches and a chic lounge.

Simon Classics

Simon LA also features vintage selections and guest favorites from the kitchen of Kerry Simon, including his Ahi Tuna with wasabi mashed potatoes, roasted shiitake, and baby bok choy and “the Meatloaf”, his special recipe with garlic mashed potatoes. Currently on the summer menu is the Brick Roasted Organic Chicken with creamless creamed corn and oyster mushrooms, and Pacific Northwest Black Cod with kumquat sambal, cashews, and cilantro rice.

Kerry Simon

While the success of Simon LA has added to Simon’s celebrity profile, he retains the humble yet hungry spirit of the young man reading Julia Child cookbooks at Dave’s Italian Kitchen. Simon reminds of the young gunslinger portrayed by Ricky Nelson in the classic western Rio Bravo. The film’s star’s, John Wayne and Dean Martin, have a discussion about the kid who shows no interest in waving his gun around or getting involved in conflicts that aren’t his own. Dean’s character asks Wayne whether he thinks the young gunslinger really is as good as people say he is. Wayne replies, “I’d say he is. I’d say he’s so good he doesn’t feel he has to prove it.”

In a line, this is Kerry Simon. With Simon, there is no flamboyant brandishing of a chef’s gun; the cutting knife. After winning a television duel against Iron Chef Cat Cora on the Food Network in 2005, Simon talked about being in front of the camera in an interview given to Food and Beverage, saying “I just did what I would normally do. I am always trying to remember who I am. It’s not like I want to have my own TV show. I am a chef. That’s what I do. So I’m just going to be who I am.”

Who Simon continues to be is a consummate professional that checks his ego at the kitchen door. His dedication to learning as much as he can about his craft has earned the respect of fans and peers alike. In short, Simon is a chef’s chef.