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 youâre 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 LAâs own blend of Americana and international cultures.
Heâs 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 craftsmanâs 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 Daveâs 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 heâs 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 Morelâs 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.
Thatâs when things got interesting. Thatâs when Ivana Trump came calling.
The Trump Effect
Trump hired Simon as Executive Chef of the Plaza Hotelâs Edwardian Room, the youngest ever in that position. When he brought back the tradition of a chefâs table to the Edwardian Room, Diane Keaton came for dinner. David Bowie proposed to Iman in Simonâs 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 Yorkâs hottest chef. His celebrity stature was solidified in 1991 when Rolling Stone Magazine dubbed Simon the âRock nâ Roll Chefâ.
Rock nâ Roll Chef?
Itâs easy to call Kerry Simon the Rock nâ Roll Chef, and thatâs just the problem. Thereâs 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 ân roll, he would be all about the music.
Thatâs not to say Simon canât 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, Simonâs 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 Simonâs rock ân roll celebrity stature was exploding with the ferocity of a supernova, he did the one thing nobody expected. He walked away.
In 1992 Simonâs 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 Simonâs time in Miami was like Dylan going electric. Simon introduced his take on what he coined âcomfort foodâ while at Miami Beachâs 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, guestsâ 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 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 âthe Meatloafâ, 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 Simonâs celebrity profile, he retains the humble yet hungry spirit of the young man reading Julia Child cookbooks at Daveâs Italian Kitchen. Simon reminds of the young gunslinger portrayed by Ricky Nelson in the classic western Rio Bravo. The filmâs 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 arenât his own. Deanâs character asks Wayne whether he thinks the young gunslinger really is as good as people say he is. Wayne replies, âIâd say he is. Iâd say heâs so good he doesnât feel he has to prove it.â
In a line, this is Kerry Simon. With Simon, there is no flamboyant brandishing of a chefâs 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 âI 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.â
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 chefâs chef.