Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Beastie Boy Mike D Will Be A Sommelier At April Bloomfield's New L.A. Restaurant
Chef April Bloomfield and restaurateur Ken Friedman, who opened New York City's celebrated The Spotted Pig together in 2004, has unveiled some new information about their first Los Angeles project, which is set at the former Cat & Fiddle location. Chief among the delicious tidbits? Beastie Boy Mike D is behind the wine list.
“It’s going to be a fun list,” Mike D, née Mike Diamond, told Bloomberg. “We are putting together a wine program that will get customers tasting things they might not taste. If you like California Syrah, I might point you towards a wine from another part of the world that’s better value. We’re going to pour half-bottles, so you can try different things.”
Friedman, who hails from Los Angeles originally, and spent years here as a music manager, brought Diamond on to build the restaurant's wine list with sommelier Taylor Parsons (formerly of Republique).
As for the new restaurant's name? It's Hearth & Hound, and the opening date is set for September 22 (then again, this is L.A., and permitting being what it is, don't expect it to be final).
As for rumors of Jay-Z investing in the new restaurant, Friedman declined to comment to Bloomberg, but said that nearly every investor in the Spotted Pig has invested in Hearth & Hound. Jay-Z is a co-owner of The Spotted Pig, and now lives in Los Angeles. You decide what that means, and how frequently you might see the Carter clan chowing down on Bloomfield's impeccable rotisserie chicken paired with a glass of red selected by Mike D.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?