One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
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.
Former Top Chef-testant's New NoHo Resto Not Even Officially Open Yet, But Has a 5-Star Review on Yelp
Fabio Viviani (Photo via Bravo TV)
Former Top Chef contender Fabio Viviani has left his Moorpark restaurant and moved quickly into a new spot, Firenze Osteria. The eatery has taken over the North Hollywood space formerly occupied by Barsac Brasserie, and underwent a quick turnaround to transform the restaurant. Now in a "soft-open" phase, Firenze Osteria is set to officially open this Saturday, with a public (with RSVP) cocktail reception, and the phone line is up and accepting reservations starting at 7:45 p.m.Okay, so yadda yadda yadda, new place to eat, so what? All of this is par for the course with the launch of a new restaurant, but what's a bit out of place is that Firenze Osteria has already garnered a perfect 5-star review on Yelp. Even more questionable: The reviewer has actually never been there. So how does "Bryan W." know Viviani's new joint is the shiz? To quote:
this rating is totally based off the fact that I loved watching Chef Fabio Viviani on Top Chef. I'm considering going there opening night and was surprised I got to be the first one to yelp about the place
Surprised? In the same way one might be surprised to be the first person to remark how wonderful the year 2017 has been so far, or how fun it is to be one of the first people to ride on the new Downtown LA streetcar route? And let me take this opportunity to give props to George Clooney for being such a rock star in the sack. After all, I love to watch him on the big screen...
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
