Eight good restaurant collab ideas
My suggested pairings from favorite LA and NYC spots
I had two of my favorite Los Angeles staples this week: The Kato snacks & cocktails menu, which I shouted out in my LA roundup for my friends at Camber, and a sea salt sesame hottie from Courage Bagels. (The Courage line remains pretty tame on a weekday from about 8:50-9:25am).
Halfway into the hottie, I started wishing that I could top the bagel with Kato’s brown butter uni and Tennessee ham. I’ve heard people recommend a hundred different collabs and combinations for Courage. Like most restaurant collabs, the theory sounds better than what actually ends up on the plate.
A true 50/50 collab is tough, often feeling like a bad Top Chef quickfire. Two cooks handle separate components then drop them onto the same plate without a shared vision or sense of balance. A guest chef plugging into the host’s standard menu can be fun, though that fun is usually delivered through the room’s vibe rather than elevated cooking. I like a collab best when the host gives the template of a famous in-house dish — like the simple Courage Bagel or the potato in Wildair’s pomme darphin — to someone else and let’s them do their own twist.
Here are eight across New York and LA I’d love to see happen.
Kato x Courage: Brown butter uni and ham on a sea salt sesame bagel
The Jersey butter is good, but … wouldn’t this be better?
Quarter Sheets x Bavel: Grilled oyster mushroom pizza
I like a lot about Quarter Sheets, but my favorite (savory) dish is whatever pie they’re making with fresh, local vegetables. The Bavel mushrooms, seasoned with a bit of sumac, would make a wonderful pairing. Add a little cheese along with the lovage and avocado purée and you’ve got a knockout.
Little Fish & Penny: Confit oyster po’boy
Fry up these bad boys and get them on a sandwich.
Baroo x Petit Trois: Vegetable omelette
Baroo’s vegetarian tasting menu is one of the most special things in the city. The Petit Trois omelette is perfect. I like the potential here. Perhaps hearts of palm as the filling?
Yang Chow x Sunset Tower: Fire the menu
I just want to eat Yang Chow at Sunset Tower, tbh. Let them do a takeover.
Luv2Eat Thai x Torrisi: Moo-ping zeppole
This is true stoner delight. Just stuff the Torrisi zeppole with Luv2Eat’s moo-ping and add some thai chilies to the mostarda to round everything out.
Superiority Burger x Maru: Cream top ice cream sundae
LA is way past peak cream top, but I want to see what the SB crew would do with Maru’s ideal version as the base of a dessert special.
El Ruso x Mission Chinese Food: Thrice cooked bacon tacos
I’m imagining my favorite MCF dish turned into a taco on El Ruso’s flour tortilla’s and I’m convinced it works.
