Duplex: Eat Really Good Food In A Really Nice House

L.A's new restaurant Duplex invites you to make-believe. The food — seasonal, New American cuisine with a SoCal influence — might seem too good to be true, but it's actually the setting that's the real fantasy. Housed in a former home from the 1900s, Duplex lets you pretend you're dining on exquisite farm-to-table meals in the comfort of your own, unbelievably gorgeous home.

It's an open-layout, two story space designed by Thomas Schoos (of Koi and Tao fame) that sets the stage for executive chef Lauren Cartmel's "quintessential California" menu that utilizes "local ingredients and artisan products" (seemingly two pre-requisites for trendy upscale dining these days, but we're not complaining).

Cartmel's background is in French culinary techniques, lending a Western European spin to Duplex's dinner, lunch, breakfast, and weekend brunch dishes — that means mouthwatering signature dishes like meatball flatbread made with grass-fed beef, veal, and pork meatballs, Fresno chilies, Broccoli di Cicco, and Asiago cheese, or grilled peaches with Di Stefano burrata, pine nuts, and Italian salsa verde (served with grilled baguette slices). Perhaps best of all, the check might seem to be from a dream, but you better believe it — Duplex's prices are surprisingly reasonable.

You can even take the fantasy one step further and rent out the whole place for a private party or event. But though you might be tempted, sadly you can't just move in.

For menu and more info, check out the website.  

All photos courtesy of Jen Jones.