Award-winning chef and restaurateur Sean MacDonald will open his first U.S. concept in Santa Monica in early 2023.
Neapolitan pizza concept, Bar Monette, will be a 900 square-foot space located in the heart of Santa Monica on Santa Monica Boulevard. The site, previously Little Ruby, will serve 20 covers inside and 12 outside on a patio benefitting from the ocean view.
The concept of Bar Monette, named after MacDonald’s wife Monette, will be a refined tapas and wine bar drawing influence from Spain and Italy. A heavy focus will be on Neapolitan-style pizzas made with special recipe dough developed by MacDonald that uses high quality ingredients sourced from Italy.
“I’m thrilled to be opening my first spot in the States, in my favourite city, right by the ocean and beach. It’s a dream come true,” says MacDonald. The young chef made The Best Chef awards list in 2018 aged 25 as the only Canadian and moves from Toronto where he was chef-owner of ēst Restaurant and Biga Pies, the latter voted number 35 in Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants List.
The menu will be split into five categories; Pizza (eg Pesto Dungeness Crab, Pine Nut, Basil, Aged Cheese), Piccoli Piatti (small plates designed to pair with the pizza eg. Butterleaf with Basil, Pine Nut and Passionfruit), Sugo (a selection of sauces and dips for the crusts (eg Burnt Romanesco and Jalapeño Tonnato) and a small selection of Addizionale (eg Shaved Truffle and Caviar). Desserts will be changed daily depending on seasonality and chef preference (eg Black Cacao, Reishi Mushroom and Mint). The menu will change seasonally and offer vegan and vegetarian options. The drinks menu will offer unique selection of natural wines and beers alongside a water menu highlighting a choice of carbonation level and mineral content.
The interior is being designed by MacDonald. “I want it to look like a mid century library with dark green, wood, chandeliers and oxidized copper. I’m doing the full design and decoration myself” he says. MacDonald is partnering with Caeserstone to use their quartz in the dining room and plating and ceramics will be sourced from boutique addresses in LA.
Bar Monette will be open for walk-ins only from midday to midnight, closed Sundays, and cashless. Reservations available for events.
