Red Medicine (restaurant)

Last updated
Red Medicine
Restaurant information
Established2010 (2010)
Closed2014 (2014)
Previous owner(s)Jordan Kahn, Noah Ellis, and Adam Fleischman
ChefJordan Kahn
Food type Vietnamese cuisine, Nordic cuisine
Location Beverly Hills, California

Red Medicine was a fine dining restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. It was opened in 2010 and originally served Vietnamese cuisine before changing to Nordic cuisine. It closed in 2014.

Contents

History

Red Medicine was opened in 2010 by chef Jordan Kahn, Noah Ellis, and Adam Fleischman. [1] Its name was a reference to the 1995 album Red Medicine by punk rock band Fugazi. [2] Its opening was delayed due to difficulties during construction. [3]

The restaurant was involved in various controversies, including the use of Ho Chi Minh in its original logo, [4] and its practice of making posts on Twitter with the names of guests who made reservations and never arrived, criticizing their behavior. [5] [6] [7] [8]

In December 2010, Ellis refused service to Los Angeles Times food critic Irene Virbila and photographed her, later posting her image on Tumblr with the comment that she was not welcome at the restaurant. Virbila had previously maintained her anonymity for 15 years as a food critic, and the publication of her image created controversy. [9] In an interview with Eater in 2012, Ellis said that they had always intended to refuse Virbila service because she had criticized Kahn's desserts at a previous restaurant venture. [3]

In May 2014, the restaurant was included on food critic Jonathan Gold's list of the 20 best restaurants. [10] The restaurant was closed on October 31, 2014 and was sold to another set of restaurateurs. [11] [12]

Description

The restaurant was built with exposed concrete walls and incorporated wood taken from barns. [13] It featured high ceilings and industrial style interior design. [2] It was known for being open until 2 a.m. and having a large cocktail menu. [13]

The restaurant originally served Vietnamese cuisine with modern European influences, which was described as "neo-Vietnamese" [1] or "vaguely inspired by the flavors of Vietnam". [14] The menu featured platters and tasting menus with traditional ingredients and modern plating. [15] Kahn was heavily influenced by Nordic cuisine, [16] and incorporated Nordic influences from the start before shifting to become a neo-Nordic restaurant. [17]

The restaurant was also noted for its atmosphere and management ethos, which was described as "slightly punk rockish" in a review by the Los Angeles Times, [17] and "a cocky frat-boy attitude" by Time Out. [14]

References

  1. 1 2 LAT - HOLD Archive. "Red Medicine to close at the end of October". latimes.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-25. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  2. 1 2 "A Taste of Red Medicine - CBS Los Angeles". www.cbsnews.com. 2011-01-04. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  3. 1 2 Odell, Kat (2012-01-26). "Noah Ellis Thinks Back Over One Year at Red Medicine". Eater LA. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  4. "High-End Beverly Hills Vietnamese Restaurant Red Medicine Closing Its Doors". LAist. Archived from the original on 2014-09-26. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  5. Forbes, Paula (2013-03-25). "LA Restaurant Outs No-Shows on Twitter". Eater. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  6. "Red Medicine's call-outs: Do two wrongs make a right?". Los Angeles Times. 2013-03-26. Archived from the original on 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  7. ROGERS, BY JOHN. "Beverly Hills eatery gives no-shows Twitter roast". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  8. News, A. B. C. "Restaurant Tweets Names of No-Shows". ABC News. Retrieved 2026-01-05.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. "Restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila photographed and kicked out of Red Medicine". Los Angeles Times. 2010-12-22. Archived from the original on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  10. "Jonathan Gold's 101 Best Restaurants: The top 20". Los Angeles Times. 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  11. Kang, Matthew (2014-11-07). "The Flats, The New Eatery Going Into Red Medicine's Former Space in Beverly Hills". Eater LA. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  12. DeJesus, Erin (2014-09-25). "LA's Influential Red Medicine to Shutter on October 31". Eater. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  13. 1 2 Miller, Jeff (2010-12-09). "Red Medicine". Thrillist. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  14. 1 2 Johnson, Brad A. (2012-09-17). "Red Medicine". Time Out Los Angeles. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  15. room34 (2013-03-26). "Red Medicine". Andrew Zimmern. Retrieved 2026-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. "New Nordic Cuisine Draws Disciples (Published 2011)". 2011-08-24. Archived from the original on 2025-02-02. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  17. 1 2 Times, Los Angeles. "Review: Red Medicine, a little like punk rock and splendid in its own way". latimes.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-06. Retrieved 2026-01-05.