Want to know which restaurant spots Curtis Stone deems date worthy? Read on …
By Lanee Lee
The Quiet Terminator. Young gun chef. Hottest cook in the kitchen. Yes, this Aussie chef has a slew of nicknames. (That last one might be our own.) You might know Curtis Stone for his reality TV stardom on shows like All-Star Academy and Celebrity Apprentice, but newsflash: he’s also made some mondo waves for becoming the one-trick-pony boy wonder.
“Huh?” you ask. 
Maude, the expat’s first solo restaurant in Beverly Hills, serves nine-course dinners using one seasonal ingredient throughout. If asparagus, for instance, is the theme of the month, you’re going to get asparagus in nine different forms—even dessert. (Children, beware!)
And this singular focus is paying off. Adorably named after his grandma, Maude has been deemed “Best Restaurant in Los Angeles” by LA Weekly and more. Good luck scoring a reservation though or be prepared to call 392 times in a row.
Despite all the fame and awards, coming up with 720 unique dishes over the course of 24 months can get kind of nutty. So we asked Curtis: are you really going to keep this one-ingredient thing up?
“It’s giving me an ulcer, but it’s fun. So, yeah, we’re going to keep doing that,’” says Curtis with an ah-bugger-me intonation.
And now he’s bringing out the big knives, literally, for his second LA concept: Gwen—an open-grill restaurant + butcher shop opening mid-2016 in Hollywood.
The real kicker is that while Curtis juggles all of these projects, he still finds time to date … his wife Lindsay Price.
And if the man behind one of LA’s best restaurant thinks a restaurant is bonza—translation: Aussie slang for awesome—enough for his lady, then it’s bonza enough for us. From super spendy sushi to thrifty taco trucks, Curtis Stone talks his favorite date night spots:
Image by Instagram user @juliainezz
Sushi Park
West Hollywood, $$$$
Curtis Stone: Before I moved to LA, I hadn’t really had good sushi. I thought I had, but then I got here and I was like, “Oh shit! What have they been giving me all this time? That wasn’t sushi. This is sushi.” One of my favorites is Sushi Park—a great date spot because it’s kind of dive-y but with a great omakase. I don’t know how he manipulates the fish in so many different ways to achieve it but there is real mastery in the seafood preparation. And I love that it is so simple. It’s not cheap. Not that it should be—it’s great fish. But you know, it’s not fancy. As long as you don’t dip the wrong sushi in soy sauce, you’re OK.
Image courtesy of The Varnish
The Varnish
DTLA, $$
CS: Linds is a singer and she’s a piano bar kind of girl. Like Varnish is her vibe— a good spot for drinks and it’s sexy.
Image courtesy of Chi SPACCA, Kelly Campbell
chi SPACCA
Hancock Park, $$$
CS: Sometimes I crave a giant piece of meat cooked over a fire, not all the time, but once in awhile when I do, chi SPACCA is where I like to go to for a meaty date.
