Chef Mette Williams | Culina, Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, CA

Sophie Gayot Chef Mette Williams Mehdi Eftekari | Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills — Chef Mette Williams with, left to right, Culina general manager Joseph Ramaglia, Hotel Executive Chef Ashely James. Sophie Gayot, Hotel General Manager Mehdi Eftekari

By Sophie Gayot

Chef Mette Williams is the new chef at Culina Modern Italian

Los Angeles, March 2013

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GAYOT’s rating: 13/20
Cuisine: Italian / Pizza / Breakfast
Open: Breakfast daily 7 a.m.-11 a.m.; Lunch Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Dinner Mon.-Thurs. 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5 p.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 2:30 p.m.-10 p.m.; Brunch Sun. 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Culina is on GAYOT’s:
– Best Los Angeles Pizza Restaurants
– Best Beverly Hills Brunch Restaurants
– Best Beverly Hills Outdoor Dining Restaurants
– Best Los Angeles Power Breakfast Restaurants

Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
300 S. Doheny Dr. (Burton Wy.) Los Angeles, CA 90048
310-860-4000 | View Website

The Vatican in Rome has a new Pope, while Culina Modern Italian, the restaurant at the Four Seasons at Beverly Hills, has a new chef: Mette Williams. I have been following her career as she worked her way through the kitchens of Wolfgang Puck‘s Spago Beverly Hills and CUT as well as Lexington Social House and One Pico.

Sabering a bottle to welcome Chef Mette Williams

The quite-talented “Food Network’s Chef Wanted with Anne Burrel” competitor has already introduced new dishes to the menu of the three-year old restaurant such as Zuppetta Di Cozze with steamed mussels, roasted tomatoes, fennel and charmoula and Ravioli Di Ricotta e Polpa Di Granchio, large ricotta and egg yolk ravioli with lemon and crab ragú.

Last night, the dishes I tried during an informal cocktail reception were quite good: Quinoa e Madorla, quinoa, almonds, feta, strawberries, cucumbers, mint, lemon and green onion; Barbabietole e Pistachio, roasted beet salad, candied pistachios, caprino, citrus, basil oil and watercress; Pizza Sarda, lamb merguez, roasted peppers and sardo; and Polletto, roasted chicken with saffron braised fennel, olives, artichokes, kale and salmoriglio. But I am not sure about Bruschetta di Sarde, marinated sardine crostini with pickled radish and Fresno chili topped with burrata and herb salad. The burrata and sardine do not make a happy combination.