“There is grand potential here,” says Evan Funke. The chef behind Felix Trattoria, in Venice Beach, is talking about his second restaurant, Mother Wolf, a celebration of Roman cuisine that just opened in the landmarked Los Angeles building that once housed the Hollywood Citizen-News.
When Felix debuted, in 2017, it was a runaway success. (“You have managed to land a reservation at Felix Trattoria,” began the late Jonathan Gold’s review.) The restaurant, which is a partnership between Funke and Janet Zuccarini, the founder and C.E.O. of Gusto 54 Restaurant Group, became a canteen for Hollywood notables including Gwyneth Paltrow. It regularly draws paparazzi and citizen journalists, who file their latest sightings to the likes of Deuxmoi.
