David Myers

These are the last days of Sona, the elegant restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard that has been a fixture of Los Angeles' fine-dining scene for nearly eight years. On Saturday, after the final mignardises go out to the last diners, the restaurant will shutter — at least for now. A little more than a year ago, David Myers, Sona's ambitious, photogenic chef-owner, was at the helm of an empire. It included not only his flagship Michelin one-star restaurant but also modern brasserie Comme Ça, a small chain of Boule pastry shops, a commercial baking operation and Italian restaurant Pizzeria Ortica, with more on the way. But with the announced closing of Sona, only Comme Ça and Pizzeria Ortica will remain, and those only with new chefs and new management after a round of firings and departures.

Justin Miller is executive chef of Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa. Miller, born and raised in Orange County, describes his approach to cooking as "relaxed," a good fit for the rustic Italian cuisine at David Myers' restaurant, centered on a wood-burning oven. Miller once served as chef of a cruise ship that led professional surfers from San Diego to Panama in search of the best waves. He's also cooked at Mastro's Steakhouse in Santa Ana and Dolce in Newport Beach. At Ortica, he started as a line cook, within a year was promoted to chef de cuisine and now helms the kitchen.

Times staff writer David W. Myers, author of the Your Mortgage column, will talk on real estate financing at the three Los Angeles Times Home Buyers Fairs in May. Myers, just one of dozens of real estate experts who will participate in the fairs, also will talk with fair-goers after the panel sessions. The all-day fairs will be held Saturday at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, May 19 at the Woodland Hills Marriott Hotel and May 26 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Orange County.

Justin Miller is executive chef of Pizzeria Ortica in Newport Beach. Miller, born and raised in Orange County, describes his approach to cooking as "relaxed," a good fit for the rustic Italian cooking at David Myers' restaurant, where much of the cooking is done in a wood-burning oven. Miller once served as chef of a cruise ship that led professional surfers from San Diego to Panama in search of the best waves. He's also cooked at Mastro's Steakhouse in Santa Ana and Dolce in Newport Beach.

David Myers, a cinematographer whose feature-film credits included George Lucas' debut film, "THX 1138," and Alan Rudolph's "Welcome to L.A.," but who was best-known for his camera work on landmark concert documentaries such as "Woodstock," "Elvis on Tour," "The Last Waltz" and "The Grateful Dead Movie," has died. He was 90. Myers, a longtime resident of Mill Valley in the Bay Area, died of natural causes Aug.

David Myers Chef-owner of L.A. restaurants Sona and Comme Ca, and Pizzeria Ortica in O.C. -- When Myers, now 34, was a chef in New York in his 20s, he never had time to stay in shape. "I worked out not at all -- I just worked," he says. Moving west and launching his own business didn't exactly pave the way to flat abs either. With energy and focus lagging during 14- to 16-hour shifts, Myers decided it was time to make fitness a priority.

The big buzz in cutting-edge restaurant kitchens these days is about equipment that, quite frankly, you and I will never have. These are extremely specialized tools that cost thousands of dollars and perform one specific task very well. Take the Pacojet, which shaves frozen food into an almost microscopic dust, or a sous-vide system, which allows ingredients to be cooked at very low temperatures for a very long time.

The Century, a luxury condominium tower in Century City, will soon house a restaurant operated by high-profile Los Angeles chef David Myers. His yet-to-be-named restaurant will be open to the public and also cater private meals and events for residents of the 41-story tower such as Candy Spelling, who owns the top two floors. The ground-floor restaurant will have a separate driveway and entrance from the residences, said Jeff Blau, president of the Related Cos., the developer of the tower on Avenue of the Stars.

Hinoki is a fragrant cypress most Japanese associate with extremely expensive bathtubs, popular with the wealthy because the wood is used to build the soaking tubs at onsen , Japanese hot springs. Hinoki wood is also used to build the counters of the most prestigious sushi bars; long, smooth planks that are sanded every day and given weekly baths of milk. Hinoki & the Bird, on the other hand, is the new Century City restaurant from David Myers, who became well-known as the auteur behind restaurant Sona until it closed in 2010 and who runs the Melrose Avenue brasserie Comme Ça and the South Coast Plaza pizzeria Ortica.

Justin Miller is executive chef of Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa. Miller, born and raised in Orange County, describes his approach to cooking as "relaxed," a good fit for the rustic Italian cuisine at David Myers' restaurant, centered on a wood-burning oven. Miller once served as chef of a cruise ship that led professional surfers from San Diego to Panama in search of the best waves. He's also cooked at Mastro's Steakhouse in Santa Ana and Dolce in Newport Beach. At Ortica, he started as a line cook, within a year was promoted to chef de cuisine and now helms the kitchen.

Hinoki is a fragrant cypress most Japanese associate with extremely expensive bathtubs, popular with the wealthy because the wood is used to build the soaking tubs at onsen , Japanese hot springs. Hinoki wood is also used to build the counters of the most prestigious sushi bars; long, smooth planks that are sanded every day and given weekly baths of milk. Hinoki & the Bird, on the other hand, is the new Century City restaurant from David Myers, who became well-known as the auteur behind restaurant Sona until it closed in 2010 and who runs the Melrose Avenue brasserie Comme Ça and the South Coast Plaza pizzeria Ortica.

David Myers plans to open Hinoki & the Bird in Century City in late December, with Kuniko Yagi as chef. Yagi also helmed the kitchen at Myers' erstwhile La Cienega restaurant Sona, and she returns with her and Myers' mutual California-Asian aesthetic, focusing on the flavors of Southeast Asia and Japan . Yagi, who will appear as a contestant on the next season of "Top Chef" debuting Nov. 7, says, " Hinoki is 'cedar tree' in Japanese, a...

The Century, a luxury condominium tower in Century City, will soon house a restaurant operated by high-profile Los Angeles chef David Myers. His yet-to-be-named restaurant will be open to the public and also cater private meals and events for residents of the 41-story tower such as Candy Spelling, who owns the top two floors. The ground-floor restaurant will have a separate driveway and entrance from the residences, said Jeff Blau, president of the Related Cos., the developer of the tower on Avenue of the Stars.

The Century, a luxury condominium tower in Century City, will soon house a restaurant operated by high-profile Los Angeles chef David Myers. His yet-to-be-named restaurant will be open to the public and also cater private meals and events for residents of the 41-story tower such as Candy Spelling, who owns the top two floors. The ground-floor restaurant will have a separate driveway and entrance from the residences, said Jeff Blau, president of the Related Cos., the developer of the tower on Avenue of the Stars.

High-profile Los Angeles chef David Myers has purchased space at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street where he intends to open a new restaurant. David Myers Group paid $7.21 million for two retail condominium spaces on the ground floor of the historic Equitable building at 6253 Hollywood Blvd., real estate broker Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services said Wednesday. FOR THE RECORD: In an earlier version of this article, David Myers' last name was misspelled as Meyers.

These are the last days of Sona, the elegant restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard that has been a fixture of Los Angeles' fine-dining scene for nearly eight years. On Saturday, after the final mignardises go out to the last diners, the restaurant will shutter — at least for now. A little more than a year ago, David Myers, Sona's ambitious, photogenic chef-owner, was at the helm of an empire. It included not only his flagship Michelin one-star restaurant but also modern brasserie Comme Ça, a small chain of Boule pastry shops, a commercial baking operation and Italian restaurant Pizzeria Ortica, with more on the way. But with the announced closing of Sona, only Comme Ça and Pizzeria Ortica will remain, and those only with new chefs and new management after a round of firings and departures.

David Myers' commentary on hate groups ("Take a Hint From Europe and Raise Vigilance Now," Aug. 13) is scary--almost as scary as the groups themselves. Myers wants the government to take a "more active role." It's ironic that Myers hopes to defend tolerance by advocating "zero tolerance" of hate groups. It seems he's missed the point of tolerance, which is that others' beliefs do not need our approval. This does not mean we cannot denounce hate groups. But in a free society, this isn't done with "the painful step of proscribing hate speech."

I wish to commend David Myers for his article on equity sharing (May 22). As a real estate broker specializing in equity sharing finance, I am glad to see that the subject was treated fairly and objectively. Too often in the past, equity sharing has been portrayed as an offbeat finance "scheme." However, under the guidance of a seasoned equity-sharing specialist, this form of finance is a godsend to those who are otherwise priced out of the home buying market. Anyone who doubts this, need only talk to the hundreds and hundreds of satisfied families that our company has assisted through the years.

Cutting-edge fine-dining restaurant with elaborate tasting menu, solemn servers and profound wine list? Done that. Elegant patisserie turning out pretty pastel macarons and gold leaf-adorned chocolates? Oui. Contemporary French bistro complete with cheese bar and handcrafted cocktails? Done that too. So what else can Sona, Boule and possibly have in his sights? Italy. Last month, the 35-year-old chef and Patina alum opened his take on Italian cuisine and la pizza with Pizzeria Ortica.

David Myers, the chef-entrepreneur behind Sona and Comme Ca in West Hollywood, has gone south to O.C. to open his first Italian restaurant with former Valentino chef Steve Samson as executive chef. It's a pizzeria, to borrow a publishing tag, "in the spirit of" Pizzeria Mozza, the Nancy Silverton-Mario Batali powerhouse in L.A. So, in addition to pizza, the kitchen turns out an array of antipasti and some pastas (this, Mozza doesn't do) and main courses.