Santa Monica’s Bar Fortuna makes its Main Street debut on Wednesday, October 21. Chef and owner Brian Bornemann’s charming, almost 40-seat restaurant is barely a three-minute walk from his noted seafood restaurant, Crudo e Nudo. Here, Bornemann draws on his personal connections with vendors to keep prices as low as possible for diners while maintaining high quality. The result is a compelling eight pastas prepared on-site; an enjoyable selection of starters (many sourced from the Santa Monica Farmers Market); exquisitely prepared proteins; French, Italian, and California wines; and a cocktail menu that rivals any other in the Southland.
Bornemann grew up on Ocean Park in Santa Monica; he created Bar Fortuna to make dining out in his neighborhood affordable and accessible. “There’s some good pasta options in town, but they’re either wildly expensive or dinner time only,” says Bornemann. “I don’t want to replicate a Roman street food dish and charge $34 for it. We also chose a smaller space to keep our team focused on quality. Plus, with cocktails, we should be able to make the margins work.”
Jyan Isaac Bread comes with butter from Achadinha Cheese Company in Petaluma. The burrata is also made locally, and the zucchini carpaccio, fennel salad, shrimp-stuffed squash blossoms, and more capitalize on access to the region’s most popular farmers market.
Bornemann dives deep into his experience as a fledgling chef in Italy when it comes to the pastas, all made with Mojave Desert-based Tehachapi Grain Project’s Sonora flour. Bar Fortuna’s pasta menu will change regularly; current standouts include spaghetti with Venus clams, thick spaghetti-like pici sauced with broncha cheese and fresh black pepper, and a simple pesto fusilli. The secondi or mains section includes a pasture-raised chicken puttanesca, grilled spiny lobster, and a serrano-laced squid-ink fried rice with soffrito and crab.
Veteran barman Noah Castellanos (Playa Provisions, Piccalilli) stocked the bar and developed a three-section drinks menu. “I like developing stuff like jazz, riffing with people who have good palates and like to have fun,” says Bornemann of Castellanos. Three spritzes include the Elise, prepared with bergamot, Bordiga Rosso Vermouth, prosecco, and lemon peel. Choose from five Negronis: The La Fortuna is shaken with Gray Whale Gin, California-based Atost Aperitif, vermouth, and saline. The Spaghetti Western’s a refreshing combination of Hijos de Zoila Espadin, apricot, and Yuste Amontillado Sherry. JD Plotnick (Lou Wine Shop) curated Mediterranean climate wines, even selecting some from his personal collection. Castellanos will also build Bar Fortuna’s forthcoming daytime coffee program, given his background as owner of Santa Monica’s One Cedar.
Anyone familiar with the shuttered Vamos Vamos will recognize a bit of the former tenant straight away at Bar Fortuna. It’s impossible to miss Fortuna’s yellow flag waving above the terracotta-colored facade, the fresh flowers throughout, the long bar, and the bistro tables and chairs. Bornemann and Joshua Montoya (Vin on Rose, Vin on Rose Fromagerie) worked with Meraki Haus Designs’ Daniel Sina Jahanian to brighten the interior on Main Street between Pier and Ashland Avenues.
Bornemann insists he’s just a local chef who loves his neighborhood: “I like having the chance of being able to apply stuff. I like walking to the beach so I can hop in the water, I like cooking what I like cooking, and I like doing it here.”
Bar Fortuna’s full menu is available Wednesday to Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday to Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. They’ll serve late-night bites with cocktails until midnight at 2917 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90405. Find reservations on Seven Rooms.
Dining and Cooking