A New Kind of Pop-Up: Heirloom LA Opening The Salon to the Public

Mathew Poley at Heirloom LA's Salon/Photo: Max Wanger

Heirloom LA's lasagna cupcake kings, caterers and food-truck stars Matthew Poley and Tara Maxey will soon open their semi-private dining room, The Salon, to the public. Few have had the opportunity to dine in the space for private events, often joint efforts with other great local companies like Handsome Coffee Roasters or Habit Wine. Ok, we have, and had some dynamite fried green tomatoes that were picked off the vines only hours before our meal. But the dinners are smart casual evenings, part pop-up, part underground supper club, part dinner party.

The evenings generally start in the back near the garden boxes, where you'll sip cocktails, listen to great tunes and chat up a good crowd in a sort of outdoor living room. You move inside to the dining room where Poley stands in the middle of a custom-made round wood table and creates dishes like carrot panna cotta and deconstructed pasta fagioli. It's called The Salon because it's a former hair salon that abuts the Heirloom LA kitchen and offices, but by the end of the night after all the chatter and nibbles and sips, it feels like a salon in the literary sense. That is, if you're sitting next to someone interesting (chances are good you will be).

Poley tells Eater that they'll start making those dinners open to the public, with plans for more partnerships with chefs and other food artisans. The next one will be with the chef from Sushi Yuzu, a wonderful hidden gem in Toluca Lake (if you haven't been, seek it out). We'll keep you posted on when and how to get in on it.