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.
Apparently, there have been some cracks in the House of Myers. In September, Myers’ Swiss partners pulled out of the business, and Sona filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors. A settlement with a lender forced the sale of assets, including much of the restaurant’s million-dollar wine inventory. And in March, Myers announced that Sona, where a fashionable crowd could indulge in nine-course tasting menus and plenty of Bordeaux, would close its doors.