"The culmination of Isla’s flavors and scenery feels perfectly at home on Main Street in Santa Monica — a surprising statement in itself, given the years of ho-hum dining on that Westside drag. Now Isla is here to turn the party up another notch, with Bornemann, Culhane, and Murphy pulling out all of their hospitality chops to make this stunning newcomer shine."
"At their Italian-inspired raw bar Crudo e Nudo, partners Brian Bornemann and Leena Culhane serve a rainbow of simply prepared, skillfully dressed fish, scallops, prawns, uni and beyond. But their new sibling concept, Isla, is all about getting hot. At the restaurant, meaty slices of trumpet mushrooms, thick wedges of duck breast, whole spot prawns and stuffed fish all get the wood-fired treatment."
"It’s easily one of the Westside’s best new restaurants this year—and if you don’t live in the area, this little Santa Monica bistro is worth schlepping for."
"Chef Brian Bornemann and designer Leena Culhane’s pandemic pop-up turned Santa Monica stalwart of raw seafood, Crudo e Nudo, has earned a devout following that can now follow the pair down the street to their second restaurant, Isla. There, a dusty-pink dining room centers on a wood-burning oven and promises all the same thoughtfully crafted, locally sourced seafood—only, here, there is also meat, and it all gets cooked over fire."
"A chef and a touring musician meet during a global pandemic … No, it’s not the start of a joke, it’s the story behind Leena Culhane and Brian Bornemann, partners in a couple of Santa Monica restaurants."
"The space is upscale, but still neighborhood-y with plush banquettes and an open hearth surrounded by seating. Grilled skewers make up most of the menu, ranging from chicken hearts to kanpachi in orange-koji marinade, and we suggest making them the centerpiece of your meal. They’re small, fall into the $8-$12 range, and are uniformly excellent, so if you’re a table of two, order all of them and fight over your favorites. Round out dinner with an absurdly fresh citrus salad, crispy calamari with macadamia nuts, and a house gin and tonic or two. Or three. It’s warm out."
