5 Questions for Sascha Lyon

Sascha Lyon is executive chef of both French-Mediterranean restaurant Delphine at the W Hotel in Hollywood and southern Italian-inflected Soleto downtown. Lyon moved to California after working for 17 years in New York at restaurants such as Daniel, Pastis and Balthazar, as well as his own restaurant, Sascha. At Delphine, he focuses on breezy seafood dishes. At Soleto, which opened in the financial district in the former Zucca space, Lyon’s Italian menu is rustic and straightforward: meatballs marinara al forno, pizzas with tomatoes and goat cheese or bacon and potato, homey pastas and secondi such as pan-seared scallops, roasted chicken and dry-aged New York steak.

What’s coming up on your menu? Something cheesy, creamy and delicious! I have a feeling we have a wet winter ahead of us this year in Southern California, or maybe I’m just nostalgic for the Northeast. Either way, I’m craving rich, sharp, smooth cheesiness. It will definitely manifest itself in many forms, and it’s all about the cheese. Every week we will be featuring specials at Soleto with amazing cheeses.

Latest ingredient obsession? Vermont Creamery Bonne Bouche goat cheese. It’s everything I have been hoping American cheese could be. When I lived in France as a child I fell in love with the distinct characteristics of the Loire goat cheeses, especially Selles-sur-Cher.... I have always wished a cheese producer in the States would embark on the journey to produce a goat-milk cheese that rivals those of the Loire. Finally my dreams came true.

What restaurant do you find yourself going to again and again? El Coyote for the shrimp quesadilla.

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives? My Sharpie. And a tasting spoon.

The last cookbook you read — and what inspired you to pick it up? TED Talks. It’s not a book but a collection of lectures by the most progressive minds in every industry. I love the lectures by Peter Reinhart, Dan Barber and Malcolm Gladwell, to mention a few. They are insanely intriguing.

Soleto, 801 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, (213) 622-3255, www.innovativedining.com/restaurants/soleto; Delphine, 6250 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 798-1355, www.restaurantdelphine.com.

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