So! The fact that Dolce Group replaced Ketchup with Lemon Basket is no secret, and the fact that Lonnie Moore and Mike Malin of Dolce Group have signed on to participate in a VH1 restaurant series called Famous Food, is also no secret. Now, let's rewind for a sec and revisit our original Ketchup shutter post in which a tipster brought word that a production crew was spotted on site, and that supposedly a new reality show would be shot at the venue. THEN, last night, circa 9:30PM, Eater spotted a gaggle of guests?/production crew? clustered outside the venue. And per Moore's Twitter feed, Lemon Basket actually officially opened last night. A call over the to restaurant confirms the aforementioned (here's the number for a resy: 310-289-8590).
If one plus one equals two, then Lemon Basket plus Dolce Group equals THE restaurant featured on Famous Food. Eater hears that cast members, The Bachelor's Jake Pavelka, reality personality Heidi Montag, Real Housewife Danielle Staub, singer and actual ex-prostitution practitioner Ashley Dupre, Three 6 Mafia members DJ Paul and Juicy J, and former Sopranos star Vincent Pastore will be at the venue throughout this week as they attempt to "run" the restaurant. Holy jesus.
In other news, Lemon Basket serves a contemporary American menu helmed by an executive chef who apparently hails from The Hudson.
·Lemon Basket Wipes Away The Ketchup [~ELA~]
·Dolce Group's Ketchup Closes For "Remodel" [~ELA~]
·Famous Food: VH1's 'Celebrity' Restaurant Revamp Show [-EN-]
Update: We just talked to Lemon Basket PR who claims that the restaurant only opened for the show last night and publicly debuts next week. However, we called the restaurant about an hour ago and were advised that Lemon Basket officially opened to the public. Does this confused transfer of information have anything to do with the above listed cast members?