From our most successful Name That Venue run ever, the teensy Bodega de Cordova on Fairfax officially closed. According to signage, it's now Sheddy's, which will have its grand opening March 14-17. From the former Bodega owner, a goodbye note:

It's been a great three years and we've loved serving you, but I am passing the torch to a friend for the next great time. Bodega DeCordova is going to new ownership in February.

A few things will change but the beer & wine will remain so stay tuned. The new bar will re-open in March 2008 with a very cool new vibe.

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WEST HOLLYWOOD: This email intrigued us, and we don't have the answer. Perhaps someone else does: "The old Cha Cha Cha space on Santa Monica Blvd (the one now painted light-of-god-white and which was supposed to be turned into a restaurant accompanying the neighboring new nightclub at 7969) has several for lease signs on it. What's the word? Did the Davis Bros project fall through? But I so hoped for a venue for celebu-couple break up dance offs!" If you know the answer, drop it in Comments.
· EaterWire: Cha Cha Cha Loses Color [ELA]

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Here, a few Plywood sightings in our fair city. See something moving in, renovating, changing? The tipline is always open.

CULVER CITY: Here's a snap of the new M Cafe de Chaya on Culver Boulevard between Main Street and Ince (right next door to Pacifico’s restaurant). Owners hope to open in mid-April. The menu will be the same as the original on Melrose, it will have indoor and patio seating for 60, and a much larger grab-and-go section. [EaterWire]

WEST HOLLYWOOD: From a reader: "Across from my office in the former Tangerine space at Sunset/Holloway the notice for alcohol service hours extension has been removed and the Isla sign has been added. They've been remodeling over the past few months. I hope they're gonna reopen Woody Harrelson's Oxygen bar (pictured) that was there a few years back. That was a GENIUS concept." [EaterWire]

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Why Albano's closed remains a mystery, but we've learned that the owner will open an Italian restaurant replacing Sebastian's in Toluca Lake. Yes, the very same Sebastian's that was Kitchen Nightmared to the point of shuttering. Since Gordon Ramsay and crew "renovated," we wonder how much work really needs to be done, and we assume someone from Albano's is more likely to use fresh pizza dough and the woodfired pizza ovens. According to the help wanted notice (all staff, "perfect for actors and actresses"), the new restaurant (though unnamed) will open in about two weeks. Related: Enzo's, replacing Albano's on Melrsoe, should also open within the next two weeks.
· Sebastian's Kitchen Nightmare [~ELA~]
· The Shutter: Sebastian's of Toluca Lake [~ELA~]
· Enzo's Replacing Albano's [~ELA~]
· New Restaurant Seeks Full Staff, Hiring Immediately [Craigslist]

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Exterior rendered; interior under construction (courtesy The Guide)

Now that the Forty Deuce business is out of the way, we have more details on Cafe Was, Ivan Kane's new restaurant going in the former Schwab's space at Sunset + Vine: Official PR verbage mentions "a theatrically bohemian-chic hideaway" with a grand staircase "leading to nowhere," a room with paintings on the ceiling, and a balcony with "a mysterious lavish candle display." New York design firm RKIT is in charge of all this boho-ness. Kane told The Guide: "The main room will be so warm and inviting that Alicia Keys could drop in unannounced prior to the release of her CD and the 100 or so people there will be the luckiest people in the world." We're still waiting on menu/dining details. The plan is to open in April or May this year.
· Ivan Kane Comes Home, Taking Over Schwab's [~ELA~]
· Night Lines [The Guide/LAT]
· Breaking: Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce Closing [~ELA~]

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1) Because Americans just can't get enough of Nordic-sounding names, soon the Luma building at 11th and Hope streets will have Hygge, a 6,362 square-foot restaurant with piano music, "acoustic guitar and/or a jazz singer." Loosely translated 'hygge' means 'cosiness.' Give up on the pronunciation? Hu-gah. [Angelenic]

2) That empty storefront we eyed when taking pictures of Mode when it was still promising will soon be home for the B&G Cookie Company, known for delivering homemade goodies in cute little brown valises. The space (916 S. Olive St.) will be a bakery for the mail-order business as well as a retail shop. Perhaps the sweetness will have more luck than the malaise next door. [EaterWire]

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PASADENA: Yes, the Dena is rife with chains, but this one actually makes sense. Roy's Hawaiian is coming to Colorado Boulevard near the Laemmle Playhouse movie theater and Vroman's bookstore, in the ground floor of the newish Trio building. Roy Yamaguchi got his start here in LA in the late 70s-early 80s, but moved to Hawaii to open Roy's in 1988; now there are 34 locations worldwide (the last to open in LA was downtown). There are some OK restaurants in that nabe, but it definitely needs some oomph. If they bring it, it will be huge for post Playhouse and movie crowd. [EaterWire]

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Cecconi's in London

Pulling the old switcheroo on everyone, the Soho House will not be taking over the former Morton's Restaurant on Melrose, as planned. The private club will take up permanent digs on the top floors of a high-rise at 9200 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood (just west of Doheny). They'll hold a few Oscar Week parties this year, but will permanently open in 2009. And what of that Melrose location? Nick Jones & Co. will open an offshoot of Cecconi's, an Italian restaurant founded by a former Cipriani's manager in London, and now owned by the Soho House Group. For LA, that means another sceney transplant, and yet another menu of carpaccio, lobster ravioli, risotto and Bellinis. Official word about the change: They're not officially announcing why, but "are excited to have two properties in Los Angeles." Should the Soho House decide to stick with this plan, expect the restaurant to also debut in 2009. Related: PR for Morton's Steakhouse still trying to clarify that Morton's on Melrose was not the Morton's Steakhouse on La Cienega. Who's not getting that?
· End of an Era: Morton's to Close This Year [~ELA~]
· Soho Group posts up in Hollywood [Variety]
· Morton's to become Cecconi's; Soho House moves to Sunset [The Knife]
· The closed Morton's restaurant... [Chowhound]

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We're so glad our day with the Food Dudes, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, did not entail their friend Lou trying to bulls-eye his mouth with his own, um, stream. As wrong (but funny) as that is, we still have a soft spot for those crazy cooking kids. A lot has happened since our visit: 2 Dudes Catering came and went on the Food Network; execs said they were "too wild" and the show wasn't renewed after the five-episode run. Their long hair has since been shorn and donated to Wigs for Kids. They named their forthcoming restaurant Animal, and it's on the fast track for a May opening. The concept is still a work in progress--but big dreams for a "weed dispensary slash really great restaurant" were bandied about. Dude.
· Food, Dude! Stoner Caterers [LA Weekly]
· The Food Dudes: From Food Network to Fairfax [~ELA~]

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The Kress building, pre construction

More details about The Kresson Hollywood Boulevard are trickling in. The building--originally the Kress department store, but more recently Frederick's of Hollywood--has some good bones, and they'll be put to good use. Michael Viscuso, who owns On Broadway in San Diego and V20 in Long Beach among others, plans a restaurant, a basement lounge/bar (with "one of the world's only octogonal bars"), banquet and event space, and a rooftop lounge and patio (with firepits!). The restaurant---they were going to call it Mr. V's, but decided to just keep The Kress--is all Chinoiserie with Deco elements, a nod to the building's glory days. The chef is one returning Troy Thompson from Jer-Ne at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey; he went to Vegas to open David Burke last year. We're told construction on the restaurant is complete but continues on the rest of the building, and Viscuso wants to open the entire thing all at once, so don't expect a debut too soon. But soon.

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La Fonda, renovating, Angelenic

Who saw this one coming? Last we heard about La Fonda, owner Nati Canto closed it in October, and rumors swirled that it might reopen downtown in the Eastern Columbia building. Apparently someone bought the shuttered mariachi haven on Wilshire, renovated the space and will reopen on Valentine's Day. There's a new chef, new menu, and, yes, the mariachis will be back. So, what of that downtown rumor? Is Canto still planning something at 9th and Broadway? What, if any, restaurant will go in that space? So many questions.
· Renovated La Fonda on Wilshire Reopens February [Angelenic]
· More Details on La Fonda's Rebirth [~ELA~]

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