EaterWire: Zen Zoo Still Eyeing Westside, New Chefs for Rustic Canyon and La Poubelle

LOS ANGELES: After Zen Zoo closed its Brentwood and Beverly Hills locations, owner Alfred Ritter said they would look for a new space to reopen. It hasn't been easy. From the Zen Zoo newsletter: "Many of you have been asking when Zen Zoo Tea will return to the Westside (we miss you too!)...While we've considered some options, we have not been able to find a location that best fits Zen Zoo's business and operational needs. If you are able to help speed up that process, and you have a direct contact for a location lead (for the Santa Monica and Brentwood areas only), please e-mail: realestate@zenzootea.com." Not sure blasting your email list is the best way, but it couldn't hurt. [EaterWire Inbox]

New chefs at Rustic Canyon and La Poubelle, next >>

The Shutter: Minibar Closed, Chang's of Brentwood For Sale?

Time once again for The Shutter Report, a recap of what's closed or is closing. See something shutter for good? The tipline is all yours.

CAHUENGA PASS: A tipster writes: "I think Minibar is closed up shop. Called there tonight and the number is out of service and the place is all shuttered up." The number is disconnected and an email to the one of owners bounces back, but the website is still fully intact, so we suspect this happened rather recently. No word on the why, but this is a good example of a restaurant that opened at the right time (2004, when Hollywood's "Cahuenga Corridor" was really filling in) and got some good press, but it never became much more than a neighborhood hangout. Too often, that's just not enough. [EaterWire Inbox]

BRENTWOOD: We don't have firm confirmation on this, but here we have a real estate listing for an unnamed Chinese restaurant with a new patio in Brentwood that's been open for 35 years. There's only one restaurant that fits this description: Chang's. No one at the restaurant will confirm that it's for sale (unless you're an interested buyer), but there's little chance it's anything else. With news that Dutton's will close after 23 years in April, and the Hamburger Hamlet closed after more than 40 years---but will become a Suzanne Goin/Caroline Styne restaurant---change is definitely afoot in the tony Westside enclave. [ELA]

BREAKING: Goin, Styne Get Hamlet Brentwood

This story just got so much bigger in the last five minutes. Yes, the Hamburger Hamlet, which opened more than 40 years ago, closed unexpectedly in Brentwood on Friday, but the real story: We have it on good authority that Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne have dibs on the location for a new restaurant. We don't have specifics on the venture yet, but we do know the Hamlet group is a silent investment partner. As we understand it, they didn't want to just renovate this location and rebrand it as Hamlet, sans Hamburger, as it did with its other locations. It will be all Goin/Styne, something that fits the growing upscale dining scene in the nabe; don't expect a casual burger joint. Although a gourmet burger a la Goin doesn't sound half bad. Story developing.
· The Shutter: Hamburger Hamlet Brentwood [~ELA~]

The Dish: Fred's Mexican Café, Pinche Tacos, Seoul Bros., Cabo Cantina and MORE

Here we have another rendition of The Dish, a slew of new openings around town. This week seems to be the Mexican addition, but if you have any newcomers to your 'hood—with or without margaritas---drop it here. Rocks, no salt, please.

PASADENA: Replacing Moose McGillicuddy's on the corner of Colorado and Arroyo Parkway is Fred's Mexican Café, a Cheesecake Factory of Mexican food (huge portions) with wacky décor a la Hard Rock thrown in for good measure. The one kind of chain Old Town didn't have was Mexican, so this could work. It even has a woman making tortillas by hand in the window. King Taco has nothing to worry about: Two completely different beasts. (119 E. Colorado Blvd., 626.304.9955)

PASADENA: Confirmed: Seoul Bros. Korean Grill opened for lunch today. They're open every day from 11am-9pm, and it sounds bus-ay already. The menu is quite limited, but maybe it will grow down the line. Note: No kimchi. Really? (851 Cordova St., 626.795.1777)

Those Pinche Tacos and more Mexican madness, next >>

EaterWire: La Provence Expands, NYC's Wolfgang's Steakhouse Coming, El Chavo Answers and MORE

SILVER LAKE: Regarding the question about the space next to El Chavo we posted a few days ago: According to Eating L.A., Melanie Tusquellas is renovating "the former private banquet room and make the restaurant and bar more spacious." Tusquellas, who also owns Edendale Grill, bought El Chavo last year. [ELA Comments]

BRENTWOOD: We received a note that La Provence, owned by French pastry chef Farshid Hakim, will open a second location in the Brentwood Gardens (11677 San Vincente Blvd.) by the end of this year. The new shop is a bit larger than the original in Beverly Hills and will feature vintage home décor items alongside the pastries, tarts, cakes and café fare. Is it us or is Brentwood the new sugar-rush-bakery mecca of LA? [EaterWire Inbox]

NEXT: Steak trumps tofu and choclate drive-thrus in Beverly Hills >>

The Swirling Point: Pinkberry Shutter Rumor Control

Foodette at Restaurant Review World just queried: "I heard a rumor that the Pinkberry that just opened in Barrington Ct (Brentwood) is closing already! Could it be true?" Well, we did say the Swirling Point, the Great Melt, was nigh, but we still get Pinkberry Groupie emails telling us another one has taken root in some strip mall somewhere. So we can see it, just don't believe it. We did what any self-respecting froyo-watch blogger would do: We called the Brentwood Pinkberry.

EATER: Hi, um, is that Pinkberry closing?
SWIRLER: Closing? No. We're open.
EATER: You just opened, right?
SWIRLER: Yeah, this summer.
EATER: So, you're still open, still swirling, not closing any time soon.
SWIRLER: Yep. Still swirling.

Whether that's true or not is yet to be seen. This could've been an eight-dollar-an-hour swirling kid who wouldn't know if his shoes were tied. Or it could've been the owner thinking he gets the craziest phone calls. Juice/smoothie shops are on their way out, nudged by Pinkberry and similar frozen treat shops. No doubt Pinkberry will eventually take the same route.
· Pinkberry Rumor Alert! [RRW]
· Tough Times for Juice? [blogdowntown]
· The Frozen Yogurt Wars Cont. [~ELA~]
· Frozen Yogurt Wars: Has It Reached the Swirling Point? [~ELA~]

EaterWire: Prego Now Forte, Montana Lounge Officially Closed, Meltdown Opens for Breakfast, Winston's New Sibling, and MORE

Sorry we're a bit bare today, but we've been busy culling our inbox for all the juicy news. Got something to say? Say it loud, say it proud.

BEVERLY HILLS: We don't exactly have the reason why the switch, but Prego on Camden Dr. is now called Forte. The owners are new, but the menu, staff, and chef is all the same. From a watcher: "We had a feeling things really did not change when we looked inside the restaurant and they were serving bread sticks (just like Prego did)." [EaterWire Inbox]

SANTA MONICA: The whole brouhaha over SBE's interim Montana Lounge has finally ended, as of this weekend. Knowing that Café R&D will soon move in, we got word from our Montana Ave. spy: "I walked by today and saw workmen swarming and a thank-you sign from SBE on the window. SBE notes on the sign that they're looking for more locations, some on the Westside." [EaterWire Inbox]

CULVER CITY: The grilled-cheese spot Meltdown officially opened for breakfast today. Now the café serves from 8am to 3pm, adding a roster of melty morning goodness like smoked salmon with dill-chive cream cheese on rye, three-cheese scramble, and more. [EaterWire Inbox]

DOWNTOWN: From Blogdowntown we learn that "acclaimed restaurateur" John Valencia has signed on to bring a 6,000-square-foot restaurant and 5,000-square-foot lounge to the Union Lofts at 8th and Hill. Supposedly going in the former bank building's vault and safety deposit area. From the press release, "John Valencia, is a long-time restaurant, lounge and nightclub operator with a history of success in both Los Angeles and the South Beach section of Miami Beach." Never heard of him, can't find anything about him, but we're all ears if you know. [Blogdowntown]

NEXT: More news about Trifecta, the newest from Winston's Andy Fiscella, Downtown goss and MORE >>

EaterWire: New Nobu News, Pink Taco's Debut, Bistro Verdu Closed, Questions Answered and MORE

As any good EaterWire should, we have a little Shutter, a little Dish, a little Plywood, and answers to some questions from last week. Got something to share? Hit us with it.

WEST HOLLYWOOD: They may have been hiring a few months ago, but we heard from GM Justin Wyborn that Nobu LA will open in October. By the looks of the construction site, that sounds about right. The Rockwell Group, designers of several other Nobu locations, is the design firm. [EaterWire Inbox]

CENTURY CITY: Harry Morton's first LA outpost of Pink Taco opens on Friday. Because of this, we see the humor in having Men Without Sex play the invite-only opening shindig on Thursday. [EaterWire]

SANTA MONICA: Last week a reader asked about the Grateful Bread bakery opening on Montana Ave., and we have an answer: "The Grateful Bread is actually an offshoot of local Brentwood establishment, Belwood Bakery. There is no relation to the Grateful Bread in Seattle. It is pretty much going to be the same operation as Belwood Bakery, but with a different more baby boomer friendly name. Please pass on the info to the readers." Done! [EaterWire Inbox]

BEL AIR: According to the LAT, Olivier Rousselle, former exec chef at Michael's and Camden House in Bev Hills, has taken over the restaurant at the Luxe Hotel on Sunset Blvd. The restaurant is now called On Sunset, not to be confused with ONE Sunset just down the way a bit. [LAT

NEXT: New gelato in Culver City, Bistro Verdu closed, Encino, the OC and MORE >>

EaterWire Westside Edition: Free Red Mango, Seats Almost Gone for Next 5x5 Dinner, Another Le Pain & MORE

So much EaterWire, so little time. We tried splitting it all up today, with the Westside (and a little Hollywood-ish thrown in) below. And we'll have more Eastside news on Monday. Until then, let us know what's goin' down in your hood.

WESTWOOD: Red Mango is "the official dessert" of the LA Film Festival, which starts this weekend. Why do you care? Because next Saturday, June 30, at the corner of Broxton and Weyburn in Westwood, you can get yourself some free Red Mango. What's Red Mango? Oh, there's a little info here, here, and here. [EaterWire Inbox]

BRENTWOOD: A reader asked what was going in the now shuttered Zen Zoo Tea and Pane Fresco spots in the Brentwood strip mall near the Country Mart, and more than one person responded: Le Pain Quotidien is moving in. From one: "Trade your nebulous boba balls and commercialized feng shui for $12 open faced sandwiches that are actually worth the price." The second part of the inquiry was about an empty space in the Country Mart. Officials told us it will be Taqueria Frida from the owners of Frida in Beverly Hills, and it's still a couple months out. [EaterWire Inbox]

SANTA MONICA: The 5x5 Chef's Collaborative dinners continue, with the next one slated for Mélisse on July 29. Josiah Citrin will host, with Michael Cimarusti, Christophe Eme, David Lefevre and Angelo Auriana helping out. We're told there are only 10 tables left between 9 and 9:15pm. Call 310.395.0881 to snag one.

NEXT: New wine, cheese and bakeries in SM, a churrascaria in Century City and MORE >>

The Shutter: Zen Zoo Closed, Brentwood Strip Mall Empties Out

Time to jump off the food/chef/cooking show bandwagon (until next week, that is) and get back to business. First up, a mini Shutter, news on what's closed/closing around town. Know something we don't? Let's hear it.

BRENTWOOD: A concerned Westside reader sends a note about the rash of empty spaces popping up in the strip mall at 13050 Vincente Blvd., near the Country Mart:

"There have been a few recent closings in Brentwood, in the small commercial strip of San Vicente east of 26th Street. Boba tea emporium Zen Zoo shut its doors two weeks ago, and the former Italian restaurant Pane Fresco a few doors away is also empty. The stand in the Country Mart near that sold drinks and ice cream is abandoned too. Wonder if anyone knows if anything is planned for these locations?"

We called the Zen Zoo headquarters and were told that they lost their lease on the Brentwood location, which opened in 1998. Co-owner Alfred Ritter said that they are looking to reopen a spot nearby, but until then, the Hollywood and Beverly Hills locations are still open. Pane Fresco sits in the same strip mall, which also holds the still-open Nagao. What gives? We're a little unfamiliar with that corner, so if anyone knows anything about that little plaza, we're all ears.

Zen Zoo picture from Yelp

City Bakery to Paris: Get-Out-of-Jail Spice Cake

Leave it to Maury Rubin to take advantage/make light of the Paris situation. A reader sends this snap from the City Bakery in the Brentwood Country Mart this morning. Forget gourmet cupcakes: the Paris Hilton Visitor's Cake is a spicy little number, like her, with a nail file stuck through the middle. Brill.