Photo by Alen Lin, 2/11/08

We got word from Yuji Isawa, the now-former exec chef of La Defence in Koreatown. This didnt' take long:

"Due to many bullshit and politics, I have left to go into a more professional environment. Please, La Defence, take my name off of all your website, menu, etc... I am not willing to represent any of myself to such a restaurant, if that's what its supposed to be...go back to being a room bang or karaoke club..."

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WEST HOLLYWOOD: We received the above snap and this from a tipster: "Looks like this place is getting ready to open at the West Hollywood Gateway, next to BevMo." All we know at this point is Crazy Rock'N Sushi applied for and will probably get approval to sell beer and wine. Oh, and with a name like Crazy Rock'N Sushi, expectations for crazy good sushi aren't high. [EaterWire Inbox]

SILVER LAKE: LA Mill has finally settled out of its soft-open phase and extended the hours this week, adding dinner service. The menu is still all Cimarusti: Arctic Char(tar)tare, smoked salmon risotto, that pork belly BLT. Adran Vasquez's pastries and desserts are offered all day. It's still not Starbucks and not really a coffeebar, so all the haters should be over that by now. And anyway, what's not to love about someone who signs off, "Buon Appetito! Or as they say in Iceland, Verði þér að góðu!" on the menu? Opens every day at 7am, closes 10pm during the week and 11pm on weekend nights. [EaterWire Inbox]

KOREATOWN: Do two things go better together than fried chicken and karaoke? We think not. The NYC-import BonChon Chicken finally opened at 6th and Catalina, just a few short greasy fingers from Kyochon chicken. BonChon promises "minimized fat, high in protein, and low in cholesterol." And karaoke. [Angelenic]

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Here, with our fancy new photo gallery, is La Défence, the Euro-Asian-karaoke spot that opened in the most unlikely of places---what we affectionately call the Wilshire Twin Towers, the white structures fronted by a pigeon-filled fountain on Wilshire Boulevard, catty-corner to the Aroma Center, just a block east of the Wiltern Theatre. Why so specific: You'd never find it otherwise. There are no signs (yet), and you can't see it from the street. Located on the ground-floor of the east building, the dining room at La Défence is meant to look "French villa," but the outside-inside ambience looks more like the Vegas Strip than Koreatown. Chef Yuji Iwasa was exec chef at Koi, so far-fetched combinations like penne "carbonara" with uni cream sauce make sense; more recognizable dishes like miso black cod and sushi are on the menu, too. A high point: 17 private karaoke rooms that hold two to 25 people (and cost $30-$70 per hour, with drink minimums or bottle service). We're not sure if sounds of bad karaoking waft into the dining room, but this place is already a cacophany of ideas; it probably blends right in.

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It's a new year, a new season for restaurant openings. See something debut? Know something is on its way? You know what to do.

Bar area at Bistrotek

WESTCHESTER/LAX: After some delay, the Custom Hotel officially opened its restaurant Bistrotek and Hopscotch Lounge a couple weeks ago. According to the website, Bistrotek "features an open and airy loft-style space with sky lights and exposed pipes, polished concrete floors, distressed brick walls, pendant light fixtures, an old-fashioned, smoke-colored banquet, a wood-paneled dining bar and a vine-enclosed outdoor patio." And yet, it says nothing about the menu. Caroline on Crack went for cocktails, grilled cheese and shrimp sliders, so there's that. Hopscotch Lounge is in an area above the pool and outside, so waiting until "winter" passes is probably the best option. (8639 Lincoln Blvd., 310.645.0400)

SANTA MONICA: As reported earlier, Buddha's Belly opened this week. It's on the ground floor of the Hotel Carmel, serves a similar menu to the Beverly Boulevard location, but has a full liquor license. Buddha loves a good cocktail. Opens at noon daily. (205 Broadway, 310.458.2500)

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WEST HOLLYWOOD: Spotted on La Cienega near SMB: Amoon Ra. On the side of the building is a fancy silverish sign. Nightclub? Restaurant? We have no idea what it is or who owns it, although we did see that they were hiring staff about a month ago. Anyone? [~ELA~]

MID-CITY/THIRD: Sweet shop Kiss My Bundt is expected to debut at 8104 W. 3rd Street by March. It will have, yep, you guessed it: Mini bundts, baby bundts, a big 'ol bundt...lots of bundts. [Blackburn and Sweetzer]

KOREATOWN: A family-run Japanese restaurant called Ruby Table will open in the Mercury building at Wiltern and Western in February. The owner says it will be a "fun, casual place to go with your friends and family.” And his or her aunt is the chef. New option for shows at the Wiltern, perhpas. [Angelenic]

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The Prince from Flickr user Sadjeans

As we turn the clock to another new year, word comes from the L.A. Time Machine (via Eating L.A.) that days at the classic Prince restaurant might be numbered.

Readers of this site have been telling me that there may be big changes for the Prince Korean Restaurant a year or so down the road. I don't know what these changes are, but when one considers that the place is already perfect and very historic, this possible change, if true, is of great concern to me. I consider the Prince to be the second most important and best preserved historic restaurant interior in Los Angeles (after Musso's), as well as being one of the top five best "time machine" and cultural restaurants in general in Los Angeles. I hope people will investigate the situation and impress upon the owners of the restaurant and the Windsor apartment building how important the place is to you and Los Angeles in general.

HOLLYWOOD: The above snap is of The Waffle, an "upscale 24-hour diner concept with a full bar" from the combined efforts of chef Scooter Kanfer-Cartmill and "two Hollywood heavyweights." According to the Craigslist ad for cooks, The Waffle is scheduled for January. Workmen on-site yesterday, as were skateboarders using extra plywood for ramps right out front. The restaurant anchors the NW corner of the 6255 Sunset building right across from Magnolia and the Bowery. [PLYWOOD]

KOREATOWN: Do two things go better together than fried chicken and karaoke? We think not. Angelenic has it that NYC-import BonChon Chicken will give nearby Kyochon chicken a run for its money when it opens in the Royal Plaza on the northwest corner of 6th and Catalina. BonChon promises "minimized fat, high in protein, and low in cholesterol." And karaoke. [PLYWOOD]

Photo via Tiki Central Forums

Remember that the beloved Lowenbrou Keller closed in August, and fears that the Bavarian wonderland would become just another plain boring ol' restaurant, or worse. From an antsy reader: "I'd love to know what's being done with the venerable-but-recently-defunct Lowenbrau Keller on Beverly. I've seen lots of comings and goings and I hate to think of such a bizarre old landmark being turned into a karaoke joint or something."

Well, friend, we can't make that promise. We heard it would become a lounge that would keep the famous decor intact, and we still only have breadcrumbs: The new tenant is Medusa, owned by the Wanton Group, which also backs one of the Chin Chin restaurants. We have no idea if the interior is the same or if it will be; we don't know if there will be karaoke or any other "entertainment." But we're about to find out. Stay tuned.
· Breaking: Lowenbrou Keller to Close this Month [~ELA~]
· Lowenbrou Keller Closing When Food Runs Our [~ELA~]

KOREATOWN: Earlier we wrote that Josef Centeno is on his way out at Opus, and it's true: He's leaving, just not as soon as one might think. The chef said (via PR) that he is looking for his own place, but he won't leave Opus until everything is in working order (new menu, etc.), "probably eight or nine months out." Obviously there's worry that his departure might curtail business, which is probably true. But we wonder if things get settled quickly at Opus, or if he finds a spot he can't pass up, if he'll be out sooner. Until then, bacos for all!
· BREAKING: First the Opus Tasting Menu, Now the Chef? [~ELA~]

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KOREATOWN: Knowing that Opus did away with those fabulous inexpensive tasting menus created at the whim of chef Josef Centeno, this tip that we got late last night doesn't come as much of a suprise: "Josef Centeno will be leaving Opus. That will effectively render Opus utterly useless in my book. He is in the works of opening a new smaller restaurant in Silverlake specializing in his tasting menu." We're yet to hear it from the horses mouth, but as we said, not so shocking. Centeno got high marks for his avant-garde approach to seasonal cuisine, created wacky "baco" night, fed people for under $40. PR worked overtime to make sure he was covered in all the right places (Food & Wine, Angeleno, etc.). The Hounds adore his tasting menus; Jonathan Gold said, "The last time I was in, the waiter confided that Centeno may tend to run out of ideas around course 14 or 15. Eight seems about right." Silver Lake is the right choice for the chef, but with Oaxacan cuisine and lunch service on tap, sounds like the restaurant is going in a completely different direction. It certainly won't be the same without Centeno's vision. Story developing.
· Opus goes Oaxacan [Eating L.A.]
· Magnum Opus [LA Weekly]

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One more after this, folks. Stay with us...

(5) WHAT NEIGHBORHOOD DID YOU WANT TO TAP IN '06? WHAT ONE IN '07?

Lonny Pugh, editor in chief and dining guru, LA.com: Koreatown and Little Tokyo remain, for me, shamefully underexplored. In 2007, lots of ink will continue to be spilled on cities Culver and Century.

Anne Alderete, Tuna Toast, or as some might know her, Tokyoastrogirl: I'll say Hollywood. So many new restaurants sprung up and I haven't had time to try them all. I've been to Dakota, 25 Degrees and Magnolia but have yet to try Citizen Smith, Lucky Devils, Hungry Cat, eat or Memphis.

Rosie O'Neill, Colleen Cuisine: 2006: West Hollywood (3rd/Beverly/Melrose) or Little Toyko. 2007: Little Ethiopia (Fairfax)

Pat Saperstein, Eating L.A.: For 2006, Downtown. I still haven't checked out Royal Clayton's, Blue Velvet, Tiara or all the other places that opened this year, but it looks like there might be life in the old central city yet. For 2007: Can the San Gabriel Valley be considered a neighborhood? If so, the communities of Monterey Park, San Gabriel and Arcadia offer an array of Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants that would take years to thoroughly explore.

LB: The same answer for both questions. Any neighborhood that's flush with ethnic eateries: Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Sawtelle, Little Ethiopia, San Gabriel Valley, etc.

· The Year in Eater LA Part 1: Top Newcomers [Eater LA]
· The Year in Eater LA Part 2: Top Standbys for '06 [Eater LA]
· The Year in Eater LA Part 3: Favorite Meal [Eater LA]
· The Year in Eater LA Part 4: Biggest Surprise [Eater LA]