Hey, look! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Mega Plywood! Welcome to tomorrow's restaurants today. Got something on deck and can't wait to tell us about it? The tip line is always open.
HOLLYWOOD: Everyone who ever walked, drove or stumbled past the Arclight over the last couple years has seen the Club Sushi sign hanging on the front space next to Charcoal. In 2007, it said "Coming in 2006," and recently it said "Coming in 2007." But it's 2008 and still nothing. A few tipsters saw some action recently, lots of construction workers, etc. We now know it's from the same owner as Club Sushi in Hermosa Beach, which has been around since 2006 serving everything from sushi to pizzas, pastas, salads and sandwiches. Peek inside: The space attached to the Arclight is huge. [PLYWOOD]
HOLLYWOOD:Tokio on the Cahuenga Corridor is slated to become Ecco, "Hollywood's first eco-friendly lounge." According to LAist, the lounge will have an organic menu, use eco-friendly cement, LED lighting, waterless urinals and air-pressure toilets. Entourage's Adrian Grenier will document the reconstruction for his new show Alter-Eco. [PLYWOOD]
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PASADENA: Sad day for beer aficionados in the 'Dena: Crown City Brewery will close after May 31. From lafoodblogging: "Crown opened in 1988 just south of Pasadena’s Central Park and began serving their Arroyo Amber and Mount Wilson Wheat to the masses. On top of their house beers, the pub stocks over a hundred bottled beers and 30 more draft beers, an astonishing selection for our burg. Until the brewery finally broke down in 2002, Crown held the distinction of being Los Angeles’ oldest operating brewpub. Pasadena’s Craftsman Brewing picked up the slack and provides the pub with its flagship brews." The closure is blamed on inadequate parking, tough competition and, most importantly, the landlord's refusal to grant a new long-term lease. The remaining partners are searching for a space to reopen. [lafoodblogging]
So many restaurants opening everywhere, so little time. Care to share a debut for The Dish? Drop it right here in the tip jar, please. Thank you and come again.
BEVERLY HILLS: The Plywooded Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop spark some reader interest, which generated our interest, which generated the newsletter frenzy this week. The gourmet, eco-friendly, fast-cas spot has salads, sandwiches, sides like golden beets with goat cheese, roasted white truffle potatoes, green lentil salad, as organic as it can be, seasonal and local. They're using energy-efficient cars, scooters and bicycles for delivery, too. Open for lunch only, 11am-4pm. (9671 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.246.0756)
PASADENA:Plywooded just a couple weeks ago, a former Sushi of Naples manager opened Oba Sushi Izakaya on Glenarm near the 110 entrance. For those living in the area, the promise of new and maybe even better sushi and izakaya without having to trek to Little Tokyo or the somewhere west is really appealing. Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner daily. (181 E. Glenarm St #110, Pasadena, 626.799.8543)
Montrose is becoming quite the little foodie village, what with places like Bashan, Ingredients and even Zeke's to some degree. Now we have Three Drunken Goats, named for the Spanish cheese Drunken Goat that's soaked in wine for two to three days, plus the three main guys---two owners and chef---who may also soak in wine from time to time. It was Goudas & Vines, a fairly large and newish wine store, but the owners wanted to do something with all that space, so they added some tables and a nice bar, changed the name. There's still a retail wine element, but now you can get an array of nibbles from chef Jason Machaud, who opened both Cobras & Matadors locations. Expect the same Spanish tapas inflections on this menu. Lots of Spanish wines to go with those, too, and prices aren’t astronomical. Fitting for the nabe, for sure.
Three Drunken Goats Tapas, wines, no drunk goats
2256 Honolulu Ave, Montrose, 818.249.9950 Lunch 11am-3pm, bar menu, dinner 5pm
This here is South Pasadena's historic Gus's Barbecue anew. Now owned by the brothers Bicos, Chris and John who also own The Original Tops in Pasadena, the space was completely gutted, renovated, refreshed. The old red booths are gone, but there are now plasma TVs, black-and-white photos on the walls, a Southern barbecue-meets-California vibe. More importantly, the menu was also revamped and updated with lots of salads, burgers and barbecue that many say is actually edible now. If the Bicos can get permitting, expect parking lot barbecue weekend parties sometime soon. Early, early reports here, and further reading here and here.
Time once again for the EaterWire. Got something for the tip jar? Well, drop it. Casual nights at Ingredients
MONTROSE/GLENDALE: Things are going well for Michael Ruiz's gourmet shop/casual eatery Ingredients, which he opened after leaving Bistro Verdu to become Bashan. There are now more opportunities to get the small plates menu, and the Thursday tasting menus are going so well that he's looking to add more nights to "accommodate the demand." New hours are Tue-Fri (4pm-9pm) and Sat (12p-9p). [EaterWire Inbox]
BEVERLY HILLS: Looks like the May 1 debut for Greenleaf was just a tad ambitious. The made-to-order salad shop will open on May 8. [EaterWire Inbox]
We might poke fun at how many of Pasadena's restaurants should be on the Deathwatch (and are), but wandering through Old Town we noticed a lot of activity, especially on DeLacey Street, sometimes known as a black hole for restaurants. The best way to handle it is one fell swoop. On to the Plywood!
1) Spitfire Saloon: This is the working name for a new Smith Brothers venture, the owners of Pasadena's Smitty's Grill, Arroyo Chophouse, Parkway Grill and Crocodile Cafe. The location: DeLacey's Club 41 (Delacey Street between Colorado and Green). Hard details are still under wraps, but there will be a major renovation, American cuisine, some barbecue items, and a summer debut. [PLYWOOD]
2) Dena House: Directly across from Spitfire is the Dena House, an American-steakhouse-sushi restaurant opening in what was last Union Cattle Co. The owners also have the Hill Street Café in La Canada and promise the bull will be gone, but the brewery stays. For the record, nothing has lasted in that space for too long (Pasadena Brewing Company, Jerry's Deli, etc.), so we'll see how this goes. [PLYWOOD]
S. Irene Virbila checks out the new train depot restaurant in Pasadena and finds it comfortably suburban: "Shrimp ceviche is fresh and delicious, if short on firepower. There's a chopped salad, an orange fennel salad with Marcona almonds; and for fans of Brussels sprouts, there's one made with that veggie, Manchego cheese and dried cranberries...But back to the burgers: The cheeseburger is hefty and satisfying, though the fries could use some crisping…It's all decent and hearty, but there's nothing here to get the foodies running like lemmings. The staff is trying so hard with a menu that has something for everyone that you can't help but like this genial newcomer." [LAT]
On the surface, Pinkberry and Beard Papa's are completely different---frozen yogurt substance is nothing like cream filled choux pastry. But side by side, the two companies share a lot of similarities, most notably how they're both multiplying across the land. Is this a good thing or bad? Let's take a look at the numbers:
1) Origins: The first Beard Papa opened in Osaka, Japan. Pinkberry opened its first store in Los Angeles, insists that the concept was inspired by a trip to Italy, but it closely resembles frozen yogurt shops found all over Korea.
2) Ingredients: Both Beard Papa and Pinkberry claim to be "all-natural," but the vanilla cream puff has only 14 ingredients, all real, no perservatives. Pinkberry, as we now know, has 23, most of which are perservatives, additives and fillers.
ECHO PARK: We mentioned yesterday that El Prado looked like it was open but there was really no telling what it was, when it was, or what it served. Turns out that's exactly what the owners want: "Everything — drinks, food, music, and even the tableau set with bags of apples and a vintage bike — is subject to change. There’s no telling when." For now, it's Belgian brews, radish and butter sandwiches, maybe some charcuterie and cheese. [Daily Candy
Big news from the Langham Hotel (formerly Ritz-Carlton) in Pasadena. First and foremost, Craig Strong will stay on as chef de cuisine for The Dining Room, which recently got a Michelin star, made LA mag's Top 75 and gets generally high marks all around. According to hotel reps, the restaurant decor will finally get a much-needed update---it's fine now, comfortable, just a little staid---and there's a new sommelier. Additionally, the poolside Terrace restaurant will become a French brasserie but will continue breakfast, lunch, dinner and the Sunday champagne brunch. Plans and budgeting are still being worked out, so these changes probably won't even start until late fall, to be finished sometime in 2009.
· Ritz-Carlton Changes to Langham: What About Craig Strong? [~ELA~]
· Craig Strong's Next Move [~ELA~]
Once again, we round up some of the latest openings in The Dish. See something debut? Let's hear all about it. Via Eating L.A.
MID-WILSHIRE: The fate of Doughboys on Third Street is still up in the air---we just called the Highland location for info yet again and got a pause, more hesitation, then "yeah, I don't really know what's going on over there"---but a new Doughboys will open next to the El Rey Theatre tonight. We asked about this new location and were told: "You know, everyone's really busy getting a new restaurant open, and I have tables waiting for me, so I have to go." And yet we still throw business their way. (5515 Wilshire Blvd, Phone TBA)
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Big news from the Langham Hotel (formerly Ritz-Carlton) in Pasadena. First and foremost, Craig Strong will stay on as chef de cuisine for The Dining Room, which recently got a Michelin star, made LA mag's Top 75 and gets generally high marks all around. According to hotel reps, the restaurant decor will finally get a much-needed update---it's fine now, comfortable, just a little staid---and there's a new sommelier. Additionally, the poolside Terrace restaurant will become a French brasserie but will continue breakfast, lunch, dinner and the Sunday champagne brunch. Plans and budgeting are still being worked out, so these changes probably won't even start until late fall, to be finished sometime in 2009.
