When Table 8closed for renovations and reopened last year to reveal what we affectionately called a "goth coffee shop," there was no doubt that something went terribly, terribly awry in conceptualizing the new vibe. Was it a designer gone wrong? Did the owners not stand firm ground? Either way, the black leather-purple look just didn't feel right with Govind Armstrong's seasonal California menu. There was a serious identity crisis going on, which more often than not leads to a quick demise. So it came as no shock when we found out Table 8 will close in its original location and move to the Chocolat space on the corner of Melrose and Kilea.
Former Flor Morena and all. that. parking., Wildbell, Flickr
Readers, neighbors, people who wanted that parking lot expressed a lot of interest in the former Flor Morena space on Rowena in Silver Lake. Therewere rumors, but a Hound finally has the scoop:
News! Progress! The Flor Morena space in Silverlake will officially be the new location for Michelangelo. The guys hope to be open in early summer. Their last day in the current space on Silverlake Blvd. is 5/28.
Michaelangelo was just another pawn in the game of Silver Lake restaurant musical chairs, first announcing problems with the landlord would force them to close, then Josef Centeno was interested in the space, then the landlord was crazy again. It's good that they're staying in the neighborhood and good that it's a neighborhood spot moving in instead of some, some outsider. This makes three of the last five SL rumors now dispelled and/or verified. So what's going on with Eat Well, the current Michaelangelo space, and Back Door Bakery?
· The Flor Morena Mystery [~ELA~]
· Flor Morena = Michaelangelo [Chowhound via Eating L.A.]
· Silver Lake Rumor Mill: Flor Morena, Eat Well, Crazy Landlords [~ELA~]
Looking at these brand new images inside Anisette (as opposed to stalking from outside, you can really start to get the scale and scope of Alain Giraud, Mike Garrett and Tommy Stoilkovich's new Santa Monica brasserie. We hear final inspections are afoot today and if all goes well, maybe expect the first petit dejeuner by May 26; dinner shortly after, around June 5. How does one say 'brace' in en français?
· GiraudTracking: Anisette Revealed [~ELA~]
We took a spin around Westwood's new Hotel Palomar today, mostly to check out the restaurant, Blvd 16. The hotel, a former Doubletree on the Wilshire corridor, was renovated and now owned by the Kimpton Group; it opens May 8, but Blvd 16 won't debut until Saturday May 10 for breakfast and dinner (lunch to follow). The 92-seater has an earthy, warm palette, lots of wheat, chocolate and barley tones, dark floors, and a splash of color from artwork. Huge metal ball light fixtures create cool swirly reflections on the ceiling. Exec chef Simon Dolinky was recently at sister property Hotel Salomar in San Diego, but did time at John Besh's August and Cobalt in New Orleans. He's going for the seasonal, ingredient-driven menu with things like roasted beets and watercress salad, ribeye with balsamic, arugula and crushed fingerling potatoes, slow-roasted lamb chops (here's a peek). The wine list has a California and domestic slant, and there will be fresh-fruit cocktails, natch. This could be a good addition for the Westwood/UCLA crowd wanting something more than Napa Valley Grille's enormity and the W's ridiculous valet charges.
Blvd 16 at Hotel Palomar Cocktails, breakfast, hidden
10740 Wilshire Blvd, Westwood, 310.474.7765 Breakfast, dinner daily; lunch starts soon
Whoa. Still awaiting confirmation, but the huge rumor at last night's Chefs & Champagne event on Melrose Place is that Walter Manzke is no longer executive chef at Bastide. Owner Joe Pytka lured Manzke from the Monterey peninsula to reopen Bastide after being shuttered for almost two years; it only and finally opened in September '07. If true, it's still unclear whose decision it was. We didn't see him but heard Manzke was at the event, and we don't know if Bastide had a table but they were offering Champagne, chocolates and suckling pig sliders (dear God, someone serve those all the time) in the leafy garden patio. A few chefs confirmed the rumor not with words, but in code: Sometimes just a look and a nod explains it all. Story developing, plus a C&C Hangover Report soon. UPDATE: Totally confirmed.
· It's Official: Walter Manzke in at Bastide [~ELA~]
· CONFIRMED: Bastide Officially Opens Tomorrow [~ELA~]
· Eater Inside: Bastide [~ELA~]
This snap of the de-papered Anisette and note came in from a Santa Monica operative: "Took a quick peek in on my way back to the office. Looks pretty complete to me -- the bar is even complete with bar stools. Could they be opening sooner than later? Obviously, whether the kitchen is ready is another story..." Another tipster saw a lot of movement---cars, people---at the restaurant last night, but we were assured it was just a private event. It may look complete, but we're told there are still a lot of details that need tending to, and that the opening date is still mid-May (breakfast first, then lunch, and dinner by the end of the month). Alain Giraud fans: Start the countdown now.
· Plywood Update: Anisette [~ELA~]
· EaterWire: Anisette Update [~ELA~]
Clare over at Rainy Days & Sundays has become quite the Centeno stalker (we kid; you're doing just fine, Grasshopper). She popped over to his new Lot 1, which opens next Monday, May 5 in Echo Park, and spotted the menus hanging in the window. Above we have the a la carte menu, served nightly except for Tuesdays, which is reserved for weekly changing tasting menus. The daytime baco menu has five choices (crispy pork belly and short rib carnitas; panko-crusted fish; crispy eggplant and escabece; lamb sausage; chicken confit). Weekend brunch looks interesting. Excitement is stirring.
· Flore, FoodJiva, Lot 1 Menu! [RDS]
· Big Baco News: Centeno in Echo Park [~ELA~]
We just took a spin around The Americana at Brand, which is still heavily under construction as all the workmen, staffers, groundskeepers and head honchos put final touches on everything for the May 2 debut. It's really quite frantic, especially with the various tour groups being led through the sawdust. We had a small preview yesterday, but today's TAAB gallery comes in two parts. First up, the new Katsuya, the third and largest of the SBE/Katsuya Uechi resto chain. Some fun facts about the space, next.
We got an email late yesterday: "I was having a late Sunday snack at the Waffle this afternoon with a friend when we noticed a HUGE plume of black smoke coming from behind Magnolia. I was parked right in front of Magnolia, so I decided to hightail it and moved my car a couple of blocks over. As I was walking back, I noticed it was the wooden building behind Magnolia (which I'm almost certain is Off vine) fully ablaze. Fire trucks came within 10 minutes and put out the fire within a half hour or so. I'd be really bummed out if this was Off Vine; I'm hoping they'll be back on their feet soon." Sad, but true: Off Vine suffered severe fire damage from the blaze that started around 5:20pm. The restaurant was full. From the LAFD blog:
Firefighters arrived quickly at the popular 'Off Vine' restaurant to find nearly 90 dinner patrons and staff safely evacuated from the 1,652 square-foot building, a century old one-story craftsman style residence with a modern attic conversion to form a two-story restaurant.
With much of the restaurant well-involved with fire, Firefighters mounted a bold offense against the stubborn flames that had taken hold of many recesses within the much-remodeled structure. The progressive fire attack, combined with strategic vertical ventilation, allowed Firefighters to confine the damage and extinguish the flames in just 34 minutes...Loss from the fire has been estimated at $450,000 ($300,000 structure & $150,000 contents). The cause of the swift-moving blaze was determined to be electrical in nature.
An eyewitness told LAist: "You could feel the heat taking over. It was scary how fast the fire engulfed the upstairs." Two firefighters suffered injuries, and dozens stayed to help salvage valuables like the wine collection and business records from the basement.
NEXT: Owner Richard Falzone says they will reopen >>
As opposed to the New York joints replicating across LA, George Abou-Daoud creates his version of New York for LA. Delancey is his second venture in a long line of plans, and it finally opens to the public tonight. Part of what we call the the Delancey Compound, the space, with its pressed-tin ceilings, dark wood floors, brick arches, leather booths and bistro tables, shows nothing of its former self. He calls it an "Italian gastropub" with an East Coast vibe, meaning it's the same kind of service as his other place, the Bowery, a few blocks away (no reservations or hostess, but table service), and a menu full of classics like spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parm, zeppole, and, as we tasted at a preview party last night, some excellent homemade cannoli. The chef gets a little fancy with dishes like speck with quail egg and tallegio cheese, homemade pastas, and filet mignon with procini butter, but only one passes the $20 mark. In the bar, there are even more spirits than the Bowery, 20 beers on tap, great wines by the glass. It might not be the old neighborhood, but once Abou-Daoud's done with Hollywood, it will certainly be a neighborhood.
Last summer, a car crashed into Cindy's Restaurant on Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock, and after a couple months and a decent patch job, the diner reopened. But now Cindy wants to retire and rejoin family, so Cindy's is up for sale. Calling all hipster would-be restaurant operators: The hope is that the classic diner---built in the 1940's as an early Route 66 roadhouse---will be kept intact. Someone can finally do something about the food, too. Interested? Call 818.755.2737 for more info.
· Car Crash Closes Cindy's in Eagle Rock [~ELA~]
· EaterWire: Cindy's Reopened [~ELA~]
From our picnic table perch on the patio, it looked like things went as expected for the Father's Office 2.0 debut: The place filled to capacity after the first hour, people got pissed that they couldn’t find a seat, the bold sat with strangers, beers flowed freely. To those who still whine that FO should add a waiting list and servers, we'll channel owner Sang Yoon for a moment---It's a bar, not a restaurant, and bars don't have wait lists for tables. And really, if he hasn't changed it yet, there's little chance he will. There was a moment when we thought FO wouldn't open at all, even with 40 people waiting outside, but the doors swung wide a little after 6pm. By 7pm, all the tables were full, people were waiting in the wings to pounce; the line that started at the door continued most of the night and finally fizzled after 9pm. Part of the problem was those patio picnic tables. Totally made for lingering, they're comfortable, with heat lamps when it's cool, no car exhaust from a crowded street, easy access to the bar and good sightlines to see who's walking in and out. Prime property. You think the tables at FO, the Original, were coveted? Oh no, friends, not even close.
Father's Office 2.0 Waits, beer, burger, no ketchup
3229 Helms Ave, Culver City-adjacent; 310.736.2224 Mon-Thu 5pm-1am; Fri-Sat 12pm-2am; Sun 12pm-12am
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Whoa. Still awaiting confirmation, but the huge rumor at last night's Chefs & Champagne event on Melrose Place is that Walter Manzke is no longer executive chef at 
