The Shutter: Goa-ing, Goa-ing, Gone
Bye, bye, beautiful. Photo by Thomas Hencz
Just a few weeks ago we caught wind of police raids of Goa's over-capacity crowds, design adjustments for a "misinterpreted" dance floor, and threats to serve "the best sushi in the city" to appease licensing issues. But apparently tossing some tables and raw fish into a nightclub do not a restaurant make: Goa shut down August 9, reports the LAT.
Michael Sutton says he and co-owners Adolfo Suaya and Ted Fujita tried their damnedest to make it work: "I did the best that I could under the circumstances." Goa was operating under a "47," an on-sale general eating permit and their beverage license expires next month, so it was really only a matter of time. At least they're helping the staff cope: The article says former Goa employees were working the preview of Apple Lounge last week.
· Goa shut down [LAT/The Guide]
· Oh, Goa Really Does Want to Be a Restaurant Now [~ELA~]
· Sushi Goa? [~ELA~]
· Goa Attempts to Reimagine Itself [LAT/The Guide]
Oh, Goa Really Does Want to Be a Restaurant Now
Photo by Thomas Hencz
Now the texts touting "best in the city" sushi at Goa make sense: Michael Sutton, Adolofu Suaya and Ted Fujita are, in fact, trying to remake what's been widely perceived as a nightclub into a restaurant. And just as suspected, it's because police and fire department crews have been called in "over concerns about crowds exceeding capacity and concerns that Sutton and the other owners are operating the business in ways that conflict with their current license," says the LAT. The team will work with designer Kris Keith to reconfigure the space, add more dining tables and put one big booth in the middle of a room that's often "misinterpreted" for a dance floor. Sutton says: "Our problems are a consequence of our own success. Because we are so hot, along with that comes a lot of scrutiny from the city." Wonder if they'll still kick people out of those new dining tables at 10pm?
· Sushi Goa? [~ELA~]
· Goa Attempts to Reimagine Itself [LAT/The Guide]
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Sushi Goa?
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A text from Goa, the Michael Sutton and Adolfo Suaya "supperclub" on Cahuenga, from the weekend: "Full Yu & Mi Sushi menu by owner and exec chef Ted Fujita. Best Sushi in the City!" with a phone number for reservations. And this begs the question: Goa serves food? Words like "dinertainment" are used on the website, but it's nothing but dancing, asshole bouncers, expensive drinks, getting kicked out for bottle service from the Yelpers (with a fun little story of what sounds like a police raid, to boot). We suspect the sushi push has something to do with licensing and permits---without the proper license for dancing, a place has to serve food so it doesn't look like a nightclub. At least they could make it believable: Goa is not the first place that comes to mind for "the best sushi in the city." [~ELA~]
BREAKING: Charcoal To Become Gaucho Grill
When Adolfo Suaya and Michael Sutton opened Charcoal at the Arclight last May, it should've been an automatic winner: There's a built-in post-movie crowd and a full bar. But after barely a year, Charcoal will become the new Gaucho Grill flagship. Reps say Suaya closed the original Gaucho Grill, which he opened on Sunset and Laurel in 1987, because of "landlord issues." Of course, if Charcoal was a huge success, it's a safe bet Suaya would reopen in a new location vs. taking over an existing restaurant. Details are sketchy, but there are rumblings about a closure, renovations and a debut "in a few months." We don't know if Sutton will stay involved (he generally partners on non-Gaucho projects), or whether they'll rethink that ridiculous "no change" policy. Stay tuned.
· EaterWire: Gaucho Grill WeHo [~ELA~]
· Coinless Charcoal [~ELA~]
· Eater Inside: Charcoal [~ELA~]
Los Angeles Restaurants Knee-Deep in Recalled Meat
The California Department of Health released a partial list of Southern California butchers, markets, and restaurants that received shipments from the 143 million pounds of beef from the Westland-Hallmark Meat Co., the largest meat recall in American history. The list is insane---59 pages and growing---filled with places where one might expect to find bargain meat: taco stands, small meat markets, Albertson's, Millie's in Silver Lake, several Hooters and Bob's Big Boy locations, long-gone spots like Johnie's Broiler in Downey and Beadle's Cafeteria in Pasadena. Some others caught our eye: Hamburger Haven on SMB in West Hollywood, Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks, El Tapeyac, and How's Market in North Hollywood.
But then we spotted The Lodge Steakhouse in Beverly Hills. The Lodge? This was supposed to be Michael Sutton's and Adolfo Suaya's prime steakhouse. Many a celebrity has been spotted there. We've eaten there (right when it opened in 2005). Miss Irene gave it one star. We confirmed with the restaurant that Adolfo Suaya officially sold his stake in the Lodge (contrary to what his PR told us months ago), but interestingly enough, Suaya's first restaurants---Gaucho Grills in Pasadena, Studio City and Woodland Hills---also got meat from Westland at some point and time.
The recalled meat is from over the last two years, so there's a chance that if you've eaten at any of these places, you've probably consumed it. The DOH claims there are no health risks, but you'd know that by now, wouldn't you.
· Better Know a Burger [The Food Section]
· Eater Thinkage: The Meat Recall and In-N-Out [~ELA~]
· Why Recall Two-Year-Old Ground Beef? [Slate]
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