A few WeHo operatives sent word that Topz, the "healthy" burger joint on SMB, closed: "No more aero-fries, chopped salad, or make-your-own sodas. Oh well." Ah, don't fret, a new "healthy" burger joint is moving in! A few weeks ago we talked with Andy Soboil and Martha Chang, owners of the new O! Burger, who will be opening in the former Topz location. What's O! Burger got that Topz doesn't? From the owners:
"EVERYTHING is made with certified organic ingredients from our buns to our sauces, meats, vegetables and anything else that’s edible...the beef is organic grass fed, the turkey is organic free-range, the organic veggie burger is proprietary, our organic fries are baked and our O! Sauce (our version of 1000 Island) is house made with heart healthy ingredients. We are applying as much “green” as we can to our interior and we’ll use 100% eco-friendly packaging that is recyclable, compostable, and/or biodegradable."
That Topz was one of four locations in CA; we're waiting to hear if others are closing or opening. O! Burger was slated to open this month, and we know the windows are papered over but do not have a solid debut date. Stay tuned.
A reader sends a note that Chocolat on Melrose is closed up, dark, gone. This is not surprising. The only time we stepped foot in the place was to play "food critic" for some ridiculous reality TV show (true). The menu was all over the place, there wasn't a lot of business, the food was totally uninspired---abysmal experience, all around. But here's the fun part: Word is Table 8 will be the new tenant. Also not surprising. Govind Armstrong and Meridian Entertainment Group's restaurant opened under a Melrose tattoo shop to critical fanfare in 2003, closed for renovations in 2006, and then reopened as a dark den of incongruity in early 2007. The new Table 8 didn't seem to catch on---maybe it was the redesign, maybe it was more---comments were made, and the chef fought off closure rumors. OK, so a move isn't a closure per se, but it wasn't far off the mark. What will happen to the current Table 8 location? Will it finally become the lounge it wants to be? Will they dare use designer Thomas Schoos for a new location ? So many questioins. Full confirmation and details to come.
· Table 8 Tabled For Now [~ELA~]
· Eater Inside Table 8: So That's What It Looks Like [~ELA~]
· Govind Armstrong Says Table 8 Still Strong, Blames the Bloggers [~ELA~]
Passing through downtown Culver City the other day, we noticed the new signage on Rush Street, but as you can see, there's still a lot of work activity happening in there. Plywood still up, no glass in those windows, etc. We're told there's still a couple more weeks of construction left, which makes it unlikely it bows this month. If it happens in May, it will be just barely. The former sign shop will have a large sidewalk patio, a 35-foot bar (the largest, they say, in Culver City), a lounge and dining room downstairs, and a second-floor lounge with CC's only roof-top patio, and that friends, everyone wants for summer.
· Plywood Report: Rush Street [~ELA~]
· Plywood Report Culver City Edition: Gyenari, Chipotle, Rush Street [~ELA~]
HOLLYWOOD: This summer, Dakota at the Hollywood Roosevelt will offer dinner on the bridge overlooking Tropicana Bar and the David Hockney pool. Full dining experience Thu-Sat nights with---brace---access to the Tropicana Bar after. Also note: New(ish) exec chef Jason Johnston streamlined the menu over the last few months, and chef de cuisine Jeremy Strubel recently came on board. Reservations are recommended for the restaurant, required for the bridge experience (323.466.7000). [EaterWire Inbox]
WEHO: Landmark gay bar Micky's burnt down last summer and sat dark for months and months, but we have an update from a reader: "Rebuilding has begun. It seems they are now expanding the bar to include a restaurant and take over the previously unused 2nd floor. Kind of along the lines of what Eleven did. They are doing some major iron work across the front work and it seems like the project is pretty big in scale." [EaterWire Inbox]
Racked LA has it that the Whole Foods at Third and Fairfax is undergoing a huge expansion for your shopping and salivating pleasure. The store took over Wigs and Things, Anna’s Linens and the Thai Patio restaurat so it an grow an extra 10,000 square feet. We assume this means all the departments will get the blow-out treatment to look and operate like some of the newer ones around SoCal, but one thing to note for you eaters/drinkers: The CUP license mentions "wine tasting events." Yes, that means a wine and tapas barlike the ones in the fancy new Pasadena and El Segundo stores.
· Breaking Mega Expansion Alert: Whole Foods Third St [Racked LA]
· Liveblogging Whole Foods: Nothing Like a Glass of Wine Before Aisle 4 [~ELA~]
Last year, Skip Young told us all about bringing AsiaSF to Hollywood, a restaurant and nightclub taking over the former China Club space at 1600 Argyle. The owners were hoping for a fall '07 debut, then pushed to Februrary 2008, and now, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, it will probably happen sometime this fall. The Chron supplies a few new details: The architect is John Lum, who designed the original location, the two-floor space (bigger than the one in SF) will have a long Chinese red runway, big dance floor, and a 72-foot-tall dragon tail statue with LED lights at the entrance. And then we have the Ladies of AsiaSF, the "gender illusionist" servers and performers.
LA: News for breakfast lovers: The owners of Square One Dining---Phil Fox, Robert Lee and Hayden Ramsay---have sold the restaurant to John Himelstein of Gingergrass and partners D'nell Larson and Manao Davidson. Before you get your applewood smoked bacon in a bunch, the new owners plan on "keeping everything basically the same" except now they'll open on Mondays. [Eating LA]
SANTA MONICA: The owners of Montrose's Goudas & Vines turned the wine shop into Three Drunken Goats tapas restaurant, but are now planning another Goudas & Vines across town. Signage was spotted next to the second La Grand Orange location at 2000 Main Street. [EaterWire Inbox]
WEST HOLLYWOOD: If you're not busy on Sunday and have $275 burning a whole in your pocket, a reminder that the James Beard Foundation's first Chefs & Champagne event in LA will be happening on Melrose Place at 5pm. Greenspan! Citrin! Cimarusti! Fraser! Manzke! Myers! Colicchio!!! Champagne!!! [EaterWire]
Breaking news from West Hollywood today: the mid-June opening date for Gordon Ramsay at the London hotel has been upped to May 27---and the ressie lines are open! What's more, we have the menu for your degustation. You can definitely see the attempt at being more West Coast for his LA venture---spiny lobster and halibut, market vegetables, Sonoma lamb---plus some pork belly, lots of foie, and one "crispy duck tongue" garnish. More Gordon Ramsay description from the man himself in an earlier interview:
"If you think customers are impatient in NY, wait to you see how impatient they are here in LA. One thing I can't afford to get sucked up is the trend formation of restaurants here. I invested heavily, we have a 10 year lease, and the style, the feel and décor of the dining room is vibrant. The décor is very LA, lots of silver, nickel, brushed stainless steel, cream fabric. Fast and furious, a level of intimacy, a level of fun."
The winner of the current Hell's Kitchen season is supposed to become the "executive chef" of Gordon Ramsay at the London West Hollywood, but in reality it's just a glorified sous chef position, which is a good thing: Watching this season of HK, not one of those contestants deserve anythign more than dish detail. (1020 N San Vicente Blvd, 310.358.7788)
· Plywood Report: Gordon Ramsay at the London [~ELA~]
· Delays for Gordon Ramsay at the London [~ELA~]
· Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen Approach to HR [~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~]
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]
It's hard to make out from this reader-submitted cellphone snap, but it looks like the signage for Crudo Ristorante & Bar on Sunset Boulevard has been changed from "Coming Spring 2008" to "Coming June 2008." Crudo is Antonio Alessi's Italian newbie going into the former Norman's space---there will be a crudo bar, lounge, big (and newly covered) patio---and he was shooting for an April debut. We don't know what the hold ups are, but let's just assume the usual permitting issues have come into play. Summer Tracking it is, then.
· Spring Tracking: Crudo Ristorante & Bar [~ELA~]
Pinkberry may have celebrated their 50th store opening today (Free T-shirts! Meet the founders!), the ooze that they created continues. See another berry-fruit-yo-color shop opening somewhere? The froyo tip line is always open.
BEVERLY HILLS: The photo and a note from a froyo watcher: "Noticed a sign on the corner of Brighton Way and Canon for Yogen Früz, which has been around (and has a trying-too-hard-to-be-cute logo) since 1986. That was the LAST froyo craze, right?" Well, trends are cyclical. Let's go back a bit. Last year, we got a puffy email claiming that Yogen Fruz planned more than 300 stores for the U.S. by the end of 2008. According to their corporate blog, that number has increased: Now they want to open more than 1,000 locations in the States over the next 7-10 years. Los Angeles County is a target market for them, and this BH store might very well be the first one. [EaterWire]
More grab-and-go options for worker bees downtown: Lemonade, a cafeteria-style lunch spot from the people behind Jackson Someset Catering, opened a few weeks ago at City National Plaza. Chef and co-owner Alan Jackson talks up the menu as veggie-centric, healthful, with world flavors. You've got sandwiches, soups (chicken with kafifr lime and lemongrass; ancho chile braised pot roast), and side salads (snap pea and edamame, chicken with jicama, roasted beet) to mix and match. And, yes, lemonade. The Downtown location is only open during the week, but Jackson tells us their opening a second location in the former Tea Garden space on Beverly Boulevard in two weeks. Yes, this is the place several of you have emailed about. The space and concept will be just about the same---mostly to go, some table seating---but the menu will be more high-end. The Bev Hills location will stay open until 8pm, six days a week.
· Lemonade at Beverly and Almont [Blackburn and Sweetzer]
· Old Yellow: The Lemonade Stand of the Future [UD]
Bits and pieces and breadcrumbs end up in the daily EaterWire. Got some news to share? The tip line is always open. Anisette, before it was unsheathed
SANTA MONICA: A tipster ran into Alain Giraud at the farmer's market recently: "The brasserie (I called it a "cafe" and was quickly corrected) has an awning up and the windows are done in very typical brasserie style. Silly me forgot to ask him the opening date." That's OK. We hear it won't open until mid-May and will go against the grain and debut breakfast first, then lunch, and dinner will probably start at the end of May, early June. [EaterWire Inbox]
SANTA MONICA: Another SM tipster spotted signage: "I was walking tonight and it looks like Rockenwagner is moving something into the space next to the gelato place just off the Promenade (so said the papers hanging in the windows)." Details anyone? [EaterWire Inbox]
Well it's a big no to the Michaelangelo space and to Casa downtown: Josef Centeno will open Lot 1 around May 5-6. From Rainy Days and Sundays: "He's teaming up with the building owner and her son on this venture. He told me it'll be a real mom and pop style joint with no fancy frills, just good food. Josef will be serving his famous bacos during the day, and an a la carte menu for dinner service every night except Tuesday---that evening will feature a by-reservation-only tasting menu (ressies won't be taken for any other day, just for the tasting menu). The weekend will offer a brunch menu, and Sunday evenings will be a family-style menu of homey stuff like roasted chicken." (1533 Sunset Boulevard, Echo Park)
· EaterWire: Centeno Still Searching in Silver Lake [~ELA~]
· Neuvo Latino Downtown [~ELA~]
· Josef Centeno Back to Bacos [RD&S]
Palate Food + Wine from Patina Group alum Octavio Becerra was supposed to open in February, but, as seen earlier this month, it's not quite there yet. There's been progress since those pictures, but construction is still in the works and help wanted signs hang on the door and windows. Becerra gave us the scoop: Palate will be restaurant, wine bar and retailer, cheese cellar, and "eno-gastronomic library" on the ground floor of the seven-story Bekins building on Brand Avenue (former Cinnabar space). The food will be simple with Mediterranean sensibilities and seasonal and artisinal ingredients. Expect a robust wine list for dining and drinking in, plus retail, and a walk-in cheese cellar with more than 50 selections from around world, courtesy cheesemonger Sebastian Robin Craig from the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. And if all that's not ambitious enough, they plan to have more than 200 titles in the library---cookbooks, books on wine, cheese, coffee, culinary histories---for perusing. New debut date: May.
· Plywood Report: Becerra's Palate [~ELA~]
HOLLYWOOD: Getting testy with signage: "You know that Farmer's Market Kitchen that's supposed to have moved into the Sunset/Vine condos, like, forever ago? Staring at that dumb sign and empty storefront pissed me off enough to call the number on the sign: Someone actually answered and said the Kitchen will open in September." Delayed, again. [EaterWire Inbox]
VENICE: From a long-time reader, first-time tipster (but probably a shill): "A friend of a friend of a friend is working on a new restaurant on Abbot-Kinney in Venice set to be called Pascho to be opened in June. It's on the end of AK that is closer to Beechwood, on the block just beyond Stroh's. Great design with an OUTDOOR PATIO (!!!) in the back. The chef is from the W and they are planning charcuterie (no word on whether it's house-made) and tapas. To be casual yet high end. It should fit right in." [EaterWire Inbox]
EVERYWHERE: California Pizza Kitchen is saying "Thank You" to its fan base through May 16 by giving a "surprise" envelope for every check---which must remain sealed until the giftee's return to a CPK---with prizes that range from discounts to a whopping $25,000 payout. Either is better than the "surprise" topping Mike recently found on his chipotle chicken pizza. [EaterWire Inbox]
SBE talked the talk about putting a restaurant in the (now) former Privilege space at the corner of Crescent Heights and Sunset for years, but Sam Nazarian is finally walking the walk: Look for XIV ("Fourteen" for the Roman numeral-challenged), with Michael Mina at the helm, to open this fall. More from the LAT:
Mina, who heads a mini-empire of restaurants including the Michelin two-star Michael Mina in San Francisco and Stonehill Tavern in Dana Point, says XIV ("Fourteen") will open in early October, showcasing the "modern American style that I like to cook, with a lot of European techniques." Mina and SBE are marketing it as "social dining," a design-your-own-tasting-menu idea that is a sort of deconstruction of Mina's signature "trio" menus -- three small, single-themed dishes served on one plate. "It would be as if you were to take those and break them up into individual dishes," Mina says.
The plan always was to get a pedigreed chef on board---Jean-George Vongerichten, Todd English, and Ming Tsai were all bandied about---and bringing Mina to LA is huge. But it's not like LA was ever a first choice: After his original SF debuts, he opened restaurants in Vegas, Orange County, Atlantic City, Detroit and Scottsdale before he graced us with his presence. Still, it's an impressive addition to the Sunset Strip and to SBE's chef roster, which now includes Katsuya Uechi (Katsuyas 1-4), Jose Andres (at the SLS Hotel), and our favorite Top Cheffer Antonia Lofaso (Foxtail). We also commend their moving away from the name Slab.
· A chateau-style XIV to feature chef Michael Mina [LAT]
· Sam Nazarian, Dreamer: SBE's Plans for LA Domination [~ELA~]
· SBE Future: Foxtail, Jose Andres, More Katsuyas [~ELA~]
Coffeehouses aren't new to the eastside nabes of Los Feliz, Silver Lake and Echo Park, but the caffeine game has been altered with LA Mill and Intelligentsia on the scene. We're eager to find out more about this new spot coming to Echo Park, per a reader: "This location (NE corner of EP and Baxter, across from Elysian Heights Elementary School) is notable for how far north it is. Posted permit indicates that this long-vacant corner lot was once a gas station and will now be a 'coffee shop'... developers of lot have put up a 1956 picture of the property when it was a gas station, along with a couple coffee cup graphics and the permit to build. Pictures indicate that they are building an outdoor patio area." What we've confirmed: This will be Fix Coffee. Not confirmed: Basic details, coffee of choice, timeline, owners. We know, so helpful.
Sometimes there's just too much Plywood in Hollywood right now, and the only way to tackle it is in one fell swoop. Consider these mostly updates of projects we've been tracking over the last year or so. We're barely scratching the surface here, so if you know of something coming, changing, debuting, do let us know. Now on to the Ply:
1) Loteria Grill: The GM for Jimmy Shaw's Farmers Market offshoot says everything is full steam ahead for the Hollywood Boulevard Loteria, that opening should be mid- to late-May. We noted much cleaner Plywood than the last time we swung by, which is always a good sign, and peeking through the cracks you can see a lot of progress inside. Some early details from Shaw: There will be a counter like at the Farmers Market location, plus table seating and servers, an open kitchen, full liquor license for beers and good tequila, and a slightly expanded menu but all the favorites from the original. We noticed Walk of Fame stars for Perry Como and Jimmy Hendrix serve as borders for the storefront. That has to mean something. [PLYWOOD]
2) East: Just a few doors from Loteria is David Judaken's (Mood, Garden of Eden) new Asian-inspired concept. He tells us he basically built a new space from two elongated retail spaces. The chef he's been working with, Kevin Lee from Vegas, "thought out of the box…didn't regurgitate other people's menus." This means Chinese family-style, with Japanese and Thai-influenced dishes. Opening probably late-July to early August. [PLYWOOD]
We posted some rumors swirling around the Silver Lake shutters yesterday, but we now know one is absolutely false: Gloria Felix still has dibs on the Netty's space, it will still be Reservoir, and she's shooting to open in the second week of July.. She apparently got a lot of calls about what we wrote, so apologies for the bad info/bad intel. Working with business partner Darren Roberts, Reservoir will be "California rustic," seasonal, with its own herb garden. Felix, who's worked in some top kitchens in town (A.O.C., Lucques, Grace and Jar), said part of the delays were due to her time on Hell's Kitchen; she's currently one of Gordon Ramsay's sous chefs on the show, and they filmed two seasons back to back. About being on the show? "Since I wasn't a contestant," she says,"I was on the good side of Gordon. I actually learned a lot about myself as a chef." As for all the other rumors: Still rumor.
· Silver Lake Rumor Mill [~ELA~]
ECHO PARK: A tipster emailed that Mitchell Frank's (Echo co-owner) wine bar in the former El Prado space (1805 W Sunset Blvd) opened last Friday night; another went by and saw lights on yesterday. With the gate pulled during the day and no one answering the phone, we don't really know if it's open, if the name has changed, or if there's wine to be sipped, but anything's possible. [EaterWire]
DOWNTOWN: While his brothers Tanino and Giacomino are busy readying their new Beverly Hills restaurant Gitano, Celestino Drago is working his new project---Drago Centro, scheduled to open between the two Arco towers at City National Plaza in September. [EaterWire]
LA Metblogs takes a head count of various business that have gone under in Silver Lake, and it's not pretty on the restaurant/cafe/bar front. We have details on some of the empty "loooong gone and vacant" locations, which might cheer them up, but still a lot of unanswered questions. If you have some answers, the tip line is open:
Flor Morena: We were queried about the empty space last November, but recently got an email from someone who wants to know who owns the space, they want to lease it. Let us know, we'll play matchmaker.
Johnny’s Bar: Bobby Green, one of the Bigfoot Lodge owners, has dibs on this location. Still no hard details on what he has planned.
Netty’s: Last time we drove by it looked the same as it always did: closed, fenced in, not much work being done. It's supposed to become Reservoir, which was a partnership between Gloria Felix and pastry chef Elizabeth Belkind. Belkind, however, is working on her own bakery project. Felix became one of Gordon Ramsay's coaches on the current season of Hell's Kitchen, and taping could have added to the delays.
We save the remnants and tidbits for EaterWire. Got some news, goss, dish to share? We'll take it in tip jar, please..
MID-WILSHIRE: A reader queries: "Can you do some snooping into what Samurai Sam's is and when it will open? All of the workers at the office complexes nearby (including Variety, Us Weekly, E! Entertainment, The Weinstein Company, Dimension Films, SAG and more) are dying to know what the new lunch option will be. Everyone is sick of Baja Fresh, Koo Koo Roo, etc." Sorry to burst your bubble, but Samurai Sam's looks to be a Baja Fresh/Koo Koo Roo for teriyaki, in the same corporate family as Cold Stone Creamery and Blimpie subs. They toss around words like "fresh, crisp and healthy" a lot, so there's hope. There are others (Downtown, Manhattan Beach, Palms-ish) and another location slated near the Vermont station on Wilshire; both newbies have Q4 targeted as opening dates. [EaterWire Inbox]
As our brethren at Curbed have noted: Rick Caruso's Americana at Brand is just days away from its big Glendale debut. We drove around the construction site a few weeks ago and it's definitely its own little city in there, lots of activity, heavy lifting equipment, hard hats. What we couldn't do was get inside to get all the restaurant Plywood---and there's lots. Above is a shot of SBE's third (and largest) Katsuya location, which along with all of the other restaurants, will open on May 2 when the complex does. The roster includes: Frida Mexican Cuisine (from Beverly Hills), Cheesecake Factory, Granville Cafe; plus quickies like Pinkberry, Jamba Juice, Jody Maroni's, CrepeMaker, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Beard Papa; then something called Jewel City Diner, an offshoot of the Sunset Strip's Caffe Primo, and Richie's Pizzeria, which just opened another location in Santa Monica. None of these restaurants are particularly earth-shattering, and unless the traffic problems around Americana and the Glendale mall cease to persist, it's just as easy to get to the other locations. Plus, none compare to nearby Porto's.
· Americana at Brand vs. L.A. Live [~ELA~]
· Pre-Plywood Special: Katsuya Glendale [~ELA~]
· Americana at Brand, Part II: Weekend Construction [Curbed LA]
BEVERLY HILLS: Following the build-your-own salad trend, the Plywooded Greenleaf has piqued some interest. Tipster #1: "I took this snap on Wilshire Blvd next to Subway for what looks like a new made-to-order salad shop. I didn't want to intrude inside, but it looks they're still finishing up construction, but should be ready within a few weeks or a month or two at most." From tipster #2, "The website says opens May 1 but it looks like there is a lot of work to be done inside." May 1 is the target date, and you know, a lot can happen in *cough* two weeks. [EaterWire Inbox]
SOUTH PASADENA: We heard Gus's Barbecue would reopen as early as today, April 14, but as these things go, the public debut has been pushed to Wednesday, April 16. [EaterWire]
SANTA MONICA:Rustic Canyon might be losing a chef, but it gained a breakfast. Saturdays (8am-12pm), you'll find breakfast pastries like maple bacon scones, pistachio tea cake, frittatas, mimosas, Groundworks coffee. It's counter service, relaxed, and close to the Saturday farmer's market, just what every neighborhood could use. [EaterWire Inbox]
Larchmont Villagers, be forewarned: There will be a day, probably sometime in mid-May, when free cupcakes will be thrust upon you by Crumbs Bake Shop. And we're not talking mini-cakes with cute little candy dots on top. Crumbs are ginormous sticky-sweet flavor bombs like Oreo, Fluffernutter and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. The free thing, well, it's just what they do when a new store opens: In Beverly Hills free cupcakes were given to the first 1,000 customers.
· NYC to LA: Cupcake Wars of Beverly Hills [~ELA~]
· Yep, the Chains Are Coming to Larchmont [~ELA~]
· Sweet Monday: Crumbs Opens, Freebies [~ELA~]
The Westfield Century City mall is the new Asian food testing ground for Los Angeles. Ok, that's a stretch, but two groups are using the mall as a launching pad for new pan-Asian and dim sum concepts this summer. First up: Take a Bao. The above snap was sent to us by a local agency worker dying for something more than Panda Express and California Crisp, begging us to find out more. Here's what we know: The tagline is "reinventing Asian cuisine," which is what founder Brent Stein and chef Christian Lomas (former exec chef of AZ in New York) hopes to do with their take on the traditional steam bun. Stein says these will be more like David Chang's creations at Momofuku in New York than what you see on dim sum carts in San Gabriel Valley: the dough will be thinner, filled with things like pomegranate skirt steak or crispy fish; they'll be folded over and kind of flat, "like an Asian sandwich." Take a Bao's menu will also offer sides, salads and noodle dishes to mix-and-match. The space is designed by architecture firm Johnston Marklee, who also did the Hungry Cat. Stein has some heavy hitters on his team, too: Bob Spivak, founder of the Grill on the Alley and Grill Concepts, and his restaurant consultant business partner, Chuck Frank are partners. They're aiming for a mid-June launch.
The Culver City boom just won't stop! Now that all the independents are successfully purring along, in come the chains. Not all newcomers are franchises, but most. See some Plywood in your 'hood? Drop it in the tip jar, please.
1) Gyenari: From a tipster: "Walking in downtown next to the Culver Hotel and the movie theatre, there are some new developments. A Korean place placed a banner, the website has no real info, of course. Name is Gyenari." If our memory serves, this will be in the vacant building next to Rush Street. We don't have full details yet, but we will say it again: Korean, totalbuzzword for '08. [PLYWOOD]
2) Chipotle: It's a fact: Everyone hated Howdy's. Food wasn't great, and pay for extra chips! Are you crazy? The taco monstrosity will be replaced with another burritoporium, Chipotle. Did you know Chipotle served margaritas? We didn't, until just now. [PLYWOOD]
The Plywood finally came down from around the buildings on Sunset Boulevard and Tamarind Avenue revealing facades for Delancey, The Mission, an unnamed wine bar, and bonus, a take-out sandwich shop, all opening "soon." George Abou-Daoud, owner of The Bowery just a few blocks west, has been working on these concepts for awhile now, but Delancey should debut first. The exterior is glazed fire engine-red brick with great light fixtures and wrought-iron details. From a quick peek inside, it's nothing like the Taste of Thai that preceded it, now with pressed-tin ceilings, leather booths, a nice long bar, bistro chairs, dark wood floors, brick arches. Bowery staffers confirm it will be East Coast Italian-inspired. Around the Tamarind side, the green building with two small windows will be a sandwich shop, also Italian; and on Sunset, there's a middle door to a wine bar, and next to that, a door to The Mission, a Mexican restaurant (word is it will have a rooftop patio). If that's not enough Abou-Daoud for you, the owner previously told us he has even more ideas/locations in the works. Maybe another Bowery in LA? Stay tuned.
· Plywood Progress Report Hollywood: Beso, Delancey, More [~ELA~]
Here we have some inside shots of the construction at Coles P.E. Buffet downtown, the 100-year-old French-dip eatery that Cedd Moses swooped up last year to renovate. The outer Plywood came down just a couple weeks ago, but that doesn't mean it's any closer to opening: Initial plans were to reopen this May, now it's pushed to fall. Grace's Neal Fraser, still consulting on the menu.
We queried about new shop called Xooro on Broadway near Joe's Pizza in Santa Monica, and while we don't have specifics, we do have a series of clues.
(1) Google, and you'll find this: "(pronounce it: sure-oh) American premium version of the famous."
(2) Email the company and you'll get this: "Thank you for your interest in Xooro. It is a restaurant serving quick bites."
(3) Last week, a reader asked if we knew anything about the "tapas bar / brewery" in the same vicinity on Broadway: "All the tables and chairs on the patio of this new spot were dark green and the patio stretched the entire front of the resturant... There was a sign that said tapas but the layout looked like they would cater to micro-brews - also looked almost finished..."
Xooro is 125 Broadway, and our tipster says he was eyeing 158 Broadway. Still, which is the tapas restaurant: Xooro or the yet to be named? Are "quick bites" tapas or, say, hot dogs? What if both of these locations want to serve tapas, and not far from Joe Miller's Bar Pintxo, we might add. Of course, serving tapas and calling your menu tapas are two different things. First there were back-to-back NYC-style pizza shop openings in SM, so is tapas next? So many questions!
· EaterWire: What Is Xooro? [~ELA~]
· Eater Inside: Bar Pintxo [~ELA~]
· Westside East Coast Pizza Fight: Richie's Opens [~ELA~]
The original Tender Greens in Culver City, via Triplecreme
WEST HOLLYWOOD: We're tipped off that the Tender Greens boys (David Dressler, Matt Lyman, Erik Oberholtzer) will open a location in the Hancock Lofts on Hancock Avenue and SMB. Look for a summer debut. [EaterWire Inbox]
LOS FELIZ:Eating L.A. has it that Cruzer Pizza is taking over the Cap'n Cork space on Hillhurst and Prospect. Please recall that this was going to be Desert Rose, and apparently it's not as attractive as another pizza place. That rose-looking thing over the entrance wouldn't have looked good covered in graffiti anyway. [Eating L.A.]
SILVER LAKE: Adding to the Eastside pizza heap (Andiamo and Tomato Pie both recently opened) a tipster writes: "I hear through the grapevine that coming soon is a new pizza joint called Garage Pizza. Owner is a local Silverlake bartender? Location is in the mini-mall across from Akbar, next to Saito sushi and a few doors over from the Indian place Agra. Looks like they are doing some work on the space." We don't know much more than the address (4339 W Sunset Blvd). Anyone else? [EateWire Inbox]
HERMOSA BEACH: A tipster sent some cellphone snaps of progress at Brix@1601 in the Hermosa Pavilion, just north of Hermosa Pier. "Looks huge with many private rooms. Also a retail wine space next door." Supposed to open late April. In previous Plywood, we learned it also have a private wine cellar, rooftop lounge, "lots of chandeliers, leather booths and bricks all over" but no one mentioned the tree columns.[PLYWOOD]
MANHATTAN BEACH: We reported earlier this year that DeliBoys in the Metlox Center was closing, even if it was still open when we called to confirm. But it's officially dunzo. Brad Metzger tells us Sashi, a "high-end, Koi-type" Japanese restaurant, will be moving in, with Makoto Okuwa as executive chef. Okuwa worked with Masarahu Morimoto for several years and even appeared on Iron Chef with the Iron Chef. Owners are Jeff Benson and Greg Harris, a couple of South Bay real estate guys; KAA Design Group is in charge of design. They're shooting for a late summer/early fall debut. [PRE-PLYWOOD]
Last week, Caffe Primo co-owner Tony Riviera gave us a hint of what's to come at the Barker Block's Primo Cucina, a new restaurant and gourmet market opening in the Arts District property this fall. Today, we have some official flackage:
It will feature a large, open-space floor plan within a classic brick building directly adjacent to the courtyard in the Barker Block community. Customers may view the cooking and food preparation demonstrations of gelato, homemade pasta and wood burning oven baked pizzas. Gourmet market offerings will include fresh meats, homemade pastas, homemade condiments and sauces, cheeses and breads and an assortment of fine wines, spirits and beer along with grocery items such as prepared foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, cereals, sodas, bottled water and dairy products and a small assortment of household items.
We walked by the shuttered Scarboni restaurant over the weekend, and a homeless guy stopped out front and asked if we knew why the work stopped. "They were hammering away inside, and then nothing for about the last two weeks," he told us. We thought he was just an interested Plywood watcher, but no: That's where he sets his bike full of his life and holes up for the night. Here's why this space on Wilshire near the Third Street Promenade is so interesting to us: The pending ABC license has Thierry Perez listed as one of the company officers. Perez, as we know, is part owner of Fraiche in Culver City with chef Jason Travi. Let us remind you that Travi is opening a second restaurant in Santa Monica: yet unnamed, somewhere near the beach, in a spot the city wants to designate as a historical building, all Italian, pizzas, desserts by wife, pastry chef and co-owner Miho, to open by the end of the year. So let's look at the evidence: in a historic building (1), which we heard was somewhere around Third or Fourth streets (2), near the beach (3ish). Put it all together and we ask: Is the former Scarboni restaurant home of the next Travi/Perez venture? Story developing...
· The Shutter: Scarboni was Scarbonied [~ELA~]
· Week in Reviews: Fraiche Gets Fraichier [~ELA~]
Earlier this year we learned that the company behind the Ruby's Diner chain and the Beachcomber Café at Crystal Cove in Newport Beach will be opening new restaurants and a bar on the Malibu Pier, and we just happened by last weekend and took a look around. The Malibu Pier Club Bar will take one building on the beach-side of the pier, and the Beachcomber Restaurant will open in the former Alice's Restaurant alongside it. (Interesting fact: We found an article saying Bradley Ogden was partnered to open something in Alice's Restaurant a few years ago, but it never happened.) A shake shack is supposed to open in one of the buildings at the end of the pier overlooking the water, probably in the fall. It looks like there's still a lot of work to be done, but we didn't see inside the bar building, which will open first. It's close, though, because they're hiring staff as we speak.
· Plywood Report: Beachcomber on Malibu Pier [~ELA~]
The Guide has the goods on Supperclub, an international supperclub chain that's taking over the historic Vogue Theater on Hollywood Boulevard: "Patrons eat and drink on actual beds while watching edgy performers (dominatrixes, opera singers, midgets on bicycles, etc.) during lavish multi-course meals." The owners say: "In Amsterdam the shows tend to be more fetish-like, in Rome the shows are more serious, and in San Francisco anything goes. . . . We'll see what happens in L.A." And Fritz the ghost can stay. If all goes as planned, the massive venue (seats 570) will open by the end of the year. Couple this with Asia LA's "gender illusitionists" and it's confirmed: No matter how much they try to gentrify it, Hollywood will always be Hollyweird.
· Night Lines: Supperclub at the Vogue Theater [LAT/The Guide]
· Exclusive: Asia LA Coming to Hollywood[~ELA~]
Now that Forty Deuce is closed, Ivan Kane's moving full steam with his next project. Here we have the floorplans to Cafe Was, the restaurant and lounge taking over the Schwab's space on Vine Street. What we see: a "garden" patio; a piano in the middle of the main dining room; a private dining room with a fireplace, and an adjacent private lounge; a lounge by the bar; and a mezzanine for 22 people or so with its own bar and tables looking over the piano/performance space. A recent Craigslist ad for staff demands three to four years "high-end club and restaurant experience with solid wine/spirits knowledge" and "fine dining a plus." Sounds serious. They're shooting for a May opening. Plywood Special: Ivan Kane's Cafe Was [~ELA~]
Today, Downtown's first 7-Elevenopens its doors celebrates its success (opened in December) on the ground floor of the Mandel Lofts at 7th and Olive. The press release calls it a "historic moment," one filled with free Big Gulps, Slurpees (including the new Slurpuccino), and Big Bite hot dogs (from 11am-3pm if you're interested). A block away, Bottega Louie will open in the Brockman Building at 7th and Grand sometime this summer. As seen above, it is a mammoth space that will be both retail and restaurant with marble floors, French moldings, an antique Regency-style bar. Angelenic, in true hyperbolic fashion, says a "cherry-picked culinary dream team" will head up the 220-seat Italian restaurant, and the market will feature artisanal cheeses, honeys, wines, prepared foods, and pastries from Tamara Draper, a former Boule chef. (They're not quite as boastful as Bottega Louie owner Keat Bollenbach: “We’ll do it better than anywhere else.")
Earlier this week we dished on Tony Riviera's Primo Cucina market, restaurant and "gelato lab" going into the Barker Block. Both market/restos have claimed to be Dean & Deluca-esque. Ralph's opened last year, and rumors of a Whole Foods still linger. Big Gulps and charcuterie. Is this the best of both worlds or an identity crisis? We're rooting for the former, but someone had to ask.
· First Look: Bottega Louie [Angelenic]
· Primo Cucina: Gourmet Market, Italian Resto Downtown [~ELA~]
There's nothing like a small opening in Plywood that teases curious passersby, i.e. obsessive restaurant watchers. Here we have Anisette in Santa Monica, the pending brasserie from Alain Giraud and partners Mike Garrett and Tommy Stoilkovich (owners of Falcon and Pearl Dragon). Inside, super high ceilings, a mezzanine, columns covered in white tile and mirrors, tons of natural light, and nice wood and iron work all match what we learned a few months ago. With this progress report and recent open calls for staff, the previously announced late-April/early-May debut doesn't seem far off the mark.
A few WeHo operatives sent word that Topz, the "healthy" burger joint on SMB, closed: "No more aero-fries, chopped salad, or make-your-own sodas. Oh well." Ah, don't fret, a new "healthy" burger joint is moving in! A few weeks ago we talked with Andy Soboil and Martha Chang, owners of the new O! Burger, who will be opening in the former Topz location. What's O! Burger got that Topz doesn't? From the owners:
Last year, Skip Young told us all about bringing 
Breaking news from West Hollywood today: the 
More grab-and-go options for worker bees downtown: Lemonade, a cafeteria-style lunch spot from the people behind Jackson Someset Catering, 
HOLLYWOOD: Getting testy with signage: "You know that Farmer's Market Kitchen that's supposed to have moved into the Sunset/Vine condos, like, forever ago? Staring at that dumb sign and empty storefront pissed me off enough to call the number on the sign: Someone actually answered and said the Kitchen will open in September." 
MID-WILSHIRE: A reader queries: "Can you do some snooping into what Samurai Sam's is and when it will open? All of the workers at the office complexes nearby (including Variety, Us Weekly, E! Entertainment, The Weinstein Company, Dimension Films, SAG and more) are dying to know what the new lunch option will be. Everyone is sick of Baja Fresh, Koo Koo Roo, etc." Sorry to burst your bubble, but 
LOS FELIZ: 
MANHATTAN BEACH: We 
