There's a learning curve for any brand new restaurant, no matter how many times the parent company has been through an opening. Case in point: A tipster tells us that people dining on the coveted upstairs patio at the Americana at Brand Katsuya had a little unexpected shower last night. Apparently the heat lamps accidentally triggered a fire sensor under the canopy, which activated one of the sprinkler heads, which in turn soaked anyone and anything on the terrace a bit. According to reps: "Any diners that were inconvenienced were offered complimentary dinner and the situation has since been remedied." The restaurant only opened two weeks ago, but it's good to know the fire system is in working order, and now they know not to put heat lamps under the canopy. We can check those off the list.
· Americana at Brand Mega Preview Day 2: Katsuya [~ELA~]
All stories about "Katsuya"
Welcome back to the Week in Eater, where we divulge the best stories of the week that was.
No Relation to Puck: Wolfgang's Steakhouse Opens; Crown Bar Debuted in West Hollywood; Basque Nightclub and Off Vine Suffer Severe Damage in Hollywood; Gordon Ramsay at the London Menu Revealed, Ressie Lines Open; Katsuya, Cheesecake and More Open at Americana, But Others Are Delayed; The Writing On the Wall at Geisha House Means...; Trader Vic's Eyeing New Locations Downtown; Mega Plywood in Pasadena; and Restaurant Tips Slag With Economy.
We poppped on over to the Americana at Brand for lunch today and it was sheer chaos---at least in front of the Cheesecake Factory. Were they handing out free cheesecake or something? Because the line that spiraled around the front door after the noon debut was ridiculous. And with so many other options....well, actually, there weren't that many other options, but we'll get to that in a follow up post. According to the Americana flacks, the goal was to have everything open today, but that didn't quite happen, at least for the restaurants and eateries. Here's what you will find:
Caffe Primo: And what a primo spot it has, too, right in front of the valet stand. As soon as we poked our head in, the staff told us they were running about 45 minutes behind. It was packed.
Katsuya: So they don't have to weather a similar onslaught, Katsuya is only taking limited reservations, maybe a few walk-ins. They anticipate full speed by mid-May. Lunch today was solid, but everyone's still getting their footing. But one of the first tables was Mr. Rick Caruso himself (pictured in the gallery). After running around the mall taking pictures under the noon sun, our watermelon-cucumber mojito totally rocked it. (Res line: 818.244.5900)
More food, drinks, right this way >>
Oh yeah, baby. It's here! In case you haven't watched a local news channel, read the paper or perused the blogosphere: Rick Caruso's new Americana at Brand opens today. The $400 million mixed use shopping mall/residential development is the Grove on steroids, more Vegas than Glendale, everything's bigger, splashier, shinier. We had a sneak preview earlier this week while workmen polished, buffed, painted and constructed finishing touches in just about every nook and cranny. Curbed and Racked LA have obsessed over the residential and shopping side of things, and we've done our part for the restaurants---Katsuya! Frida! Beard Papa's! Cheesecake Factory! Caruso promised everything would open today for the big debut, but the way things looked on Tuesday, that seemed like such a stretch. We'll have a full report from the scene soon.
· Americana at Brand: Dining Update [~ELA~]
· Americana at Brand Mega Preview: Day 1 [~ELA~]
· Americana at Brand Mega Preview: Katsuya [~ELA~]
· Americana Mega Preview Day 2: The Rest [~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.
Continue reading "Americana at Brand Mega Preview Day 2: Katsuya"
We've been keeping an eye on the dining haps at Americana at Brand, Rick Caruso's new Grove-like Glendale mall, but here we have the official first sneak preview of some eateries. Of course there's SBE's third Katsuya, a Cheesecake Factory, Pinkberry and Jamba Juice. Other restaurants/cafes that will open on May 2---The big public debut! Just days away!---are a Nestle Toll House Cafe, CrepeMaker, Frida Mexican Cuisine, Granville Cafe, Beard Papa, Richie's Pizzeria, and the Jewel City Diner, which we hear, is a Caruso-owned venture (he also owns the Whisper Lounge at the Grove). And because "Korean" continues to be the buzzword for 2008, Kyopo Grill has been added to the roster. Our siblings took a look at the retail and residential side of Americana. Are you excited or bored about the openings? Is this a boon or bust for Glendale? Comments is all yours.
· Americana at Brand Dining Update [~ELA~]
· SBE Future: Foxtail, Jose Andres, More Katsuyas [~ELA~]
· Curbed Inside: Developer Rick Caruso's Americana At Brand [Curbed LA]
· Americana at Brand: The Mega-Mall-Mixed-Use Preview! [Racked LA]
We were just informed that all of the restaurants at Glendale's new Americana at Brand will open on May 2, when the entire complex opens. That means the Katsuya, Cheesecake Factory, Caffee Primo and Jewel City Diner will compete with the likes of Pinkberry, Jamba Juice and Beard Papa all at once. Let the shopping/eating/shopping begin. [EaterWire]
Katsuya en route, via Americana at Brand
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]
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