It doesn't take much more than a coat of paint and a quick name change for one restaurant to become another in this town, much like the stars and starlets that line the streets (OK, not really line the streets, unless it's outside Hyde). Case in point: 310 Lounge & Bistro tucked almost under the freeway in Santa Monica quietly became Santa Monica Bar & Grill this summer. According to some Chowhounders, the space has gone more the way of its counterpart, the Burbank Bar & Grill, keeping things more low-key. What we're glad to see go are the changing LAX-type lights and the annoying guitarist who literally sat down next to us and sang when we tried to eat there once. The fact that the name changed in the summer and the website still says "coming soon" doesn't bode well.
· Santa Monica Bar and Grill [Chowhound]
· 310 Lounge & Bistro [LA.com]
· Santa Monica Bar & Grill [Official site]
