Here we have The Dish, the latest openings from one end of the city to the other because that's just how we do. See something pop the cork in your neighborhood? Go ahead, slip it under the tree.
MANHATTAN BEACH: Darren's Restaurant & Bar debuted today. This is chef Darren Weiss' replacement for Avenue, which closed in September. The room is still pretty intimate, now with a tall divider to keep lounge and dining more separate. The menu is seasonal California with global accents, so expect things like duck confit salad with spinach and mache, eggplant rolls with Moroccan tomato sauce, Thai peanut-crusted salmon with sticky rice and lemongrass beurre blanc. Open for dinner Tue-Sat. [1141 Manhattan Ave., 310.802.1973]
ARCADIA: For the San Gabriel Valley holiday shoopers, a reader tipped us off that Tokyo Table opened its second LA location in the Westfield Santa Anita mall (previous Plywood here). How such a swank looking restaurant and outdoor lounge will do in middle-of-the-road mall is a head-scratcher, but for those who need a cold bottle of sake or a Citron martini while sitting along silk pillows, it's the only place like it in the mall. A Cheesecake Factory just opened a few doors away, so there's that challenge. A peek at the menu, and a quick look inside after the jump. [400 S. Baldwin Ave., 626.445.4000]
Outdoor patio, right by the movie theater and food court.
Inside. Swank.
