No wonder the New York Times is having a love affair with LA: More and more New Yorkers are bringing their East Coast vibe to the local resto/bar scene. First we have The Bowery owner George Abou-Daoud working on four new projects in Hollywood. The first spot, Delancey, will open "somewhere" by the fall, with another place close on its heels; construction on two more projects will begin in early 2008. When the native New Yorker opened The Bowery in 2005, he promised the kind of unpretentious place that's less about scene than substance, with good décor, decent food, great drinks. He pretty much delivers on all counts, especially in the drinks department (damn good martinis, huge spirits list). Three of the four new spots will have NYC street names, and all will differ in decor. We hear he wants to have the largest spirits selection in the city, if not in the country. Take that, New York.
Just down the way, Andy Fiscella, another NYC native, bought a place near his bar Winston's on Santa Monica Boulevard where he'll open a "casual neighborhood joint" later this year. (He also owns the Dime). Of course Winston's, in all its East Coast den-like ambience, attracts more celebs than your average neighborhood joint, but with so many Industry-connected investors (writers, agents, actors), who can expect anything less. Fiscella says the new spot will probably have more of Dime vibe than a Winston's, plus food, but "at the end of the day, it'll just be a bar."
The battle for the most New York-style Hollywood bar is on! We propose a good old-fashioned West Side Story dance off to decide the winner.
