Here we are with another rousing rendition of the Plywood Report, where we track the what's coming down the pike. Have something for us? Hit the tip jar, please.
1) Beverly Hills: The Via Alloro barriers are down, and the awnings and patio heaters are up so it looks like it could be any day now for the new Drago restaurant, but we're told early January. To recap, this is the new seafood-focused Italian restaurant from two brothers Drago (Tanino and Giacomino) with Valentino alum Giacomo Pettinari overseeing day to day. We've come to learn that alloro means "bay leaf" in Italian (much better than previous name Gitano, which means "gypsy"), but Via Alloro is the name of the Sicilian street where the Dragos were born. [POST-PLYWOOD]
2) Hollywood: A check in at the Playhouse nightclub and 24-hour, Lite Brite-looking Sweet Love Hangover at Fox Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard: still boarded up, lots of graffiti on the roof. The new target dates are January for the club, February for the restaurant. [PLYWOOD]
3) Silver Lake: Spotted some Gobi Mongolian BBQ signage on a space near Andiamo pizza on Sunset Boulevard. The website says Fall 2008, but there's quite a lot of construction going on there. Can't possibly happen until next year. [PLYWOOD]