Abode Might Be Donesville

In some respects, Abode Restaurant in Santa Monica didn't have much of a chance. Although the space was slick and chic, there were some good items on the menu, and it had a great secluded patio, out of the gate, the Los Angeles Times went on the attack: Leslie Brenner took it to task for not being as sustainable as the press release said it was, S. Irene Virbila thought it wasn't romantic enough (guess she wanted it to be), both thought the chef needed to simplify. Scathing Critic's Notebook, followed by a half-star review. Not too long after, opening chef Dominique Crenn left for San Francisco. Add in that it's tucked off the street, and Abode just couldn't seem to get it's footing. Several rumors hit over the last couple days that the restaurant has gone under, that staff showed up for work this week and the doors were locked (we also heard staff knew it wasn't financially sound, so they may have known it was coming). The word "bankruptcy" was thrown around. Note, this is all still completely unconfirmed, but the answering machine is full and the website still references Mother's and Father's Day specials. When we contacted the owners they said: "No that is not true! That is false information. We will be in touch with an update for you." The restaurant's first anniversary is April 18.
· A Scathing Critique of Abode's...Sustainability? [~ELA~]
· Week in Reviews: Abode [~ELA~]
· Breaking: Dominique Crenn Leaves Abode [~ELA~]
· Abode Revealed: Opens Wednesday [~ELA~]