Confirmed: Rick Bayless Coming To LA! Heading Kitchen At Both Forthcoming Red Os

No beating around the bush here. YES! It is happening, Rick Bayless is coming to LA! OMG! But wait, let's recap. The man of Mexican cuisine was recently spotted around town at Provecho, Rivera, even Church & State. And, as speculated, he was in town researching for this here project. He ate his way through LA's Mexican eateries (and then some), but here is the crazy part. Before this trip, he had not visited LA in 15 years. Insane. Now, don't forget, Daily Dish checked in with his camp to find out the deal (like they were actually going to share) and yet again they stayed mum, though the wheels were most certainly turning. Let's turn back time once more and revisit Red O, that modern Mexican restaurant/bar/lounge which has slowly been transforming the old Chocolat space. A while back we heard from the Red O team that they were trying to get a "big, famous chef." Now comes this news and it alllll makes sense.

The Red O is owned by the folks behind Ma'Kai in Santa Monica which will shutter the day the West Hollywood Big O opens to make way for a second location. As it now stands, WeHo's Red O is expected to open the second week of March, so get that inebriated Ma'Kai time in before then. Also, more craziness, permits have all been approved for the Santa Monica spot and require location two to debut in May. SO- that will give the crew and Rick two months to transition over the space and staff.

A few more tidbits. Rick is going to be heading the kitchens in both Red O locations and he can basically be considered a partner in the whole shebang. He will be in LA each month to oversee operations and make sure food service is running smoothly.

We've already shared the exterior rendering, but inside think lots of white on white because the theme is Mexico beaches and there will even be swings at one of the outdoor tequila bars. Hot!
·Spotted [~ELA~]
·Spotted: Rick Bayless Coming to LA? [~ELA~]
·Ma'Kai To Potentially Shutter, Two Red Onions On The Way [~ELA~]
·Plywood Report: The Red Onion [~ELA~]