Saunders Leaves the Tar Pit, Marcos Tello at First & Hope

For the past few months, Angelenos eagerly anticipated the opening of Mark Peel (Campanile) and Audrey Saunders' (Pegu Club-NYC) forthcoming cocktail abode, the Tar Pit. The lounge-y restaurant opened mid-December, and has remained absolutely packed, resulting in more of a restaurant and less of a "non-speakeasy." Anyway, yesterday Daily Dish broke the shocking news that Peel and Saunders had split, and according to Mark, she will no longer be a partner. How bizarre, what's going on here? The article continues on to say that Marcos Tello (The Doheny) stepped up to the plate to head the bar, then an updated post shared he may or may not take over the bar. Eater immediately received an email from a publicist representing First & Hope (another supperclub/cocktail place in the works) saying, "Hard to keep up with all the changes just wanted to let you know that Marcos Tello will be joining Aidan at First & Hope and not as the LA Times reported taking over bar manager position at the Tar Pit."

Tello has scored the position as lead bartender and mixologist and is currently working with chef Cooper on pairing cocktails with food. So there you have it, or at least part of it. Still no word on why Peel and Saunders parted ways. Additional comments and insight always welcome in the comments.
·Audrey Saunders Exits The Tar Pit [DD]