Grace Restaurant Shutters June 19, To Be Replaced by Rivera

Everyone knew it was coming, the end was only a matter of time. Here now, the official press release:

"After seven years on Beverly Boulevard, Grace Restaurant says goodbye to its beloved Beverly Boulevard location with a final night of service on June 19, 2010. Grace Restaurant has found a new home in the rectory building of the Vibiana Cathedral at the corner of Second and Main in Downtown Los Angeles. The new restaurant is slated to open in early 2011. Chef John Sedlar of Rivera Restaurant and his partners are purchasing the lease at 7360 Beverly Boulevard with plans to open another Rivera in October 2010."

"Under the ownership and operation of husband and wife team, Neal Fraser and Amy Knoll Fraser along with partner Richard Drapkin, Grace Restaurant has become a locally and nationally renowned Los Angeles dining institution. Named for Neal’s daughter, Grace opened in early 2003 as a standout destination in Los Angeles. With the vision of becoming an enduring institution setting the highest standards for dining the Frasers and Drapkin set out to create a stylish, nuanced space without pretentious trappings focusing on contemporary cuisine with classical integrity, impeccable service and presentation without attitude.

Grace at Vibiana will be an exceptional multifaceted dining and event space. Grace at Vibiana is a chef’s dream, a restaurateur’s dream, a diner’s dream. The new restaurant will encompass the first two floors of the rectory building - the former living quarters of the clergy adjacent to the cathedral - and will include a main dining room with hand painted ceiling and French doors opening onto a courtyard with a view of the historic cathedral. The second level will accommodate 4 private dining rooms with balconies overlooking the courtyard each designed with an intimate residential feel and furnished with eclectic, “collected” pieces both contemporary and classic. This floor will also house “The Rectory” bar and lounge with a roof top terrace overlooking the first level courtyard. The basement wine cellar, stocked and maintained by partner and wine director Eduardo Porto Carreiro, will hold a grand old-world rustic table amidst racks of wine and serve as a center for wine tastings, luncheons and dinners. A new structure will be added to the existing building to house the kitchen complete with a chef’s table for six. Garden beds will line the perimeter of the kitchen rooftop and provide yet another spot for intimate private dining and open air cocktail receptions.

The restaurant will be designed to celebrate the existing architecture of both the cathedral and the rectory by contrasting the historic architecture with contemporary finishes and lighting. The presentation will remain edited to accentuate the Spanish Baroque details of the building’s original design. Design partners Mark Hermosillo and Steve Ross, of Hermosillo & Ross are committed to creating a landmark destination honoring the history of the city by preserving one of its oldest architectural pieces. Along with the Frasers, Hermosillo & Ross will provide a truly special dining experience unique to Los Angeles."
·EaterWire: John Sedlar Claims Grace Space [~ELA~]
·A (Grand) New Home For Grace [~ELA~]