Banquette Cafe, Oak Room, Village Pantry

1) Downtown: After almost a decade of service, Banquette Cafe has shuttered in the Old Bank District. While the venue was owned by Monica May for the past six years, it opened two years earlier and was Mr.Downtown's (Cedd Moses) first establishment a year and a half before he snagged Golden Gopher. [blogdowntown]

2) Pacific Palisades: Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, owner of the Oak Room and the Village Pantry (in addition to two other downtown eateries), has decided to cease operations at his two Pacific Palisades properties due to high rent. [Pacific Palisades Patch]