The Derby's Dustin Nicolarsen Taking Over Cheval Blanc Bistro in Pasadena

Is restaurateur Dustin Nicolarsen on the move again? The owner of the long-running steak house The Derby in Arcadia was rumored back in June to be inhabiting Carmine's on Fair Oaks in South Pasadena, with plans to install a new concept that would still please the history buffs. But as of this morning, no license transfer for the location has been made in his name for the location.

Yet curiously, Nicolarsen's name did appear on some California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control paperwork recently -- for the shuttered Cheval Blanc Bistro space at 41 S. De Lacey Avenue in Pasadena. Does that mean Nicolarsen is doubling up on new restaurants in the Pasadena area? Or is he abandoning Carmine's for a more suitable location closer to the heart of town?

An email to Nicolarsen regarding the about-face hasn't been returned. Got any intel? Hit the tip line.