Is Le Clafoutis Falling Into the Hands of a Miami Mega-Restaurateur?

Is longtime West Hollywood people-watching hotspot Le Clafoutis being resurrected? Well, the space is, but not as a Le Clafoutis clone — this time around, expect some more Miami flair.

Eagle-eyed tipsters send along a few shots of the papered up windows at the longtime patio eatery, but this time with the addition of an inbound ABC license. The paper trail points to one Stefano Frittella, which tracks to a longtime Miami restaurateur of the same name.

Frittella is the upscale operator behind Miami Beach spots like Cafe Milano and Bice Ristorante in Palm Beach, though he has agreements for eateries inside the Pelican hotel there. Other restaurant business dealing link Fritella to New York City and Italy.

That same ABC license indicates an incoming DBA called Sunset Kitchen, which seems an innocuous enough title, until you realize that the full working name of HYDE’s restaurant just down the street is HYDE Sunset Kitchen + Cocktails.

Is Fritella eying a West Coast takeover by way of Miami? It’s been a reasonably successful bet for Barton G. down on La Cienega, which has successfully brought a sense of dinner showmanship to the area.

No word on an opening date, as things seem to be under pretty heavy construction at this time. But considering the sky-high rent for the area, don’t anticipate the eatery being closed for too long.