Curtis Stone Slated to Take Over Mercantile in Hollywood

It's confirmed: Curtis Stone, who's been everywhere on TV from Top Chef Masters to Food Network's Kitchen Inferno, is opening a second restaurant in Los Angeles in the former Mercantile and Township spaces in along Sunset Blvd in Hollywood.

Former owner George Abou-Daoud confirms that he sold the space to Stone knowing that he would be the perfect candidate to take over the expansive building, which had hit some operational snags last year because adjacent construction restricted access to utilities.

No word yet on what the concept will be, but expect something a bit more casual with this much real estate. Stone's first restaurant, Maude, seats a mere 25 diners, and boasts a tasting-menu only format that changes every month. This news comes just a few weeks after rumors pin April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman landing just a block away at the old Cat & Fiddle space. With this much culinary firepower, will this section of Sunset Blvd see a complete transformation?