Ricardo Zarate Pushing Modern Peruvian Into Former Comme Ça Space

Someone’s finally putting the long-defunct Comme Ça space in West Hollywood to good use, more than a year after the place planned to close for a ‘temporary’ retooling. According to the LA Times, none other than Ricardo Zarate will helm the rethought address, with plans to bring (what else?) Peruvian food into the space.

Last seen consulting for Spanish restaurant smoke.oil.salt. while running his own Once pop-up on the Westside, Zarate tells the Times that his unnamed Melrose Avenue spot will focus on the classics that the chef has become known for over the years — yes, that means ceviche — but with the inclusion of an open charcoal grill for live fire cooking.

The chef-owner partnership brings Zarate into the fold with Culinary Lab, which also runs Hinoki + The Bird. Architect Kevin Tsai will be overseeing the redesign of the interior, with a proposed opening date sometime late this summer.