West Hollywood’s Palihouse hotel restaurant is heading for a big, bold makeover now that chef Kris Tominaga is onboard. The new iteration is to be called Mardi, and will debut later this month.
Tominaga is the former Cadet chef who first rose to prominence doing contemporary Southern fare at Hart & The Hunter inside sister spot Palihotel. He’s back with that team after his Santa Monica restaurant couldn’t hold on, and now acting as executive chef for the entire Paligroup property system under owner Avi Brosh.
For Mardi, Tominaga plans to bring a serious sense of party to both the dining room and the plate. Instead of hearty Southern dishes, Mardi will focus on European flavors with a family-style shared plates sort of focus, including bigger dishes like whole roast chicken, lamb ribs, or a roasted pork neck. The full menu is up on OpenTable right now.
As for the space itself, expect a seamless indoor-outdoor flow. The restaurant will lean into its green outdoor patio for those refreshing summer nights, though there is certainly a cozy, relaxed indoor dining area as well. Expect darker woods and heavy patterns there.
Because this is technically still a hotel restaurant, expect breakfast through dinner hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. during weekdays, expanding to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Mardi officially opens Tuesday, June 21. Tominaga also continues to oversee the food at Hart & the Hunter on Melrose.