Tao Group is making major inroads into the Los Angeles market with its upcoming New York City concepts Tao and Beauty & Essex hitting the heart of Hollywood in the coming months. But the first shot across the bow is a nifty concept done in conjunction with Alvin Cailan (Unit 120, Eggslut), who is consulting on a by-the-slice pizza restaurant called Luchini Pizzeria & Bar.
The casual spot will open by mid-March if everything falls into place. Tao Group’s chef partners Ralph Scarmarella and Chris Santos will be collaborating with Cailan, who had been quietly serving Detroit-style pizza at Unit 120 on Monday evenings.
In addition to New York style by-the-slice pizza, Luchini plans to serve everything from baked and stuffed rigatoni and calabrian meatballs to pork ribs alla nonna. There’s a full bar, which will be great for anyone looking for a nightcap. The place will open daily at noon and serve until late night, which works perfectly for anyone coming out of clubs or lounges in the area.
If you look at Tao Group’s current L.A. website, you can also see two new additional concepts slated for the block: Avenue, an expansion of the New York City nightclub, as well as Highlight Room, a massive rooftop bar and lounge that will join B&E and Tao Asian Bistro as part of the entire city block-sized Dream Hotel.
Luchini Pizzeria & Bar
1607 Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
