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H.Wood Group Expands With Semi-Private Supper Club in Santa Monica

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Mason takes over Sam’s By the Beach in Pacific Palisades with a unique perspective

Sam’s By the Beach Mason
The former Sam’s By the Beach in Santa Monica
Yelp/Carley M.
Farley Elliott is the Senior Editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History From Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. He covers restaurants in every form, from breaking news to the culture, people, and history that surrounds LA's dining landscape.

Score another one for h.wood Group, as the restaurant and nightlife team is set to take over the former Sam’s on the Beach out on Channel Road in Santa Monica. The swanky new project is to be called Mason, and offers a distinct kind of dining experience for the far Westside.

Paperwork is already up on the property for a fully-licensed bar and restaurant, and there’s a landing page for Mason on the h.wood website but no details there so far. Instead, reps for the company tell Eater that Mason will be a semi-private supperclub experience, similar to the old Rao’s in New York City, where locals and influential types can “buy” tables inside for their exclusive use. Think of it like season tickets for a sporting event, but instead it’s a seat at the restaurant. There will be some room for full-menu dining at the bar should locals feel like walking in, and staff will try to seat folks at tables when available as well.

In all the compact property will only offer about ten tables for diners, including a couple reserved for h.wood owners John Terzian and Brian Toll to use. No word yet on who else might be in the mix to buy those other seats. John Sofio of Built, Inc. will design the property, marking yet another collaboration as the team continues to push further into the restaurant world with upcoming projects like Slab on West Third Street.

As for the food, Mason will toss it back to the American clubhouse days, complete with steaks, salads, oysters on the side, and the like. The restaurant will be dry-aging its own chops (just like Adam Perry Lang in Hollywood), and offering classic cocktails and vintage wines as well. No word on an official opening date of yet, but h.wood does plan to expand Mason — albeit with a slightly different take — to Chicago already.

Mason
108 W. Channel Rd.
Santa Monica, CA