33-Year-Old Japanese Staple Hurry Curry Closes This Month on Sawtelle

Legendary Sawtelle Japantown restaurant Hurry Curry of Tokyo is closing at the end of the month, reports Elina Shatkin from LAist. The Japanese curry specialist has been a staple for West LA diners for 33 years, particularly after the loss of longtime friendly rival Curry House in February 2020. In a note on its website, Hurry Curry ownership says that they have lost their lease, and will stop serving at the end of the month. The restaurant does have two other locations, though up in the Seattle area.

In other news:

• Chef Brittany Cassidy, formerly the chef de cuisine that opened Birdie G’s in Santa Monica (and prior to that ran the show at Rustic Canyon under Jeremy Fox) has a new gig running the restaurant, shop, and cooking school Violet in Westwood, which reopens on March 3.

• Gozen Shun is now open in Pasadena, having taken over the former Delicatessen by Osawa at 851 Cordova Street. The previous tenant closed last year as a result of the ongoing pandemic.
• The Los Angeles County Fair has officially been cancelled for the second year in a row, reports CBS LA, due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns.
• The robust restaurant scene in Little Saigon in Orange County has stepped up big during the pandemic, reports the LA Times, feeding those in their time of need.
• West LA star Taiwanese restaurant Kato returns on February 18 with outdoor seating.

• ChowNow CEO Chris Webb took to the Fork in the Road podcast to discuss his company’s attempt to reinvent the delivery and takeout app model. There’s a lot to parse, from fees to the very future of small businesses; go give it a listen.
• The Central Coast city of Santa Barbara is planning for brighter days ahead, and that includes potentially making some of its more walkable streets and outdoor dining initiatives much more permanent, reports KEYT.
• The H.Wood Group is opening a rooftop bar and restaurant called Sant’olina atop the Beverly Hilton hotel next month, with plans for cocktails, lots of open-air dining, and a menu that leans across the broad Mediterranean.