NSYNC’s Lance Bass to Build America’s Biggest Gay Bar in West Hollywood

It’s been a terrible year for so much of LA’s queer nightlife scene, with COVID-19 closures and a slowing economy knocking off several of the city’s most prominent players over the past few months. Among them is Rage, the iconic 37-year-old West Hollywood gay nightclub staple, which closed in September following a landlord dispute. But now comes a beam of hope for the Santa Monica Boulevard address.

Per Instinct Magazine, plans are underway to build the largest LGBTQIA nightclub in America at the former Rage site, backed in part by entertainer Lance Bass who has been a big player in the Boystown scene over the past several years. Some of Bass’s partners in Rocco’s, the mellow sports bar across the street from Rage, will join him in the new venture along with landlords Monte Overstreet and John Cole. The so-called Weho Mega Club already has its own website up, but further details (beyond an opening planned for this year) remain scarce.

In other news:

• Soft pretzel pop-up Olly’s is going permanent at the Platform development in Culver City. The weekend-only setup takes over a small kiosk directly in front of the Blue Bottle there, adding days of service and menu items in the coming weeks. What’s more, the stand will donate a portion of all proceeds to local non-profit Free Arts.
• A car crashed into the doors of Osteria Mozza (again), though this time the damage was much less extensive and no one was hurt. Back in 2015, a truck plowed into the building resulting in a nine-day closure for Nancy Silverton’s restaurant.
• Puesto is opening a new Orange County location. The growing upscale casual Mexican food restaurant chain lands at the Bella Terra Center in Huntington Beach next month.
• Beverly Hills modern Mexican restaurant Mirame is now offering to-go boxes for quick at-home snacking, affectionately known as Benito’s Lunch Box. The rotating boxes are available Tuesdays and Fridays.

• The American Institute of Architecture’s Los Angeles chapter has completely retooled its annual restaurant design awards, with plans this year to offer a nod to resiliency and outdoor dining across the region during the pandemic. More info can be found at the link above, and interested parties can submit projects moving forward.
• The SocialEats team is at it again, launching another ‘virtual food hall’ (read: ghost kitchen with multiple brands) that serves out of Lawndale. Diners in the area will be able to get burgers, tacos, noodles, Japanese food, and more from the location at 16711 Hawthorne Boulevard starting in May. The company is also bringing a similar setup to Pacific Beach in the San Diego area soon, reports Eater SD.
• Chef Mimi Williams is still cooking up a storm around the city, despite losing her Echo Park space during the pandemic. She’s currently running brunch menus, including a forthcoming Easter setup, at Bardonna. Check out the new menu details below.