NSYNC’s Lance Bass to Open the Biggest Gay Nightclub in the U.S. in February

The corridor on Santa Monica between San Vicente and Robertson will soon have another club to add in West Hollywood. A new club called Heart — which replaces the historic club Rage — opens on February 11 from the owners of the popular Rocco’s, which is directly across the street.

Another partner in this venture is NSYNC’s Lance Bass. WeHoville writes that ads for Heart are touting it as “the biggest gay nightclub in the US.” The 37-year Rage closed in September 2020 after a landlord dispute and COVID-19 restrictions that kept people from gathering indoors. West Hollywood clubs have taken a beating since the beginning of COVID-19, but Heart and forthcoming Or Bar could help turn this around.

An incident between taqueros in Whittier

A taco truck operator was arrested after allegedly vandalizing competitor’s stand last Thursday. Whittier sheriffs arrested Carlos Plascencia after he poured water onto Tacos La Guera’s cooking drums and dousing its wares with a fire extinguisher. There’s plenty of details, and the Los Angeles Times has the full story.

Holey Grail Donuts to Santa Monica

Holey Grail Donuts will take up permanent residence at the former Main Street Ben & Jerry’s in Santa Monica, writes Toddrickallen.

A new Cal-French Bistro in South Coast Plaza

Chefs Ross Pangilinan and Nick Weber announced they’ll open Populaire at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa in late April/early May. The two are proteges of influential Los Angeles chef Joachim Splichal, who recently parted ways with the Patina Group.

A new facelift for the Queen Mary in Long Beach

The Queen Mary had it rough over the last few years with delinquent operators, broken lease agreements, and the threat of flooding. Last week, Long Beach officials announced a $5-million repair project will begin in February to repair the historic vessel and former hotel, writes the LA Times.

An Argentine-fueled pop-up at Gran Blanco

Gran Blanco — owned by the same crew as Great White — will host an Amigos at Gran Blanco pop-up tonight from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. Cocktails are by Tato Giovannoni who founded Buenos Aires’s popular speakeasy Florería Atlántico, with food by Max Chow of Beverly Hills’ Mr. Chow’s, and Argentine chef Leo Lanussol, who was previously at Varro in Venice. Secure a seat at Resy.

A Zoom wine class at Vinovore

Popular wine shop Vinovore brought back its Zoom wine class this month. The remaining two classes on February 3 and 10 still have space, and each WINEesplaining class includes the two women made wines for tasting during each session. Each class is $60 each, and you can sign up here.

The history of Highland Park’s Chicken Boy statue

If you’ve driven on Figueroa near Avenue 56, then you’ve seen the Chicken Boy statue. Have a look at Norberto Briceño’s TikTok, which shares restaurant background on this LA historic landmark.

• Heart nightclub opens next weekend [WehoVille]