LA’s Biggest Vegan Restaurant Celebrates 10 Years With Star-Studded Dinner

Crossroads Kitchen, LA’s premier plant-based fine dining restaurant, is turning 10. The Melrose outpost is celebrating with a big collaborative prix fixe night on Thursday, March 30, featuring dishes from chef-owner Tal Ronnen and a number of heavy-hitting celebrity chefs.

The upcoming event runs $145 per person, spread across four courses and a dessert, and will feature dishes from Michael Voltaggio, Daniel Humm, Nancy Silverton, and the Crossroads team. Expect lots of plant-based luxe ingredients as well, including truffle and a caviar alternative. Reservations are available now via Yelp.

No more LA roasting

Intelligentsia is no longer roasting coffee beans in Los Angeles. The craft coffee company is moving its entire roasting operation to Chicago as part of a larger expansion plan, which means no more local roasting (and the loss of five jobs at the LA roasting facility). The company will continue to operate cafes around Los Angeles, bringing the beans in from Chicago.

A closure and a sale

Banditos and Chica Bonita Lounge (housed in the former Barrel & Ashes space) have both closed at 11801 Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, with owner Anat Escher telling Eater that she has sold the building to a new, unnamed owner.

A new name in Santa Monica

The Surfing Fox is getting closer to reality in Santa Monica. The casual new restaurant will open this spring as part of the Pierside hotel, an appropriately-placed development with big views of the ocean and that signature pier Ferris wheel. Look out for lots of seafood and cocktails when it opens along Ocean Avenue soon.

A new thali for Holi

Growing Indian chain Tulsi Indian Eatery is crafting a special thali combo for Holi, the Hindu festival in early March. Expect a large thali platter filled with saag paneer, Gujarati dhokla, naan, rice, and more. The dish will be served at the Westwood, Downtown LA, and Northridge locations as part of the group’s ongoing efforts to expand regional Indian cooking across Los Angeles.

Tulsi Indian Eatery