Plant-Based Sports Bar Junkyard Dog Closes Abruptly in Silver Lake After Nine Months

Junkyard Dog, a prominent restaurant in Silver Lake, has closed abruptly, shuttering its location at the former Ma’am Sir/Sunset Sushi building after nine months of business. Junkyard Dog came from the Real Food Daily creator Adaline Hobbs, serving plant-based bowls, salads, and American comfort food in a sports bar-punk dining room starting last October. Hobbs announced in early June that she would depart from Real Food Daily after six years and leave California with her family. Real Food Daily in West Hollywood and Pasadena will continue to operate from Hobbs’ extended family.

Junkyard Dog’s departure from Silver Lake leaves De Buena Planta’s Mexican-inspired fare, Flore Vegan, and Silverlake Vegan’s Indian-inspired dishes, among others, in the neighborhood as remaining options for plant-based dining. Those looking to support the former staff of Junkyard Dog can contribute to this GoFundMe.

More hand rolls in Culver City

Joining Citizen Public Market’s Uoichiba, Yunomi Handroll bar will expand to Culver City’s Culver Steps sometime later this year, according to the Arts District restaurant’s Instagram page. Both Uoichiba and Yunomi continue the mini omakase-style hand roll trend that Kazunori started nearly a decade ago. Yunomi will be slotted next to the forthcoming Afuri ramen expansion.

Salad chains, ranked

Los Angeles Times columnist Lucas Kwan Peterson did the daunting task of separating the leaves from the stems, so to speak, from Southern California’s prolific salad chain restaurants, ranking them from “best” to “meh.” The top chains include Tender Greens, Mrs. Winston’s, Calif Chicken Cafe, and Mixt, while the bottom includes Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Kitchen and Simply Salad.

Bridgetown pops up at Casa Vega

As part of Biite Club and RE:Her, Bridgetown Roti founder Rashida Holmes will be popping up at Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks for a spicy summer seafood boil called Scotch Bonnet Butter Seafood Boil on June 25 from noon to 4 p.m. Ten percent of proceeds will benefit RE:Her, an organization supporting women-owned restaurants. Buy the $120 per person tickets here.

First Mexican Italian, next Mexican French

Mexican-plus seems to be a budding trend, with Amiga Amore in Highland Park melding Italian with Mexican flavors, and now former Cha Cha Chá and Le Comptoir chef Alé Guzman blending French with his own Mexican panache. Dubbed Fabby’s, Guzman will operate through the end of the year at Mignon wine bar in Downtown LA from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Expect dishes like Mexican onion soup with queso Oaxaca, steak tartare with serrano aioli, and Prince Edward Island mussels with salsa diablo and cilantro pistou. Guzman will break for a bit during August but expect the pop-up to run every weekend until December.

Disclaimer: Eater LA reporter Mona Holmes is related to Rashida Holmes, but was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.