Openings
Caché Restaurant & Lounge has opened at the site of the former Hidden Restaurant in Santa Monica. Executive chef is Josiah Citrin from Mélisse, with Nyesha Arrington serving as chef de cuisine. The 26-year-old Arrington is an alumna of Mélisse and Joël Robuchon's Las Vegas properties. The market-driven menu features dishes such as wood-fired calamari, parsley, lemon and garlic oil; Scottish salmon with caper-raisins and pine nuts in verjus; and hanger steak with Maui onion rings and chimichurri. The new design by Shubin & Donaldson reflects an indoor-outdoor environment, showcasing an inviting garden patio. The restaurant will serve dinner Tuesday through Sunday until August, at which point hours may be expanded. Caché Restaurant & Lounge, 3110 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90405, 310-399-4800.
Intelligentsia Coffee is now bringing its seasonal, single-origin coffees (think organic Bolivian Anjilanaka or Panama's El Machete) to Abbot Kinney in Venice. The café's other perk is exclusively offering bakery goods---cakewiches, cookies, brioche, croissant---from Cake Monkey and Comme Ca. Intelligentsia Coffee, 1331 Abbot Kinney Blvd.,, Venice, CA 90291, 310-399-1233.
For all-American burgers and shakes---along with a stunning ocean view---head to the new Ruby's Shake Shack at the end of the Malibu Pier, just in time for summer. Expect diner classics like the Ruby burger and fries, chili dogs, grilled cheese and fish n' chips; there's also more modern fare like a guacamole burger or Parmesan bleu fries, and specialty shakes ranging from a peanut butter cup to vanilla black cherry and Malibu mud pie. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner daily. Ruby's Shake Shack, The Malibu Pier, 23000 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265, 310-456-4334.
The new flagship location of Boa Steakhouse has opened on the Sunset Strip a mile away from the old Grafton digs, vastly expanded with a 4,000 square-foot patio, luxe décor and all new bar and lunch menus. Featured dishes include nine cuts of steak from American Kobe rib-eye to bone-in Kansas City filet mignon, table-side prime steak tartare, goat cheese baklava with black truffles, and spaghetti with Kobe meatballs. BOA Steakhouse, Luckman Plaza, 9200 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069, 310-278-2050.
In Santa Monica, the new gastropub West 4th/Jane has sprouted on Fourth street, offering over 100 beers that range from artisanal European brews to Schlitz in cans. There's also both upscale and low-brow bar food like beer-steamed mussels, bacon-crusted French toast, a seafood Cobb, hot dogs, burgers and tater tots. Lunch Thu-Sun, Dinner Tues-Sun. West 4th/Jane, 1432-A Fourth St., Santa Monica, CA 90401, 310-395-6765.
New in Downtown L.A., The Must is a conceptual wine bar and gastropub featuring more than 50 local and global small production wines and craft beers. Expect dishes like a BLT with praline bacon, sun-dried tomato and butter lettuce on brioche; a cheesesteak sandwich with tri tip, caramelized onions and Humboldt Fog goat cheese; cold-poached Chardonnay salmon salad; and a Fluffernutter with smoked almond and roasted peanut butter, marshmallow fluff and bananas on grilled brioche with dark chocolate ganache. Dinner nightly. The Must, 118 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90013, 213-627-1162.
Silverlake's new Italian dining destination is the elegant Domenico Ristorante. An upscale, modern menu features purple potato agnolotti stuffed with black truffles, rotelli with wild boar and porcini, calamari with pine nut romesco, and scallops in Parmesan cream sauce. Lunch & Dinner daily. Domenico Ristorante, 1637 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027, 323-661-6166.
WeHo's new glam and colorful cantina Mexico Restaurante y Barra (from the owner of Nic's Restaurant & Martini Lounge in Beverly Hills) is dishing up some haute takes on Latin standards like organic gazpacho, wood-fired duck taquitos, kettle-fried red snapper Veracruzana, and roasted duck with guava and habaneros. An expansive cocktail list offers artisan tequila drinks like the Silverrano, made with Corzo Silver, muddled cucumber, serrano chiles and lime sour. Mexico Restaurante y Barra, 8512 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069, 310-289-0088.
The old lobby of the downtown Millenium Biltmore Hotel has unveiled La Bistecca, a new upscale Italian steakhouse with a native Italian chef duo---Franco Domenicis (Il Buco) and Orazio Parisi (La Terza)---offering six cuts of steak and accompaniments inspired by the cuisine of southern Italy and Sicily. Other regional specialties include tagliolini with lobster ragu, osso buco and seafood representing influences of the Amalfi coast. La Bistecca, 506 S Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071, 213-612-1562.
Thomas Keller, of The French Laundry and Per Se fame, will open Bouchon in a two-story space in the Garden Building in Beverly Hills. This casual bistro, with locations already in Las Vegas and Yountville, will offer classic French dishes like steak frites, roasted chicken and quiches. Opening is scheduled for fall 2009. The space will also include a branch of Keller's Bouchon Bakery. The opening chef will be Rory Herrmann, who most recently headed the private dining room at Per Se.
News Bytes
Rush in for Rush Hour Happy Hour
BLVD 16 has launched its "Rush Hour Happy Hour," available in the lounge from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Chef Simon Dolinky offers small plate appetizers priced from $3-$5 that can be complemented with half-glass wine pairings. Menu items include crispy local calamari, Carolina style barbecue pork sliders and ginger marinated chicken satay. Guests can sip $6 specialty cocktails or select "Rush Hour Flights" of biodynamic and sustainable-centric wines. BLVD 16, Hotel Palomar Los Angeles Westwood, 10740 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024, 310-474-7765.
Happy Hour at Nirvana
In Beverly Hills, Nirvana is offering happy hour deals weekdays from 5 p.m-7 p.m., with a wide range of cocktails and small plates priced at $6 each. Cocktails include the Burning Passion (with clementine vodka, crushed serrano chili and fruit essences) and Absolute Happiness (Svedka Citron vodka, Cointreau and fresh-squeezed lemon and ginger). Featured savory dishes may include chicken tikka masala, salmon pakora, ground lamb kebabs and crispy stuffed mushrooms. Nirvana, 8689 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211, 310-657-5040.
Pourtal Happy Hour Benefits Charities
Santa Monica's new wine bar Pourtal Wine Tasting Bar is donating a percentage of happy hour profits made from its enomatic wine machines to a different charity, like Heal the Bay, monthly. The "Angel Shares" happy hour runs 4 p.m.-6 p.m. daily. Pourtal Wine Tasting Bar, 104 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401, 310-393-7693.
FIG Launches Kegs & Eggs Special
FIG is putting a new twist on Sunday brunch, offering a "Kegs & Eggs" special for $37---a bottomless pint of specialty draft beers (think Brasserie Dupont Saison or Koningshoeven Quadrupel Trapist) and any seasonal egg-based dish like frittata verde with avocado-tomatillo salsa, steak and eggs, or Irish breakfast with black pudding and soda bread. Other brunch offerings include poblano and mushroom tacos with a cactus-hominy salad, chorizo and oyster po' boy, and artisanal cocktails including the elderflower royale. Brunch is available Sunday mornings from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. FIG, The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, 101 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401, 310-319-3111.
Up on the Roof
The Roof Garden at The Peninsula Beverly Hills is offering a prix-fixe barbecue menu available on weekends through September 1. Roof Garden chef de cuisine Brandon Weaver worked with executive chef James Overbaugh to create the menu, which starts with gazpacho, followed by a second course duet of Peking duck spring rolls and Szechuan cucumber-citrus salad. Guests then choose an entrée prepared on the outdoor grill with options including chicken with rhubarb barbecue sauce and charred fennel steak; grilled rib-eye with Jamaican Jerk barbecue sauce; or Indian inspired shrimp skewers with baby eggplant, curried rice and cilantro aïoli. Each entrée is served with baked sweet potato and Asian-inspired coleslaw. The meal concludes with a dessert platter. The menu is served from 4 p.m.- 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and the price is $55 per person ($15 surcharge for the lobster). The Roof Garden, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, 9882 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212, 310-975-2855.
STK Offers “Bite While It’s Light” Happy Hour
STK in West Hollywood is now offering a special "Bite While It's Light" happy hour menu, Sunday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Diners can order from a discounted menu that includes "lighter bites" for $10 and "mini-meals" for $15. Among the dishes you can score for a ten-spot are tuna sashmi with ponzu, shrimp cocktail, and mini lump crab salad. For $15, options include a burger and fries, petite short rib with celery root, juniper berry and crème fraîche, and a six-ounce steak with salad. Drinks are also discounted, with beers only $5 and cocktails from mixologist Pablo Moix just $10. Tables are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Dinner nightly. STK, 755 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069, 310-659-3535.
Gourmet Burgers at Rustic Canyon
On Monday nights, Rustic Canyon Wine Bar & Seasonal Kitchen is grilling up some truly gourmet specialty burgers---think Niman Ranch beef with wild mushrrom ragu and Bellweather farms crescenza---and pairing them with artisan beers like Inibroue Ephemere or Telegraph Brewing Company's Golden Wheat. Ingredients and beers will rotate on a seasonal basis. Rustic Canyon Wine Bar & Seasonal Kitchen, 1119 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401, 310-393-7050.
The Foundry On Melrose Celebrates Summer
The Foundry On Melrose will feature an expanded menu and happy hour to celebrate summer. The patio's retractable roof is gone, and chef/owner Eric Greenspan has introduced a new half-pound Patio Burger ($12) with cheddar cheese, arugula and tomato confit on grilled sweet Hawaiian bread with tempura onion rings, pineapple-bacon relish and tamarind-caramelized onions. New patio cocktails---each a generous 10-ounce pour for only $9---have been created, as well. In the lounge, the summer happy hour will take place Tuesday through Friday from 6 p.m.-9 p.m., each evening featuring a different theme, from bourbon to absinthe. The Foundry on Melrose, 7465 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046, 323-651-0915.
Corkbar Launches Test Kitchen Tuesdays
Corkbar is hosting Test Kitchen Tuesdays, offering a new dish, not available on the regular menu, for $2. Available all day every Tuesday, these $2 dishes will consist of appetizer-sized samples of Chef Albert Aviles' latest inspirations, and may include items such as shrimp tacos with housemade avocado cream sauce, or stuffed skate wing with summer squash and tarragon-lemon butter. Corkbar, 403 W. 12th St., Los Angeles, CA 90015, 213-746-0050.
Hollywood Bowl "Baskets" at Ivan Kane’s Café Wa s
Ivan Kane's Café Wa s, the bohemian Hollywood bistro, offers two different menus for Hollywood Bowl picnics, packed in their signature brown paper bags. The first, at $14 per person, offers a choice of sandwiches (e.g. 24-month cured prosciutto with brie, heirloom tomato and imported butter), side dish and dessert. The second option, at $26 per person, includes a choice of salad, entrée (e.g. poached white seabass with green jasmine rice) and dessert. A bottle of wine can be included for just $11. Ivan Kane’s Café Wa s, Sunset + Vine, 1521 Vine St., Los Angeles, CA 90028, 323-466-5400.
Two-martini Lunch at Ivan Kane’s Café Wa s
The great American tradition of the two-martini lunch is back at Ivan Kane's Café Wa s, available daily during lunch service from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. A mere $5 buys you two martinis (whether it be a classic rendition, dry or shaken, or a flavored version like a lemon drop or cosmopolitan. Those martinis can be paired with a three-course prix-fixe lunch. For just $12, diners begin with a soup du jour before moving on to a half baguette sandwich, grilled or pressed, with sides, and finishing with a dessert crêpe. Hopefully, not too much work awaits back at the office! Ivan Kane’s Café Wa s, Sunset + Vine, 1521 Vine St., Los Angeles, CA 90028, 323-466-5400.
Chef Shuffle
Vermont has merged partnership with the now defunct Mark's Restaurant formerly on La Cienega. Mark's chef Stephane Beaucamp will helm the stoves in Los Feliz, adding a new seasonal menu (that hearkens back to when he was the original executive chef there). Dishes will include Scarborough Farm beets salad, five-spice roasted chicken, Maine lobster and California striped bass roasted with olives and fresh basil with an arugula and tomato vinaigrette. Vermont, 1714 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027, 323-661-6163.
Chef Conny Andersson has separated from his financial partners at AK Restaurant + Bar. The restaurant is now called The Tasting Kitchen, offering a new menu from chef Casey Lane (clarklewis). The Tasting Kitchen, 1633 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291, 310-392-6644.
Chef de cuisine Matt Accarrino and pastry chef Catherine Schimenti have left Tom Colicchio's Craft Los Angeles. A new chef de cuisine has not been announced yet; Shannon Swindle of Craft Dallas will take over as pastry chef. Craft Los Angeles, 10100 Constellation Blvd., Century City, CA 90067, 310-279-4180.
Closings
The Dolce Group's Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante on Melrose Avenue has closed. Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante, 8284 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90046, 323-852-7174.
On Abbot Kinney, the healthy neighborhood Mexican eatery Tortilla Grill has closed. A new Mexican restaurant will open in the space later this summer. Tortilla Grill, 1357 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90292, no phone.
After 20 years, Crown City Brewery, a Cheers-like institution in Pasadena, served its last beers on May 31, after losing its lease. The owners hope to reopen elsewhere in Pasadena. The bar has not brewed its own beers in several years, but has enjoyed a fiercely loyal clientele. Crown City Brewery, 300 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105, no phone.
After more than a dozen years as Beverly Boulevard's beloved neighborhood French bistro, Pastis, has closed its doors. It will be replaced by a café called House. Pastis, 8114 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048, 323-655-8822.
After a long, storied run as one of L.A.'s most beloved French bistros, Mimosa has closed its doors. Chef/owner Jean-Pierre Bosc continues to cook his bistro favorites at Hollywood's Café de Artistes. Mimosa, 8009 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048, no phone.
Chef/owner Jean-François Meteigner will close La Cachette on July 31, and the space will be used for private events. However, diners will still be able to enjoy Meteigner's French cuisine at La Cachette Bistro, which will open at 1733 Ocean Ave. in Santa Monica on August 1. La Cachette, 10506 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025, 310-470-4992.
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