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News for Restaurants in Los Angeles
June 2009 Archive

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LOS ANGELES RESTAURANT NEWS - JUNE 2009 Archive


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.
 

NEWS BYTES

Wine & Cheese Tastings at Maison 140
Every Wednesday, from 6 p.m-9 p.m. throughout the summer, Bar Noir at Maison 140 is featuring a tasting event showcasing three different French rosés paired with artisanal cheeses. Wines include Jaboulet-Côtes du Rhône ‘Parallèle 45' Rosé 2008, Whispering Angel-Côtes de Provence Rosé 2007, and Sauvion-Loire Valley Rosé D'Anjou 2008. The price is $35 per person. Maison 140, 140 S. Lasky Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212, 310-407-7795.
 
BLVD 16 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.
 
Secret rib rub from chef James Overbaugh Up on the Roof
The Roof Garden at The Peninsula Beverly Hills is offering a "Ribs on the Roof' prix-fixe barbecue menu available on Saturday and Sunday evenings through September 5. The menu starts with "A Composed Skewer" of grilled duck sausage with charred summer pineapple, dates, rocket arugula and heirloom watermelon. In addition to the special 24-spice-rubbed barbecued pork ribs, guests can choose from main dishes such as chicken with grilled mushrooms and apricot barbecue sauce; Alaskan halibut with fennel slaw and a raspberry-chipotle glaze; and T-bone steak with abalone mushrooms and Jamaican jerk barbecue sauce. Each entrée is served with baked Okinawa sweet potatoes and Southwestern pepper and corn salad. 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. Guests can also purchase a tin of chef James Overbaugh's secret rib rub. 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.
 
Cheers!
Throughout the month of June, all dinner guests at Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood will receive a complimentary glass of Champagne to toast the restaurant's first anniversary. Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood, The London West Hollywood, 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069, 310-358-7788.
 
Casa Noble Tequila at the Viceroy Santa Monica
Every Tuesday in June, the Viceroy Santa Monica is heating things up poolside at their signature summer event a "Taste of Tuesday," held weekly from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Cocktails featuring Casa Noble's aged organic tequila will be $5, including the margarita lavanda, nobelita and Mexican madres, all made with fresh juices, and accompanied by $5 summer bites like snapper ceviche. Whist, Viceroy Santa Monica, 1819 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401, 310-451-8711.
 
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.
 
Sunday Barbecue Nights At Ford's
At Ford's Filling Station, chef/owner Ben Ford's summer Sunday barbecue menu offers two meats---pulled pork, brisket, ribs, sausage or chicken---plus two sides like corn on the cob or heirloom tomatoes, for $18; select beers can also be had for $3 bucks. Ford's Filling Station, 9531 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232, 310-202-1470.
 
Corkbar 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.
 

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
 
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.
 

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.
 

CULINARY EVENTS
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