Santa Monica’s yearly celebration of all things local, “earth-friendly”, and sustainable, the Santa Monica Festival is this Saturday, May 19th from 11am to 6pm at Clover Park. Here’s the official listing of this years food trucks: Border Grill Truck, The Bun Truck, Coolhaus, Crepe’n Around, Gastrobus, Go Chew Truck, Hawaiian Delight, India Jones, Let’s be Frank, Linde’s Almonds, Nom Nom Truck, Waffles De Liege, and Yalla. Admission is Free. Read more at: smgov.net/Festival.
More food truck news: Every Thursday night, Olympic High School at 721 Ocean Park (corner of Lincoln) in Santa Monica is hosting a Food Truck Night from 5:30 to 9:00pm. All proceeds to go fund supplies and activities at the school. Read more here: olympic.smmusd.org/temp/foodtruck.
Even as the food court in the Century City Shopping City continues to gain attention and praise for its diversity and quality (i.e. Jonathon Gold’s appraisal here), more and more stalls are sitting vacant (three so far). The latest to go, Sorabol Korean BBQ & Asian Noodles closed down this week. If you find yourself desperate for some mall chap chae, you can still find an outpost in the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, Topanga Mall, or farther afield by checking their website here: sorabolrestaurants.com.
With location across the US and closer to home in Torrance, Pasadena, and Seal Beach, it looks like Pei Wei Asian Diner is moving into the corner space at 270 North Beverly Drive (at Dayton) in Beverly Hills. With a wide and varied menu that emphases Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese influences, Pei Wei also offers a variety of vegetarian, low-fat, and gluten-free options. Check out their menu and read more here: peiwei.com.
Obikà in Century City continues to explore the various regional cooking of Italy with a specially-themed dinner on Tuesday, May 22nd at 7:00pm. This month, they will be highlighting the flavorful vegetables and pasta of the region of Lazio with a 4 or 5 course menu. Wine pairings complete the experience of a romantic, leisurely dinner in Rome (via Century City Shopping Center). Cost is $38 and $15 for the pairing. Call 310 556-2452 for reservations. obikala.com.
Native Foods Cafe is celebrating the re-opening of its Westwood branch, now open right next door to the old one at 1114 Gayley, with new menu items. Look for such seasonal treats as: grilled California caesar, Bangkok curry bowl, Maryland tempe cakes, roasted chile taco trio, and strawberry shortcake parfait. Check out the entire menu here: nativefoods.com/menu.
Sad but true… Long-standing repository of all things Anglophile, The Tudor House market and tea room will be closing in about 4 weeks. After receiving a tip from a reader about the imminent closure, I talked to an employee who confirmed the tragic news. It seems that after 20 years in the same location at 1403 2nd Street in Santa Monica, and 40 years total, the purveyor of British food and condiments, as well as tea room will be letting their lease expire in about two months. The owners tried valiantly to find a buyer to take over the establishment and preserve it, but none were forthcoming. It looks like a new “Spanish” restaurant will eventually be taking over the space, and employees are fleeing to the new upcoming outpost of The King’s Head in the Valley, Studio City to be exact with a (fingers crossed) opening in June. End of an era. thetudorhouse.com.
