Following the opening of the extremely busy Santa Monica location, Veggie Grill Torrance is now open in the Rolling Hills Plaza Shopping Center at 2533 Pacific Coast Hwy. This makes it the sixth location for the popular vegan chain. Next location will be in Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax opening sometime this summer. Check out more at http://www.veggiegrill.com/ or call 310.325.6689.
Today, Wednesday March 30th, Pizza Antica at the top of Santa Monica Place, will be donating a portion of their daily sales to the American Red Cross in order to help the children and families affected by the devastating earthquake in Japan. A great opportunity to do something good for people struggling in Japan, and have a great meal. (Try the brussels sprouts salad, they’ll do it without bacon…it’s amazing!) www.pizzaantica.com
With new crêpe establishments open in Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, the little French pancake has gotten pretty competitive lately. In more crêpe news, it looks like Acadie Crêpes that long occupied the space at 213 Arizona Avenue in Santa Monica has closed its doors. No word on who’s moving in.
Toddrickallen as well as a host of others got a glimpse into the soon to open Villetta in Brentwood. The invitation-only cocktail party on Thursday evening (March 24th) featured a decidedly Westside crowd of foodies, press, industry players, investors, celebrities like Tom Arnold, and copious amounts of botox, restalyn, and silicon. After being warmly greeted by Antonio and Gary, the partners behind Villetta, and Suzanne, the PR person, guests were treated to a host of over 22 nibbles, hor d’ouvres, and desserts. Included among the nibbles were: truffled fondue, fontina, and pea arancine; a raviolini with nettles, borage and creamy walnut sauce; and a bufala ricotta with pistachios and truffle honey, all efficiently served by friendly staff (future wait staff at Villetta) who managed to gracefully bob and dodge through the thickening crowds. Among the desserts were: olive oil cake with tangerines and candied almonds; cannoli with sheeps milk ricotta, candied oranges and pistachios; and mini sweet wine cupcakes with mascarpone crema, toasted pine nuts and candied fennel seeds. Champagne, wine and specialty cocktails plied the impressed crowd. If you recall the old Chez Mimi space, then you know that Villetta does not have a main dining room, but rather a series of small rooms and houses connected by corridors and courtyards. There is a large main patio with heated concrete, as well as a smaller courtyard and a back patio. Comfortable cushioned chairs set among the potted citrus trees, fountains, and herbs create quiet corners to enjoy a drink and food. The rooms are decorated sparcely, with rough wood tables, stucco walls, and mediterranean accents such as bowls of lemons and artichokes, vases of lavender, and potted herbs. A multitude of fireplaces completes the spell. The overall feeling is bright and airy, yet cozy and homey: an invitation to loll about on a sofa, the scent of lemon blossoms in the warm breeze enjoying sunny Italian flavors. Villetta promises to be an exciting addition to the LA dining scene. Although postponed a number of times due to City of Santa Monica restrictions, the opening is set for April 4th, although they didn’t appear to be too confident of that date. I’ll keep you posted…
Raviolini
I caught up with Antonio from the much anticipated Villetta in the old Chez Mimi space near the corner of 26th and San Vicente in Santa Monica. The Southern Italian-influenced restaurant which was scheduled to open late last year was delayed due to permit and environmental restrictions from the city of Santa Monica. Even though the furniture is still in plastic on the patio, all should be ironed out soon. Look for an opening on April 2nd. Read more at https://toddrickallen.com/2010/11/24/villetta-brentwood-opening-soon/
Update: I attended the Premier Cocktail Party for Villetta that was held last night, Thursday March 24th. The projected opening date now stands at April 4th. But even then they weren’t completely confident they’d make it by then. I’ll post photos and details of the interior this weekend. Keep posted…
Latest: We’re looking at April 14th at this point.
Santa Monica’s Kreation Kafé, a favorite local hang-out known for its organic, market-driven sandwiches, salads, and tapas, is opening a new venture next door at 1023A Montana Ave. Kreation Juicery will feature all organic smoothies and fresh juices. The blenders will begin rolling in about… wait for it… “a coupla months”. Check out more at http://www.kreationkafe.com/.
On Sunday May 1st at 11:00am, Evan Kleiman, host of KCRW’s Good Food, will be leading a discussion of global street food and its effect of culture. The event will take place at the Broad Stage at 1310 11th St. in Santa Monica. Evan will be joined by OC Weekly’s Gustave Arellano and other “special guests”. After the discussion, you’ll be able to sample international street food from an array of LA’s ubiquitous food trucks. For more info, go to KCRW.com/globalstreetfood, which according to the flyer will be online tomorrow (Saturday). You can purchase tickets from the same website starting Wednesday, March 23rd at 10:00am.
For those looking to do a little internal spring cleaning, M Café de Chaya, in Beverly Hills is hosting a “Renew+Revitalize” cooking demo with their consultant and celebrity chef Lee Gross on Thursday, March 24th from 7pm to 9pm. Chef Gross will be demonstrating healthy and fresh ideas such as split pea and barley soup, spelt berry salad, and spring seaweed salad. Cost is $35 per person and you can reserve you space by emailing amy@mcafedechaya.com.
9433 Brighton Way
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310.858.8459 mcafedechaya.com
It looks like hyper-active burger joint, The Counter, is coming soon to Century City Shopping Center. I noticed this sign covering the space close to Rocksugar. If you’re one of the last people who have yet to encounter The Counter, check out their menu here: http://www.thecounterburger.com/menu/ or visit one of their other gazillion locations in SoCal and throughout the US for their 312,120+ different burger combinations (including an excellent veggie).
Actress and vegan darling Alicia Silverstone will be discussing her NY Times #1 bestselling book, The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet in the MLK Jr. auditorium of the Santa Monica Public Library on Tuesday, March 22nd at 7:00pm. She will be sharing her personal journey to veganism and outlines the basic tenets of her book. Who knew a plant-based diet could be so sexy?
After a valiant fight that included daily specials, free wi-fi, and a milkshake bar, TCBY Yogurt in Santa Monica has decided to throw in the towel. The longtime fixture at 715 Montana Ave. faced fierce competition from newcomer Menchie’s across the street and Pinkberry further up. The local fave wasted no time clearing out the entire store. No word on what’s next for the space.
If you happen to be in the Westfield Century City Shopping Center tomorrow, March 8th, and you happen to be a woman, drop by Obikà for a complimentary glass of spumante with lunch or dinner to commemorate Woman’s Day or Festa della Donna as they call it.
While we’re on the subject of crêpes, Vive La Crêpe! opens on Tuesday March 8th at 368 North Camden Drive in Beverly Hills. The modest, straight forward menu lists a selection of savory crêpes (such as a Tomato, mozzarella, and basil), sweet crêpes (like Dulce de Leche), omelette crêpes (Egg, Goat Cheese, Spinach), and ice cream crêpes all prepared upon demand, plus coffees, teas, and other drinks. The interior is meant to evoke a Parisian cafe with “modern and hip accents”. With three locations in New York, this is the first western US outpost. Read more at vivelacrepe.fr/.
With four locations in California and others throughout the US, CrêpeMaker is now open in the food court of Santa Monica Place. If crêpes are your thing, you’ll be spoiled for choice with a large selection of savory crêpes (including veggie), breakfast crêpes, and of course, dessert crêpes as well as salads, coffees, teas, and drinks. Check out more at http://www.crepemaker.com/.
Ok, I apologize for the rotten photo, but it’s difficult to get photos of the progress on the Market at Santa Monica Place due to the plastic banners covering the window. With the projected opening of May 20th, I’m keeping a close eye on what’s going on. The bones look finished, but fuse boxes and fixtures are still exposed at this point. And no one has even begun moving in. I’ll keep you updated.
Didn’t they just open? Regardless, I noticed this announcement posted on the black wall hiding the construction on the True Food restaurant on the ground floor of Santa Monica Place for a hearing on an application to modify “existing market, food court and patio hours”. If you’re at all interested in such things or have a remarkable amount of free time, the city will apparently be discussing the matter tomorrow, March 2nd at 7:00pm at 1685 Main St., Room 213.
Toddrickallen 