I’d like to take this moment to thank all my dedicated readers and everyone who visits this site and wish all a very Happy Thanksgiving. I’m very grateful to you for giving me the inspiration and support to keep exploring the excitement of the LA food scene. May your Holiday be filled with great food, family and friends, fun, and all manner of deliciousness!
You may have been wondering what was going on over at neighborhood fave Cafe Montana at 1534 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. Recently, they closed down. Then a sign went up in the window that announced they were remodeling and promising to reopen soon. That sign quickly disappeared. Then came the black plastic covering the windows… According to a source, Cafe Montana will not be reopening, ending a 20 year long run. The space is being developed for a new venture, tentatively named Ox & Son by businessman, restaurateur, and owner of Westside Rentals Mark Verge, who recently opened Art’s Table in Cafe Montana’s sister restaurant, the now-defunct Babalu. No details on an opening date or menu, but I’m told the concept will be “high-end”.
We all know that Thanksgiving can be hard on the turkeys. Now you can help the pitiable poultry out: This Tuesday, November 25th, when you buy a main, side, and drink at Native Foods, part of the proceeds will go to Farm Sanctuary, an animal advocacy group that maintains shelters for the birds. For your kindness, Native Foods will give you a free dessert, their ginger snappy sandwich cookie.
Looks like a new venture, Basanti Tea Bar will soon be taking over the vacated Crumbs Bake Shop space at 9465 South Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills. Not much out there yet except a still-developing website and job listings, but apparently the company was founded in Monterrey, Mexico in 2008. Look for a menu of “more than 35 loose leaf tea mixes, exotic fruits and indulgent flavors”. No word on an opening date, but I’ll keep checking…
And while we’re on the subject of Westwood, I noticed that specialty waffle shop Honeymade Sweet and Savory has closed its doors at 10912 Le Conte Ave. No word on what’s taking its place, but I’ll keep you posted…
Koala Tapioca is in their final build-out and hiring phase and is poised to open soon at 10965 Weyburn Ave. in Westwood. Created by two UCLA alums, this is their first foray into brick-and-mortar after beginning in a truck named Koala Tea. Look for a menu of icy drinks, boba, and street food with strong Asian influences that you can read more about here.
Rapidly-expanding vegan chain Veggie Grill has rolled out its new winter menu. Included on the seasonal menu are: crispy portobellos, chargrilled veggies and penne, a glazed tofu banh mi, Sonoran winter bowl, kale and white bean braise, and other items. Check out the full menu and read more here.
It wasn’t that long ago that an old-timey nursery sat at 1255 Coast Village Road in posh Montecito, a relic of the now-tony street’s utilitarian past that has disappeared to accommodate the patrons of estates worth millions just a stone’s throw away. The nursery was demolished to make space for a new development that will house a branch of LA-based Hillstone Restaurant Group (Houston’s, South Beverly Grill, Gulfstream, Bandera), according to the ABC application posted outside. This will be a prominent national chain presence in the sleepy seaside town known for its fiercely local and independent restaurant scene. And while I can confirm neither an opening date nor the exact branch of the HRG, rumor has it that the new venue will be an R+D Kitchen.
I’ve been watching The Point, the upscale outdoor mall being built on the corner of Sepulveda and Rosecrans in Manhattan Beach/El Segundo. After a little bit of investigation back in September, I told you that True Food Kitchen would be moving into the colossal development in 2015. And now comes news, via the LA Times, of the other restaurants that will be on offer: Mendocino Farms, Superba Food & Bread, Shophouse, North Italia (which along with True Food Kitchen is part of the Fox Restaurant Concepts group), and a “restaurant and marketplace” from the founder of Pitfire Artisan Pizza. Look for the openings to begin sometime in 2015.
I think many on the Westside were astonished and perhaps a bit nostalgic when that popular destroyer of waistlines, The Cheesecake Factory, abruptly closed its doors in 2012 at 11647 San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood. It’s long been reported that The Coral Tree Café has been renovating the space to make way for a cavernous new steakhouse. And now we have a name… According to the sign tacked up on the plywood announcing a job fair, the new restaurant will be called Baltaire. No word on an exact opening date, but they appear to be getting close…
Well that didn’t take long… Back in June, I told you about a new “superfood” concept restaurant poised to take over the space at 1518 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica that used to house pizza restaurant BricoLA. And by some miracle of planetary alignment (for that’s what’s needed to open a restaurant this quickly in Santa Monica), Kye’s opened yesterday (November 5th). Look for varied menu of salads, shakes, smoothies, breakfasts offerings, and their proprietary “kyerito”, which is essentially a wrap of such favorites as BBQ pork, reuben, paleo tuna, as well as many veg and vegan options such as bean taco, and “Nahm Jim“, the latter consisting of “assorted veggies, herbs, lotus root, woodear, Nahm Jim fish sauce or Veg Nahm Jim sauce, hemp seeds, macadamia nuts, sliced almonds, red/black rice blend, and nori” (whew!). Read more and check out their complete menu here.
After what seemed like an extraordinarily lengthy remodel of the space that used to house long-gone salad joint Choppe Choppe at 368 N. Camden, smoothie and juice shop Liquid Nutrition has recently opened in Beverly Hills. This is the first US branch of the popular Canadian chain. You can expect a menu of proprietary specialty drinks with protein, herbal, or vitamin supplements as well as wraps, treats, and house-grown wheatgrass served by extremely friendly and helpful staff in a bright, cheery environment.
Toddrickallen 