You have to hand it to the plucky restaurateurs who brave the stagnant dining scene on the third floor of Santa Monica Place. It takes a certain, for lack of a better word, courage to give it a go. Sadly, after a valiant effort, it appears that yet another one has bitten the dust. After a run of a year-and-a-half, Redwood Grille has closed its doors in the cavernous space facing the Promenade just as Xino did before it. No word on what’s replacing it. But there are signs of life on the third floor: The upcoming Cheesecake Factory and the new restaurant in the future Arclight Cinema should bring new life… hopefully…
I’m curious what will happen to the ever-dwindling vendors hanging on inside the Marketplace section. Presumably Arclight and The Cheesecake Factory will start bringing considerably greater foot traffic to the third floor, which might prompt mall management to increase the rent.