It looks like the very last holdout in the push to serve alcohol in Downtown Santa Monica’s theaters will also soon be serving booze according to the conditional use application posted on the front of the building. Loews Broadway 4 theater at 1441 3rd Street Promenade is currently closed for renovation. But when it re-opens, fortunate movie patrons will be able to toast to Jurassic Park 18 with a bit of hooch. Cheers!
Expanding Mexican chain Benny’s Tacos has quietly slipped into the space left behind by the departed The Slice pizza joint at 915 Wilshire Blvd. Recognizable by their large-eyed mascot who adorns their ubiquitous catering trucks, Benny’s Tacos offers a menu composed of the usual suspects (burritos, tacos, quesadillas), as well as breakfasts, salads, rotisserie chicken, and vegetarian options. Check out more about their menu and read more here.
With so few places to dine at the ocean’s edge in LA, one of the loveliest spots to meander through a leisurely lunch is surely the elegant Malibu Beach Inn. A source recently told me that the restaurant in the Malibu Beach Inn at 22878 Pacific Coast Highway is about to get a major overhaul. Not long ago, the Inn changed hands and the new owners are looking to upgrade, perhaps due to the fact that they may be facing stiff competition from the upcoming Nobu Ryokan just down the street. Many of the changes will be cosmetic and the ocean front patio will be enlarged. They are also (finally) adding a place to store wine. They will remain open during construction.
Ah Summertime, when one’s thoughts turn to the beach, balmy evenings, picnics, and… quinoa. At least that’s what popular vegan chain Veggie Grill wants us to think about. Every year about this time, they debut their new Summer menu items. Here’s this year’s list: Grilled Quinoa + Veg Burger, Mediterranean Toss with House ‘Feta’, Sonoran Summer Bowl, Haricots Verts with House-made lemon tahini dressing, and Chargrilled Street Corn. Read more about their Summer menu and find locations here.
As you may know, the old Yankee Doodles space at 1410 Third St. Promenade in Santa Monica has sat vacant since a fire closed the sports bar back in 2013. Last month I noticed new signs of life but couldn’t come up with specific details. But recently, an artist’s rendering posted on the front of the space appears to spill the beans that the new tenant will be Bruxie Gourmet Waffle Sandwiches. With several locations mostly to the South and East of LA, Bruxie is known for breakfasts and sandwiches served between their signature waffles, sort of like a panini according to their website. But they also offer salads, frozen custard, sundaes, and floats. Check out their website and learn more here.
Back in April of 2014 I told you that the decrepit food hall at 1315 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica was destined for a make-over. Work has finally begun and all of the restaurants (McDonald’s, Chinese Gourmet Express, The Candy Baron, Sushi Shogun, etc.) that had previously occupied the space except for Subway (that you now have to enter through a sleazy back alley entrance) have now closed. Not sure which one’s will be returning but I’ll keep watching…
Signs have recently gone up at El Segundo’s eagerly awaited massive The Point development heralding the arrival of many new restaurants slated to open this year on the corner of Sepulveda and Rosecrans. As early as September 2014, I figured out that True Food Kitchen was coming, but at least five more new eateries will leave locals spoilt for choice. Check out the full list of coming attractions here.
Back in October of 2013 I told you about a new eatery arriving to the repurposed and cavernous art deco building at 1314 7th St. in Santa Monica. At the time, the ABC license listed the place as the 7th Street Bistro. We all know now that what was coming was the buzz-worthy Cassia. Easily one of the Westside’s most anticipated openings, Cassia (the name is a reference to an Asian tree that is indestructible) officially threw open its doors on Saturday night, bestowing the culinary blessings of Bryant Ng and Kim Ng (The Spice Table), and Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan (Rustic Canyon, Huckleberry, Milo & Olive) to the good people of Santa Monica. With pitch-perfect service and astonishingly good food, this little gem is indeed a welcome sight in this neck of the woods. The menu, “Asian meets French bistro” as we were told, is well executed and includes dishes such as: kaya toast, green papaya salad, chickpea curry, oysters, grilled lobster, whole Singaporean white pepper crab, laksa, and steak frites. And for dessert? How about deep fried Paris-brest or Vietnamese coffee pudding… Walk-ins only at this point and they’ll officially take reservations on June 23rd, but I have it on good authority that the rezzie lines will open this Sunday, June 21st on Opentable. Trust me, you’ll need them…
It looks like La Rocco’s Pizzeria is taking over an old beauty salon at 8806 S. Sepulveda Blvd. in Westchester. With one other location in Downtown Culver City, The pizzeria bills itself as “a slice of New York”. No word on an exact opening date, but while you’re waiting check out their menu of pasta, salads, sandwiches, and pizza here, and judging by the ABC license in the window, there will be beer and wine.
Begun in the 1970s in Camarillo, it appears that Lassens Natural Foods & Vitamins is going into a choice location in the new development on the corner of Wilshire and LaBrea at 710 S. LaBrea Ave. The expanding Ventura-based West Coast chain offers a market of organic, low-processed foods and supplements, raw and gluten-free choices, as well as a “fresh organic deli, juices, and smoothies”. Not certain of an exact opening date, but they look fairly close. Until then, check out more here.
When God closes a Maria’s, he always opens another… About a year ago I told you about Maria’s Italian Kitchen opening at 3001 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica. They had taken over the troubled space that had housed the sports bar South. This was to be their temporary pop-up while they remodeled their Brentwood location. And now all of you Brentwood citizens who had to drive past 328 other Italian restaurants and a city boundary to get to your beloved Maria’s can heave a collective sigh of relief: The Maria’s in Santa Monica has officially closed and the Brentwood location has reopened at 11723 Barrington Court.
Back in February, I told you about a new juice joint opening on the corner of Olympic and Westwood in West Los Angeles. Well, for all of you who have been waiting with bated breath, Pure Pressed Juice has thrown open its doors at 10844 West Olympic Blvd. Look for a menu of organic cold-pressed juices, almond milk, smoothies, and cleanses that you can read more about here.
Apparently the award-winning chocolate chip cookies baked by Jacqueline Kamin are very popular, even among Saudi Kings (I’m not kidding, read my original post here). While originally hailing from the East Coast, Jackie’s Cookie Connection has been shipping their cookies for quite some time, and last Fall, they opened a kiosk in Century City. Now banners are up announcing that they are moving into a storefront at 12901 Santa Monica Blvd. in the Plaza (corner of Bundy) in LA. And they’re not done yet: This will be their headquarters as they expand into Hollywood and Highland and The Village at Topanga. Read more about the rapidly expanding mini cookie empire and watch their trance-inducing countdown clock announcing when the next round of cookies pop out of the oven here.
A simple banner posted on the front of the building is announcing that a new restaurant will be replacing Brilliantshine at 522 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica. Eater reported back in Mid-April that the popular bar and restaurant closed due to a “partner split”. Not a lot of information out there yet, but it looks like the new bar and restaurant will be called The Wooded Hollow, but that’s about as much as I can find out….
Update: I got a gander at their chalkboard menu. Looks like classic bar food such as chicken quesadilla, mac & cheese balls, and pastrami sandwich. They appear to be open now and their hours are 6pm to 11pm nightly.
Toddrickallen 