The food scene around El Segundo has become quite a mercurial affair, with openings and closings almost daily. The latest change? LA’s only branch of the East Coast chain Salad Creations has permanently closed its doors in The Edge complex as of Friday. One employee told me that keeping it open was simply, “too much work”. No word on a replacement, but I’ll keep watching…
Swanky jazz club H.O.M.E. (House of Music & Entertainment) burst onto the scene back in 2012, taking over the cavernous old Camden House space at 430 N. Camden Dr. in Beverly Hills. Then, earlier this year, they hit a sour note. We never completely knew what the kerfuffle was, but the prominent notice posted in the window did provide a clue. Well, H.O.M.E. is back up and running with new owners and management according to a spokesperson. We wish them the best of luck.
With all of the changes coming to the Century City food scene, I’m keeping a close eye on all the developments. Back in August, I told you about the relocation of the Century City Shopping Center’s branch of beloved chocolatier See’s. Their previous address in the mall was completely torn down to make way for the upcoming expansion. Wasting no time whatsoever, See’s Candies is now open in its new location, near Breadbar, and just in time for Holiday shopping…
Who even knew that there was such a thing as National Brownie Day? But apparently there is and today (December 8th) is the day. And to celebrate, Native Foods is giving away brownies with the purchase of a Big Ol BBQ Burger. Find a branch of the expanding fast-casual vegan chain and check out their menu here.
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The Westfield Century City Shopping Center is a flurry of activity and construction lately. We’ve been promised 15 new eateries (including Eataly). The latest? Melrose’s specialty sandwich shop All About The Bread has opened a branch in the food court. The concept here is a focus on artisan, handcrafted bread that is baked fresh every 30 minutes delivering a product with a crunchy exterior and fluffy interior which is then used to make any one of a number of signature sandwiches. Check out the menu and read more here.
For many restaurateurs and businesspeople, opening a new food spot in Santa Monica can be a nightmare. Red tape and delays make the process a long, dragged out affair. (Am I right Lemonade, Creams & Dreams? And Caffe Primo… we feel your pain.) But for some magical reason known only to the god of multinational coffee chains, a new Starbucks can open in days in the notoriously challenging city. It was only back in mid-October that I told you about a new branch of the ubiquitous coffee purveyor being built on the ground floor of Santa Monica Place near Bloomingdale’s. One month and a half later, Starbucks is open and probably giving Ugo Café a run for its money.
I just noticed that one of the Downtown Santa Monica’s long-time residents has folded. Johnnie’s NY Pizzeria has closed its doors at 1444 Third St. Promenade. And it appears they don’t have a new tenant lined up yet, judging from the for lease signs but I’ll keep watching…
It looks like El Segundo will soon be home to a branch of W XYZ Bar, the signature bar of the Aloft Hotels chain that is currently under construction at 475 N. Sepulveda. Look for a menu of “specialty cocktails”, a “snack-attack” menu, and “sassy dj mixes”. According to the website, the new Aloft El Segundo will be up and running on April 12th, 2016.
Toddrickallen wishes a very Happy Thanksgiving to all my devoted readers. May your day be filled with joy, family and friends, and of course, wonderful food! I’m so very grateful for your support. Cheers!
Remember back in October when I first noticed a sign on the front of 13020 W. Pacific Promenade #7 in Playa Vista informing us that Great Food was soon heading our way? Well, construction is fast and furious on a build-out of what will soon be Wellfed. Recently, I had a chance to chat with the owners. While they’re still working out all the details, here’s what I can tell you. The new owner operated gastropub will feature an open kitchen dishing up a creative market-driven California/Asia menu. The concept here is fast/casual served over a super snazzy monkeypod wood wrap-around countertop. The vibe at Wellfed will be chill with a serious emphasis on food. And they’ve scored a chef with serous cred although I’m not at liberty to divulge. While beer and wine are still a few months away, they’re shooting for a December 21st opening. We wish them the best of luck.
Back in January I told you that signs on the construction site of the new Arclight Cinemas, being constructed out of thin air atop Bloomingdale’s, indicated that the new theater would feature a café and full bar. Well, now the wait for a boozy movie is over. Arclight Cinemas opens today (November 20th) in Santa Monica Place and the posters declare that you can take your drink into the theater with you. Cheers!
Did that take a long time or what? Last Winter, I told you about the signs in the window announcing that a branch of Lemonade was taking over the old Rockenwagner space at 311 Arizona Ave. in Santa Monica. Originally, the optimistic purveyor of “seasonal California comfort food”, innocent to the workings of the City of Santa Monica, had planned for a Spring opening. That obviously didn’t happen. But all that’s behind us now. Lemonade threw open its doors yesterday, November 17. Incidentally, the bright and cheery expanding brand appears poised to move into the Bay Area, according to their website.
Back in early August, I noticed that the new Elevon complex in El Segundo was getting a branch of superfood chain Bowl of Heaven. At the time, I also pointed out that their website indicated that Santa Monica was to land a branch as well. And now we know where… Papers are up in the window of the space at 725 Broadway announcing the upcoming arrival. They’re still in the construction phase so I don’t know when they intend on opening, but until then, you can check out Bowl of Heaven’s menu of acai bowls, smoothies, and juices here.
Beverly Hill’s preeminent purveyor of all things tea has closed down for a major redo. American Tea Room at 401 N. Canon Drive is covered with plywood and large banners indicating that the facelift will be complete sometime in 2016. Until then, check out their new Downtown LA location or follow the progress of their upcoming Newport Beach location here.
A great many of you have been following with rapt attention the extraordinarily slow progress of the still unopened Honey Boba on Santa Monica Blvd., just to the west of the 405. (They appear to be quite close to opening.) With locations already in Gardena, Lomita, Rosemead, and Arcadia, the boba chain continues its tortoiselike march toward the beach with a new location arriving soon to the Glen Court shopping center at 5267 Rosecrans Ave. in Hawthorne. Until that fateful day, read more about “the best boba alive” and check out their menu here.
It looks like the busy aerospace industry can look forward to yet another lunchtime choice soon… After having sat vacant for quite a while, the free-standing building that used to house a Qdoba at 5221 Rosecrans Ave. in Hawthorne (just to the west of the 405) is about to get a new tenant. Signs are up indicating that a branch of “fast fire’d” build-your-own pizza restaurant Blaze Pizza is moving in. Looks like they’re planning on an opening sometime next year, but until then, check out the menu of the rapidly expanding national chain here.
Back in December of last year, I told you about the impending arrival of a new ice cream shop to the space at 219 Arizona (Third St. Promenade) in Santa Monica that used to house Frey Wille. Well, it took about a year, but Creams & Dreams is now open. Using liquid nitrogen in the churning, they offer a wide selection of all-natural ice cream in clever flavors such as maiz con queso, fresh avocado, and orange honey. Check out their entire menu of ice cream as well as pastries, coffee, and tea here.
Well it can’t be said it was for lack of trying… Having previously occupied a space on 3rd Street, it was a new and hopeful day when coffee and sandwich shop Infuzion Café opened in their bright and shiny buildout at 1241 5th St. in Santa Monica almost exactly two years ago. Sadly, it appears that they weren’t able to make a go of it. A somber note pasted to the front window informs us that they have permanently closed as of last week.
Right next door to the recently revamped and highly popular Koala Tapioca, a new icy treat shop is coming to the space at 10967 Weyburn Ave. in Westwood. Frostalicious is promising the World’s first self-serve Taiwanese shaved ice machines that will deliver the revolutionary “light as a snowflake, fluffy as a cloud” frozen delights in a myriad of flavors including; strawberry buttermilk, cucumber mint, and creamy mango. And you can add to this an astonishing array of toppings such as; almond tofu, red velvet bites, aloe vera with honey, and flavored condensed milk. Now word on an opening date and the construction is fast and furious, but until then read more here.
Stop the presses, this just in… While we’re on the subject of new buzz-worthy Japanese restaurants on the Westside, a great deal of you were extremely excited by the news I told you back in May that Yazawa Meat was going into the old BierBeisl space at 9669 Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills. Well, you’ll be ecstatic to learn that straight from Japan, our own local branch of the ultra-exclusive chain Yazawa Meat soft opened last night (October 29th) after a brief run of invite only, with an expected grand opening of December 1st. What took so long? According to a spokesperson, permits from LA County held them up. But all that’s behind us now. Expect the absolute end-all of routinely flown in Japanese wagu expertly cut (the name Yazawa refers to a legendary Japanese butcher) (and yes, I’m assured there are vegetarian options). But with all this attention, good luck getting a seat in the dark, intimate, diminutive dining room. In the mean time, check out their website and explore the menus at one of their other glitzy outposts in Milan, Tokyo, and Singapore here.
Toddrickallen 