It looks like short-lived Mr. Kicco’s Coffee is out at 9679 Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills, and construction is underway on a new salad and sandwich restaurant named Urban Fresh. The new restaurant will join the odd little strip of fast food and salad joints in otherwise glam BH on Wilshire between Bedford and Roxbury that services the quotidian needs of the big department store salespeople. Look for an opening some time in about three or four weeks.
OK, we all know that Tender Greens is going into the old Lighthouse seafood buffet building on the corner of 2nd and Arizona in Santa Monica. The sign has been up in the window for an incredibly long time. But absolutely nothing was happening and the building has sat empty. Well, it looks like construction has finally begun and they’re kicking it off with a big critter removal. I noticed the tenting and construction materials while at Farmer’s Market on Saturday. Looks like they’re still planning on a July opening. I’ll keep you posted…
http://www.tendergreensfood.com/locations/santa-monica/
Driving by the Whole Foods at Wilshire and 23rd in Santa Monica, I noticed a new cafe near the corner at 2393 Wilshire. Run by two adorable sisters, The Blue Daisy has been open for about a week now. Although they are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the extensive menu has a “brunchy” feel to it and focuses on crepes, sandwiches, and egg dishes. With outside tables, this little charmer would be the perfect place to enjoy a leisurely breakfast on a Sunday morning…
Lemonade, the hip, sunny, and self-declared “souped-up” lemonade stand is now open in the old Clay Pit space at 145 S. Barrington in Brentwood. The new location joins five others across LA in bringing its signature cheery drinks and eclectic and inspired menu of soups, sandwiches, and baked goods to the masses. Open daily from 11:00am to 9:05pm.
http://www.lemonadela.com/locations/lemonade-brentwood
California Monster Salads, a build-your-own salad shop going into the old Three Dog Bakery space at 411 Santa Monica Blvd. in Santa Monica is working furiously around the clock to try to meet their projected goal of a Friday (as in tomorrow!) opening. They let me have a peek in on Wednesday night and as you can see, there’s still a lot of work to be done. There may also be some problems with city permits (imagine… permit problems in Santa Monica!?) so there’s a good chance the opening will get pushed back, but they’re still holding out hope, bless their little hearts… I’ll keep you posted.
Update: CMS did not make the Friday projected opening as hoped. But I was told that their last permit inspection would be next Wednesday and they will open, finger crossed, sometime after that.
After about a year and a half, and increasing interest, we have come to the conclusion that it is high time that we commence an upgrade here at Toddrickallen. We will be working to make it easier for you to navigate as well as interact with us. Look for changes over the next few days and of course, I’ll keep you posted on the kick-off. In the mean time, continue to expect the same news and reviews you grown accustomed to. As always, thanks for reading…
Last week, I told you about Santa Monica’s Vanilla Bake Shop going into the ground floor of Westfield’s Century City Shopping Center. With a flurry of activity, at least four other restaurants are currently under construction and are slated to open sometime this year. BJ’s Brewhouse(http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/) has (extremely slowly) been moving into the old French 75 space at the back of the mall and is now hiring. I hope they have better luck than every other incarnation to use this space. On the ground floor near Rocksugar, look for a summer opening for the “build-your-own-burger” chain The Counter (http://www.thecounterburger.com/). Finally, upstairs in the food court plywood signs are hiding construction on two new restaurants. You can probably guess what’s on the menu at the graphically named The Juicy Bird going into the old Tacone space, and right around the corner work is underway on a branch of the chain Charley’s Grilled Subs (http://www.charleys.com/). Both are slated to open July 1st.
I went by The Market At Santa Monica Place today to see if I could sneak in and nose around. Unfortunately, they have it locked up tighter than Fort Knox with security guards and large men blocking my entrance. If you’re like me and looked at my photos from Monday evening, you probably wondered how in the hell they were going to open by Friday. Well, looking at the flurry of activity that I could glimpse through the ever-opening door, I’m convinced they’ll make it. 10:00am tomorrow, that’s what the man at the door promised me…
With all eyes on tomorrow’s opening of The Market at Santa Monica Place, we mustn’t forget about the goings-on in the Century City Shopping Center. I noticed yesterday that Amy and Jeremy Berman’s Santa Monica cutie, Vanilla Bake Shop is going in on the ground floor underneath the food court. You’ll be able to get your cupcake babies sometime this summer. http://vanillabakeshop.com/
Can they do it? As we approach the May 20th opening, there still appears to be so much work yet to be done. With only three days left, they’re still working on the fixtures! Here are the latest photos, most of these were taken at 9:00pm on Monday night. Notice the construction and electrical workers busy at that hour. I’ll keep you posted…
About two weeks ago I reported that Ugo Cafe in Santa Monica Place had closed for a remodel after only about 9 months since opening. Well, the remodel is complete and the little Italian coffee shop, which re-opened on Saturday, has transformed itself into Cafe Ugo: La Passione Italiana, with a slightly revised menu, sleek new look, and sexy name. Otherwise, expect the same paninis, salads, pastries, blended drinks, and delicious gelato. Read more at http://www.cafeugo.com/santamonica.html.
With numerous locations in Nevada and Southern California (mostly around San Diego, where they were the first restaurant to bring woodfired ovens to the pizza scene there), it looks like construction has begun on the latest location of Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza and Grill in El Segundo Plaza on the corner of Sepulveda and Rosecrans. The upscale pizza chain is going into the space once occupied by Smith & Hawken. I’ll keep you posted, in the mean time read more at http://www.sammyspizza.com/.
I got a chance to check out True Food Kitchen over the weekend. The restaurant, which is on the ground floor of Santa Monica Place facing 2nd Street, officially opens today. The space is bright and airy, with curving, warm lines and colors that soften the slightly industrial feel. Since it faces west, the dining room is awash in light. The kitchen and the prep areas are in the open and you can watch the staff hand-stuffing ravioli or chopping vegetables. The menu is large, drawing from many different influences including Asian, Mediterranean, and American. The concept for the menu is, according to their website, “simple, sustainable, fresh and pure” and is based on health guru Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet principles. (The only complaint I heard on this visit was from my dining companion who thought the menu was too diverse and a bit difficult to navigate.) There was a large selection of clearly marked vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free items as well as meats. The shiitake and tofu lettuce cups that I started with were delicious and hinted of ginger, toasted garlic, and soy. I then sampled a roasted asparagus pizza, which was topped with smoked mozzarella, red onion, and marjoram. The crust was thin and the flavors well-thought out. And I’m a sucker for anything with marjoram in it. I also tried a market vegetable scramble: fresh vegetables and egg over a hash made from sweet potato that was earthy, filling, and satisfying. Everything was washed down with a cucumber refresher, but they do have a full bar, beer, and small but careful wine list sorted by bottle price ranging from $24 to $48 (although they do have a select few bottles over that). Everything was served efficiently by friendly staff that went out of their way to explain inflammatory diet principles or point out things like house-made ice cream. I have hight hopes for True Food Kitchen. The overall feeling of the experience was neighborhood-y and relaxed. This could be a great go-to restaurant when you just don’t know where to go. The eclectic menu would please anyone. And with a nod to healthy diet, who wouldn’t feel good about eating here? Read more at http://www.truefoodkitchen.com/.
Shiitake & tofu lettuce cup
Roasted asparagus pizza
Strawberry and rhubarb crisp
Flourless chocolate cake
Only in Santa Monica does one require a remodel after being open less than a year… Anywho, it looks like Ugo Cafe, the fresh Italian eatery on the ground floor of Santa Monica Place is currently closed for a re-do. According to the wallpaper, they’ll be reopening on May 13th, with what well may be a slightly expanded menu. If you’re dying for a panini or gelato, you can still visit their Culver City locations. http://www.cafeugo.com/
To celebrate “Cinco De Macro”, M Café is offering a special deal: $5.00 breakfast burritos and enchiladas today only. Sadly, no macro-margs in sight…
9433 Brighton Way
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
7119 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90046
Below are some photos from the Global Steet Food event presented by KCRW and SMC Associates and hosted by KCRW’s Good Food host and Angeli Caffe owner/chef Evan Klieman on Sunday, May 1st. The event took the form of a panel discussion at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica that included the plain-spoken witticisms of Jonathon Gold (Who declared, “Taco is a verb!”), OC Weekly restaurant reviewer and columnist Gustave Arellano, and Jet Tila of Wazuzu in the Wynn Encore in Las Vegas. Evan’s smooth-as-butter voice lead a lively and oftentimes humorous exploration of traditional street foods with an emphasis on Asia and Mexico, but included Europe and New York as well. Afterward, the crowd adjourned to the sunny parking lot where, included in the price of the ticket, were samples of various local food trucks including Nom Nom Truck, India Jones Chow Truck, and Crepe’n Around. People lolled about what little shade they could find, nibbled various treats, and enjoyed a marimba band making for a glorious So-Cal afternoon.
L to R: Jonation Gold, Gustavo Arellano, Jet Tila, Evan Kleiman
The very sunny Evan Kleiman
India Jones Chow Truck
The very popular Nom Nom Truck
Nom Nom Truck’s lemongrass tofu banh mi
Crepes from Crepe’n Around
According to the sign on the door, La Focacceria TraDiNoi at 362 N. Camden in Beverly Hills is now open, if only just for breakfast Monday through Friday. Read more at https://toddrickallen.com/2011/04/19/la-focacceria-tradinoi-beverly-hills-now-hiring/.
If you’ve been following this blog regularly (and I much appreciate those of you that do), then you know that occasionally, I corner Wolfgang Puck and press him for news. Most recently I caught up with him a couple of weeks ago and posted this: http://wp.me/pIwAN-l8. He had described to me how he was anticipating opening his newest Cut at the Dorchester in London helmed by Spago alum David McIntyre on August 22nd, in addition to a new Mediterranean restaurant opening in Oct./Nov.at the freshly tarted-up Hotel Bel Air. Clarification came this week from the Dorchester Collection PR people in the form of an extremely polite email. Apparently, Wolfie’s newest in London is referred to as Cut at 45 Park Lane. Puck’s first European restaurant will not actually be in the Dorchester, but will debut in a sister property, the Dorchester Collection at, you guessed it, 45 Park Lane in the heart of Mayfair. And, it looks like we’re looking for a summer opening. I hope this clears the matter up for now…
Signs have gone up at the upcoming Taberna Mexicana at 369 N. Bedford in Beverly Hills. According to their website, the restaurant will feature “creative, modern interpretations of Mexican cuisine” by chef Alex Padilla. No word on an exact opening date, but there does appear to be a lot of work yet to be done. I’ll keep you posted… Read more here: https://toddrickallen.com/2010/08/09/taberna-beverly-hills/ or check out the menu from their Scottsdale branch here: http://tabernamexicana.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/dinner.pdf.
The Puck empire continues to grow. I got a chance to catch up with Wolfgang Puck recently. He’s getting ready of open his newest branch of Cut at the famed Dorchester Hotel in London. To man the prestigious location, he’s sent over David McIntyre from Spago and WP24 as head chef. The new restaurant will have a different, bigger menu from the Beverly Hills location which will feature local and continental produce and meats and they will be serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As of right now, the opening date is set for August 22nd, but Wolfgang explained that it may get pushed back.
In other Puck news, he’s looking to open his still mysterious restaurant in the freshly remodeled Hotel Bel Air in October or November of this year. Still not much news, but I did learn the menu will be “mediterranean”.
UPDATE: Clarification on this information came in the form of an email from the Dorchester Group PR people. Read the facts (so far) about Cut in London in this updated post: https://toddrickallen.com/2011/04/29/update-on-cut-london/.
Toddrickallen 