That didn’t take long… It was only back in the March that I noticed that pie shop Simplethings had disappeared from its Lincoln/Wilshire corner location in Santa Monica. Wasting no time whatsoever, signs soon went up announcing that Pasadena’s Spinfish Poke House was set to move in. Well, indeed they have, as they recently opened and are now dishing raw fish to the masses.
A great many of you have been carefully tracking the progress of an eatery taking shape at 3021 Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica (formerly Santino’s) that I first told you about back in April. Burgers N Brews recently opened, and is brought to you by the people behind its sister restaurant, The Britannia Pub in Downtown Santa Monica. It’s all about the burgers here, with choices ranging from veggie, chicken, cod, pork, lamb, angus, and grass-fed, all to be washed down with a selection of, you guessed it, craft beers served in frosty glasses. It seems to be off to a good start, and Yelpers are raving about it. We wish them the best of luck.
Back in January, I noticed that a new restaurant and wine bar was moving into the space at 11916 Wilshire that formerly housed the beloved, fusty West Los Angeles fixture Divita’s Pizzeria. At the time, the paper covering the windows promised us that the new restaurant would be local and independent and brought to us by Vincent & Chase. The landmark marquis that loudly proclaimed Divita’s location for over 40 years now has a new look. It appears that the name of the new eatery will be Belle Vie Food & Wine. The signage seems to indicate that new place will have some reference to France, but I can’t find out much more information other than a Facebook page and this, which seems to reference the French Chef Gilles Stassart and his open air restaurant Art Home at Paris’ Le Palais de Tokyo. The mystery continues…
I noticed that El Segundo was about to get a new bar back in 2015. The stylish new Aloft Hotel has since opened at 475 N. Sepulveda, and with it, their signature watering hole, XYZ Bar. Look for the promised “specialty cocktails”, “snack-attack” menu, and “sassy dj mixes”.
It was back in December when I first noticed that Flower Child, one of Fox Restaurant Concepts brands (True Food Kitchen, North Italia), was going to be sharing the renovated Laemmle Theater space at 1332 Second Street in Downtown Santa Monica. Eater told us that June was the projected opening. Now we have a date: According to a spokesperson, Flower Child will begin dispensing good vibes on June 14th. Look for a menu of organic, locally sourced, and additive free, “healthy food for a happy world”.
The Commons Ale House has had its share of troubles in the past, but all that is behind them now. A letter, hand-penned in marker and affixed to the front door at 129 Broadway, bids a colorful goodbye to Downtown Santa Monica and a thank you to its erstwhile customers. It appears that they closed down after last weekend, and no reason for the abrupt closure is given. I’ll keep my eye on the space to see what develops.
Back in March, I told you about the opening of the food hall The Gallery at 1315 Third Street Promenade after a two-year renovation. While there appears to be a great deal of activity, almost all the stalls are still without tenants. However, joining McDonald’s, Subway has returned to the The Gallery and is now open. I’ll keep watching the other spaces…
As poke hysteria grips the Westside, we learn of yet another raw fish establishment vying for a place at the table. Back in December I told you about the demise of El Segundo’s Salad Creations at 2259 E Maple Ave. in The Edge at Campus El Segundo, next to the giant Elevon complex currently under construction. Signs have recently gone up on the space indicating that the new tenant will be Ono Poke Hawaiian Poke Bowl. No word on an opening date, but I’ll keep watching.
They’re dropping like flies in Century City… It was only back in December of last year that I noticed that Melrose’s specialty sandwich shop All About The Bread had quietly slipped into the turbulent waters of the food court of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. Sadly, they have abandoned their space in the rapidly changing mall. That brings the total number of vacancies to three…
I’ve been watching the space at 11712 San Vicente Blvd. that once housed Adoteca and Osteria Latini before that. The last news was the ABC license application posted on the front that indicated that something called Daniele Pizza was moving in. Eater did a little digging and discovered that the people behind Daniele were none other than the founders of the cupcake empire Sprinkles, Candace and Charles Nelson. Well, plywood recently went up on the space informing us that the real name of the new restaurant will be… Pizzana. The ABC license still lists the business as Daniele, however the owner is now listed as Pizzana LLC instead of Daniele LLC. But it’s still the Nelsons who are behind the venture. Their website hasn’t been developed yet, so I can only speculate about what they have in mind. But I will definitely keep an anticipatory eye on this development…
It’s poke mania on the Westside! It wasn’t that long ago that I told you about the demise of Santa Monica’s short-lived branch of pie shop Simplethings, at 808 Wilshire Blvd. (corner of Lincoln). Wasting no time whatsoever, signs have gone up on the space indicating that a branch of Pasadena’s Spinfish Poke House will be rapidly moving in. Their website alludes to a new location (“We are dropping our anchor on another port!”) and encourages us to follow clues, but I think we’ve solved the mystery. The windows are papered over so I can’t assess the progress, but I’ll keep watching…
Not long ago, I told you about some upcoming new restaurants hitting the Westwood Village food scene. Since then, both establishments have opened. Asian dumpling experts Northern Café has thrown open its doors at 1064 Gayley Ave. Additionally, icy treat purveyors Frostalicious is now providing the good people of Westwood with Taiwanese shaved ice at 10967 Weyburn Ave.
It looks like something called D1 Café is coming to the corner two spaces on Kinross and Weyburn Place, next door to Fatburger. The papered over windows indicate the impending arrival of the elusive café, about which I can find little information. But as always, I’ll keep watching the progress.
With one location in Woodland Hills, “healthy lifestyle” experts Juicy Ladies are expanding to a free-standing building at 17361 Sunset Blvd. in Pacific Palisades, just one block from PCH. Besides juices and smoothies, look for a menu of eggs, sandwiches and wraps, bowls, and vegan desserts. No word on an opening date, but until then, check out their menu and read more here.
Comfy al fresco Venezuelan dining spot Coupa Café appears to have closed its doors at 419 N Canon Dr. in Beverly Hills. And they don’t seem to have a new tenant lined up yet as evidenced by the large for lease signs posted on the front. I’ll keep my eye out for what’s next…
After 10 years of delivering “urban country” food to the good people of El Segundo, local fave Farm Stand closed its doors recently at their 422 Main St. location. Wasting no time whatsoever, an ABC license transfer application posted in the window informs us that a new restaurant, El Gringo Kanteen will be taking over the space. EGK appears to be related to the South Bay chain El Gringo Mexican Restaurant, because the name on the ABC app., William Phillip Graw, makes a showing on their licenses as well. No word on an opening, but I’ll keep watching…
With all of the upcoming changes to the notoriously capricious food scene of the new Westfield Century Shopping Center currently under construction, I’ve been watching the extant restaurants very closely. Even with the promise of the new and glam 2.0 version of the popular shopping and dining destination, expected some time next year, the mall is still bleeding eateries. Recently, Seiki-Shi Sushi bit the dust. And now it looks like longtime food court poultry purveyor The Juicy Bird has vacated their space. I’ll continue to keep watching the changes…
With food trucks in LA, OC, and NY, it appears that sushi burrito, poke, and boba tea specialists Bobaritto is getting a brick and mortar. Paper has gone up on the space that used to house longtime Santa Monica fixture George’s Bistro at 1321 Third Street Promenade announcing the impending arrival. No word on an opening date, but until then, check out their menu (and secret menu) and learn more about what exactly a sushi burrito is here.
The sparkling brand new Gelson’s that took over the old Haggen (Albertson’s) space on the corner of Ocean Park and Lincoln in Santa Monica is just about to make grocery shopping a whole lot more interesting. According to signs posted in the store, they will soon be adding a wine and craft beer bar, thereby considerably increasing their chances of higher revenue due to impulse spending. No word on when the drunk shopping will commence, but believe me, I’m watching this one closely…
The Greek yogurt craze seems to be building momentum… After a nearly four-year run at 11753 San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood, Asian shaved ice shop Sweet Crush abruptly closed its doors back in March. Wasting no time whatsoever, it appears a new treat shop is taking over. Signs are up announcing that the space will soon be inhabited by Moo Greek Yogurt. Not a lot of information out there, just a job listing describing Moo as an “upscale yogurt shop” and “ice cream café”.
Toddrickallen 