Just in time for all those flagging New Year’s resolutions, Veggie Grill has rolled out its new “Mindful Living” menu. The concept is a focus on items that are “lower in calories, high in protein, nutrient dense, energy packed, and flavor-full”. Included are: banh mi salad, tres chickin’ tacos + black beans, chargrilled veggie + penne salad, and many more choices that you can read about here.
The brand-spanking new Arclight Cinemas being built directly on top of Bloomingdale’s in the Santa Monica Place will feature its signature café and full bar according to the posters covering the plywood. Thus between the new café and the upcoming Cheesecake Factory, diners will be spoiled for choice on the formerly struggling third floor of the mall. Who knows? Maybe even the stagnant The Market might get new lifeblood… Look for a Fall 2015 opening.
Well I sure didn’t see this one coming, but it looks like one of Santa Monica’s favorite pan-Asian restaurants (and occasional salsa dance lounge) Monsoon Cafe, has ended its long run of 18 years at 1212 3rd St Promenade. According to the goodbye letter posted on the front door, those giant Nepalese Buddha eyes that have gazed down on this quieter section of the Promenade between Wilshire and Arizona will soon be painted over to make way for a new, unnamed “restaurant operation”. Whether this means the new eatery will be by the same owners or an entirely different company, I’m not certain. No word on what the replacement will be, but it appears they’re aiming at being up and running by April of this year.
After having long-anchored the strip mall on the corner of Bundy, it looks like California Vegan has given up the ghost at 12113 Santa Monica Blvd. in West LA. And as indicated by the giant “for lease” sign, they’ve yet to line up a replacement. I’ll keep my eye on it…
Beaming opened in the completely redone sunny space at 1426 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica yesterday (Tuesday January 6th). This is the third branch of the organic superfood cafe that offers a menu of juices, smoothies, salads, bowls, and baked treats. Look for an upcoming branch to open in West Hollywood later in the year, but until then, read more here.
Back in April, I told you about a new Italian restaurant taking over the 17th St. Cafe/Jack’s on Montana/On Montana space at 1610 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. Brought to you by the people behind Pecorino in Brentwood, at the time, it was reported to me that the new eatery was to be called Formaggio. We have since learned that the name had been shortened to Forma. Originally I was told that they were hoping for a September opening, but this being Santa Monica and all, restaurants seldom make their projected opening dates. But we do know that Forma Restaurant and Cheese Bar is shooting for a February opening as indicated by the announcement that was recently placed on the plywood covering the space. I’ll keep checking…
Update: Forma is now open. formarestaurant.com
I’ll be toasting all my readers at midnight tonight as we look forward to yet another year of LA food scene craziness. And I’ll be right there with you in 2015… Let’s see what happens next. Until then, thanks for reading and Happy New Year! Cheers!
Landing softly in a neighborhood restaurant scene that runs the gamut from Valentino to Weinerschnitzel, Viet Noodle Bar has now opened at 3221 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica. The space used to be the home of now-defunct Bite Bar & Bakery. The humble little Southeast Asian eatery already has one location in Atwater Village and offers a menu of rice and noodles, pho, and sandwiches that you can check out here.
The food scene continues to sputter in the Santa Monica Place Mall, despite the upcoming ArcLight Cinema and Cheesecake Factory. The latest evidence? Wetzel’s Pretzels appears to have quietly slipped out of its third floor space. But fear not: If you find yourself craving the doughy treat, you can easily find other locations, including the one just one block away in The Promenade by looking here.
Toddrickallen is grateful to all who visit this blog and wishes all his readers Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas filled with laughter, joy, and of course, delicious food! (The diet can start Monday…)
With one location already on Main St. in Santa Monica, it looks like cheery little Sunny Blue is expanding into Culver City, right next to the upcoming Humble Potato at 12608 West Washington Blvd. (corner of Mildred). Sunny Blue specializes in omusubi (otherwise known as onigiri) which are Japanese-style balls of rice filled with various fillings and eaten with the hand, hence their tagline “this place has balls”. But the environmentally aware mini-chain also offers salads, noodles, and frozen yogurt. No word on an opening date, but until then, read more here.
I recently noticed that a new restaurant is going into the freshly renovated space that used to house a discount store at 11030 Washington Blvd. (corner of Tilden) in Culver City. While the sign doesn’t mention a name, looks like they’ll be offering “delicious acai bowls”. There’s no indication of when the new superfood restaurant will open, but I’ll keep my eye on it…
Signs recently went up announcing that a brand spanking new branch of locally-based java behemoth Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf will soon be taking over the space on the southwest corner of the hyper-busy intersection of Wilshire and Federal in West LA. Seems like an interesting choice for location given the craziness of the traffic and lack of parking. No word on an opening date but I’ll keep checking…
I just noticed the signs up at 219 Arizona (Third St. Promenade) in Santa Monica announcing the future arrival of a brand new venture, Creams & Dreams Ice Cream Shop. The space had recently housed clothing boutique Hydrate and previously Frey Wille. Not much news out there yet and no word on an opening date, but I’ll keep watching…
I haven’t heard much news from Japanese chain Yoshinoya in quite a while, but it looks as though they’re about to up their game. Signs indicate that they are poised to take over the corner spot in a brand new development on the corner of Manchester and Bellanca in Westchester. And it appears as though the dusty brand, founded in Tokyo over a century ago, is about to get a reboot. The new signs read Yoshinoya Japanese Kitchen. They look close to opening, but until then, read more about their signature teriyaki bowls here.
The cold-pressed organic juice craze continues its inexorable conquest of the Westside as evidence by the expansion of local chain Juice Crafters into the storefront at 2811 Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica. Still in their soft opening, you can get 50% off through this Saturday. Read more about their menu and find other locations here.
Apparently actress Jessica Biel has long wanted to bring her organic restaurant idea Au Fudge into existence, and now it looks as though she’s almost there. I recently noticed an application posted in the window of the space that used to house Smoke and Artichoke’s Heart at 9010 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood announcing the impending arrival of Au Fudge. The concept? A kid-friendly environment that New York Magazine is calling a “Soho House for kids”… and by kids, we mean well-heeled and connected kids. According to an announcement on the website Jessica Biel Central, looks like the A-list little ones can expect an opening sometime between February and April of next year.
The iconic and staid palace of upscale dining Ruth’s Chris Steak House is now open in Marina Del Rey in the Marina Marketplace at 13450 Maxella Ave., second floor. With over 135 locations worldwide, Ruth’s Chris is currently the world’s largest luxury steak restaurant. Check out their menu and read more their hot buttered plates here.
To those of you (and there are a whole lot of you) who have been closely following the impending opening of super popular and occasionally controversial Chick-fil-A just to the west of the 405 at 11750 Jefferson in West LA (corner of Mesmer), comes this happy news: Chick-fil-A will officially be throwing open its doors this Thursday, December 4th. Lines could be tough, and they’re asking you to bring a tent (!), but you’ll be rewarded with their signature sandwiches, games, and a chance to win free food for a year.
Looks like shops selling boba (chewy tapioca balls submerged in sugary drinks) are proliferating lately. To the list we add one more: Signs recently went up in the new building at 11573 W. Santa Monica Blvd. (corner of Federal) in West LA announcing the impending arrival of Honey Boba. Promising “the best boba alive”, they already have locations in Gardena, Lomita, Rosemead, and Arcadia, so this will be their first foray into the Westside. No word on an opening date, but until then you can read more here.
Toddrickallen 