Overdid it a little during the holidays? M Café de Chaya has got the solution to too much figgy pudding and eggnog.   Jessica Porter, author of  The Hip Chick’s Guide to Macrobiotics leads a “post-holiday detox” cooking demo at the Beverly Hills location. The menu includes carrot-daikon tonic, rice and avocado and corn salad, and purple passion stew and greens. The demo will be followed by a macrobiotics Q&A and booksigning.  Cost is $45 per person. 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13. E-mail amy@mcafedechaya.com to reserve a space.

9433 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills; (310) 858-8459; www.mcafedechaya.com.

With four locations in California and others throughout the US, it looks like CrêpeMaker, a chain of restaurants that specializes in a variety of savory and dessert crepes is coming to the food court in Santa Monica Place.  Check out their website here http://www.crepemaker.com/. 

I just noticed the sign up tonight in the old Claypit Indian Restaurant space at  145 Barrington in Brentwood Village announcing that the fresh and cheerful restaurant Lemonade will be moving in.  With four locations in LA and one in USC, it looks like the upscale lemonade stand in spreading out.  Check out the menu here http://lemonadela.com/menu-ii to see what you’re likely to get besides sugary citrus beverages.

I haven’t been able to check this out because the store is closed until January 6th, but I noticed this sign in the window of L’Epicerie de Paris in Beverly Hills that clearly states that the store is moving out of its present location.  I’ll post more info after I talk with Arnaud, the store manager.  Read more about L’Epicerie at http://wp.me/pIwAN-7Q.

L’Epicerie de Paris 310 North Camden Drive in Beverly Hills,  90210

So I got a chance to pop into the new Veggie Grill at 2025 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica for a Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ sandwich (which I love) and chatted with the manager.  Besides telling me that they expect their liquor license to arrive any day (Thank God!), he informed me that they are opening two new branches.  One in Rolling Hills Plaza on the corner of PCH and Crenshaw in Torrance, and the other will open in late May in Farmer’s Market at Fairfax and Third.   Go Veggie Grill!  http://www.veggiegrill.com/

On Tuesday Dec 21, from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, M Cafe de Chaya at 9344 Brighton Way in Beverly Hills will be hosting a vegan  baking demonstration by Erin McKenna of Babycakes NYC.  Included in the program will be a recipe for brownies, Q & A, and booksigning.  Cost is $25.  Sign up at amy@mcafedechaya.com.  You can read more at http://www.mcafedechaya.com/or http://www.babycakesnyc.com/.

Breaking news!  Just heard from the manager Sauro, that Bar Toscana is now open, next door to sister restaurant and Brentwood mainstay, Toscana at 11633 San Vicente Blvd.  The cozy space features a menu of Italian tapas and an emphasis on mixology utilizing fresh herbs, fruits, and other fresh ingredients.  I’ll post more shortly… Until then, read more at https://toddrickallen.com/2010/10/25/bar-toscana-brentwood/.

Ok, so I had a peek into Jeffrey Cerciello’s FARMshop in the Brentwood Country Market.  Obviously the ‘Shop’ part is incomplete.  But the restaurant half bears a striking resemblance to the previous inhabitant, City Bakery.  This left me and a number of local business patrons with whom I spoke wondering what the hell they were doing behind those boarded up doors for such a long time.  The restaurant is structured exactly the same.  Even the pastries look the same.  Hmmm.

Just noticed that a sign went up at the Veggie Grill construction site on the corner of Wilshire and 20th in Santa Monica indicating that Mexican chain Poquito Mas is somehow also going into the same space.  Interesting…