Fresh Bowls Arriving On Main St. In SM…

Posted on October 20, 2017 by toddrickallen

The windows on the space at 2715 Main St. in Santa Monica, formerly the home of the erstwhile lobster specialists Knuckle & Claw, is preparing to have a new tenant. A small notice taped to the front door references something called Fresh Bowls. An online search reveals that there are a number of unrelated restaurants across the US and a small chain in Canada utilizing that name, so I don’t have any conclusive evidence as to what exactly will be moving in, or even if that will be the name of the new restaurant. As always, I’ll keep watching…

Pho Hue Oi Vietnamese Kitchen Expands Into Redondo Beach

Posted on October 19, 2017 by toddrickallen

Vietnamese food seems to be expanding its presence in this neck of the woods… An extensive remodel of the space at 4501 Inglewood Ave. #101 in Redondo Beach is making way for a branch of Pho Hue Oi Vietnamese Kitchen. With one extensively lauded restaurant in Fountain Valley, this is their first foray into LA county. Look for a menu of authentic Hue dishes as well as other popular favorites such as pho.

St. Supéry Tasting Salon Throws Open Its Doors On Rodeo

Posted on October 17, 2017 by toddrickallen

Since I first told you about the mysterious ABC application pasted to the front of the old Lladró space at 408 N. Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills, a great many of you have been checking for updates. I can now report that Napa Valley’s St. Supéry Tasting Salon officially opened over the weekend. Expect white and red wine tasting flights, glasses of wine, and bottles from St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery served in a “modern French parlor complimented by Napa Valley chic”. The tasting salon will remain open until August of next year.

Burgerim Opening Soon In MDR… And Just About Everywhere

Posted on October 13, 2017 by toddrickallen

Step aside Tocaya Organica, another restaurant chain is seriously vying for world domination. I recently came across paper covering the long vacant space at 4020C Lincoln Blvd. in Marina Del Rey announcing that a branch of Burgerim will be moving in. Looking to build thousands of outlets across the globe, you can expect to see a great deal more of this ambitious Israeli chain. Check out this link on their website and marvel at the stunning list of locations that are “coming soon”. To my count, an astonishing 42 stores will be opening in California, and just about as many in both Texas and Florida as well! Apparently, Burgerim‘s concept is about building customized 2.8 oz. burgers utilizing a choice of “3 buns, 6 sauces, 11 patties, and 9 unconventional toppings”. The diminutive burgers are sold in quantities of uno, duo, trio, or 16 party box, and consuming more than one is encouraged.

Tocaya Organica Marches Toward World Domination

Posted on October 12, 2017 by toddrickallen

Signs recently went up on a space in The Point, on the corner of Rosecrans and Sepulveda in El Segundo, announcing that a branch of “modern organic Mexican” chain Tocaya Organica is continuing its unrelenting expansion. Not sure of an opening date yet. According to their website, they’re also opening locations soon in Westwood, Century City, Hollywood, San Diego, Scottsdale, and Chicago.

Flaming Pot Firing Up On Sawtelle

Posted on October 10, 2017 by toddrickallen

Paper covering the window of the space at 2222 Sawtelle Blvd. (corner of Olympic) is announcing that something called Flaming Pot is moving in. Not much information out there on the new Asian eatery, or at least I can’t seem to find it. I’ll keep watching as more develops…

What’s Going On At B.H. Poke In Beverly Hills?

Posted on October 6, 2017 by toddrickallen

Recently, I noticed a hastily written note posted on the front door of fledgling B.H. Poke at 9527 Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills, situated in a block that has seen a great deal of turn over recently. As you can see, the note states that they are “taking a little break” due to “unforeseen circumstances”. According to a photo on Yelp, the note has been up since early last month. It looks like no one has set foot in the shop for quite a while. I tried to call and inquire, but their phone line no longer works. So, I can’t confirm if they’re planning on reopening or not, but things don’t look good.

PHPoke2 BHPoke3

Bibibop Now Open In Santa Monica

Posted on October 5, 2017 by toddrickallen

It wasn’t that long ago that I told you about the intention of Korean food chain Bibibop to take over erstwhile locations of Southeast Asian eatery ShopHouse. The Santa Monica branch of Bibibop Asian Grill, at 1401 Third St. Promenade, is now officially up and running. The concept is similar to ShopHouse‘s, where you build your bowl out of rice, noodles, or greens and then add a choice of protein, sauce, and various hot and cold toppings.

Bibibop

Gelato-Go Bringing “The Best Gelato In Miami” To Santa Monica, Beverly Hills

Posted on October 3, 2017 by toddrickallen

Well that didn’t take long… It was only a couple of weeks ago that I told you about the sad disappearance of Santa Monica’s beloved gelato shop DiDio’s at 1305 Montana Ave. Wasting no time in trying to fill the icy treat void, a new tenant is quickly moving into the spot. A notice on the window informs us that Gelato-Go is on its way. Billing itself as “the best gelato in Miami”, the new contender is looking to make inroads into Los Angeles. According to the now hiring sign, they are also opening a second location at 252 S. Beverly Dr. in Beverly Hills.

Sweetgreen Expands Into MDR

Posted on September 29, 2017 by toddrickallen

It looks like expanding “simple, seasonal, healthy” chain Sweetgreen is bringing its community building message to the grateful people of Marina Del Rey. Plywood is up around a space in the Waterside shopping center at 4700 Admiralty announcing the good news. Not sure when they’ll open, but I’ll keep watching…

Changes At Manhattan Village …

Posted on September 28, 2017 by toddrickallen

I’ve been keeping a close eye on Manhattan Village, the shopping mall on the corner of Rosecrans and Sepulveda in Manhattan Beach. With stiff competition from many new shopping and multi-use complexes next door in El Segundo, Manhattan Village is currently getting a much-needed redo. Here’s the latest progress: A new Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is under construction in a brand new part of the mall at the farthest southern point on the property, and just to the right is the new See’s Candies. Check out an artist’s rendering of the flashy new mall here, and in the mean time, I’ll keep watching as details emerge…

The Gourmandise School Shifts Locations In SMP: The Market Soon To Be Completely Empty

Posted on September 26, 2017 by toddrickallen

The last remaining tenant of the failed Market at Santa Monica Place is pulling out. Culinary educators The Gourmandise School are moving to a new third floor location in the mall, just to the right of the recently moved The Curious Palate. What’s next for The Market? I’ve heard whispers that it will be turned into a multi-use space, but I cannot confirm that, so we’ll just have to wait and see…

The Poke Grand Opening In Westwood

Posted on September 22, 2017 by toddrickallen

Ahhh poke, will we never tire of you? Just when you think that there couldn’t possibly be room for one more raw fish shop, one pops up. It looks like the hungry students at UCLA have yet another choice when it comes to the Hawaiian specialty. The Poke is now in grand opening at their 935 Broxton Ave. location in Westwood. In addition to poke, they also feature “hot plates”, bowls, fried rice, and tempura on their menu that you can read more about here.

DiDio’s Italian Ices Pulls Up Stakes On Montana Ave.

Posted on September 20, 2017 by toddrickallen

This was a surprise. After 22 years, Santa Monica institution and local fave DiDio’s Italian Ices has abruptly quit their location at 1305 Montana Ave. as of last week. A gracious goodbye note affixed to the front of the shop explains that they intend on focusing on their expanding wholesale operation. I’ll keep my eye on the space to see what may move in…

DiDio's.jpg

Blue Stove Transforms Into Bazille At Nordstrom Santa Monica

Posted on September 19, 2017 by toddrickallen

I noticed recent activity at the in-store restaurant on the third floor of Santa Monica Place’s outpost of Nordstrom. It appears that what was formerly Blue Stove is transforming into a “casually sophisticated” bistro, Bazille. It looks like they’re not too far from opening, but until then, you can compare menus here.

L’Ami Closed In Santa Monica

Posted on September 15, 2017 by toddrickallen

It wasn’t that long ago that The Little Door Santa Monica turned into L’Ami in their sunny location at 246 26th St. in Santa Monica. Well, I don’t know what happened, or exactly when it happened, but I recently noticed that they have pulled up stakes entirely. The website says that they are closed for renovations, but that is all too frequently code for “permanently closed”, which is precisely what Opentable says. I’ll keep watching to see what develops.

First Spoonful Gets A Brick And Mortar In Santa Monica

Posted on September 14, 2017 by toddrickallen

I’ve been watching the space at 1128 Wilshire Blvd. that used to house a Polish deli to see what would develop. Paper recently went up in the window informing us that First Spoonful is moving in. First Spoonful is currently operating as a home meal delivery system designed with busy parents in mind. In their first retail location, you’ll be able to find meals, snacks, and take cooking classes with your kids. They’re shooting for a Fall opening.

STRFSH By The Voltaggio Brothers Landing In Downtown Santa Monica

Posted on September 13, 2017 by toddrickallen

The other day I noticed an interesting sign recently installed on the upstairs space in The Gallery at 1315 3rd Street Promenade where Subway used to reside. Still covered with plastic, the sign resembles a license plate and bears an inscrutable jumble of consonants that appear to say “starfish”. It also bears a very famous name, Voltaggio. After much online searching, I was able to uncover only one single clue: On page 35 of the Downtown Santa Monica Annual Report (you’re welcome for searching this document, it’s written on the very last page.), you’ll see this single sentence, “Two new and exciting chef-driven concepts will follow, James Beard Award winner Dave Beran’s Dialogue and STRFSH by the Voltaggio Brothers.” And that’s as much as I can find…

Update: Eater has more details here.

Further Update: Voltaggio STRFSH is now open.

Il Romanista Brings LA’s First Pizza Al Taglio To El Segundo

Posted on September 8, 2017 by toddrickallen

It looks like a new contender is vying for the attention of hungry lunchtime workers in the busy food scene of El Segundo. Il Romanista recently opened in the space at 829 N. Douglas St. that used to be the home of ZPizza. The new restaurant claims that it is the first to bring Roman-style pizza al taglio to Los Angeles. Pizza al taglio is baked in large rectangular pans and cut into squares with large scissors that you can see in the photo below. Read more about them and check out their menu here.

Little Asia Now Open In Hawthorne

Posted on September 7, 2017 by toddrickallen

This is one of those times that I vastly underestimated the excitement over a story… Ever since I told you about Little Asia’s impending return to Hawthorne, the interest has been astonishing. You may recall that the beloved purveyor of Asian food closed down on the corner of El Segundo and Hawthorne after a devastating fire some three years ago, and most thought that was the end of the popular restaurant. Then back in March of this year, I noticed that they appeared to be behind a new build out at 4624 W. Imperial Highway in Hawthorne, a stone’s throw from the old location. So, for all of you who have been carefully checking for details and demanding answers, I have this happy news: Little Asia is now open at their new location. An ABC application in the window means you’ll soon be able to toast their exultant return with beer and wine.

Toddrickallen

The Westside at Its Finest