You know I’ve been tracking the massive expansion of the Israeli chain obsessed with lilliputian burgers, Burgerim. But could there be a bump in the road to SoCal domination? As a reader pointed out (Thanks Tony!) the new-ish Burgerim at 250 S Beverly Dr. in Beverly Hills has already called it quits after about a year. Not sure what happened, but the reader suspects competition from Burger Lounge, which is directly across the street, could have had something to do with it.
Here’s some eyebrow-raising news… Beverly Hills’ branch of chic Parisian patisserie Ladurée, in an astonishing feat of vegan ingenuity, has recently gone 100% plant based! The collaboration with plant-based superstar Matthew Kenney has produced Ladurée X Matthew Kenney, the first of its kind in the world. One the menu? Standards such as Ladurée benedict, French onion soup, croquet monsieur, and salade niçoise. And in case you’re wondering, the pastries, viennoiseries, cakes, and macarons (now including hemp flavor) are all there in full glory. According to the website, the collab is being extended to other locations throughout the world as well.
The space at 9465 S Santa Monica Blvd., set squarely in a notoriously tricky stretch of The Golden Triangle for restaurants, has seen its share of eateries come and go. The latest to go? It was back December of last year that I told you about the new pressed juice joint, Organica, that had recently opened. Unfortunately, they didn’t make it a year. A reader was quick to point out that they have now vacated the address. I’ll keep watching to see what other brave contenders may attempt the space…
Beverly Hills can be a tricky location for casual lunch spots. Sadly, one that has survived the sturm und drang for 10 years recently closed shop. A gracious note on the front door lets us know that Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop has quit its location at 9671 Wilshire Blvd. Greenleaf has six other locations across the LA/OC area.
It looks like a new chocolate shop is landing in Beverly Hills soon. Window paper is heralding the arrival of Chokolatta to the diminutive space at 255 1/2 S Beverly Dr. Apparently the focus here is small batch, handmade chocolates, desserts, and drinks with an emphasis on “Pre-Hispanic recipes and the ancient Mayan culture” that you can read more about here.
Back in December of last year, I told you about the demise of sandwich shop Cabbage Patch at 214 S Beverly Dr. in Beverly Hills. And now it looks like a new tenant is moving in. Window displays announce the arrival of Cinderella Cakes. Cinderella Cakes has been an Orange County staple for over 65 years, and are famous for producing decorated cakes that are “edible works of art”, but they also produce an array of other sweet treats and host cake decorating parties as well. It looks like they’re shooting for a Fall opening.
The increasing number of authentic Japanese restaurants or impending projects, as in straight out of Japan, is impressive right now. Add one more to the list: Window notices are up on the space next to Yazawa, at 9966A S. Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills, announcing a new restaurant, Ima. The window promises shabu-shabu and sukiyaki, but their website lets us know that Tokyo-based Imafuku makes highest-grade Japanese Wagyu the star of the show. And they’ll even let you know from what part of Japan the beef is coming, just in case you’re concerned about Fukushima.
