Prince St. Pizza Opens With A Block Party

At the beginning of the year, I told you about New York pie joint Prince St. Pizza moving into the old Honeybee Burger space at 326 Lincoln Blvd. in Venice.  Wasting no time whatsoever, they are currently in a soft opening with evening hours only.  But tomorrow, March 9th, they throw open their doors with a Grand Opening that they’re describing as a “Lincoln Blvd Block Party“.  They will be handing out free pizza, with vendors and “festivities” in the back parking lot.  Grab your free slice and check out the fun from 6pm to 10pm.

(Thanks Jeff!)

The Full Skinny On Bar Monette, Downtown Santa Monica’s Newest “Refined Tapas” Spot

Remember a few weeks ago when I told you about a new restaurant landing in the old Red Ruby space at 109 Santa Monica Blvd?  At the time, I had little information about Bar Monette except that it would be a pizza and wine bar. Since then, the good people over at Bar Monette were kind enough to reach out to me with more information.   Bar Monette is described as a “Neapolitan pizza concept” with Chef Sean MacDonald at the helm.  This is his first US restaurant.  Chef MacDonald was previously chef/owner of Biga Pies and ēst Restaurant in Toronto, which recently made Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants List.  (Incidentally, Bar Monette is named after MacDonald’s wife Monette.)  Expect a “refined tapas” and wine bar menu with Spanish/Italian influences.  I’ll let them describe the menu themselves:

“The menu will be split into five categories; Pizza (eg Pesto Dungeness Crab, Pine Nut, Basil, Aged Cheese)Piccoli Piatti (small plates designed to pair with the pizza eg. Butterleaf with Basil, Pine Nut and Passionfruit)Sugo (a selection of sauces and dips for the crusts (eg Burnt Romanesco and Jalapeño Tonnato) and a small selection of Addizionale (eg Shaved Truffle and Caviar). Desserts will be changed daily depending on seasonality and chef preference (eg Black Cacao, Reishi Mushroom and Mint). The menu will change seasonally and offer vegan and vegetarian options. The drinks menu will offer unique selection of natural wines and beers alongside a water menu highlighting a choice of carbonation level and mineral content.” 

They are planning on opening any day now, pending liquor license approval.  Bar Monette will be open for walk-ins only from Noon to Midnight, closed Sundays, and will be cashless.  We wish them the best of luck.