DC’s Greek/Mediterranean restaurant chain Cava Grill continues to expand. After opening their Westwood location only a couple of months ago, they are adding another location in Downtown Santa Monica. Paper is covering the windows of the recently constructed building housing the Chelsea apartment complex at 1320 2nd Street announcing the impending arrival. If you check out their website, you’ll see that they are also opening soon in Venice, Culver City, and Irvine.
I recently noticed that after a long run at 1442 2nd St., Santa Monica’s branch of the kitschy old school Italian chain Buca di Beppo has finally pulled up stakes. I didn’t see this coming and I’m not sure what happened. I’ll keep my eye on the space to see what the future holds, and in the mean time, if you find yourself craving ginormous portions of red sauce pasta, you can locate one of their other branches here.
Ocean Park Boulevard’s popular sandwich shop is about to up its game. An ABC license posted in the window informs us that Carvery Kitchen is looking to add beer and wine to their repertory of drinks. Hopefully, the libations will begin flowing soon…
Popular neighborhood restaurant Spumoni, at 713 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica, ran into a spot of trouble a little over a year ago when a car crashed into the next door Café de Paris and sparked a fire that shut the Italian eatery down. Rising from the ashes, Spumoni threw open its doors last night (Tuesday) for the first time since the fire. Having taken over the Café de Paris space, the plucky always-crowded café is now larger with an extensive remodel. The feel is still cozy and friendly, with a dining room bedecked in warm wood paneling. You’ll continue to find many of the classics on the menu, but if you haven’t thought about Spumoni as a destination in a while, it might be time to reconsider. They built a spiffy wood-fired pizza oven brought from Napoli and flew in a pizza expert, Pizzaiolo Massimo Caso to serve some the crispest (perhaps best) Neapolitan-style pies anywhere in this neck of the woods. We wish them the best of luck.
Recently, I noticed a pending conditional use permit pasted on the front of Santa Monica’s branch of Stout Burgers & Beers at 111 N Santa Monica Blvd. in Downtown Santa Monica. An employee confirmed that they are looking to add a full bar to their selection of beers and wine. Hopefully the cocktails will begin pouring soon…
I’ve long heard whispers that a change was coming to secret celeb hideaway Vincenzo Ristorante Italiano, that has inhabited the small space at 714 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. Apparently, hard-working and gregarious Chef Vincenzo Nicoletta has decided it’s time to move on. Recently plywood has covered the front, and a change of ownership ABC license application is letting us know that the name of the new restaurant will be Osteria Bigoli. Tortano LLC and the name on the application indicate that perhaps Osteria Bigoli will have some relationship with a restaurant in Covina called Osteria Pane e Vino. In the mean time, Vincenzo remains open. I’ll keep following this for more details.
It was back in December of last year that I noticed printing on the door of the diminutive space next to upcoming Espresso Cielo at 1431 B 2nd St. in Downtown Santa Monica informing us that something called KC Chocolatier was moving in. A little digging revealed that KC Chocolatier has a flagship store in Chicago, and is an offshoot of Kim’s Chocolates from Tienen, Belgium, that according to their website is the “number 1 chocolate exporter to Canada and the United States”. Then the space sat idle for months, with no activity. Finally, a flurry of construction and a flashy new sign confirm that KC is indeed coming soon, and that they will be bringing with them “fresh Belgian chocolate”, ice cream, and hot chocolate. We with them the best of luck.
A sign recently went up in the window of artisan coffee purveyor Caffe Luxxe at 925 Montana Ave. indicating that they are seeking to expand to much stronger stuff. The notice posted in the window informs us that they are requesting an ABC license, and that the City of Santa Monica is currently reviewing their request. But before you get excited about the prospects of a glass of cab with your cappuccino and croissant, the license they are requesting is an ABC type 20, meaning the beer and wine will only be “off-sale”, or purchasable to be consumed off the premises.
It looks like one of the last enduring restaurants in the challenged Market at Santa Monica Place is finally pulling out. But for once, the news isn’t catastrophic. Tenacious farm-to-table hold out The Curious Palate is moving from the space inside The Market, to the outside space directly opposite (space 331), just to the right of The ArcLight Cinemas. The space has mostly sat empty since the post-remodel orginal restaurant Ozumo pulled out back in 2012. They are apparently not using the entire Ozumo space, and construction has yet to begin, so it may take a while yet…
I’ve been watching the space at 115 Santa Monica Blvd. in Downtown Santa Monica for a while. Early last year, the Yelp-eviscerated Gate of India pulled up stakes and the windows were papered over. Finally, an ABC application taped to the front informs us that something called Tumbi Bar and Restaurant will soon be moving in. I can’t find out much information on the new eatery, but I’ll keep watching…
I’ve long known that something was taking over the old star-crossed Fraiche space at 312 Wilshire Blvd. in Downtown Santa Monica. But for whatever reason, it has taken a ridiculously long time. Well, construction has finally begun, and an ABC application posted high above the door indicates that a branch of Panini Café will soon occupy the troubled address.
Sadly, the sputtering food scene that is the third floor of Santa Monica Place is about to produce another casualty. According to a spokesperson, after a 6 year run, Pizza Antica will permanently shut down the ovens the day after Labor Day, September 5th. (That means your last day for the Tuesday half-priced wine deal will be August 30th.) No word on what may take its place, and if you’ve grown fond of their seasonal salads and crispy pies, you’ll have to travel a bit as all their other locations are in the Bay Area.
Neighborhood artisanal hand-crafted coffee and espresso expert Caffe Luxxe is turning 10 years old. To celebrate, they’ve created a special 10th Anniversary Blend, that you can sample for free starting today (Wednesday). And according to their website, tomorrow (August 4th) they will be handing out “FREE drinks all day” at all three locations in Santa Monica and Brentwood.
Just what you need as the temperature continues to climb… Back in September of last year, I first noticed that a new shop offering a frozen alternative to yogurt was moving into the space at 729 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. After what seems like a long time, the Frozen Fruit Company is now up and running. Originally hailing from the UK, FFC offers a soft serve made entirely from fruit in flavors such as pineapple & passion fruit, mango & strawberry, raspberry & orange that you can read more about here.
We all know that since opening, the food scene at Santa Monica Place has had its share of troubles. The much-anticipated Market now sits mostly empty and largely untouched, as do a number of other restaurant spaces, even as the wildly popular Cheesecake Factory continues to be a big draw. Into this chaos, one plucky new eatery is making a courageous bid. Mall staple Great Khan’s Mongolian Grill is now open in the food court. We wish them luck.
This is a bit of a mystery… It appears that Santa Monica’s branch of perennially popular fast/fresh Mexican chain Poquito Mas has closed up shop at 2025 Wilshire Blvd., next to Veggie Grill. As you can tell from the photo, the space hasn’t yet lined up a new tenant, but I’ll keep watching.
After a long and thorough remodel, the food court at 1315 Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica otherwise known as The Gallery, finally reopened earlier this year and began to sputter back to life. However, there appears to be a challenge to its triumphant return: After reopening recently, McDonald’s, long the corner-stone of The Gallery, has mysteriously disappeared. This leaves only Subway currently open, but there does seem to be a great deal of activity in some of the other stalls. I’ll keep watching.
It was only a month ago that I told you about the closure of miscreant watering hole The Commons Ale House at 129 Broadway in Downtown Santa Monica. I had been hoping that there would soon be an indication of a new eatery or bar moving into the already kitted out space, joining the mini restaurant row of other establishments that dot Broadway from Ocean to 3rd. But sadly this is not the case. A lonely paper has replaced the pithy closure notice that previously hung on the front door indicating that what will be replacing the Ale House will be… a shoe store. [sigh]
Fresh, healthy lunch joint California Monster Salads has closed its doors at 411 Santa Monica Blvd. But all may not be lost… Their website promises a new site coming soon, so we’ll have to wait and see what develops.
That didn’t take long… It was only back in the March that I noticed that pie shop Simplethings had disappeared from its Lincoln/Wilshire corner location in Santa Monica. Wasting no time whatsoever, signs soon went up announcing that Pasadena’s Spinfish Poke House was set to move in. Well, indeed they have, as they recently opened and are now dishing raw fish to the masses.
Toddrickallen 