The space at 23725 W. Malibu Rd. in Malibu has sat empty for a very long time. From 1991 until 2005, this location was the home of Wolfgang Puck and Barbara Lazaroff’s Granita. The for lease sign came down a while ago, but I didn’t have details of the new tenant. Recently, signs have gone up informing us that this will be a branch of breezy French charmer Zinqué. Seems like a perfect fit…
OK… Admit it: With all those flashy pizzas out there (think Mozza, Gjelina, Sotto, South End etc.) you still occasionally find yourself craving an old-school “California cuisine” pizza alla Spago back-in-the-day, fast being forced onto the endangered species list. Sadly, one of the last places to get your fix, Wolfgang Puck Express in the Third Street Promenade (at Arizona) is now officially extinct. But there is one glimmer of hope as the sign in the window promises a future return to Santa Monica. Until then, you can still find the nostalgic pies in a few remaining places here.
(BTW Spago will still make you one if you ask.)
The Puck empire continues to grow. I got a chance to catch up with Wolfgang Puck recently. He’s getting ready of open his newest branch of Cut at the famed Dorchester Hotel in London. To man the prestigious location, he’s sent over David McIntyre from Spago and WP24 as head chef. The new restaurant will have a different, bigger menu from the Beverly Hills location which will feature local and continental produce and meats and they will be serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As of right now, the opening date is set for August 22nd, but Wolfgang explained that it may get pushed back.
In other Puck news, he’s looking to open his still mysterious restaurant in the freshly remodeled Hotel Bel Air in October or November of this year. Still not much news, but I did learn the menu will be “mediterranean”.
UPDATE: Clarification on this information came in the form of an email from the Dorchester Group PR people. Read the facts (so far) about Cut in London in this updated post: https://toddrickallen.com/2011/04/29/update-on-cut-london/.
Toddrickallen 