With the new year in full swing, it's once again time to look forward to new restaurants coming this year:
Covell: The team that gave us such Thai favorites as Soi 56, Tuk Tuk Thai, Rambutan Thai and Chadaka are expanding their horizons with this locavore wine and suds bar, due to start pouring in Silver Lake by the end of March (4628 Hollywood Blvd.).
Delphine: Set to open at the end of January in the ultratrendy W Hollywood, this latest concept from the Innovative Dining Group (Sushi Roku, Boa, Katana) is its first take on French cooking, built around the cuisine of Provence. It will occupy a 6,000-sq.-ft. space with 40-ft.-tall ceilings, created by Zeff Design of New York, with Sascha Lyon (Daniel, Balthazar, Pastis) running the kitchen (W Hollywood Hotel & Residences, 6250 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood).
Drai's Hollywood: Meanwhile, the W's anchor restaurant has been a source of much speculation, with rumors of numerous New York heavy-rollers ready to fill the space. But the latest word is that it will be prodigal son Victor Drai, returning a decade after he left La Cienega Boulevard for the Las Vegas Strip. When you consider that his current venues in Vegas are Tryst and XS, it's fair to expect a well-lubricated scene as well as a restaurant when the new Drai's opens at the end of the month (W Hotel Hollywood Hotel & Residences, 6250 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood).
Glendon Kitchen & Lounge: For those who have been wondering, forever, what was going to replace Westwood's venerable Moustache Café, the answer is this Californian in a space that's been scrubbed down to the studs and re-created as an upscale destination; due to open in mid-February (1071 Glendon Ave.).
Greenspan's Grilled Cheese: Next Iron Chef finalist Eric Greenspan is expanding his culinary empire, taking over a space adjacent to his Foundry on Melrose for a restaurant dedicated to grilled cheese sandwiches done every which way. And those variations are many, when you consider that Greenspan won this past year's Grilled Cheese Invitational with a sandwich made of long-cooked short ribs with melted Taleggio cheese flavored with an apricot caper purée; expect him to start melting in the spring (adjacent to 7465 Melrose Ave.).
Kogi the Restaurant: It was inevitable that Kogi the Truck would eventually evolve into Kogi the Restaurant – the surprise is that it took so long. Diners looking to enjoy Korean tacos in relative luxury (i.e. while sitting down) will be able to do so by the end of the winter (3300 Overland Ave.).
Little Spain: For those looking for a reason to drop by the food stands at the original Farmers Market (and goodness knows, there are plenty of reasons as is), the addition of a Spaniard is great news – paella-on-the-run and tapas-on-the-go sounds just fine for lunch or early dinner; it's set to open in March (6333 W. Third St.).
Loteria! Grill: In a second-story mini-mall space in Studio City last occupied by Gaucho Grill, rising superchef Jimmy Shaw is building his third Loteria! Grill (the first is in the Farmers Market; the second in Hollywood). Expect his tortillas to start cooking by the spring (12050 Ventura Blvd.).
Melgard Public House: Just a block away from the Foundry, what used to be an outpost of Louise's Trattoria has been purchased by the owner of 3rd Stop and 1739 Public House, which makes it no surprise that what used to be a Cal-Italian is turning into a beer-intensive gastropub, with more brews than dishes; expect an opening in early February (7505 Melrose Ave.).
Rolling Stone: There's no People Magazine restaurant. There's also no restaurant built around Esquire or GQ – though Graydon Carter of Vanity Fair does own a couple of high-profile boîtes in New York. But next summer, there'll be a Rolling Stone Restaurant in the Hollywood & Highland Center, home of the Oscars (and, come late spring, a new branch of the Hard Rock Cafe). The magazine says it intends for its namesake restaurant to be "higher-end" than the Hard Rock – and without the rock memorabilia...or rock concerts (Hollywood & Highland Center, Hollywood and Highland, Hollywood).
Rustic Canyon/Huckleberry Ice Cream Parlor: The culinary duo of Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan have been steadily moving from savory to sweet – beginning with Rustic Canyon, then adding the pastry-intensive Huckleberry. This spring they're going all-ice-cream, with exotic flavors designed by Shiho Yoshikawa, formerly of Slanted Door (Brentwood Country Mart, 26th St. and San Vicente Blvd.).
Santa Monica Place Rooftop Dining Deck: The Santa Monica Place Food Court used to be a cavernous space on the mega-mall's ground floor, but will relocate to the roof when the center reopens later in 2010. Expect to nibble on dishes from nine fast-fooders – Charlie Kabob, Chick 'n Ribs, Fatburger, Manchu Wok, Pinches Tacos, Sarku Japan, Stefano's Pizza, Sushi Itto and Wetzel's Pretzels (1453 Third St. Promenade, Santa Monica).
The Surly Goat: Add to The Hungry Cat and The Lazy Ox one more adjectival animal eatery, in this case a down-home brewpub with more than two dozen beers you've never heard of on draft and a menu of the sort of strong dishes that go with manly ales. Of note: one of the partners is the ubiquitous Adolfo Suaya (BoHo, Gaucho Grill and more); opening early in February (7929 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood).
Tiato: Opening across from the restaurant-challenged Colorado Place by the end of winter, this House of An concept will serve American food with Asian influences for breakfast, lunch and dinner – which translates as "Helene's eggs on bao" and "secret kitchen garlic noodles," along with lots of "An the Go" dishes (2600 Colorado Blvd., Santa Monica).
– Merril Shindler