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New Restaurants

New Nightspots

Coming Soon

Charcoal

Mesquite cooking is the specialty of this sibling of Lodge Steakhouse (and Memphis, Geisha House and Dolce), a literally hot spot that will serve its grilled fare in a manly setting of wood and stone when it opens later this month in a Hollywood space (6360 Sunset Blvd.) adjacent to the ArcLight Theatre.

K-Zo

This summer, former Sushi Roku chef Keizo Ishiba will revive the 1980s Franco-Japonaise fusion trend in a Culver City space (9240 Culver Blvd.) next to Trader Joe's.

Red Pearl Kitchen

Tim Goodell has closed Meson G and is planning to reopen the space (6703 Melrose Ave.) in September as an outpost of his Asian concept (with branches in San Diego and the O.C.).

Good Deals and Other News

Café Brasil

This popular Palms District South American has opened a lively new storefront branch about a mile to the west (11736 W. Washington Blvd., West Los Angeles; 310-391-1216), where several big-screen TVs are likely to be tuned to Brazilian soccer; be sure to go on the weekend, when the kitchen churns out a pork feijoada heavy with black beans, rice and collard greens.

Daily Grill

This casual, lower priced spin-off of The Grill on the Alley is offering a daily dinner selection of surf 'n' turf meals prices at $21.95 for filet mignon and shrimp scampi, filet mignon and tempura shrimp, and filet mignon and BBQ shrimp – all served with the house "twice-baked" potato and broccoli.

Jer-ne

Dakota Weiss (formerly of the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota) will replace longtime chef Troy Thompson, who has departed for the soon-to-open David Burke Las Vegas in the Venetian. After he gets things going in Las Vegas, Thompson plans to return to LA to open another Burke-backed outpost.

La Boheme

Beginning June 10th (and continuing on the second Saturday of every month), the Upright LA Cabaret is taking up residence in this Gothic West Hollywood restaurant, which will serve a constantly changing three-course prix fixe meal to go with the 90-minute show, a "tapestry of American song" inspired by Baz Luhrman's Moulin Rouge (8 PM dinner, 10 PM show; $54 per person, includes dinner and the show, or $15 for the show only; 323-848-2360). Meanwhile, chef Christine Banta has introduced a new outdoor patio menu of operatically named dishes like the Bohème burger and the Tosca turkey burger (sadly, no Wagnerian wursts).

Maple Drive

This New American is now under the management of the Patina Group, which means that over the next few months, it will get a Joachim Splichal makeover (the details of which have yet to be announced).

Norman's

The new chef de cuisine at this Sunset Strip "New World" outpost is Mike Bryant, formerly the restaurant's executive sous-chef; he replaces opening chef Craig Petrella.

Providence

Adrian Vasquez is this seafooder's new executive pastry chef, bringing with him experience from restaurants like Aqua and Hawthorne Lane in SF, Ambrosia in Boston and Bin 36 in Chicago. His additions to the dessert menu include a "Flight of Sugar" – four exotic sugars served with fresh fruit for dipping.

Saddle Peak Lodge

After years of being the go-to spot for scenic Sunday sit-down brunch, this Malibu Mountains American is now offering sit-down brunch from 11 AM–3 PM on Saturdays as well. Which means fans of the pulled Kurobuta pork sandwich and the buffalo burger with Gruyère can get their fix all weekend long.

Water Grill

This Downtown seafooder has introduced a new series of martinis inspired by the "Waters of the World," which translates into libations named for "The Nile" (Ketel One with pomegranate juice), "The Sea of Cortez" (Sauza Hornitos tequila with ginger and lime), "The Sea of Japan" (Nigori Sake with yuzu and ginger) and even "The LA River" (Skyy Vodka with olive juice, described as "extra dry, extra dirty"); cost is $15 each.

• Kikuchi
• Royal Star Seafood
• San Gennaro Cafe (Culver City branch)
• Solare
• Tamarin