New Restaurants
New Nightspots
| Name |
Address |
City |
Phone |
| Area |
643 N. La Cienega Blvd. |
West Hollywood |
310-652-2012 |
| BottleRock |
3847 Main St. |
Culver City |
310-836-9463 |
| Red Pearl Kitchen |
6703 Melrose Ave. |
Hancock Park |
323-525-1415 |
Coming Soon
Charcoal
Mesquite cooking will be the specialty of this sibling of Memphis (and Geisha House and Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante) offering grilled food in a masculine setting of wood and stone; after many delays, it's due to open adjacent to Hollywood's ArcLight Theatre by the end of the year (6360 Sunset Blvd.).
Il Capriccio Wood-Fired Pizza
From the owners of Los Feliz's Il Capriccio on Vermont, this forthcoming Hollywood eatery (4518 Hollywood Blvd.) will feature a menu built around pizzas and panini sandwiches made from crusty housemade bread; though it's not due open until late November, there are already branches planned from Pasadena to The OC.
The Oinkster
Chef Andre Guerrero (Max, Señor Fred) will finally open this long-delayed casual American (2005 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock) in a former Dairy Queen by Christmas; expect haute down-home cuisine – he's sought the expertise of cult favorite Langer's in crafting the definitive pastrami sandwich, and he's making the burgers with Angus beef from Nebraska.
Pizzeria Mozza
Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton's highly anticipated pizzeria at 641 N. Highland Avenue (323-297-0101) is scheduled to open on November 8th; the menu is similar to the one offered at Batali's Otto, with affordable prices, gourmet pies and an extensive Italian wine list.
Ummba Grill
This Brazilian churrascaria, situated between the new multiplex and the new food court in Century City's Westfield Shoppingtown, should satisfy whatever need shoppers have for protein, with a sizable salad bar for those who don't want to beef up before trying on designer jeans; after numerous delays, it's now scheduled to open just after Thanksgiving – in time for the start of the holiday shopping season.
Zov's
The latest concept from Zov Karamardian of Zov's Bistro in Tustin is this pair of even-more-casual cafes that will serve her Mediterranean cuisine and offer her many baked goods; the Newport Beach branch opens in the Newport Coast Shopping Center in spring 2007, while the Irvine branch follows in the fall in Orchard Hills Village Center.
Good Deals and Other News
Until Thanksgiving Day, this mega-steakhouse is offering a $99 multicourse surf 'n' turf combo for two, including a Caesar salad, a choice of shrimp Alexander or crab cakes, a pair of filets accompanied by a spud and a vegetable and a choice of hot chocolate cake or crème brûlée; the catch is, you've got to go to the restaurant's Web site, www.mortons.com/steakandseafood, to print a discount certificate – no certificate, no deal.
For "Mexican Wednesdays" at this Century City bakery/cafe, chef Annie Miller explores the intriguing cooking of Oaxaca – which translates into a rainbow of moles served at lunch.
At "Tasting Tuesdays" at this Old Pasadena bistro, two-ounce pours of more than 80 wines (prices vary depending on the wine) are offered from 3–11 PM, along with a selection of $2 appetizers and a $6 cheese plate.
Every Tuesday, there's "Paella on the Patio" at the Downtown location, with the paella's ingredients varying from week to week (5–9 PM; $29 per person, includes paella, gazpacho and salad).
Though the weather doesn't change in autumn in Southern California, menus do: new dishes at this Melrose Avenue American include celery-and-Fuji-apple soup with Roquefort croutons; beef and foie gras burgers; Berkshire pork loin; lacquered duck breast with pumpkin risotto; and salted-caramel ice cream.
After an estimated $2 million face-lift, this 68-year-old Farmer's Market landmark (6333 W. Third St., Los Angeles), the original home of this American diner chain, will reopen in time for Thanksgiving with a "new" old look, a new owner ("Biff" Naylor of Tiny Naylor's fame) and a new chef (Medardo Hernandez of Wolfgang Puck's late Granita).
Four-course family-style Modern Vietnamese dinners created by chef Mako Antonishek are the bill of fare on "Mako Mondays"; don't miss the unique Asian-spiced upside-down pineapple cake, proof that there's more to Vietnamese dessert than multicolored mung-bean beverages (one seating at 7:30 PM; $35 per person).
This ultra-stylish Philippe Starck–designed Japanese is now offering lunch Monday through Friday, giving the ladies-who-lunch of Brentwood a new destination at which to taste and tipple.
The restaurant that claims to have invented the green apple martini is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a new chef, Jake Filipovich (ex NOLA of New Orleans), who's shifted the menu from Californian to Cajun, though without removing popular creations like the Santa Fe salad and meatloaf.
It's "Mushroom Mondays" at this upscale eatery in the W Westwood, with many a fungus among us on the small-plate menu, priced from $12 to $16 per dish.
Posh on Pico
Has closed, but plans to reopen in a new location next year.
Every Friday, Hans Röckenwagner and his crew are offering "Berliners," the highly puffy jelly doughnuts (they're allowed to rise three times before frying), in a nod to JFK's 1963 "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech (served from 8 AM–4 PM or until they run out; $2 each, with a one-dozen limit per customer).
The new chef at this game-centric Malibu Mountains American is Steven Rojas, the former chef de cuisine at Patina at the Hollywood Bowl. An Argentina native, he grew up cooking beef from the Pampas over wood chips in his family's backyard before moving on to Tru in Chicago and the original Patina on Melrose.
Sterling Steakhouse
On "Wine Wednesday," ebullient sommelier Jonathan Mitchell offers constantly changing tastes of his favorite wines, along with hors d'oeuvres to match, on the outdoor patio (starts at 6 PM; $20 per person).
- Osteria Nonni
- Solar Harvest