If eating was a sport ...
Blink, and you’ll miss a dozen Los Angeles restaurant openings, closings and chef shuffles. Here’s a rundown of what happened while you were watching Michael Phelps crush the Olympics.
Chinatown loses its Phat Thai: When Andy Ricker, the Portland, Ore., chef behind the Pok Pok Thai restaurant empire, opened Pok Pok Phat Thai L.A., his first Los Angeles restaurant, in winter 2014, his plates of noodles drew lines that stretched far beyond the door frame of its Chinatown Far East Plaza location. But on Aug. 7, Ricker closed Pok Pok Phat Thai to focus on his restaurant up the street, Pok Pok, the larger of the two, with a broader menu. An announcement on the restaurant’s website simply reads, “Pok Pok Phat Thai LA is going on hiatus.” There’s no word yet on when or if it will return.
Sambar flips Italian: Akasha Richmond, the chef behind the Culver City staple Akasha, has decided to turn her Indian-ish restaurant Sambar into an Italian restaurant. Sambar, which opened a little more than a year ago a few doors away from Akasha, will have its last night of service Aug. 27. 9531 Culver Blvd., Culver City, (310) 558-8800, www.sambarcc.com.
Tin Vuong is making Cubanos by the beach: The chef known for his Vietnamese-leaning cuisine at Little Sister in downtown L.A. and Manhattan Beach, has opened a new restaurant in Redondo Beach called Suburbia. The restaurant is a joint effort by Vuong and Jed Sanford, the owner-founder of Blackhouse Hospitality, the restaurant group behind Vuong’s other ventures: Steak and Whisky, Abigaile, Wildcraft and Dia de Campo. Suburbia, which has been open since the end of July, serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and a weekend brunch. Menu highlights include Cubano sandwiches, Sichuan spicy beef tendon and shakshuka. There’s also beer, wine and cocktails by director of operations and sommelier Scott Young. 247 Avenida Del Norte, Redondo Beach, (424) 398-0237, www.eatsuburbia.com.
Ramen by a pastrami veteran, in the SFV: Andre Guerrero, the chef known for his ginormous pastrami sandwiches and wacky burgers at Oinkster (he’s also the chef behind Maximiliano in Highland Park and Little Bear in downtown L.A.), has announced plans to open a ramen restaurant in Sherman Oaks called Ramen Room. Expect shio, tonkotsu and miso ramen, as well as a few Filipino-inspired dishes, along with craft beer from local breweries, sake and wine. Ramen Room is scheduled to open in September. 13355 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks.
More Italian in Silver Lake: Sydney C. Hunter III, who you may remember as the former Petit Trois chef de cuisine with the best mustache ever, opened a new Italian restaurant in Silver Lake called Kettle Black. The restaurant has been open since the beginning of August. It’s Hunter’s latest venture with partners Beau Laughlin, Brett Cranston and Jay Milliken. The foursome are also behind nearby sister restaurant Sawyer. At Kettle Black, Hunter is making fresh pasta and wood-fired pizzas, served alongside craft cocktails and house-made vermouth. 3705 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 641-3705, www.kettleblackla.com.
More plant-based cuisine in Santa Monica: The Real Food Daily in Santa Monica has been replaced by another vegetable-friendly restaurant and marketplace called Erven. Behind the restaurant are Nick Erven, the chef who brought you the short-lived Saint Martha in Koreatown, and Eric Greenspan (Mare and Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese), along with the rest of the Midcourse Hospitality group. Menu highlights include sauerkraut rye bread, sunchoke bread pudding and a beer-battered tofu sandwich. 516 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 260–2255, www .ervenrestaurant.com.
Skeeball and cocktails, please: If you’ve been looking for a place to have bottomless mimosas and play skeeball, the new Sandbox is your answer. Scheduled to open in September, the restaurant, event space and bar is designed to be a place where you can sip a craft cocktail and play one of those games-youplayed-as-a-kid-and-neverstopped-loving. Sandbox is the latest concept by TBC Hospitality Group, the people behind the Bungalow Club, Barbarella and Skewers. Expect nightlife, brunch on the weekends and a place to play pinball, basketball toss, Jenga and the beloved skeeball. 7174 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles.
More good eats Odys + Penelope will start serving brunch Aug. 27. Vinoteca ,anew Italian wine bar and espresso café, is scheduled to open this fall at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. Pono Burger in Santa Monica has opened a new location in West Hollywood. Marcel Vigneron is scheduled to open Beefsteak, a new plant-based restaurant, next to his other restaurant, Wolf, on Melrose Avenue, Aug. 30.