Pastis closing, House opening on Beverly Blvd.

Is Beverly Boulevard the new downtown L.A. when it comes to restaurant turnover? Hot on the heels of the news that Mimosa (8009 Beverly Blvd.) will be replaced by chef Laurent Quenioux's Bistro LQ in mid-July comes word that French restaurant Pastis (8114 Beverly Blvd.) will close its doors the first or second week of June. Pastis will reopen under new owners, probably in mid-August, as a cafe called House. More details to come.

Pastis owner Steven Kim tells me it's simply a matter of economics: Business has slowed to a crawl. Kim hasn't decided whether he'll stay in the restaurant business and says he has no set plans for the future.

That's two Beverly Boulevard stalwarts down in a matter of months. It's hardly a pattern ... yet. But you know what they say: One is a fluke, two is a coincidence, three is a trend.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Omelet with truffles at Pastis. Credit: Bob Carey / Los Angeles Times.