Katsuya opens at L.A. Live; Hyde Lounge to open at Staples Center

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On Wednesday night at L.A. Live, nightclub and restaurant impresario Sam Nazarian opened his fourth Katsuya in 3½ years. The man who’s attempting to transform Gladstone’s into something other than a tourist trap, where the foil-wrapped leftovers and the views of the Pacific are far more impressive than the food, beamed with pride as he took the stage.

Preceded by taiko drummers and a short speech from Lakers point guard Derek Fisher, who was attending on behalf of the charity After-School All-Stars, Nazarian officially announced that on Oct. 27, SBE will open an outpost of its Hollywood nightclub, Hyde Lounge, in the Staples Center.

Scheduled to coincide with the first Lakers game of the 2009-10 season, the $1.3 million venue will hold 175 guests and feature food items from Katsuya as well as other SBE restaurants. But not anyone can get in. For the first year, Hyde will be open only to those with suites or court-side seats. Memberships will be available in the second year.

Nazarian was joined onstage by Fisher, sushi chef Katsuya Uechi and AEG Chief Executive Tim Leiweke, where they performed a kagami-biraki, a Shinto ceremony that involves breaking the lid of a sake barrel with a wooden mallet and then serving the sake. Amid Nazarian’s relentless drive to dot Los Angeles with flashy, self-consciously exclusive venues, it was a brief moment to honor tradition.

[Pictures after the jump.]

-- Elina Shatkin