Anisette Brasserie closes; chef Alain Giraud plans new project

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After months of rumors about its impending closure, Anisette Brasserie has shut its doors for good. Earlier conflicting reports had said that the Santa Monica restaurant would shutter or that it would remain open under new ownership.

Anisette owners Mike Garrett and Tommy Stoilkovich could not be reached for comment.

Chef-partner Alain Giraud told The Times, ‘it was truly a business decision. I think the concept is right, but the economy was wrong. We tried everything possible.... The way the economy went, you have to scale differently.’

The brasserie in the 1929 Art Deco Clock Tower building opened in 2008, part of a new wave of brasseries in Los Angeles. The 5,000-square-foot space was outfitted with a 36-seat poured zinc bar imported from France, wood paneling with wainscoting, antique mirrors, mosaic tiles and red leather booths. Giraud, who previously was chef at Bastide, garnered two stars at Anisette from Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila.

Giraud says he already has been working on a project of his own. ‘I wish we can keep Anisette running. But I have a project I’ve been working on for a while now. It’s almost there. It’ll be the first time I have my own place. Small, charming and voilà. Soon, very soon.’

-- Betty Hallock