Late night at Playa

Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila just checked in at John Sedlar's new restaurant Playa, which is located in the old Grace space on Beverly Boulevard.

The story is the third in a new series of columns called "Tasting Menu," which has replaced Virbila's previous first-look stories titled "Early Bird," which used to run in Monday's Calendar section. The "Tasting Menu" columns will run semi-regularly in Friday's Calendar section on the new nightlife page (D3).

Read Virbila's take on Playa here. It seems like she really enjoyed herself:

No doubt about it, Playa is splashy and fun, with big windows onto the street, the better to see and be seen.

In other Playa news, the restaurant just announced its new "Late Night at Playa" menu. From 10 p.m. to close (midnight on weeknights, 1 a.m. on weekends) diners at the bar and communal tables can opt for a $22 prix fixe special that includes a choice of two maize cakes and a cocktail or glass of wine.

Soon Playa will begin offering nightly late-night off-menu specials during the same hours.

Playa, 7360 Beverly Blvd., L.A. (323) 933-5300; www.playarivera.com.

--Jessica Gelt

Photo: Maize cake salsa semilla at Playa. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times