Sweet Love Hangover to flip on its 'Lite-Brite' later this month

If all goes according to plan, the hotly anticipated Sweet Love Hangover will open in the latter part of August. The diner, located inside mega-club Playhouse at 6506 Hollywood Blvd., plans to serve “world comfort cuisine” to hungry clubbers in what’s being called a “modern interpretation of the American classic diner.” Design geeks should get a kick out of the translucent dining chairs and marshmallow-like pillows stitched into the banquette backs, while the inebriated should certainly drool over the “Lite-Brite” wall behind the bar. “There are 3-inch colored pegs,” says Alex Orlovsky, the venue’s marketing director.

The menu's still being tweaked, but we got our hands on two definite offerings. There's the Pulp Fiction martini made with whiskey, dry vermouth, grapefruit juice and a lemon twist as well as the Hangover entree, which will come with two chicken tenders, two eggs over-easy, homemade gravy and Tabasco sauce.

SLH will eventually become a 24-hour diner. In the meantime, it’ll have late hours to satisfy midnight munchies.

-- Alexandra Le Tellier

Photo: An early rendering of Sweet Love Hangover. "It's less neon now," says marketing director Alex Orlovsky. Credit: Muse Lifestyle Group

Official details on Hollywood's Mercantile and District emerge

George Abou-Daoud is on quite a winning streak. With the Bowery, Mission Cantina and Delancey under his belt, the N.Y.C. transplant has created some of Hollywood’s most inviting taverns. Now, he's poised to strike again with Mercantile, slated to open at 6600 Sunset Blvd. in early September. And this time he’s bringing along critically acclaimed chef Kris Morningstar (Blue Velvet, A.O.C., Patina) along for the ride.

“It’s equal parts gourmet marketplace, daytime café and nighttime wine bar,” says Abou-Daoud, who describes the space as having an “urban-country, old-world feel with high ceilings, original brick walls, raw wood accents and a carbon steel-topped bar.” There are also glass cases displaying charcuterie, cheese, salads and sandwiches as well as shelves stocked with wine, dried pasta, olives and mustard.

Expect a menu of classics with an “artisanal spin.” For example: a pumpkin-seed butter and preserves sandwich served on country white bread; or a Reuben made with pastrami, Gruyère, house-made sauce and sauerkraut slaw on Russian rye bread.

In addition, Abou-Daoud promises a global selection of wines, with glasses starting at $7.

What about District, the restaurant opening next door to Mercantile? Abou-Daoud and Morningstar are opening that together too, and they say to expect seasonal bistro fare and creative cocktails. We’re especially curious to taste the sea urchin and bay scallop gratin.

-- Alexandra Le Tellier

Photo: Abou-Daoud's Delancey and Mission Cantina reside next door to each other, just as Mercantile and District will. Credit: DeeDee DeGelia for Metromix

Blue Plate’s seafood special

Fans of the Montana Avenue restaurant Blue Plate will be glad to learn that Jenny Rush Morton is getting close to opening her spinoff spot -- and this time she’s taking the Cape Cod/Hamptons vibe to the next level with a menu dedicated to seafood.

In late August (or, more likely, early September), she’ll open Blue Plate Oysterette next door to Boa on Ocean Avenue. “I’ve lived in Santa Monica for a long time,” says Morton. “There’s a need on the Westside for a casual setting.” Indeed. Save for the recently reopened Santa Monica Seafood, which is more market than restaurant, Santa Monica has few laid-back, non-touristy seafood spots.

Oysterette should scratch that itch with a “clam shack” menu that includes buckets of steamers, grilled oysters and salmon burgers. “We’re taking the food to the next level but still keeping it accessible,” says Morton, crediting her chef, Violet Robles, formerly of Patina. The lobster roll, for example, will be made with fresh tarragon and cayenne pepper and served on brioche, not a hot dog bun. The best part? Nothing will cost more than $20, except, say, when they host lobster bakes.

Blue Plate Oysterette is located at 1355 Ocean Ave. in Santa Monica. Follow the restaurant as it develops on Twitter @bpoysterette.

-- Alexandra Le Tellier

Image: A rendering of Blue Plate Oysterette, which restaurateur Jenny Rush Morton describes as  “very beachy.” Credit: Courtesy of Morton

 

Deep dish versus thin(ner) crust: Pizza battle at the new N.Y. & C. pizzeria

The four guys behind South in Santa Monica are getting ready to strike again with another Westside spot. This time, instead of paying homage to comforts of Southern culture with mint juleps served in Mason jars, they’re embracing the pizza cultures of both New York and Chicago in the former Toi space at 1120 Wilshire Blvd. “We took the space and split it in the middle,” says co-owner Adam Milstein. The right side looks like New York, with tabletops covered and varnished with New York Times pages dating back 40 years. The left side captures the spirit of Chicago, complete with photos of the Sears Tower and Wrigley Field. They’re calling it N.Y. & C.

The pizzeria, which will stay open until 3:30 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, goes beyond a clever design scheme and a cute name. Milstein says his partners went all over New York to research pizzerias – some went further and even got jobs in kitchens for some hands-on learning. For the inside track on Chicago-style deep dish, Milstein hit up his grandfather’s best friend, owner of Wapaghetti's in Illinois. “He sent me ingredients and secret family recipes,” says Milstein.

The results? The New York menu will offer thin(ner) crust pizzas such as the “Central Park” made with sausage, pepperoni, meatballs and extra cheese and the “Empire State,” which is similar to a Margherita with mozzarella, marinara and fresh basil. The Chicago options include the meaty deep dish “Windy City” topped with sausage, pepperoni, sliced beef, mushroom and extra cheese. And to wash it down: about 45 kinds of beer, 14 of them bottled.

N.Y. & C. is targeted to open at the end of July or early August and will also offer delivery.

-- Alexandra Le Tellier

Photo: Brian VanderBrug / Los Angeles Times

Snapshot: Unexpected humor at Hooters

The wet wipes at Hooters are priceless.

How I ended up at Hooters in the first place is another story entirely.

-- Alexandra LeTellier

Photo credit: Alexandra LeTellier / Los Angeles Times

Hey Micky’s, you’re so fine

Nearly two years after it was destroyed by an electrical fire, Micky’s reopened April 17. The WeHo bar and restaurant now has a modern gray, white and orange color scheme, a larger dance floor, two new patio bars, an upstairs VIP lounge and a sassy tagline: “Drink triple. Dance double. Act single.” That should come easily enough thanks to weekly parties like “Hot Rod Wednesdays,” which features live bondage shows.

It’s not just the parties or Micky’s Speedo-style logo that has people drooling, though. The extensive cocktail list features fun and fruity variations of classic drinks such as a mojito sweetened with fresh mango and a wild berry martini made with blueberries and raspberries. Of course, the large patio on Santa Monica Boulevard makes for a lively place to eat while watching the parade of buff bods and flashy dressers barhop. On the brand new menu: burgers, nachos, crab cakes, mac and cheese – perfect for soaking up booze. But the make-your-own omelet bar during brunch should make Micky’s worth rolling out of bed for on Sunday mornings.

8857 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069. (310) 657-1176; mickys.com

-- Alexandra Le Tellier

Photo: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times

Feeding the 1:30 a.m. munchies at Guys and Dolls

A new nightlife food trend just might be emerging: making your menu available only to those who order bottle service.

Michael Sutton's new lounge, Guys and Dolls, which is tentatively slated to open May 4, plans to serve food only to big spenders. Since the venue (in the space formerly known as Guy’s) is located next to Jerry’s Famous Deli in West Hollywood, Sutton says he’ll have the restaurant deliver grilled cheese sandwiches to VIP tables at 1:30 a.m. Going the simple route seems like a good departure for Sutton, who co-owned the Lodge, Charcoal, Goa and Memphis with Adolfo Suaya before they closed.

This bit of news comes hot on the heels of learning that Chris Breed's new club, Halo, which opened last Thursday, will make its Cal-Asian menu available only to bottle service customers.

It seems the days when clubbers would plunk down $500 for bottle service — a.k.a. purchasing VIP status — at an A-list club without blinking might be coming to a close. Now that disposable income is harder to come by, some venues have dropped their bottle service prices or, in the case of Apple Lounge, resorted to offering two bottles for the price of one. Throw in a plate of tasty, and maybe club owners can get away with charging a touch more.

Guys and Dolls, by the way, has been made over from an all-black den to a sleek lounge outfitted in a “Porsche blue”-and-gray color scheme, with a cluster of white chandeliers as the focal point in the center of the room — perfect for lighting up Sutton’s coterie of celebrity friends.

— Alexandra Le Tellier

Photo: Guy's nightclub in West Hollywood has been reborn as a hip bar-club that caters to a high-end clientele and requires membership for entry. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times

Halo's grand opening party proves that Hollywood still loves excess

Ladies donned their tightest and brightest miniskirts on Thursday night to celebrate Halo’s grand opening party, which also brought out Omar Epps, Bill Maher, Ryan Cabrera and a smattering of reality TV stars. The party’s real attractions, though, were the buxom models dressed as sexy dream angels, wings and all, luring ogling guys to the back bar.

The evening played out as if the Paris Hilton-inspired era of excess had never ended, with an open bar and tray-passed appetizers teasing the forthcoming menu from chef Andy Pastore. “We’re going to have a lighter menu,” said Eric James, owner Chris Breed’s business partner. And while the menu hasn’t been fully realized yet, James calls it California cuisine with a Pacific Rim influence. For those of you who get the munchies when you’ve been drinking: Yes, the menu will have calamari. (Halo doesn’t have proper dinner tables, though, and the menu will be reserved for high rollers who order pricey bottle service. In Hollywood it sometimes seems like the recession never happened.)

For Breed, it was a homecoming of sorts (he presided over the Halo space when it was White Lotus but wasn't involved in its more recent incarnation as Ritual), and he celebrated with the full bottle service treatment from cocktail waitresses clad in buttoned-down white shirts and short shorts that left very little to the imagination.

When asked over the phone whether he had any reservations about opening a lavish club in this economy, especially since he already owns three other Hollywood nightlife destinations (Green Door, Cabana Club and Pig ‘N Whistle), Breed answered: “There’s still a quality crowd going out, but there are fewer people,” he said.