The Scoop: Joshua Whigham takes over at the Bazaar

According to the SLS Hotel's Twitter feed, a replacement has been found for Top Chef's Michael Voltaggio, who helped open the four-star restaurant the Bazaar last winter. Voltaggio ducked out in April, making way for another studly young chef to take a turn in this bazaar corner of the city. 

Joshua Whigham, the newly appointed chef de cuisine, has worked at a few of Jose Andres' other restaurants, including Cafe Atlantico and Zaytinya. The D.C. chef most recently cooked at Hook.

Jose Andres will be heading into town next week, perhaps to give a round of training. No doubt it's a good time to snatch a ressie -- the man puts on one heck of a show.

-- Krista Simmons

Photo: Jose Andres' molecular olives and cherries. Credit: Shane Redsar

The Scoop: Mirko Paderno opens Oliverio in former Blue on Blue space

Mirko Paderno, who's served time at seemingly every Italian restaurant in the city (Drago, All' Angelo, Dolce, Ago and, most recently, a short term at Cecconi's), is now taking over the space at Blue on Blue at the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Paderno's place is called Oliverio, and to match the Italian chef's new menu, the restaurant's interior and hotel entrance have been refurbished to be reminiscent of 1950s Italy. In addition to a snazzy makeover, Paderno will get to indulge in the Avalon's rooftop garden, which restaurant manager Ryan Hoffman planted last year. 

His menu will include dishes such as fritto misto and salumi served with homemade olive focaccia, branzino and a variety of handmade pastas. The prices are similar to Blue on Blue, with entrees ranging from $16 to $30.

It remains to be seen if Paderno will draw some of the same attention that former chef Scott Garrett did. (Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom and Kathy Lee Gifford were spotted at the Avalon recently.)

-- Krista Simmons

Photo: Chef Mirko Paderno shaves cold cuts on an antique slicing machine at All' Angelo. Credit: Ringo H.W. Chiu

From the Annals of Improbable PR: Oops, don't expect to see Mirko Paderno at Caffe Roma

It's hard not to notice a press release that begins with "Oops!" -- as in "Oops! Chef Mirko Paderno will NOT be joining Caffe Roma."

The missive followed a release last week that said Paderno would be helming the kitchen when chef-restaurateur Agostino Sciandri's Beverly Hills ristorante reopened later this summer. Paderno most recently was at Cecconi's, the Italian-by-way-of-London restaurant that opened in the former Morton's spot on Melrose, but left after just a few months (oops). Before that he was at All'Angelo, the erstwhile Bridge, Dolce, Trio, Ago, Drago, Primi and Valentino.

According to today's release, Sciandri himself will be cooking at Caffe Roma.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Caffe Roma. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times

Michael Voltaggio replaces Craig Strong as chef de cuisine of the Dining Room at the Langham

The Dining Room at the Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa has been searching for a talented chef de cuisine to replace Craig Strong since Strong resigned  to work at Studio at the Montage in Laguna Beach in May. Replacing Strong certainly wasn't easy as he helped earn the restaurant a Michelin star in both 2007 and 2008. But now the Dining Room has announced that they have settled on Michael Voltaggio, who will begin his reign in the kitchen tomorrow.

Voltaggio recently left his position as chef de cuisine at the Bazaar by Jose Andres at the SLS Hotel, which thrived under his guidance, earning four stars from Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila and attracting attention from around the country. Not at a loss for things to spend his time on, Voltaggio is also a contestant on Season 6 of Bravo's "Top Chef," and he can be found cooking as a guest chef July 30 during Breadbar's Hatchi series.

For now he'll stick with the menu on offer but is expected to unveil a new one in August. The new menu will be featured through the end of the year. Come 2010 the Dining Room will be renovated and unveiled with a fresh, as of yet unannounced, twist.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Michael Voltaggio, right, at the Bazaar by Jose Andres. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times

Back on the Beach is, indeed, back on the beach in Santa Monica

After closing for almost 18 months of renovations, Back on the Beach Cafe has re-opened. It's now part of the Annenberg Community Beach House and reportedly has a new chef and a new (but certainly not uncommon) commitment to local farmers market produce. Its phone lines are currently on the fritz but a message confirms that the restaurant is now open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily and that it will begin serving dinner sometime next week.

Calls to the restaurant have not yet been returned (probably because the phones are not working), but stay tuned for additional information.

Back on the Beach Cafe, 415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica. (310) 393-8282

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: A view of the beach from the balcony of the Marion Davies guest house at the Annenberg Community Beach House. Credit: Reed Saxon / Associated Press

The Tasting Kitchen, the restaurant formerly known as AK

The Tasting Kitchen is open in the space that housed the very-recently-defunct AK. Instead of closing to retool, the restaurant is embracing the transition. The restaurateurs are calling it "a transparent culinary case study" (what others might call quick-change artistry). 

Over the next eight weeks, as new chef Casey Lane (a veteran of Clarklewis restaurant in Portland, Ore.) trains staff and tweaks the menu and the restaurant undergoes design "modifications," the kitchen and dining room will remain open. An interim menu of eight to 10 choices will change daily. The restaurant will emerge with a new menu, new look and new name in the fall. 1633 Abbott Kinney Blvd., Venice, (310) 392-6644, www.thetastingkitchen.com 

-- Betty Hallock

Photo of AK by Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times

Small Bites: Chef changes at Hotel Shangri-La and the Bazaar; former 'Top Chef' contestant gets a restaurant

New chef at Shangri-La: The Hotel Shangri-La has tapped Dakota Weiss as the new chef at its restaurant, replacing Noah Rosen (you might recall him tweeting about the fact that he had been fired earlier this month). Weiss started Monday, the same day she moved back to L.A. from Philadelphia, where she had helped restaurateur Stephen Starr (Buddakan, Morimoto) open Parc. Weiss previously was chef at the Tower Bar at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Hollywood. Weiss says she is slowly rolling out her menu, starting with a couple of new items Friday. "Very fresh, very simple, no foams," Weiss says. "Lots of seafood, a big raw bar menu." Plus, look for her "thousand-dollar pretzels." 1301 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 394-2791, www.shangrila-hotel.com.

Recent changes at the Bazaar: Michael Voltaggio quietly exited Jose Andres' Bazaar at the SLS Hotel at the end of April as chef de cuisine, succeeded by Jorge Chicas, who has long been part of Andres' core culinary team and also helped open the Bazaar. Look for Voltaggio as a guest chef at Noriyuki Sugie's "Hatchi" dinner series at Breadbar next month. Meanwhile, according to @SLSHotel: "Chef Jose Andres is in town today ... getting ready for a busy weekend!" 465 S. La Cienga Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 246-5555, www.thebazaar.com.

Top Cheffer takes over restaurant: Former "Top Chef" contestant Stefan Richter is opening a restaurant in Santa Monica; he's partnering with the owner of L.A. Farm on Olympic Boulevard. According to a news release, "Stefan's at L.A. Farm will bring a cosmopolitan classiness to the Santa Monica dining scene," because, of course, Richter is known for being classy. The menu will feature "light California cuisine," including tapas at dinner. There will be cocktails too, along with Milwaukee's Best and Pabst Blue Ribbon. An August opening is scheduled. 3000 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 449-4000, www.lafarmrestaurant.com.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Hotel Shangri-La. Credit: Hotel Shangri-La

 

Small Bites: AK to close; Social Hollywood sans Giraud; Vermont's 'new' chef

AK no longer: Chef Conny Andersson announced that AK Restaurant + Bar will be closing Saturday, June 20, because of "creative differences" with his financial partners. The Swedish-inflected Venice restaurant opened last November. It will continue to operate under a different name and menu, according to a release from Andersson, who says he is currently searching for a new L.A. location for AK (but didn't it stand for Abbot Kinney?). 1633 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, (310) 392-6644, www.akinvenice.com.

No Giraud at Social Hollywood: Jeffrey Chodorow's China Grill Management says Alain Giraud, chef-partner at Anisette in Santa Monica, will not be involved in the restaurant at Social Hollywood. When chef Michel Richard left the location, he had asked Giraud to take over the restaurant as a consulting chef. At the time, Giraud said he was negotiating an agreement with China Grill Management (which also operates Asia de Cuba among other restaurants) and was planning on designing new menus. Apparently, those negotiations fell through (Squid Ink reports that "Giraud's stress level went up"). “While we believed that Alain Giraud was an ideal match for the banquet side of Social Hollywood, this was not the time for this collaboration," said general manager Joseph Ojeda. Social Hollywood is exploring "a number of other options." Meanwhile, the Bar at Social Hollywood is open Thursday to Saturday. 6525 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 337-9797, www.citrusatsocial.com   

Vermont taps OG chef: Now that restaurateurs Wayne Elias and Chris Diamond have closed Mark's in West Hollywood and moved to Vermont restaurant in Los Feliz, expect menu changes on June 29, when executive chef Stephane Beaucamp returns to the kitchen. Beaucamp was formerly Vermont’s executive chef; the restaurant's most recent chef, Laurent Quenioux, is setting up Bistro LQ in the old Mimosa space on Beverly Boulevard. Beaucamp already has rolled out "Lobster Bake" on Wednesdays. He'll also continue “Dish It Out Mondays,” a specially priced menu that was a Mark’s tradition. 1714 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 661-6163, www.vermontrestaurantonline.com

Valentino in Houston: Restaurateur Piero Selvaggio plans to open PS Valentino Vin Bar at the Hotel Derek in Houston this fall. It's an expansion of the primi concept he installed at his flagship Santa Monica restaurant Valentino -- small plates with an extensive list of wines by the glass.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo courtesy of Vermont restaurant

(Not So) Small Bites: Ludo returns; Matt Accarrino exits Craft; La Cachette to close

Craft departures: Chef de cuisine Matt Accarrino and pastry chef Catherine Schimenti have left Craft. Craft general manager Adam Rosenbaum said the couple "left to pursue other opportunities." Accarrino had been steering Tom Colicchio's kitchen since the Century City restaurant opened in the CAA building in the summer of '07. Craft L.A. received three stars from Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila. A yet-to-be-announced chef is expected to start the first week of June, says Rosenbaum. Pastry chef Shannon Swindle, from Craft Dallas, now is working on desserts. "It was time to move on to do something different, maybe something that's more our style," says Accarrino, who noted that he would like to continue to work in a kitchen with Schimenti. "For now, we're enjoying a break." 

Ludo's back: LudoBites returns to Breadbar on 3rd Street, featuring guest chef Ludovic Lefebvre, from May 19 to Aug. 22, available Tuesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. Guests will be able to choose from a rotating menu of three appetizers, three entrees and two desserts or entrees. Some of what to expect: squid ink "crepe" with chorizo, egg, ham and cheese; rare tuna with pink beets, red berries and smoked vinegar; lobster gazpacho with Parmesan marshmallow and exotic fruits; and braised lamb with black curry, ratatouille and harissa. 8718 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (310) 205-0124, www.breadbar.net

Open-shut case: Jean Francois Meteigner, chef-owner of La Cachette, will be closing the restaurant on July 31. The space will be open for private events only. As reported earlier, Meteigner, along with his wife-partner, Allie Ko Meteigner, will also open the new La Cachette Bistro in Santa Monica on Aug. 1."La  Cachette has had a wonderful run and been good to us, as have our clients," said Jean Francois Meteigner in a statement. "But I am very excited about the bistro and feel it is the right time, place and concept.”
 
-- Betty Hallock

Photo: LudoBites at Breadbar; credit: Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times

Craig Strong resigns from the Dining Room at the Langham, will move on to Studio at the Montage

On Wednesday, after eight years of service, Craig Strong resigned his position as chef de cuisine at the Dining Room at the Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa. His impressive list of accomplishments includes a three-star review in 2005 from Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila, when the Langham was under the ownership of the Ritz-Carlton. Strong was also instrumental in garnering a Michelin star for the restaurant in 2007 and 2008.

His last day is May 20. Then, after getting married over Memorial Day weekend, Strong will begin working as the executive chef at Studio at the Montage in Laguna Beach.

Reps for the Dining Room say that although they were caught off guard by Strong's decision, they part ways amicably. "It was a bittersweet decision," said a publicist for the Langham. "But it's human nature, people need to move on. He had a great run with us."

When Strong leaves, executive chef Denis Depoitre will step in temporarily. The Dining Room is looking for a replacement and hopes to find someone before it closes for renovations at the end of August.

Strong says he has nothing but love for the Dining Room but that it was time to move on. He also has plans to move with his new wife to Laguna Niguel.

"Studio has a great reputation, and the Montage is a world-class resort," he said when reached by phone in the kitchen at the Dining Room (in the middle of making gnocchi). "I'm sure there is a list of really talented people who would love to take my place here, and I'd love to pass the baton to the next person and have them take it even further."

— Jessica Gelt

Photo: Craig Strong, right, chef de cuisine at the Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena, cooks at home in South Pasadena last year. He's helped by friend Robert Hartstein and his son Robbie. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times