More slurping on Sawtelle: Miyata Menji to open Wednesday

Sawtelle is booming with another round of new restaurants, and the next anticipated opening is Japanese import Miyata Menji — the tsukemen joint that has taken over what was the former gr/eats space. A bold move with Tsujita L.A., which serves ramen and tsukemen at lunch, directly across the street?  

Japanese comedian Tetsuji Miyata brings his Miyata Menji concept to L.A. from Osaka, where noodles dubbed TG2-D and KK100 are served in ramen and tsukemen (in the latter dish, noodles are served separate from the broth, into which they're dipped). On the menu are just two items: tonkotsu ramen with pork broth, teriyaki beef, shallots and fried tomatoes, and tsukemenwith steamed noodles, anchovy cabbage, grated cheese (optional), minced pork, vegetable potage, tomato and croutons. Um, wow. 

"Very simple," says Miyata Menji general manager Aki Kanda. "Like the In-N-Out" of ramen. 

The menu comes with instructions for eating tsukemen: "1. Enjoy flavor of wheat from noodle! 2. Try few noodle by itself then feel flavor, texture. 3. Dip noodle into broth & noodle little by little. 4. Enjoy all ingredients with noodle little by little. 5. When you finished half of noodle, grind pepper to noodle and enjoy!"

On Wednesday, Kanda says Miyata, who performed in the theater group Shampoo Hat under the umbrella of entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo, will appear at the grand opening.  

Miyata Menji, 2050 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 312-3929, www.miyatamenji.com. 

(P.S. In case you're keeping track of new Sawtelle restaurants, Korean soon tofu spot Seoul House of Tofu opened two weeks ago, serving soon tofu — spicy tofu stew — and bulgogi combos. 2101 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 444-9988.) 

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Photo credit: miyatamenji.com

Umamicatessan soft-opens, plies downtown L.A. with pork products

Umamicatessan, Adam Fleischman's haute answer to the lowly food court, soft-opens Saturday in the renovated Orpheum, across the street from the teal-coated Art Deco majesty of the Eastern Columbia lofts near 9th Street and Broadway.

With seating for 206, Umamicatessan features a large central dining area surrounded by five distinct dining concepts and an ample bar. They are: Pigg, chef Chris Cosentino's ode to all things pork; Spring for Coffee; the Cure (Fleischman's sauced-up modern deli); Umami Burger; and & a Donut, which features fresh-fried donuts with creative toppings and sauces. The bar, Umami Burger's biggest, is helmed by mixologist Adrian Biggs (La Descarga, Harvard & Stone).

Meals from each of the concepts can be ordered from one server, or diners can sit at the bar in front of the station of their choice. Food will come out at different times, according to the pace of each chef in each kitchen an order is placed with.

"It's a playground in here," said Jason Berkowitz, VP of hospitality for Umami Restaurant Group during a recent press preview. "We told the chefs 'The only limit is your imagination,' so let's see what evolves."

Perhaps the most stunning feature of the lofty dining room with its wooden tables and chairs is the two-story "tower of ham" that anchors Pigg.

The refrigerated tower will eventually be home to 20 varieties of ham from around the globe and even has its own conveyor belt for ease in dispatching the meat.

"People take cured meat for granted in that they think it only comes from Europe," said Cosentino. "We have a long-standing tradition of it here in the States -- from the South."

Pop-ups in Venice: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, Alma and Kali Dining

Lately, pop-up dining central might be the neighborhood of Venice. Maybe it's the by-the-beach location or its bobo residents. Whatever the reason, here are a few to check out:

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing took over the old Capri space on Abbot Kinney Boulevard late last year. The pop-up kitchen is managed by chefs Brian Dunsmoor of Axe and Kris Tominaga of Joe’s Restaurant. The restaurant was due to end its stint this month but is now in negotiations to extend the operation in the same space for an additional six months while a permanent space is secured; good news for all those who have yet to try the restaurant's reasonably priced, market-driven dishes. The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. 1616 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, wolfinsheepsclothingrestaurant.com.

Chef Kevin Meehan of Cafe Pinot started hosting dinner parties in Culver City earlier this month through his new project, Kali Dining. The pop-up dining experience features a frequently changing menu and location. Meehan prepares and serves a four-course prix-fixe meal for guests in a casual, intimate environment. The dinner series, which costs $65 per person and currently runs Wednesday to Sunday, is on in Venice through early March. And did we mention that he hunts his own hogs too? Kalidining.com.

Another pop-up restaurant new to the scene in Venice is Alma. With only a couple of weeks under its belt, the eatery serves weekly changing three- and five-course prix-fixe dinners ($35 and $55,  respectively) Wednesday through Saturday. Housed inside cafe Flake on Rose Avenue, Alma is the brainchild of Dinelle Lucchesi, a former director of an underground social club in San Francisco, and Ari Taymor of San Francisco's Bar Tartine and Flour + Water. Taymor's creations will highlight American cuisine with dishes such as garlic and oyster stew; smoked lentils, carrot, milk skin and nettle; and popcorn with chocolate and soy caramel. 513 Rose Ave., Venice, almafoodandwine.tumblr.com.

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Top photo: Kevin Meehan of Kali Dining; bottom photo: braised wild hog with smoked potato puree, peas and prosciutto. Credit: Mike Sanfratello. 

Danilo Terribili is back, this time at the new A1 Cucina Italiana

Giacomino Drago, youngest brother of Celestino Drago, has had Il Buco Ristorante on Robertson Boulevard at Wilshire since 1998. Now the chef wants to devote more of his time to the Japanese restaurant he’s about to open in Beverly Hills and has tapped Danilo Terribili, who co-owned and ran the late and much-missed Alto Palato on La Cienega Boulevard, to take over the restaurant. Terribili will become the managing partner.

Terribili, who is also involved in Spark Woodfire Grill, has been itching to get back into an Italian restaurant and this is his chance. He’s recruited Alto Palato’s old chef Fredy Escobar to head up the kitchen. 

The restaurant will be renamed A1 Cucina Italiana after the crowded A1 autostrada that rolls from Milan through Florence and Rome to Naples. Sunday is the last day of Il Buco. The sign goes up Monday, and A1 will debut on March 1st.

Terribili always had the idea to do an Italian restaurant that featured food not just from one region, but from many.

"The cooking will be very simple, very traditional and very reasonably priced," he says. "The most expensive entree will be $23. We're going to have daily specials, too, such as trippa alla Romana [tripe with tomatoes, mint and pecorino] on Monday, and porchetta on Saturday."

As for pasta, he cites spaghetti alla chitarra (square spaghetti) in a very simple tomato garlic sauce with fiore sardo sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia shaved over the top as one of his favorites. Also, the chef has been making pappardelle with Neapolitan-style lamb ragu. He starts with a little onion, adds a huge piece of lamb and lets it cook for a few minutes, sweats it in red wine, and then covers the meat with tomato sauce and lets it cook for at least five hours until it's falling off the bone. At that point, the meat is hand-chopped and added back into the ragu.  

A1 Cucina Italiana will serve lunch Monday to Friday and dinner daily. Call (310) 657-1345 for a reservation.

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Photos: Top: A1 Cucina Italiana interior. Credit: Danilo Terribili. Bottom: Porchetta. Credit: Rocco Ceselin for A1 Cucina Italiana.

Plan Check opens today in West L.A.

West L.A.'s Little Osaka neighborhood welcomes a new addition to Sawtelle Boulevard with Plan Check, which opened its doors to the public Wednesday.

The restaurant incorporates architectural elements to make for an industrial appeal -- kudos to the neighborhood's culture bustling with architects, developers and designers -- and features communal tables, booths and a large outdoor patio.

Chef Ernesto Uchimura of Umami Burger takes the reins at this new joint alongside barmen Steve Livigni and Pablo Moix of Harvard & Stone, La Descarga and Black Market Liquor Bar.

The menu features American comfort food with dishes such as the blueprint burger ($11) with smoked blue cheese, pig candy bacon, fried onions and steak sauce; smoky fried chicken ($12) with gravy, yam preserves and spicy pickled okra; and short rib pot roast ($15) with red wine, bone marrow turnover pie and sweet n' sour mirepoix. The bar program includes cocktails like the godzilla ($10) and bento box ($10); craft beer, wine and a variety of Japanese whiskeys. The moonshine house soda, with flavors like yuzu and tangerine, is pretty good, too.

Plan Check is open 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

1800 Sawtelle Blvd., L.A., (310) 288-6500, plancheckbar.com.

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Bagatelle L.A. opens today in West Hollywood

Bagatelle, a New York City-based French bistro, opens a new location on the West Coast today. Located in the former Boudoir space on North La Cienega Boulevard, Bagatelle L.A. features a French- Mediterranean menu from executive chef Scott Quinn, formerly of Bouchon. Signature dishes include poire pochee au vin rouge (red wine poached pear), tartare de thon (yellow fin tuna tartare), terrine de foie gras and poulet organic roti et truffe pour deux (truffle roasted chicken for two).

The 2,700-square-foot restaurant boasts a Paris-infused-with-the-South-of-France appeal, indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a music program featuring DJs on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The bistro is open for dinner every night.

775 North La Cienega, L.A., (310) 659-3900, bistrotbagatelle.com.

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Blue Cow opens in downtown Monday

Blue Cow opens its doors Monday in downtown Los Angeles. The restaurant is a partnership between Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen of Mendocino Farms, which pays homage to the sandwich. They envision the shop to be a good neighborhood restaurant: "We are doing creative sandwiches for people who appreciate that," Del Pero said. The restaurant will serve lunch, dinner and cocktails.

Chef Joshua Smith, together with corporate executive chef Judy Han and the owners, have devised a  menu with dishes that they classify as "new American." Diners will find the classic chicken sandwich reinterpreted as the Spanish chicken tartine with piquillo peppers, romesco and aged Manchego cheese. The tandoori turkey club is the next generation of the turkey club made with Indian spiced char-grilled turkey breast, housemade naan and candied jalapenos. Other menu highlights include the roots and berries salad with shaved beets, roasted carrots, cranberries and wheatberries; housemade sausages (turkey and lamb) in a buttermilk roll; and ploughman's platter made with a selection of sausages, deviled eggs, pimento cheese toast and more.

In addition to an extensive menu, Blue Cow has a full service bar featuring specialty cocktails, housemade sodas, and a "hopefully intriguing beer list." The cocktails have quirky names like "Jack and Coke's cousin on his dad's side" consisting of housemade winter cola and Old Forrester whiskey or the "gin and tonic experiment" made with orange, cucumber, black peppercorn and red pepper. The bar also has a praline-infused "old-fashioned" on tap.

350 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 621-2249, www.bluecowkitchen.com.

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Excalibur restaurant jousts for downtown's ren-faire crowd

Have you ever been to Medieval Times in Buena Park and thought, "Wow, I really enjoy gnawing on this roast chicken thigh, but the weird, bearded actors in this jousting show are giving me the creeps"?

Me neither. But if you have, a restaurant has opened in downtown Los Angeles that you might really enjoy. It's called Excalibur Medieval Restaurant and it features the kind of Renaissance Faire vibe that you either participated in or cringed at when you were in high school and walked past your local public park on a sunny Saturday. The kind of knights-in-bad-velvet role playing featured to great comic effect in the fabulous Paul Rudd comedy "Role Models."

I must admit that I thought theme restaurants went out of style with the garlicky calcification of the Stinking Rose on La Cienega. But then when I was in Las Vegas over the weekend, I realized that a Heart Attack Grill had opened on Fremont Street downtown. I peered through the front windows with glazed bug eyes at the overweight people dressed in hospital gowns, and watched a lanky blond in a hot nurse's uniform paddle a man before he sat down to his 8,000-calorie quadruple-bypass burger.

Having stared into that lardy theme-restaurant abyss, it didn't much surprise me to read about Excalibur, which provides in-house costumes to its guests, who can then tuck into family-style meals of whole chickens with livers wrapped in bacon; sausages; ribs; roast pork and smoked pork leg.

Apparently the place is a spin-off of a restaurant first founded in Transylvania in 2006. Dracula must be rolling over in his coffin. I, however, am dusting off my goblet. OK, just kidding! But, it would be kind of funny to go, right? Or maybe just depressing.

Excalibur, 1248 S. Figueroa St., #101, Los Angeles; (213) 749-7751; www.excaliburrestaurant.com. 

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Photo: Danny (Paul Rudd), left, and Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) fight to the death with fellow medieval role players in "Role Models." Credit: Sam Urdank

IDG teaming up with Gino Angelini to open Italian restaurant

Innovative Dining Group says it has collaborated with chef and restaurateur Gino Angelini, of Angelini Osteria, to open a fine-dining Italian restaurant in West Hollywood that will debut in the fall.

The 8,000-square-foot restaurant will take over part of the space formerly occupied by Hamburger Hamlet at 9201 W. Sunset Blvd. IDG will divide the old Hamlet space into two ventures, one the new Italian restaurant and the other a Chinese cuisine concept.

The restaurant's name and menu specifics will be announced in the coming months but for now, Italian food aficionados can expect Angelini's menu to include pastas, pizzas and entrées incorporating classic Italian cooking techniques very much like those developed at his beloved Angelini Osteria.

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Photo: Gino Angelini at his restaurant, Angelini Osteria. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Royal Clayton's Pub to reopen in downtown LA

Royal Clayton’s, a favorite downtown watering hole that served chilled pints and traditional fish and chips, just reached a deal to reopen at the Spring Arcade Building at 6th and Spring streets.

The pub closed its doors in 2010 after being open for four years in the Arts District.  The new Royal Clayton’s will be replacing an electronics store on the Spring Street side of the space.  According to co-owner Tony Gower in the Los Angeles Downtown News, the company is hoping to reopen the pub by the end of the year although the official timeline is still undecided. 

The owners would like the new Royal Clayton's to be as close as possible to the original.  However, if the city permits, they would like to add outdoor seating.

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Photo Credit: Beatrice de Gea/ Los Angeles Times