An open-air tasting menu at Redbird, Shaq’s Wing Showdown and a new chef at Little Pine
This week in dining news:
Balcony dining at Redbird
Downtown restaurant Redbird will serve a one night, socially-distanced tasting menu dinner on the third floor balcony of the Vibiana rectory on July 31. Dishes from chef Neal Fraser include caviar with panna cotta, Maine lobster curry and venison with summer squash. Tickets are $200 with an optional $150 wine pairing.
Wing Showdown
Off the Menu and Uber Eats have launched Wing Showdown, a digital food event where celebrities such as Shaquille O’Neal and Snoop Dogg partner with restaurants to offer their own celebrity wing recipes. L.A. restaurants such as Alta, Honey Kettle Fried Chicken, Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Slab will offering the wings for delivery via UberEats through August 2.
Little Pine’s New Chef
Little Pine, the Silver Lake vegan restaurant opened by musician and music producer Moby in 2015, will reopen under new owners with a new chef later this month. Roberto Martin, a former private chef employed by celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Elizabeth Taylor, will oversee a menu that features meatless takes on dishes such as picatta and flatbread pizza.
2870 Rowena Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 741-8148, littlepinerestaurant.com
Saturn NELA
Santa Cruz’s Saturn Cafe, a vegetarian-friendly diner, has opened a branch in Eagle Rock for takeout and delivery. Menu items include breakfast nachos, coconut cream pie French toast, crispy tofu sesame salad and a garlic French fry grilled cheese.
1958 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 274-4728, saturncafe.com
Paperback Brewing
Paperback Brewing is now open in Glendale for beer pickup orders. Head brewer David Zamborski, formerly of San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery, is behind a tap list that includes a German-style kolsch, a blonde ale and a hazy double IPA.
422 Magnolia Ave., Glendale, (818) 484-5079, paperback.la
Potato Chip Deli
Beverly Grove sandwich shop Potato Chip Deli has opened a second location in Culver City. The casual lunch spot offers Italian cold cuts, chicken Milanese, pastrami and meatball sandwiches on ciabatta bread, plus a wide selection of bagged chips and cookies.
3835 Main St., Culver City, (310) 730-6499, potatochipsdeli.com
MILA
Broken Spanish chef Ray Garcia has announced plans to launch a downtown-based delivery concept called MILA (Made in L.A.). The “ghost kitchen” taqueria will be available on major delivery apps, offering six varieties of tacos such as carnitas or calabacitas (squash) and a handful of side dishes.
Noncompliance tickets
As part of a compliance plan approved last week, L.A. County Department of Health inspectors can now issue tickets carrying fines between $100 and $500 to restaurants not following mask and physical distance guidelines. Inspectors also can issue a 30-day permit suspension to restaurants with multiple violations
Ippudo Ramen
International ramen chain Ippudo has closed in Santa Monica after less than a year. Ippudo in West Hollywood remains open for takeout and delivery. Pasadena dumpling restaurant Dan Modern Chinese is expected to open in the Santa Monica space soon.
The Tripel
Chefs Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts have closed the Tripel, their burger and beer restaurant, after 10 years in Playa del Rey.
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