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We were happy to see that this year’s Dwell on Design exposition expanded the idea of modern living to include new visions of food and culture. Among the events held was American Institute of Architects’ 5th annual restaurant design awards (which L.A. cleaned-up at, by the way) and a panel hosted by Evan Kleiman on the art, packaging, access, and sustainability of food.

But onto the main event: Saturday evening, Dwell gathered the twitter-powered food trucks of Los Angeles and formed a mobile restaurant row outside of MOCA to a sold-out crowd of 400 people who were also (maybe) there for a film screening on photographer Julius Shulman. The truck line-up included Barbie’s Q, Green Truck, Let's be Frank, Sprinkles, Coolhaus and Locali. Suspiciously missing was Kogi, the Korean taco truck that started this whole mobile food trend in the first place. Beyond mobility, the vendors were also touting a vision for a healthier and more sustainable meal. Let's be Frank founder Larry Bain explained his take: “We’re all about supporting an economy of local and independent food producers. We’re proud to say that we’ve worked with 35 independent ranchers.”

There was still a crowd of people waiting to try the different food trucks after the film started. Many paid $15 for a ticket just to access the restaurant row (this does not include the cost of food) and skipped the film all together.

Surprise: There were some mixed reviews on Coolhaus and their architect-inspired ice cream sandwiches. “They were kind of expensive for a tiny and messy ice cream sandwich,” we heard one eater say.

Just outside of MOCA was a line of enterprising food trucks not involved with the Dwell event, but smart enough to come by anyway. The three-week old Marked 5 sold burgers on rice-patty buns with torakku beef and katsu pork. Calibi BBQ offered an extensive menu of Korean tacos and burritos (sound familiar?). Looks like the trend is far from over.

Just got word via food writer extraordinaire Carolynn Carreno's Twitter that the new Mozza2Go take-out spot nextdoor to Mozza is finally open.  

Let the lines begin!

Order line: (323) 297-1130

There’s a new sports bar in the works from Luna Park owner AJ Gilbert. Henry’s Hat is scheduled to open next week in the old Minibar space in Studio City, boasting 16 televisions, including one 5’x5’ projection screen. Drinks—which will include some from the Luna Park cocktail menu, and at least one “fishbowl” option—will be poured by none other than Days of Our Lives star Martha Madison (yeah, I don’t know either…), who is a co-owner of the project and, apparently, has some actual cocktail cred (she worked with Julie Reiner in New York). Edibles will include everything from pizza or potato skins made with “seasonal ingredients” to a vegan cassoulet. Customers will be able to vote online for what game’s on the big screen on any particular night, and nerds can grab a game of chess, Jenga, or Connect 4 (ok, I do love that one) and play on the “flea-market coffee table.”

With Universal CityWalk across the street—essentially, one giant sports bar—we’ll see how this does. Of course, if I could find a reason to avoid Universal Citywalk at any time, I would. And Luna Park has managed to hang in there thanks to some creative gimmicks. (Rotating promotions are always fun, at least. Right now there’s a blue plate special served on, well, a blue plate and an all-chocolate brunch offered on Sundays.) Sounds like we can expect the same here.

This is a new one. A few weeks back it was announced that Conny Andersson would be leaving AK restaurant in Venice due to “creative differences” with the financial backers. Now it looks like the owners have found a new chef and concept, and they’re ready to debut it tomorrow. Kinda.

Here’s the deal from the PR folks:

“Rather than closing to retool the restaurant, the popular destination on the bustling Abbot Kinney Boulevard (formerly known as AK) will become a transparent culinary case study. As Chef Casey Lane [who comes to us from Clarklewis in Portland] trains staff, implements new and improved kitchen techniques, seeks the freshest fare from the farmer’s market of that day, takes every detail exponentially to the max, and while the space undergoes interior and exterior modifications—the restaurant, The Tasting Kitchen—will remain open.”

So basically, instead of waiting until a successful new restaurant formula is found, we pay money to be a part of restaurant creation in action—the stumbles, pitfalls, lousy dishes, inexperienced waiters, kitchen meltdowns, and all. I sorta get it, but then…I don’t. It’s like Hell’s Kitchen, but we don’t get to be on TV.

The sample menu looks promising, actually. The “process” all starts tomorrow night and will run for eight weeks, at which point they’ll (hopefully) have found their groove and will reopen with a new menu, new look, and new name in the Fall.

Caché, the new project from Mélisse chef Josiah Citrin and chef de cuisine Nyesha Arrington, is slated to officially open this Friday. The restaurant is taking over the space once occupied by Hidden on Main Street in Santa Monica—Hidden was lovely, but had some serious issues (a food expert friend claims she had her credit card number stolen by the bar staff there, just to give you an idea). I'm glad to see the spot is being put to good use.

The menu aims to feature “market-based, contemporary American dishes.” What that means: charcuterie plates, wood-fried calamari, a market wedge salad with blue cheese, egg, and bacon, Scottish salmon with caper-raisins and pine nuts in verjus, hanger steak with Maui onion rings and a chimchurri sauce, Kurobuta pork chop with pineapple chutney, plus a smattering of intriguing veggie sides. There will also be a rotating menu of wood-fired flatbreads and a separate bar/lounge menu that takes full advantage of the “delicious things in cute little mason jars” trend, plus snacks like sliders (really Josiah? Sliders?) and Parmesan truffle fries.

We’ve always wondered why Main Street isn’t more of a foodie strip. While this doesn’t sound like it’s breaking any new ground (Craftbar, Palate, Rustic Canyon, and Westside Tavern all ring a bell), I’d count on Josiah taking this to another level.

Caché
3110 Main St., Santa Monica (310-399-4800).