Any new places worth checking out?
I think there’s only a few days left in Ludobites, over near the Beverly Center.
Palate in Glendale is excellent and sort of off the beaten path.
Michael Voltaggio is the new chef at The Dining Room at The Langham over in Pasadena. Haven’t been yet but plan to check it out soon and have only heard good things.
Winner of Top Chef season 2 Ilan Hall will be opening his new restaurant, The Gorbals, this Friday (8/28).
Have you been to Church & State?
Palate is a great choice. Sunday afternoons they do a one plate special for around $12 that is usually excellent. Hang out in the wine bar order that and get a glass of something or try their flight. You might see our own Gregg Greenbaum spinning CD’s also.
Alas, now that Cut Chemist is the resident dj, yours truley is just eatin’ and sippin’. Palate is a great place and I highly recommend it. Probably my favorite place to eat in LA.
If you are near Beverly & Fairfax, Bistro LQ has been opened for 4 weeks now. I manage the wine program and am there on Fri & Sat. You can check commerce corner for more info.
Other notable new places:
Rivera & Church and State downtown are great options. Barbrix in Silverlake is small plates. Top chef contestant, Stefan, has opened The Farm, in Bev. Hills. There’s also Reva from Jason Travi in Sta. Monica.
Of course, these are all higher end. There are endless mom & pop places from taco trucks to pupusa stands, from dimsum to live seafood in SGV. Let me know if you’re looking for something like that.
IIRC, Ilan was the winner of Top Chef … I didn’t know he was opening a restaurant here … thanks for the post.
Ah, you are right… Thanks for that, I’ll fix the o.p. I think the restaurant is now taking reservations.
I’ll be a shill and say try the Barolo served at the bar. 
Just heard that Sona’s assets including the wine cellar are being foreclosed upon and auctioned off next week. Even though I always left Sona hungry, the quality was definitely there. Too bad.
Apparently Sona is NOT closing, however. That is good news.
That is not correct per the lawyer who is auctioning off the assets; a friend who knows him talked to him and he confirmed that the owner of Sona, a Swede, bailed and the lender foreclosed. Sona is still open but unless someone buys it whole (which is possible but not a certainty as the below auction notice provides) and keeps it open with Myers, it will not be there any longer.
Notice of Public Sale
Notice is hereby given that all assets of the restaurant SONA, LLC will be sold by GEMCAP LENDING I, LLC (“GEMCAP”) at a public sale on Wednesday, September 30, 2009, at 10AM (PDT), which has been changed from the original date of Tuesday, September 22, 2009, at the offices of EZRA BRUTKUS GUBNER, LLP, located at 21650 Oxnard Street, Suite 500, Woodland Hills, CA 91367. Assets shall include all inventory, furniture, fixtures, equipment, and any and all other assets of SONA, LLC. The assets shall be sold to the highest qualified bidder. Assets shall be sold in bulk, as a unit, or in parcels, on an “as is, where is” basis, without representation or warranty of any kind. Interested bidders who would like further information should contact Steven T. Gubner at (818) 827-9000. GEMCAP reserves its right to adjourn or cancel the sale at any time.
They’re definitely saying they’re still open and don’t plan to close. Though obviously that could be wishful thinking and just carrying on until a swift axe falls. I’ve always heard that David (& wife Michelle) Myers was at least co-owner. Though it makes sense that there is money behind them as they opened it at a young age.
Someone is going to bid on a lot of wine as they built up a pretty big cellar fast.
A friend of mine who is good friends with the chef just told me that “it’s just a change in management” and that the chef desperately wanted to quell these rumors.
But I’ve seen that end badly before too…
Seems that the worst may happen; at least Myers is going to continue in some form.
Sona management company exits; David Myers plans to open new restaurant" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;