Pacific Dining Car Lays Tracks for Coast

The Pacific Dining Car, the 69-year-old classic steakhouse at the edge of downtown Los Angeles, is building a spur line out west.

“We’ve purchased the business that was Jack’s at the Beach in Santa Monica,” said Dining Car manager Mike Green. “We’re completely remodeling it, to the extent that nothing will remain of Jack’s, and we plan to open in approximately late September.”

The new place will also be called Pacific Dining Car, and it will offer the same menu and the same wine list (which has always been a good, big one, offering some real bargains). “We’re training the staff right now at the downtown location,” Green said.

Although the original Dining Car is open 24 hours a day, the new one will start off by serving lunch on weekdays only and dinner until 2 a.m. seven nights a week. “We might do the 24-hour thing eventually,” Green said. “In fact we kind of hope to, but we haven’t discussed it yet with any of the powers that be in Santa Monica.”

When asked whether there isn’t a danger that Santa Monica is already overcrowded with upscale restaurants, Green replied, “We like to think that we’ll kind of fill a niche that exists in that area, with a place that’s sort of plush but comfortable--the way we feel that, say, DC 3 is. We’re not copying the original Dining Car, but we’re trying to get the same feel. We really are convinced that there’s nobody else out there that offers what we have to offer.”

RESTAURANT MISCELLANY: Rumors to the contrary, the original Fragrant Vegetable in Monterey Park has not gone out of business. It closed briefly for kitchen renovation, but is now open again, with the same owner and menu. . . . And Lunaria in West L.A. offers a 45-minute, $8-per-person salad-and-pasta lunch, served at the bar, Tuesday through Friday. Valet parking validation is included. The same restaurant has also instituted a complimentary shuttle service to and from Century City, available to parties of four or more on a first-come, first-served basis.WHAT’S NEW: Former L.A. radio celebrity Roger Barkley has opened the Barkley Restaurant & Bar in La Canada Flintridge, in partnership with his wife, Nila, and associate Jim Campbell. . . . Mon Kee, the noted Hong Kong-style seafood restaurant downtown--which had earlier opened and then closed an offshoot restaurant in Beverly Hills--is trying again, this time in Encino, with a new 200-seat restaurant on Ventura Boulevard. . . . James (Gustavo) Li of Cafe Connection in Beverly Hills has opened the Rio Bar & Grill downtown, on the site of the former Webster’s in the Embassy Hotel (an establishment which, architecture trivia buffs might note, was designed--or rather redesigned--by the estimable Charles Moore). Chef at the new restaurant, which will feature “contemporary, Continental, and Brazilian food,” is Michel Wahaltere, ex-chef at Chapo on Melrose. . . . And the Clay Pit of Redondo Beach, which features tandoori-cooked breads, meats, fowl and fish, has opened a second location, at Chapman Market near downtown L.A.

WHAT’S ON: Today, the restaurants Caffe Angeli, Pazzia, Trumps, Mario’s, the Authentic Cafe, Cafe L.A., and the Wonderful Parties/Wonderful Foods catering company will provide edibles for Fantastica 90, described as “an afternoon stroll through West Hollywood’s art galleries, designer showrooms, and antique shops.” The event, benefiting Friends of the Los Angeles Free Clinic, kicks off with a brunch at Trumps at 10:30 a.m. at $45 a head. Registration for the stroll, which lasts from noon to 5 p.m., is at the Pacific Design Center, and tickets are $25. Information: (213) 653-0440. . . . Also today, Caffe Giuseppe in Northridge serves a six-course garlic dinner for $30 per person--finishing with fresh berries with zabaglione , the latter offered both with and without garlic!. . . . St. Moritz in Studio City observes Swiss Independence Day on Wednesday with a three-course, $18-per-person menu featuring traditional Swiss dishes. . . . The Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce holds its annual Torrance Wine Festival Saturday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the grounds of American Honda Motor Co. in Torrance. Tickets to the event, which will feature foods from 30 South Bay restaurants and wines from 40 California producers, are $30 each in advance or $35 at the door--with proceeds going to the South Bay Children’s Health Center. . . . Saturday is also the first day of UCLA Extension’s “Inside Los Angeles Restaurants” class for this year. Cookbook author Naomi Shuwarger will take students through the kitchens of Champagne, the Eureka Brewing Co. and Bice on three consecutive Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fee for all three classes is $175. . . . From Saturday through Aug. 17, I Cugini in Santa Monica will hold a “Festa di Famiglia” or family fair, featuring an Italian family recipe contest, strolling musicians and other entertainers, and special family-style dishes. . . . The Eclectic Palate food and wine society hosts a five-course dinner accompanied by a selection of Krug champagnes at La Toque, Aug. 6. Cost is $85 per person. Call (213) 858-7424 for details. . . . And the Fifth Annual “Seagram’s Taste of L.A.” food festival is scheduled for Aug. 11, 12, 18 and 19, from noon to 11 p.m., at the Santa Monica Civic Center. The event will feature the wares of approximately 50 L.A. area restaurants as well as Seagram’s cocktails, Taittinger champagne, and other beverages offered at $1 to $5 per portion. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, $4 for children, and a portion of the profits will be given to the Greater Los Angeles Partnership for the Homeless, the Ocean Park Community Center, and the St. Joseph Center.