Windsor: It’s a Restaurant in Waiting

The Royal Family might be having troubles, but at least one of the Windsors is considering a comeback. That would be local royalty, the legendary restaurant that opened in 1949, the one that was the last place in town whose maitre d’ wore white gloves and a tuxedo.

The Windsor, located just east of the old Ambassador Hotel, quietly closed in 1991 after new owners defaulted on the loan. But original owner Ben Dimsdale, who retained ownership of the building when he sold the business, has made application to get his liquor license back. Meanwhile, he’s considering his options.

“I am waiting to find out what will happen to the Ambassador property,” Dimsdale says of the once-swank Mid-Wilshire hotel that closed several years ago. In the meantime, the restaurant has not been idle; it has embarked on a new career as a film location. The Windsor’s most recent roles were in an episode of “Murder, She Wrote” and “Matlock.”

YES, NO RESTAURANT: David Slay, on the other hand, definitely knows what he wants. And that is to not open another restaurant. So the chef/owner of La Veranda has been consulting at Gotham Hall, a 10,000-square-foot restaurant/pool hall/bar due to open this month in the restored Oddfellows Building on Santa Monica’s Promenade. The menu will be a scaled-down version of La Veranda, with pizzas, sandwiches, salads and appetizers in the $10-$12 range.

Gotham owners Albert and Renee Mizrahi originally approached Slay about a partnership. “But I wasn’t looking to spread my wings,” Slay says. “I am happy with the way things are going at La Veranda and I don’t want to do anything to screw it up.”

ST. BIKINI?: “People are throwing their arms up in the air and saying ‘You used to do it really well,’ ” says Bikini’s John Sedlar. What he’s talking about is Southwest cooking, which he originally served at St. Estephe.

“It’s still my food,” Sedlar says, “and part of what I eat.” Sedlar opened St. Estephe with partner Steve Garcia 11 years ago. Two years ago Sedlar and Garcia dissolved their partnership, and Garcia subsequently filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on the restaurant.

Now Sedlar is adding many of the St. Estephe dishes to the Bikini menu. With one important difference. “I have been known for serving the smallest portions in the world,” Sedlar says. “Now I am going more with the Bikini sensibility. We will not be serving St. Estephe portions.”