New Names, New Hopes

There’s a new motto for several restaurants trying to beat the recession: If at first you don’t succeed, try another name. In the past couple weeks, two restaurants have reopened with new names and new hopes . . . and greatly scaled-back ambitions.

Asylum, once considered L.A.’s most beautiful restaurant (it had drama, romance and maybe the biggest mirrors in Beverly Hills) is now Cafe Morpheus, an Art Nouveau-ish looking bar and grill (“It’s like Gaudi without the tiles,” said one black-clad customer). Several booths were taken out and replaced with counter-and-stool seating with a view of the now-open kitchen. The food is less cutting-edge than it was under Asylum’s opening chef Guy Leroy--now there are things like penne arrabbiata , tuna tartare, grilled chicken with fries.

MaBe was another restaurant known for its good looks. And like the old Asylum, it had a big-name chef, Claude Segal, when it first opened. Now called Barefoot (perhaps to imply a new casualness to the food), the restaurant has new curtains and a new menu. A few of the old MaBe dishes remain--vegetable ravioli, grilled ahi tuna. But while MaBe was trying to serve serious food, Barefoot is trying to serve likable, risk-free food. There’s even pizza on the menu.

* Cafe Morpheus, 182 N. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 657-8484. Dinner for two, food only, $20 to $55.

* Barefoot, 8722 West 3rd St., Los Angeles, (310) 276-6223. Dinner for two, food only, $16 to $50.