Tatou May Take a Trip to Century City

“In the restaurant business in Los Angeles the crowd comes, they stay for six months and move on to the next life,” Tatou founder Mark Fleischman says. “Luckily I caught it in time and am starting to expand the entertainment (side of the business).”

But that’s not all he has in store for the 18-month-old Beverly Hills restaurant/nightclub. Guess? Inc. co-founder Georges Marciano recently bought the Beverly Drive building, and now Fleischman is planning to relocate Tatou. “I do have a lease,” he says, “but I have been looking at larger spaces. We’re talking about moving in nine months to a year, to Tripp’s in Century City. The shows at Tatou are on the expensive side to produce, and I could use more seats.”

Because he schedules two shows nightly, one of the biggest problems Fleischman faces is getting the food out quickly. To speed things up, he’s hired Juan Mercado, who had been chef at Columbia Bar and Grill in Hollywood until its recent closure. “They had the same sort of Hollywood-y clientele that we have and I loved the food there,” Fleischman says. “And he gets it out fast.”

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PASTA DAYS: When Pavarotti came to Los Angeles last week for the super-spectacle “Encore! The Three Tenors” at Dodger Stadium, he didn’t dine at Rex Il Ristorante or Valentino or Drago, or even Louise’s. The tenor superstar stayed with friends and did his own cooking. “He’s afraid to eat out right now,” says Tony May, who owns the elegant New York Italianrestaurant San Domenico where the hefty opera star frequently dines. “He’s been on a diet and doesn’t want to overeat. Plus he’s a good cook and is very particular.”

According to May, who was in L.A. for the concert and World Cup finals, Pavarotti loves simple food such as spaghetti with basil and tomato, soft cheeses and good risotto, “but it must be made with olive oil, not butter.” The big guy eats regular-sized portions, too. “Maybe 100 grams (about four ounces) of pasta,” May says. “But once it’s cooked it becomes a substantial amount.”

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LES ARTS OF THE DEAL: Ever since he closed Fleur de Vin a year ago, owner Patrick Gruest has been trying to reopen the Pasadena space. First, a huge banner in the window announced a new name--Les Arts--and the imminent return of former Fleur de Vin chef Ron Baker. “I did have meetings with Patrick and we talked about employment,” confirms Baker. “But I was just playing along to try to get some back wages Patrick owed me. I ended up asking him to take my name off the window.”

Gruest tells another story: “After the riots, business got so bad I asked all my employees to take a pay cut. That’s the money Ron says I owe him.”

Months later, Jean-Francois Meteigner, former chef at Cicada and, before that, L’Orangerie, informed Calendar that he’d been hired as chef. He lasted a month. “I wrote the menu, but fortunately I never gave him my recipes,” Meteigner says. “Everybody knows how Patrick is.”

“I admit I had a lot of problems with Fleur de Vin in the past,” Gruest says. “I was not in the restaurant business before and I made some mistakes.”

Gruest is intent on putting all that behind him. Within the next month, he plans to open Les Arts, a contemporary French restaurant with entrees in the $14 to $25 range. And, in the back, Cafe des Arts will feature French bistro dishes under $12.

“Too many Los Angeles restaurants offer very low-priced entrees and overprice everything else,” Gruest says. “We will not do that. You won’t have to pay $5 for a cup of espresso here.”

Meanwhile, Meteigner plans to open his own place, where he will cook-- surprise, surprise-- French fare. Sources say he has leased the former Champagne Bis space on Little Santa Monica Boulevard, but Meteigner won’t confirm. However, according to Alcohol Beverage Control, the liquor license has been posted by California Frog Cafe, Inc. Hmmmmm.