Cicada to Move Into Rex’s Oviatt Space

Stephanie Taupin of Cicada in West Hollywood and partner Adelmo Zaris have just signed to take over Rex Il Ristorante’s spectacular space in the Oviatt Building.

Rex’s lease expires at the end of January, and Maureen Vincenti, who ran the classic Italian restaurant with her late husband, Mauro Vincenti, is already scouting for a new locale, probably on the Westside. The Art Deco furnishings will not tag along. “They’re too big,” Vincenti says. “I doubt if we’ll find that kind of space.”

Taupin plans to revamp the 14,000-square-foot space and to serve lunch and dinner at the new Cicada. “It will be classy,” she says. Designer Nick Valle, who painted Cicada, is already researching Italian Deco. The target date for opening is late March, “right around the Oscars.” The 5-year-old Cicada on Melrose Avenue will eventually close.

“I can’t do both. Wolfgang [Puck] is a genius, but I can only focus on one place. It will be a challenge and allow us to do larger events. I want it to be dressy, elegant, a place for special occasions. The drive downtown won’t be a problem because the space is incredible.” The chef is yet to be announced.

Hello, Goodbye: Wolfgang Puck’s ObaChine at 242 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, opens Nov. 6 with chef Naoki Uchiyama, formerly sous chef at Spago. . . . Monsoon blows into the Third Street Promenade on Nov. 11. Chef Ru Hamada will be in the kitchen of this Pan-Asian cafe owned by Japanese restaurateur Kozo Hasegawa (Cafe La Boheme in West Hollywood). Hamada and designer Margaret O’Brien are alumni of La Boheme. . . . Orleans on National Boulevard in West Los Angeles has lost its lease, effective January. Owner Mary Atkinson is shopping for a new location.

Coming Attractions: Restaurateur Pino Luongo of Coco Pazzo in New York will open Coco Pazzo Los Angeles in early December in the newly remodeled 245-suite Mondrian (New York hotel impresario Ian Schrager’s latest venture) at 8440 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. . . . Chef Jean-Louis Palladin, who was a culinary force since 1979 at his Washington, D.C., restaurant Jean-Louis at the Watergate, will bring the taste of California’s wine country to Las Vegas when he opens Napa Restaurant in the Rio Suite Hotel & Casino in February. The restaurant’s wine cellar is being put together by master sommelier Barrie Larvin, who was a big buyer at the recent Sotheby’s wine auction in Beverly Hills. Among his purchases for the Rio’s wine cellar were two Nebuchadnezzars (the equivalent of 20 normal wine bottles) of the 1985 and 1989 Cha^teau Mouton Rothschild, each selling for $33,350.

Motherly Fare: Whether you’re ailing or not, it couldn’t hurt to try a dinner of chicken soup in all its international variations, as offered by restaurant critic and author Mimi Sheraton. It takes place at Rockenwagner Restaurant, 2435 Main St., Santa Monica, on Thursday, starting with a reception at 7 p.m. Reservations necessary; (310) 399-6504. $55; $70 with wine.

Svelte Indian: The notion of low-fat Indian cuisine seems a contradiction. But eight years ago Neela Paniz stood tradition on its head by opening Bombay Cafe in Santa Monica, where ghee-rich gravies cannot be found.

Now Pradeep Kumar, chef-owner of the 2-month-old Pradeep’s at 1405 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica, (310) 393-1467, is taking a similar direction. Fliers advertising the restaurant describe the cooking as California-style low-fat Indian cuisine. No ghee, no butter, just a smidgen of oil. A native of New Delhi, Pradeep was formerly sous chef at the Century Plaza Hotel & Towers. Bring your own beer and wine; no corkage fee.

Wild Things and More: Fresh partridge, hare, pheasant, venison and grouse from Scotland grace Patina’s special wild game menu (through November), depending on availability. . . . Mourn the dearly departed by lifting a glass and fork at Border Grill in Santa Monica. Its “El Dia de Los Muertos” (Day of the Dead) menu begins today and will be served through Nov. 3. . . . Chanterelles, porcini, cepes, morels and portobello mushrooms get more than a little respect at Chaya Brasserie during the Autumn Wild Mushroom Fair, now through Nov. 24. . . . Every Wednesday night travel to a different region of Italy when Alto Palato offers a set three-course menu for $25 plus 40% off any bottle of wine with the meal. This Wednesday, it’s Sicily.

Motor Meals: Too tired to cook? Lift the phone and call the toll-free Delivery Foodline at (800) 774-FOOD to be connected to a network of more than 360 eateries that deliver within your area code. Choices range from Pizza Hut to Daily Grill and are organized by food categories. They’ll even fax menus, according to Foodline President AlecRubinstein. The service covers the Los Angeles area and San Fernando Valley and will soon be expanding into the San Gabriel Valley and Orange County.

On a Diet: Fatty’s Row House is changing its image, according to owner Brian Reed. It’s dropping the Fatty on the restaurant at 829 N. La Cienega Blvd., and going with Arbuckle’s American Cuisine. “Customers, new and old, thought the Fatty part of the name was a bad image. It gave the wrong idea about the food. Many [people] didn’t get the connection to the legendary silent film star [Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle].” But the name Fatty remains on the marquee.

Bay News: Jeremiah Tower opens Stars Singapore this week right across the street from Raffles. A lease for Stars Seattle in the Pacific Place has been signed and will open in early 1998. . . . Reed Hearon (Rose Pistola) split on friendly terms with his partner in LuLu and is now looking around the area for a new location.

* Send items to Restaurant Notes c/o Margaret Sheridan, Los Angeles Times Food Department, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA. 90053. Or fax to (213) 237-7355.