Jimmy’s to Return, Lighter and Brighter

A Resurrection: Jimmy’s, a Beverly Hills institution for 21 years, closed in September . . . but now it’s reopening. We asked owner Jimmy Murphy why. After all, he sounded pretty final when he and his wife, Anne, closed the place last year. He told us, “All the people I’ve talked to at all the places I’ve gone said, ‘We really didn’t appreciate Jimmy’s as much as we should have.’ ” He still had his lease for the space, and three children in the restaurant business. “I have two sons and a daughter who are very experienced and capable of carrying on the traditions we started 20 years ago,” Murphy said. “I felt it was a great opportunity to pass the baton.” And so he hands the management of Jimmy’s II to sons Sean and Jamie Murphy, who are leaving their current management spots at Spago Beverly Hills, and daughter Geraldine Murphy, who will leave her controller position at Granita in Malibu.

The old restaurant has been remodeled and renovated. The front has been opened up to create a garden setting, and the colors are lighter and brighter. Jimmy Murphy wants the ambience to be more relaxed than it was before, with a more casual dress code. The chefs for the new incarnation will be Neal Fraser and Chris Goossen, who left Rix a couple of weeks ago. Darcy Tizio, who was the pastry chef at Granita in Malibu for a short while, will also join the team. They’ll all be turning out new American cuisine. Look for Jimmy’s II to be open around October at the same old place, 201 Moreno Drive, with its same old capacity for large private parties. Says Jimmy Murphy: “I feel it’s going to be the second coming.”

Out of the Public Eye, Part II: Bernard’s at the Regal Biltmore Hotel is saying goodbye to public dining. Right now the classic Romanesque-style dining room is closed for some renovations that will bring it into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Construction should be finished some time this week. But don’t get your hopes up--you won’t be able to just waltz back in there for lunch. As of right now, Bernard’s will only open for private parties of 10 or more. With a party of five, you can book the chef’s table in the kitchen for $125 per person.

Why the change? Jim Dempsey, the Regal Biltmore’s food and beverage director, told us, “Fine-dining restaurants in hotels in downtown and in major markets don’t attract a lot of hotel guests.” He says guests have so many things to do and see in big cities, they just don’t hang around the hotel waiting to eat. Ultimately, the decision to close Bernard’s to the public was financially motivated. Says Dempsey: “It was a difficult decision . . . but we can do a lot better with it as a private dining room.” If you’d like to book a party there, you should know that the restaurant’s phone number has changed; Bernard’s no longer has its own direct line. Instead, dial the hotel’s main line at (213) 624-1011 to make reservations. The Biltmore is at 506 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.

Rix Rebounds: Gordon Naccarato, most recently from Le Colonial on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood, steps in as executive chef of Rix in Santa Monica. Naccarato had his own place in Aspen, Colo., in the ‘80s--Gordon’s--which he opened with Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner. Naccarato has worked in L.A. as the chef at Michael’s and Campanile when they first opened. He was also the chef for the entire run of the now-defunct Monkey Bar.

Since he just got to Rix, he isn’t sure exactly what he’ll do to change the menu yet, but he tells us, “I have lots of ideas. It’s going to evolve slowly for the next two weeks or so.” But for now, Naccarato says, “It’s fun to walk into a place that’s as exciting and lively as this.” Joining him in the kitchen is sous-chef Gabriel Morales, who comes from Woodside in Brentwood.

* Rix, 1413 5th St., Santa Monica; (310) 656-9688.

E-Menu: Bernard Jacoupy, owner of Lunaria (and, coincidentally, former director of Bernard’s at the Biltmore), is offering his techno-savvy customers a sweet deal for the month of August: Make reservations by e-mail and create your own three-course meal from the regular menu for only $25. You may choose an appetizer, an entree (which alone can run up to $26) and a dessert. Just e-mail your name, your phone number, the number of people in your party, and the date and time you wish to eat to lunaria@earthlink.net.

* Lunaria, 10351 Santa Monica Blvd., Century City; (310) 282-8870.

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Pettera’s e-mail address is pettera@cwix.com.