Touch of Chasen’s at New Los Feliz

The Ghost of Chasen’s Past: If you’ve been mourning for that lead crystal wall that separated the main dining room from the patio at the old (now-closed) Chasen’s, take heart. It’s found a new home. And so have some of those leather booths that held famous fannies. They were snapped up at Chasen’s auction by Rick Clemente, the new owner of the onetime Los Feliz Inn, which later became Pierre’s Los Feliz Inn and most recently Primavera. Clemente is turning the place into a restaurant and jazz club called Los Feliz. In addition to installing his crystal wall and refurbished booths, he’s remodeled the whole space. Says Clemente, “With the exception of the bar itself . . . there is literally not a surface in the public area of the restaurant that is the same.” The new color scheme runs to earth greens and browns. The lead crystal wall now stands between the main dining room and the jazz room (called the Jazz Spot), which will have live musical entertainment and its own tapas menu. Jim Britt, the co-founder of the Jazz Bakery, will run the jazz operation. (Its walls, by the way, have been soundproofed to appease the neighbors.) The chef of both the Los Feliz and Jazz Spot dining rooms is Collin Crannell, former sous-chef at Asia du Cuba in the Mondrian Hotel on Sunset. Before that he worked for Joachim Splichal for three years as sous-chef at Patina and Pinot Blanc, and as chef du cuisine of the Patina catering department. At Los Feliz, he says, “I’m going to focus on the Mediterranean area. . . . I like that whole region.” Also on board is Bill Priestley, whom you may remember as a partner in Cienega until February of this year. “I’m the front guy,” Priestley tells us. He’s running the wine program for both rooms and keeping an eye on the quality of the food coming out of the kitchen. Los Feliz will be open in early January for dinner only, every night but Monday.

* Los Feliz, 2138 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz; (323) 666-8666.

Box to Bou: Chef Philip DuBose has inched further up the alphabetical list of restaurants with his recent job switch from the kitchen of Boxer to Bouchon. Bouchon general manager Sylvie Laly lured him over. This marks the third chef for the Lyonnaise-style bistro since it opened about a year ago on Melrose Avenue. Change, however, seems second nature to Bouchon’s owners, because the interior of the restaurant is changing too. In fact, it’s closed right now while it undergoes an expansion. When it reopens, it will occupy the whole ground floor of its building, meaning the interior space will double, taking the seating up to about 150. The kitchen will also expand, which pleases DuBose. “It will make it a little easier for all of us,” he says. Bouchon will be open by New Year’s Eve, just in time to serve a six-course meal with main course choices of prime rib with bearnaise sauce, lobster tail or winter-vegetable pot pie with garlic cream. The tab for the second seating at 10 p.m. is $100, including a glass of champagne and D.J. entertainment but not tax or tip.

* Bouchon, 7661 Melrose Ave., L.A.; (323) 852-9400.

Millennium Meals: Here are some more New Year’s Eve dinners to pique your interest. Fred Eric will be laying down some kind of grass (probably the real stuff) on the floor of his restaurant Vida to set a picnic mood for the night. Although you don’t have to sit on the floor, you will have a picnic basket and gourmet food (as yet to be determined). There will also be live celestial music to calm your Y2K angst. The second seating, which begins at 8 p.m., is $149.99 plus tax and tip. Vida, 1930 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz; (323) 660-4446.

If you want dinner and a show on New Year’s, consider going to Westwood for the Geffen Playhouse production of “Ain’t Nothin’ but the Blues.” Special packages include tickets to the show and dinner at Palomino Euro Bistro (before the show) or Tanino Ristorante and Bar (after the show), both in Westwood within walking distance of the theater.

Palomino (10877 Wilshire Blvd.) will seat you at 6 p.m. and stuff you with four courses, which include entrees such as paella, prime rib, honey-peppercorn salmon and garlic prawns. Since you won’t be able to get all that and dessert down by curtain time, you come back after the play for dessert and champagne in the lounge.

Tanino (1043 Westwood Blvd.) will seat you after the show, around 10:30 p.m., and ply you with a five-course meal, live jazz and a champagne toast at midnight. Main courses include your choice of John Dory in a sweet-and-sour orange sauce or a veal medallion in wine sauce with a cheese souffle.

The price for tickets and dinner ranges between $135 and $175 a head, depending on which seats you choose and which restaurant you attend. (Normally ticket prices alone run $40 to $75.) Call the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood, for reservations at (310) 208-5454.

Angela Pettera can be reached by voicemail at (213) 237-3153 or by e-mail at pettera@prodigy.net.