Tengu Aims to Cause a Bit of Mischief

Tengu Very Much: Tengu, a new sushi restaurant that also wants to be a hip lounge, has just moved into Westwood. The owners, both South African, are two Garden of Eden alumni (Alan Nathan was its director of promotions, and Anton Posniak tended bar there). Posniak studied in Japan, hence the sushi. The name Tengu comes from two Japanese characters that loosely translate as “god of mischief.” Says Nathan, “We’ve basically fused a beautiful lounge with a restaurant.” Setting it near a university and employing a DJ to spin mellow, unusual music on weekend nights are steps designed to draw a young crowd. The cool contingent might also be attracted by the raised lounge overlooking the dining room and the sake and cocktail bar, which is entered through what seems like a tunnel of bamboo. Sushi chef Masaru Mizokami slices up tuna, yellowtail, albacore, halibut, salmon and scallops for sushi and sashimi and serves an omakase (chef’s choice) menu for one or two people. The hot-kitchen chef, Kenny Matsumoto, makes tempura, teriyaki and a green tea pasta tossed with shrimp, Parmesan and white wine sauce. Tengu is open for lunch weekdays, dinner nightly.

* Tengu, 10853 Lindbrook Drive, Westwood; (310) 209-0071.

Another Linq in the Chain: Mario Oliver, a Parisian with a knack for turning around dying nightclubs (like the Gate) and restaurants (e.g., Le Petit Four), has opened his own restaurant in the Limbo location on 3rd Street. Says Oliver with no irony, “I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.” The name Linq refers to the links in the chain of a successful restaurant, he said: food, service, decor, ambience, location and parking. The name Link was already taken; hence the Q. With location and parking wrapped up, Oliver hired Dodd Mitchell (who did Sushi Roku and Voda) to design the place. Inside, there are two fireplaces, a fountain and a smoking lounge. Outside, the mascot will be a life-size steel statue of a man holding a flashlight on the nameplate over the awning (another link?). Oliver has snagged Andre Guerrero to handle the kitchen fires. You may not be familiar with Guerrero’s name because, as the chef told us, “I’ve really kept a low profile the last five years.” Between consulting for others and working in the Philippines (where he was born), he’s been out of the public eye, but before he went underground, Guerrero was the chef at Duet and Barefoot. At Linq, he’ll look to his birthplace for culinary inspiration. For instance, he’s making a flan from a purple ube yam found only in the Philippines. Linq will be open by the first week in January.

Linq, 8338 W. 3rd St., L.A.; (323) 655-4555.

Keeping the Kitchen Fires Burning: Just opened in the former Signature Grill location in Sherman Oaks is a place called Spazio. (The owners say “spazio” means majestic in Italian, though our dictionary says it’s just the word for space; maybe we could stretch and say it means spacious.) The space still has a flaming fountain on the patio, but there’s a new look inside. One wall has a mural depicting the blending of three cultures (Californian, Italian and French), and the color scheme incorporates cherrywood and burgundy fabric. Though the ownership has changed, the chef hasn’t. Eli Tordjman still runs the kitchen, though now he’s turning out California cuisine blended with, natch, some French and Italian. For lunch, you can have warm appetizers ranging from fried calamari to vegetable spring rolls to Dungeness crab cakes. Lunch entrees are also all over the map, with pastas, pizzas, crepes, quiches, fish and steak. The dinner menu has slow-baked beets, escargots, more pastas, pizzas, stone-pressed chicken, steaks, jasmine tea-smoked squab and sauteed foie gras. Spazio is open for lunch and dinner daily.

* Spazio, 14755 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; (818) 728-8400.

The Sequels: Il Fornaio has acquired its 15th location, this one in Manhattan Beach. The Italian restaurant and bakery, open for lunch and dinner daily, has an open kitchen, outdoor dining and two fireplaces, 1800 Rosecrans Ave., Manhattan Beach; (310) 725-9555. . . . Another Yard House has opened in Costa Mesa in Triangle Square. The second-story space spanning 10,000 square feet isn’t quite as big as the original Long Beach restaurant, but it can still hold lots and lots of beer, as well as a full bar and a range of martinis. The Yard House, open for dinner every night, 1875 Newport Blvd., No. A219, Costa Mesa; (949) 642-0090.

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