Historic Chapel Will Be Bucolic Dining Site

Soon to Be a Bungalow: Susan Fine Moore, owner of the Hollywood Hills Coffee Shop on Franklin Avenue, is flexing her restaurateur muscles. She’s taken over the Country Chapel and Gardens of Hollywood at 1750 N. Argyle Ave. “What a perfect place to build a public restaurant,” she says, “so that everybody could know what it’s like to have a beautiful backyard in L.A.” Because the church is a historic building, it cannot be altered to include patio dining, so Moore will construct a free-standing restaurant on the front corner of the property. She plans to call it the Bungalow and infuse it with old Hollywood atmosphere. The church will be turned into a live performance space. Until the restaurant is ready (sometime this year) the property can be rented for weddings. Just call Moore at the coffee shop; you can find her there on Saturdays, (323) 467-7678.

New Hands: La Masia, the Spanish restaurant that brought tapas and salsa music to Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, has been sold. Josie Prado, who opened the place 27 years ago, says, “I’ve just decided that it’s time for me to go. I’ve been working all my life; I’m not a kid anymore.” She closed on Sunday and handed over the reins to Art and Alan Davis (they own the Gate nightclub on La Cienega), who took possession Monday. Says Alan Davis: “We think it’s a great place--we love it. We plan on keeping it and maybe just updating it a little bit.” For now it will remain La Masia. In the future it will be tweaked to appeal to a younger audience and renamed the Latin Quarter.

Want a Joke With That Tuna Roll?: Barbara Lazaroff, Wolfgang Puck’s wife and partner, has instituted comedy nights at ObaChine in Beverly Hills. Every Monday and Tuesday evening from 8 to 10 or so, comedians known and unknown work the room downstairs in the sushi/satay bar. Michael Colyar (the Conscious Comic) hosts the show, and Charles Fleischer (the voice of Roger Rabbit) wraps it up. On Thursday nights, the Pat Senatore Trio plays jazz from 6:30-10:30. There is no cover or drink minimum on any night, but the entertainment can only be seen from downstairs. As for the upstairs dining room, Puck has added kitschy Chinese favorites to the menu so your Aunt Hattie need not fret over the wasabi.

* ObaChine, 242 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 274-4440.

Get That Sinking Feeling All Over Again: As you probably know by now, the Ahmanson Theatre is running “Titanic: A New Musical” until Feb. 28. If you just can’t get enough ship life, though, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant downtown will be serving a replication (well, more like an interpretation) of a dinner menu from the Titanic’s Ritz Restaurant for the run of the musical. The dinner is served at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, which gives you enough time to make it to the show. The $39.95 price tag includes a five-course meal and a glass of wine. After dinner a shuttle will drop you at the Music Center and bring you back to the restaurant after the curtain. Reservations are required 24 hours in advance.

* McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant, 633 W. 5th St., L.A.; (213) 629-1929.

The Winemakers Are Coming!: Campanile is hosting a winemaker dinner on Wednesday at 7 p.m., featuring the Mount Veeder Appellation (a sub-appellation of the Napa Valley that includes 12 wineries). Mark Peel has dreamed up a Midwinter Feast to be served with rare selections from each of the wineries. The winemakers themselves will be on hand to discuss their vintages. The meal consists of five courses--lobster succotash salad, pea and parsley risotto, sauteed halibut with horseradish mashed potatoes, a grilled veal chop and a chocolate terrine--and costs $95 per person, which includes the wine and coffee or tea with dessert.

* Campanile, 624 S. La Brea Ave., L.A.; (323) 938-1447.

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