Steakhouse Hopes to Rope ‘Em In

In the Year 2000: Wondering what life will be like in the year 2000? Apparently it will be bustling in downtown L.A. With the new Staples Center sports arena opening late this year, and the adjacent planned retail and entertainment complex along Figueroa Street, people should be thronging to the neighborhood. Adelmo Zarif will already be there to capitalize on the traffic. Zarif co-owns Cicada, also downtown, with Stephanie Taupin. He had been thinking about opening a steakhouse near the Staples Center for more than a year when Joachim Splichal announced his plans to open a steakhouse in the Wells Fargo Center in the fall. After the Hertz Investment Group bought the 73-year-old Standard Oil building at the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Hope Street, Zarif convinced them that putting a Tuscan steakhouse in the building’s lobby would be just the thing to keep sports fans and tourists alike happy. With Taupin as his consultant, Zarif decided on an open kitchen, a large bar and a rotisserie. “We’re going to play with the herbs and everything,” says Zarif, meaning he’ll be rubbing rosemary and other herbs into the fish, seafood and Black Angus beef. Zarif hopes to have the huge space, with lots of windows and ambient light, open for dinner by mid-November. So come January, things should be hopping downtown.

Calabasas Makes Three: A third Mi Piace (which means “I like it” in Italian) has just opened in the Commons at Calabasas. You may know the Italian trattoria from its Pasadena or Burbank locations. The newest addition features timber plank flooring and ceiling beams, muted colors, a partially open kitchen and a wood-burning pizza oven. Handling that oven is chef Stephen Gialleonardo. Mi Piace is open for lunch and dinner daily.

* Mi Piace, 4799-A Commons Way, Calabasas; (818) 591-8822.

Tasty Tidbits: Tahiti, that exotic-looking world cuisine restaurant at 7910 W. 3rd St., L.A., will be opening a tiki lounge soon in the space next to the patio. Those who’ve experienced the Pacific island interior of this restaurant won’t be surprised to see the sunken lounge area graced with leopard prints, the line of palm trees down the room, or the faux lava rock tiki god fireplace spitting flames from its mouth. The bar near the back of the room will be serving up tropical fruit mai tais and icy coladas topped with paper umbrellas. Those who want to will be able to dine at the banquettes late into the night. There will also be a private room for parties. Owner Tony Di Lembo hopes to have his new tiki lounge open by late July. . . . The Santa Monica Cal-Asian restaurant Zenzero has closed its doors. Management is saying the plan is to remodel but that the job would take at least six months. We’ll keep our eyes open. . . . Grady Atkins is no longer the chef at Perroche (1129 Ventura Blvd., Studio City). That means owner Stuart Barker has found his way into the kitchen and is turning out the same style of English country food with French and Californian accents that Perroche has been known for.

Great Ladies in the Kitchen: Maybe your favorite honorary aunt isn’t in town to cook for you, but luckily some of Celestino Drago’s are. Several female cooks Drago admires will be in his kitchen at L’Arancino Monday and Tuesday following their own Sicilian recipes. Virginia Buscemi Carlson, Jemma Finazzo, Concetta Pellegrino and Rosa Licari will be creating a tasting menu of dishes such as baby octopus salad, swordfish with Salina capers, Palermo-style baked pasta, baked fresh sardines stuffed with bread crumbs and raisins, and for dessert, cannoli, cassata and granita. The price is $45 per person for the family-style meal, not including beverage, tax or tip.

* L’Arancino Cucina Siciliana, 8908 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood; (310) 858-5777.

Last Caviar of the Millennium: Pinot Bistro is throwing a six-course dinner Tuesday featuring a variety of just-released 1999 caviars paired with Champagne, and vodkas from Sweden, Finland and Poland. Nibble your way through a terrine of smoked salmon with salmon roe and horseradish cream, scallops and sea urchin with sevruga caviar, Santa Barbara prawns with fingerling potatoes and osetra caviar and Maine lobster with calamari, fava beans and beluga caviar. Dessert is a caviar-and-vodka-free warm peach tart with macadamia-nut frangipane and honey ice cream. Dinner begins at 7 p.m. The price is $99 per person, not including tax or tip.

* Pinot Bistro, 12969 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; (818) 990-0500.

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