Madison Will Be Serving Steak ‘n’ History

A Roaring Steakhouse: The people who brought you L’Opera, that Long Beach Italian restaurant featuring opera singers on weekends, and Alegria, the Latin eatery next door, have embarked on a new enterprise. The Madison, as it will be called, aims to re-create the menu and decor of a 1920s-era steakhouse inside the historic building at 110 Pine Ave., Long Beach (it used to be Security Bank). The owners have installed burgundy leather booths, high-backed maroon leather and fabric chairs, crystal chandeliers and a mahogany bar.

Chef Stefano Colaiacomo, who runs L’Opera’s stoves, is creating the Madison menu and will train the chefs. He describes the menu as classic supper-club style, inspired by what first ladies have favored in the White House. “On top of that,” Colaiacomo says, “we added some new California cuisine so there would be a variety for the guests. Otherwise they would be stuck with an old steakhouse.”

For appetizers he’s serving calamari with black olives and capers, steak tartare (ground to order) garnished with fresh quail eggs and soft-shell crabs lightly fried in tempura batter accompanied by an orange brandy sauce. Main courses include beef Wellington, pork shank in apple sauce, a cowboy steak, venison and four or five fish dishes that are cooked in the kitchen but deboned at your table. For entertainment, the Madison has booked lounge crooners, and jazz and swing bands. A small dance floor will help you work off dinner. The target opening date is around April 10.

*

Chef Switch: Alto Palato has a new chef, Roman-born Paolo Monti. Owner Danilo Terribili has had Monti scheduled to come aboard at his West Hollywood place for at least six months, ever since he revealed plans to open Spark Woodfire Cooking in Studio City. Alto Palato chef Luca Sterpetti will move over to Spark when it opens (plans are for the end of April). His replacement brings with him recipes from his grandmother in Italy. He’ll also continue Alto Palato’s tradition of Wednesday night dinners featuring regional Italian dishes. The three-course regional meals are only $25 per person, and if you order any wine by the bottle with your dinner, it’s 40% off the regular price.

* Alto Palato, 755 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood; (310) 657-9271.

*

Serge Sails Away: Serge Falesitch is no longer deploying his whisk around the kitchen of L’Ermitage, the beacoup-bucks restaurant inside the newly renovated L’Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills. “We had some budget issues with the owners of the hotel,” Falesitch says. But don’t expect to see him land instantly at another restaurant; Falesitch would rather freelance for a while. To be more specific, he tells us, “I’m trying to get on yachts.”

T.K. Retiles T.B’s: Tom Bergin’s Tavern, the old Irish pub and restaurant on Fairfax Avenue, has reopened its dining room after a seven-week remodel. One unusual addition: Owner T.K. Vodrey contributed some Irish tiles to the new bathrooms. He’d been hanging onto them for 20 years, so perhaps they were destined for just this use. Lunch is served every day except Sunday, dinner is served nightly.

* Tom Bergin’s Tavern, 840 Fairfax Ave., L.A.; (323) 936-7151.

*

News Lite: Jamba Juice, the San Francisco-based company that owns juice bars in many western states, has acquired the very similar Utah-based Zuka Juice chain with 96 locations. So we just had to ask Kirk Perron, CEO and founder of Jamba Juice, whether he’ll be calling some of his new locations BaZuka Juices. He thought not. “It feels a little predatory,” Perron said. You read it here.

*

The Vineyard Comes to Venice: Roland Gibert, chef of 72 Market Street in Venice, has a couple of pals in the kitchen with him this week. Chefs Jackson and Mary Kenworth of the Sweet Life Cafe in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., have dropped in for the week. Jackson Kenworth worked with Gibert here in L.A. at Bernard’s in the Biltmore Hotel. After that, he helped Michel Richard open Citrus on Melrose Avenue. You can have a dinner menu prepared by the Kenworths every night from now until Sunday. Some of the dishes they’re cooking include a salad of fire-roasted dates, spicy sausage and pepper cress; an appetizer of pan-roasted bay scallops (from Martha’s Vineyard) with wilted arugala, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar; an entree of braised short ribs with vegetables and mustard cream; and a pear clafouti for dessert.

* 72 Market Street Oyster Bar & Grill, 72 Market Street, Venice; (310) 392-8720.

*

Send tips and comments to pettera@cwix.com.