Restaurant News : It Will Soon Be on the Playhouse’s Bill

Playtime: Claude Beltran, the chef who used to work the stoves at DickensonWest (now Derek’s) in Pasadena, has plans to set up shop next door to the Pasadena Playhouse. His new restaurant will replace the old Playhouse Bar & Grill at 39 S. El Molino Ave. Instead of catering only to playgoers, Beltran aims to draw a crowd that comes just to eat, too. The new place will be called Cayo, which is a Spanish nickname for Claude. Beltran’s ingredient-driven cuisine will be similar in style to his cooking at DickensonWest. For fall, that means starters like his pickled turnip and goat cheese napoleon with tarragon sauce, or a consomme of chicken with leeks, black truffles and Madeira. Main courses will likely include a pan-roasted breast of chicken with garlic cauliflower puree and Zinfandel mustard sauce. He also plans to offer cheese plates, perhaps a Cabrales blue from Spain with almonds, sage honey and toasted oat crackers.

Merilee Atkinson, whose resume lists stints at Campanile and Les Deux Cafe, has signed on as Beltran’s pastry chef. Atkinson and Beltran got to know each other while they both worked at Checkers in the Wyndham hotel downtown under Thomas Keller. They have something else in common, too. They both worked in the aerospace industry before changing careers. Beltran, in fact, was an electrical engineer. Look for Cayo to open, for dinner only, sometime around the first week of October.

Pass the Salt: A new Salt Creek Grille has opened at Valencia Town Center next to the Imax Theater. The original Salt Creek Grille opened in Dana Point a few years ago. As you may guess by the use of the (albeit misspelled) word “grille” in the title, Salt Creek specializes in American-style steaks and seafood charred over a mesquite grill. The burgers are 10 ounces of ground chuck served with thin-cut fries. The Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired design features a lot of wood and geometric shapes, with a seating capacity of about 350 inside and out. Outside, smokers get some competition from the fireplace.

* Salt Creek Grille, at Valencia Town Center, 24415 Town Center Drive, Valencia; (661) 222-9999.

Impressionistic Food: In Santa Monica, a new hotel is just about to open on the beach at 1740 Ocean Ave. Called Le Merigot, it boasts 175 rooms and a spa and health club, along with a restaurant and a cafe. The restaurant, called Cezanne, is scheduled to open in mid-October. The French Impressionist’s sense of color is reflected in the restaurant’s hues. Carpets are royal blue and gold; chairs are upholstered in rust-colored leather; and tall banquettes are striped with pink and cream. The chef is Chris Blobaum, who last ran the kitchen at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach. The menu will be French with Asian touches. Some of the dishes he envisions include Thai barbecued rack of lamb, roasted Petaluma squab with rosemary, and Tamari-seared sea bass with wild mushroom dumplings and lemon sake sauce. A six-course tasting menu will be available nightly. Joining Blobaum is Chasen’s former pastry chef Armond Shavaladian. The hotel--and restaurant--phone number is (310) 395-9700.

Munchies, Thai-Style: Talesai at 9043 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood has added a Thai martini and satay bar to its offerings. Now you can sip a Bangkok Cosmopolitan while nibbling ostrich satay or “Hidden Treasures”--shrimp, crab and squid cooked in a chili-coconut sauce. Talesai is open for lunch Monday through Friday and for dinner nightly.

* Talesai, 9043 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; (310) 275-9724.

Ongoing Events: Boomerock restaurant at 61 N. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena, the place where you sear your dinner on a really hot rock, hosts magic shows on the second Sunday of every month. Since Boomerock has an Australian theme, the magic show features a baby kangaroo. This event is kid-friendly and interactive. Shows are held at 5 p.m. The next one is scheduled for this Sunday. Call (626) 440-0088 for reservations. . . . Typhoon restaurant at 3221 Donald Douglas Loop South (at the Santa Monica Airport) has booked After Burner, an 18-piece jazz ensemble, to play on the last Monday of every month. The next performance is scheduled for Sept. 27. If you can’t wait that long, pick a Monday night to pop in and catch the six-piece version of this band, called Wake Turbulence. Call (310) 390-6565 for reservations.

Pettera’s e-mail address is pettera@prodigy.net.