From Name to Menu, Mako Likes Change

Sozo Opens as Mako: Makoto Tanaka has finally opened his own restaurant. Tanaka wore the toque at Chinois on Main in Santa Monica for seven years, and before that he worked at Spago Hollywood. He left Chinois last summer to open this place, which he planned to call Sozo (“creative” in Japanese), but everyone kept pronouncing it “so-so.” So he changed the name to his nickname, Mako. It opened four weeks ago on Beverly Drive across from Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. In the general manager’s position is Tanaka’s wife, Lisa Brady, who was the maitre d’ at Chinois for 15 years. Tanaka describes the menu as Asian-Mediterranean. “I’m trying to do something different,” he said. Different, as in the “two-way” duck (confit and crispy breast) with Chinese broccoli, or the whole lobster with mushroom, Thai basil and pasta. Right now, the restaurant is open every night but Monday for dinner. Starting next week, it will be open every night except Sunday. Lunch is in the works for weekdays.

* Mako, 225 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 288-8338.

More Beverly Hills Action: Bistro Italia has moved into Papashon’s old space on Wilshire Boulevard. Owners Vito Sasso and Joseph Calderone started in the restaurant game back in the late ‘60s with the Two Guys From Italy chain. Vito went on to operate Romeo and Juliet restaurant in Beverly Hills. At Bistro Italia, which opened about two weeks ago, the duo decided to put in a martini bar and a wood-burning oven (they are hip to the times). On the menu: puttanesca pizza with black olives, capers and artichokes; arugula, endive and radicchio salad; filet mignon; and, at lunch, focaccia sandwiches. Bistro Italia is open for lunch and dinner daily.

* Bistro Italia, 8635 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 659-6740.

Back to Belgium: A new Belgian-style restaurant has opened in Palm Springs. Your first clue that the owners hail from that tiny European country is the name of the place: Pomme Frite. Besides chocolates and lace, Belgium is famous for its “French” fries, usually sold from street-corner stands and served with a variety of mayonnaise-based dipping sauces. Pomme Frite (the restaurant) has other Belgian bistro items on the menu, like mussels in white wine broth, beef simmered in Belgian beer and Belgian chocolate mousse for dessert. Those famous fries come with almost every dish on the menu except the fish and the pastas (unless you insist). Chef Nicolas Klontz most recently hails from Muriel’s Supper Club in Palm Springs. He also worked at the former Pritikin center in Santa Monica. His partner is longtime friend Jean-Claude Constant. The pair owned two restaurants together in Belgium in the ‘80s; this is their first joint venture in America. Said Constant, “We worked for other people, now we want to work for ourselves.” Pomme Frite is open every night for dinner.

* Pomme Frite, 256 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; (760) 778-3727.

Lago Adventure: Locanda del Lago is seeing a lot of action this week and next. The owner of the Santa Monica Italian place convinced Luca Leoni, owner of Hotel du Lac in Bellagio (which is on Lake Como in northern Italy), to come to Los Angeles with his chef, sous chef and bar man. Then he convinced them all to work. So tonight, Sunday and Monday, chef Mauro Botta will be serving special prix-fixe menus paired with wines. If you order those, you can sit at the chef’s table at 7:30 p.m. with the chef (natch), Leoni and Lago’s owner, West Hooker. Tonight and Sunday, the four-course menus are in the Lake Como and Lombardy styles, respectively. On Monday, there are five courses featuring black or white truffles. The prices range from $30 to $160. On Valentine’s Day, there’s a four-course dinner for $39; paired with wines, $59.

* Locanda del Lago, on the Third Street Promenade, 231 Arizona Ave., Santa Monica; (310) 451-3525.

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For more Valentine’s Day menus, visit https://www.CalendarLive.com. Angela Pettera can be reached at (213) 237-3153 or at pettera@prodigy.net.