Boxer Owner Yawns, Opens 2 New Eateries

Boxer No More: As of Saturday, Steven Arroyo has closed Boxer, an adventurous bistro that mixed California, French, Italian and Asian influences better than most.

“After six years, you almost get bored by your own project,” he tells us. So by mid-July Arroyo will open a Spanish restaurant named Cobras & Matadors at the same location (7615 W. Beverly Blvd., L.A.), featuring grilled meats cooked in the wood-burning oven he had built for Boxer. “I’ve never had a chef utilize it,” he says. He’ll also serve dishes from the regular oven and small plates of food (which you’d better not call tapas--Arroyo hates the word).

Whatever the word “Matadors” refers to in the restaurant name, there will be a long dish called the Cobra that holds many small (NB: non-tapas!) bites of food. Prices will stay under $15 per dish. And even though he still owns the wine shop next door, Arroyo has gotten a beer and wine license so you won’t have to BYOB anymore. The phone number will remain the same: (323) 932-6178.

Four blocks away, at 302 N. Martel Ave. (we told you--he’s really bored), Arroyo will also open an upscale taqueria named Boyle Heights in October. Yes, he’s aware that it’s in located Los Angeles and not in Boyle Heights, but never mind. He says it’ll be stylish and interesting but casual and inexpensive, with dishes under $12.

A Dragon on the Water: Pacific Palisades now has a restaurant with a liquor license, brought to you by the guys who own Voda vodka bar, Mike Garrett and Tommy Stoilkovich. Pearl Dragon has something else new to the Palisades: a sushi bar. Caterer Dave Johnson of Sushi By Dave handles both sushi and the hot pan-Asian dishes. Since he’s been consulting on Voda’s menu lately, he knows Garrett and Stoilkovich well. Johnson also used to work at Bambu in Malibu, so he’s no stranger to the water. Here at Pearl Dragon he offers unagi ($7), sea urchin ($7) and monkfish liver ($5), along with sumo ($10), dragon ($9) and spider ($12) rolls. The small plates have both raw (like yellowtail sashimi, $14) and cooked items (vegetable spring rolls, $6). The few large plates run the gamut from Chilean sea bass ($21) to tangerine beef ($14) to chicken teriyaki ($14). Pearl Dragon is open nightly for dinner. Look for lunch service in a few weeks.* Pearl Dragon, 15229 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades; (310) 459-9790.

De Lorimier Dinner: Derek Dickenson will be pouring wines from de Lorimier in the Alexander Valley on Tuesday. The canapes come out at 6:30 p.m., followed by curried crab cakes, then by stuffed saddle of rabbit on white-bean and bacon ragout. Next comes a roasted squab with a caramelized-apple and onion tart. The main course is beef tenderloin in a Bordelaise sauce. Dessert is poached stone fruit with ice cream. The price is $75 plus tax and tip.* Derek’s, 181 E. Glenarm, Pasadena; (626) 799-5252.

Tag Team: The new St. Regis hotel (which used to be the Century Plaza Tower) in Century City has brought James Boyce out to California to cook for a couple of nights. Boyce is chef de cuisine of Mary Elaine’s restaurant in the Phoenician Hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz. He’ll be elbowing his way around Encore’s kitchen with chef Bruno Davaillon. The guys will be cooking a five-course dinner next Thursday and Friday nights for $85 plus tax and tip. To have maitre d’ and manager Bernard Erpicum match wines with each course, it’s $35 more. * Encore, in the St. Regis Los Angeles, 2055 Avenue of the Stars, Century City; (310) 407-8242.

Doing for Dad: Some dads are happy with breakfast in bed on Father’s Day, but here are a couple of options for those who’d like to be trucked out to brunch or dinner June 17.

Chef Bill Bracken sends out appetizer stands for brunch at the Belvedere, with macaroni and cheese with truffles, garlic roasted prawns and spring beet salad.

Entrees include shrimp and potato hash with poached eggs, medallions of beef with chive potatoes and smoked duck and wild mushroom pasta. The desserts are set out on a buffet. NB: The Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne will be flowing freely. Brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for $68.* The Belvedere at the Peninsula Beverly Hills, 9882 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 788-2306.

Cha Cha Cha Encino sets out a California-Caribbean brunch buffet for Dad from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and serves the regular menu after 4 p.m. Brunch features dishes like curried beef salad, swordfish skewers, shrimp salad and roast lamb. It costs $24 for adults and $12 for children 8 and under. Dinner is a la carte with more California-Caribbean dishes. A magician will perform tableside magic from 6:30 to 9 p.m.* Cha Cha Cha Encino, 17499 Ventura Blvd., Encino; (818) 789-3600.

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Angela Pettera can be reached at (213) 237-3153 or at pettera@prodigy.net