Hollywood & Highland’s Debut Promises to Be a Tasteful Affair

Oscar’s New Digs: The Hollywood & Highland complex under construction on eight acres along Hollywood Boulevard next to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is coming along nicely. The group of buildings and courtyards will include the Kodak Theatre, soon to be the permanent home of the Academy Awards ceremonies.

Wolfgang Puck will have his own kitchen off the Grand Ballroom, where he can cater the Governors Ball after the awards (and every other event there). Next to the theater, four stories of shops and restaurants surround Babylon Court, its decor inspired by D.W. Griffith’s 1916 film “Intolerance.”

Restaurants opening this month include the Grill on Hollywood (similar to the Grill on the Alley in Beverly Hills), and such usual suspects as Johnny Rockets and California Pizza Kitchen. Scheduled to open in December or so are Cafe Med, Green Earth Cafe, Koji’s Sushi, Shabu Shabu, Trastavere and others, including a new restaurant from Puck. The unnamed spot will fall between a Wolfgang Puck Cafe and Spago in price.

The opening for Hollywood & Highland is Nov. 9. Arrive by public transportation (the complex includes a Red Line station) or by car (parking entrances are at Orange Drive and Highland Avenue).

Wining and Dining: Fall brings on a slew of wine dinners. Here’s selection from this week’s roster:

At Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas, chef Warren Schwartz welcomes Central Coast winemaker Jim Clendenen from Au Bon Climat. Schwartz will whip up hors d’ oeuvres, lobster salad, seared rabbit loin, roasted caribou and a plum tart, while Clendenen pulls the corks on his Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Orange Muscat. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and costs $95 plus tax and tip. Saddle Peak Lodge, 419 Cold Canyon Road, Calabasas; (818) 222-3888.

At Derek’s in Pasadena, owner and wine buff Derek Dickenson shows off the latest from Lava Cap winery in the Sierra Foothills. The menu--a foie gras “cigar,” salmon with chive sauce, venison with noodles, lamb with gnocchi, baked goat cheese salad and an apple-almond dessert--will be paired with the estate’s Fume Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Muscat Canelli. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday and costs $79 plus tax and tip. Derek’s, 181 E. Glenarm St., Pasadena; (626) 799-5252.

Antonello Ristorante in Santa Ana has invited David Arthur from the Napa Valley winery of the same name. Arthur will pour Chardonnay, Merlot, Meritaggio and Cabernet Sauvignon, and chef Franco Barone will provide antipasti, a mushroom and cheese Napoleon, prosciutto and bechamel rolled up in pasta and covered with Bolognese sauce, followed by stuffed lamb loin, and a mille foglie of filo layered with vanilla custard. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday and costs $125. Antonello Ristorante, South Coast Plaza Village, 1611 Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana; (714) 751-7153.

In West Hollywood, Alto Palato gets a visit from Tony Ciccarelli of Empson Wines. Five wines will be paired with chef Freddy Escobar’s green pea torte with San Daniele prosciutto, stuffed pasta in capon broth, a risotto, lamb medallions in a cipollini onion sauce, and for dessert, a poached pear on a walnut torte. Dinner will be served after 5 p.m. next Thursday and costs $85 plus tax and tip. Alto Palato, 755 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A.; (310) 657-9271.

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Angela Pettera can be reached at (310) 358-7647 or pettera@prodigy.net