Trattoria’s farewell

In early December, after more than a decade in business, Alto Palato, the influential Italian restaurant on La Cienega, is closing its doors for good. To mark the passage, owner Danilo Terribili will offer all wines at half price beginning Nov. 7. The closing menu will include 10 of the restaurant’s greatest hits, including the pasta dish bombolotti all’amatriciana, pizza with prosciutto and arugula, and hazelnut gelato.

The closure represents the end of an era that began when the late Mauro Vincenti opened the elegant and authentic Rex Il Ristorante in 1981. Vincenti and Terribili, who had been general manager at Rex, opened the trattoria Alto Palato in West Hollywood together in 1994. Vincenti passed away two years later, but, says his partner, his spirit carried on at the restaurant, which The Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila characterized as serving “Italian soul food.”

Several L.A. restaurants still bear Vincenti’s imprint, including Vincenti in Brentwood, the restaurant his widow, Maureen Vincenti, opened in 1997, and La Terza and Angelini Osteria, where former Rex chef Gino Angelini mans the stoves.

“It’s a little emotional,” admits Terribili. But it was time. The costs to update the restaurant would be prohibitive, and Terribili wants to focus on his Spark Woodfire Cooking restaurants in Studio City, Huntington Beach, West Los Angeles, and, soon, Agoura Hills.

Nick Haque, owner of Koi across the street, and his partners are taking over the Alto Palato space and will open a new restaurant in March. Neither concept nor cuisine has been determined, but we suspect you won’t be able to get a perfect pizza Margherita at this address any longer.

-- Leslee Komaiko

Small bites

* Christophe Bellanca has been named the new executive chef at L’Orangerie. (Former executive chef Christophe Eme left several months ago to begin preparations for opening his own restaurant, Ortolan, in the former Linq space.) Bellanca has cooked at several Michelin two- and three-star restaurants in his native France, including Georges Blanc in Vonnas and Pic in Valence.

L’Orangerie, 903 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. (310) 652-9770.

* Christian Shaffer, owner and co-chef (with Collin Crannell) of Chloe in Playa del Rey, is opening a second restaurant called Avenue. Set to open Oct. 27 in Manhattan Beach in the former Waterman’s Grill space, Avenue will serve progressive American fare such as stout-battered oysters with pistachio creme and crispy leeks, and slow-roasted pork with apple-smoked bacon, maple grits and purple kale. Sharing cooking duties with Shaffer will be Michael Wilson who was chef at 5 Dudley. There will be a full bar.

Avenue, 1141 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, (310) 802-1973.

* Umenohana, a restaurant specializing in tofu and yuba (soy-milk skin) dishes such as lobster and tofu steamed in bamboo leaf with spicy ponzu sauce, opened last night in Beverly Hills. Although part of a Japanese chain, Umenohana has none of the telltale signs of a typical chain restaurant. Instead, it’s luxurious and serene, and filled with original Japanese art.

Umenohana, 443 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 860-9236.