Makai by any other name ...

First there was Toi, the Thai restaurant with locations in Hollywood, West Hollywood and Santa Monica. Then came Koi, the trendy Japanese restaurant and lounge on La Cienega. Chi, a hip spot in the Hyatt West Hollywood soon followed, as did Yi (officially called Yi Cuisine), a sophisticated Asian restaurant. The chef? Rodelio Aglibot, a veteran of, you know, Koi. Finally, we thought the whole trend must have peaked, but recently Kai opened in the old Rebecca’s space. Just on its heels: a Pan-Asian spot on Montana Avenue called Yu. Confusing?

While restaurateurs have eagerly jumped on the bandwagon, some may be sorry they did. About a month after the Oct. 1 opening of Kai, the owners were contacted by the folks from Koi.

“We were sent notification saying they were going to get a temporary restraining order that we couldn’t use the name,” says Mark Jeanetta, co-owner of the newer restaurant. It didn’t seem to matter that Kai means “sea” or “ocean” in Hawaiian, a fitting name for an Ocean Avenue location. “They wanted us to stop using the name or they were going to go to some lawsuit-type thing.... I think the reason they wanted to do it is they might be looking at getting the old Ivy [at the Shore] space.” (Ivy at the Shore is supposedly moving next door into the old Zenzero space.)

Nick Hawk, co-owner of Koi, offered his point of view via e-mail. “The issue with Kai went beyond the name to other elements of their concept,” he wrote. He declined to elaborate. As for the Ivy at the Shore space, he would only confirm that the location was on his list of possible spaces.

Eventually, Jeanetta and his partners determined the expense of fighting to keep the name wasn’t worth it. Now Kai is Makai, which, FYI, means “toward the ocean” in Hawaiian.

All we can say to this monosyllabic madness is “Oy!”

-- Leslee Komaiko

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Small bites

* Zax, the popular American bistro in Brentwood, has been sold and is closing for good, most likely on Jan. 15.

Owner Chris Schaefer explains: “We want to do something bigger, something with a bar and private dining space.” He is looking for space on the Westside. An Italian restaurant called Pecorino will open on the site in mid- to late February. The principals are Giorgio Pierangeli, owner of Oliva in Sherman Oaks (he used to manage Toscana) and Mario Sabatini, until recently manager of Toscana. Mario’s brother, Raffaele Sabatini, a veteran of restaurants in Rome, will be chef.

Zax, 11604 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, (310) 571-3800.

* Kevin M. Meehan, who was the opening sous chef at Bastide (under Alain Giraud) and stayed on to work with Ludovic Lefebvre, with whom he also worked at L’Orangerie, is the new executive chef at Citrine. The Long Island native, who has spent the last 12 years in French restaurants on both coasts, plans to do “modern French cuisine at Citrine and make it more fine dining.”

Citrine, 8360 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. (323) 655-1690.

* There’s a new wine bar (as far as we know the first) in Irvine. At Symposium, owner Don Katz offers about 40 different wines by the glass; they’re also available for purchase in a tiny retail area in front of the shop.

Symposium Wine Bar, 2963 Michelson Drive, Suite B, Irvine, (949) 863-6929.

* Boa Steakhouse has opened in Santa Monica, across the street from sister restaurant Sushi Roku. This marks the third Boa location, after the original in West Hollywood and a Vegas branch. Boa in Santa Monica will be open for lunch, with a menu featuring items such as a lobster Cobb salad and grilled panini steak sandwich, and for dinner, with traditional steakhouse fare.

Boa Steakhouse, 101 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 899-4466.