Come for dinner, stay the night

RESTAURANT openings may have slowed to a crawl. But there’s a flurry of openings on the horizon -- all restaurants in hotels.

The highest profile of the bunch is the Richard Meier-designed Wolfgang Puck steakhouse, tentatively called Cut, that is going into the Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel. (Meier, a New York-based architect with offices in Manhattan and L.A., designed the Getty Center.) Puck’s foray into the crowded club of L.A. steak places was originally supposed to open late last year, but is now slated for early June. But before that opens, several other hotel eateries are set to premiere.

First up, early this month: Royale, just west of Downtown L.A. in the old Wilshire Royale Hotel (now an apartment building), dating to 1927. Chef Eric Ernest, who did stints at Boa and Citrine, will feature dishes such as crispy pork spareribs, foie gras with candied blood orange, and a selection of crudos, the Italian take on sashimi. The restaurant, which will include a wine bar, will have an ambitious wine program overseen by Thierry Perez (ex of Naya and Providence), with about 40 wines to be offered by the glass.

A week or two later, Tart opens in the Farmer’s Daughter Hotel, the once divey hostelry on Fairfax Avenue that got groovy with an extreme makeover about three years ago. The chef is Claude Segal, formerly of the Sunset Room and Drai’s on La Cienega. Tart will inhabit the space that was once home to the Olive, the uber-cool, early ‘90s hangout where Fred Eric (Fred 62, Vida) was chef. The plan is for straightforward American bistro fare.

West is next in line. The modern Italian dining room with a killer view atop Hotel Angeleno (the former Holiday Inn at Sunset and the 405) is scheduled to open in April. Chef Josh Moulton, who has worked at Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern in New York, will be turning out crudos, homemade pastas, grilled fish and steaks.

Then in May, Simon L.A., sister restaurant to chef Kerry Simon’s spots in Las Vegas and Telluride, is expected to open in the Sofitel. The restaurant will be similar to the other Simons (the same design team, Yabu Pushelberg, did the Vegas location at the Hard Rock Hotel and Nine Thirty in Westwood’s W Hotel), and serve many of the chef’s signature dishes such as steak tartare with ginger and sesame, yellowtail carpaccio with cilantro, mint and citrus vinaigrette, and tandoori salmon. But according to partner Elizabeth Blau, “it will have a little more of an Asian feel.”

And this summer, a restaurant tentatively named Sea is expected to replace Toppers, the Mexican spot on the 18th floor of Santa Monica’s Huntley Hotel. Rodelio Aglibot, formerly of Yi Cuisine, and before that Koi, is tentatively set to be chef, and Thomas Schoos (Wilshire, Citizen Smith, Koi) is overseeing the design, which will feature water and fire elements as well as indoor cabanas. And even though the cuisine will be global with an emphasis on seafood, chances are diners jonesing for shrimp enchiladas will have to go elsewhere.

Leslee Komaiko

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Small bites

* Tamarin, Uma Singh’s Indian restaurant in Beverly Hills, served its last meal Saturday night. “I’m just tired of doing retail,” says Singh. “I’ve done it for like 27 years.” (Before opening Tamarin in early 2004, Singh was co-owner of Nizam in West Los Angeles) Singh plans to take a couple months off then focus on catering and culinary tours to India.

* Lucky Vanous, an actor-cum-restaurateur who played a buff construction worker in a 1994 Coke commercial, is opening Lucky Devils this week in Hollywood. The restaurant, which will stay open late, will serve “classic American” fare, says Vanous. There will be a large selection of microbrews, 14 beers on tap and a dozen organic wines from which to choose.

Lucky Devils, 6613 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 465-8259.

* After playing host to a slew of post-Oscar parties, Republic, a contemporary American steakhouse with a southern twist, will open its doors to the public March 13. Owner Mikayel Israyelyan operated Bliss, which closed last summer, in the same location. The space has gotten an overhaul, including the installation of a 20-foot-tall wine wall to be serviced by a “wine fairy.”

Republic, 650 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., (310) 360-7070.