A.O.C. will move to Il Covo space, adding full bar

A.O.C., the iconic wine bar and small plates restaurant from chef Suzanne Goin and partner Caroline Styne, is moving west on 3rd Street to the location of Il Covo. A.O.C. at its current location will close at the end of the year, and the new A.O.C. is expected to open in early 2013.

“Suzanne and I had been trying to think of a big way to celebrate our 10^th anniversary,” said Styne in a release. “[We] have fond memories of dining on the Orso patio throughout the 1980s; it’s one of the most beautiful and enchanting in Los Angeles.” (Orso was replaced last year by Il Covo, the Italian restaurant from nightlife impresarios Sean MacPherson and Jared Meisler.)

“We will finally have a full bar in addition to our extensive wine list, and there is even a wood-burning oven for our classic A.O.C. dishes and the many new ones to come,” she said.

At the new A.O.C., across from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, expect more of its signature California-style tapas; the chef leading the kitchen will be Lauren Herman, who has worked with Goin and Styne for the past five years, and a farmers’ market-driven cocktail menu from Christiaan Rollich, head bartender for all of Goin and Styne’s restaurants.

Goin and Styne own Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern and the Larder at Maple Drive in Los Angeles, and they recently announced a new restaurant opening in Montecito in the spring of 2013 and the Larder at Burton Way, scheduled to open in January 2013.

They plan to add lunch and brunch service, and a second-floor private dining room will accommodate up to 50 guests for private events and wine tastings.

The A.O.C. cookbook is expected to be published in fall 2013.

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