Two-for-one chili dogs at Tommy’s, Azla expands to Leimert Park and a Vespertine Cubano pop-up

This week in food news:

Two-for-one Tommy’s

Finally, some positive news: Original Tommy’s Burgers is offering “buy one, get one free” chili cheese dogs at all of its 34 California and Nevada locations through Sept. 7.

originaltommys.com

Mírame mucho

Mírame, a contemporary Mexican restaurant from former Tacos Punta Cabras chef Joshua Gil, opens in Beverly Hills next week for outdoor dining, takeout and delivery. The menu includes dishes such as lamb belly barbacoa, salmon skin chicharrones and pork belly tacos with lime curd, as well as Mexican craft beers and wines.

419 N. Cañon Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 230-5035, mirame.la

Azla goes to Leimert Park

Vegan Ethiopian restaurant Azla has expanded to a second location in Leimert Park. A selection of Ethiopian stews and salads are available along with a house-made sorrel drink. The original location in downtown’s Mercado la Paloma remains closed, but owner Nesanet Abegaze hopes to reopen soon.

4309 Leimert Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 596-3028, azlavegan.com

Oyster bar at the Market

A new marine-themed seafood restaurant from chef Christophe Breat and the owners of Monsieur Marcel is open in the Original Farmers Market. Roxy & Jo’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar offers chowders, lobster rolls, ceviche and fresh seafood platters.

6333 W. 3rd St., Stall 436, Los Angeles, (323) 919-5228, roxyandjos.com

Auto Strada

Strada Eateria & Bar, a Mediterranean restaurant and cafe, is open downtown for outdoor dining, takeout and delivery. The restaurant, known for its tapas and Turkish coffee, had relocated after closing its previous location in the King Edward Hotel last year.

825 W. 9th St., Los Angeles, (213) 822-4558, stradadtla.com

Chew on This

ChewBox, a community-driven delivery app founded by entrepreneur Kim Gaston, has partnered with Roy Choi to offer meals for delivery out of the former Locol space in Watts. The recently launched app allows local independent chefs to sell their own dishes on the platform.

chewbox.com

Kahn does Cubanos

Jordan Kahn’s tasting menu restaurant Vespertine will offer a casual Cuban sandwich pop-up Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. Cubano sandwiches, frozen mojitos, beer and wine will be available in the restaurant’s outdoor sound garden for walk-up customers only.

3599 Hayden Ave., Culver City, (323) 320-4023, vespertine.la

High Marks

L.A. County health officials announced this week that after inspections of more than 1,000 restaurants July 3 to July 5, virtually all restaurants visited were in compliance with physical distancing and face covering orders, a significant improvement from previous weeks. Yet indoor dining could remain closed for the foreseeable future given a surge in coronavirus cases in California.

More Worker Relief

Due to the latest closure of indoor dining, Osteria Mozza on Thursday relaunched its restaurant worker relief program in collaboration with the Lee Initiative. Hospitality employees who have been laid off or had their hours reduced can pick up free to-go meals and food packages on a first-come, first-served basis.

leeinitiative.org

Augie’s shuts down

Inland Empire craft coffee chain Augie’s has closed its five locations in Redlands, Riverside and Claremont. Employees whose jobs were terminated have alleged that the store closures were part of an attempt by management to prevent workers from unionizing. In a statement posted on Instagram, Augie’s cited personal experience with COVID-19 in its decision to indefinitely close all of its retail operations.

Shin-Sen-Gumi makes a move

Shin-Sen-Gumi has closed after 13 years in Monterey Park. The restaurant will relocate to Alhambra and become a yakitori and noodle concept, though a reopening date has not been decided, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page.