Jessica Koslow

Boulevard Hospitality is debuting The Coco Club. The opening of this rooftop bar comes just one month after that of their Middle Eastern-style restaurant Layla in the dining room adjacent to the lobby of The Beacon by Sonder Hotel on Ocean Avenue.

Inspired by classic nightclubs of the past such as The Cocoanut Grove and The Coconut Club, The Coco Club blends the art deco accents that Miami is best known for with Santa Monica’s breezy beach vibes.

Whereas Layla offers an elevated dining experience downstairs, The Coco Club delivers light bites and handcrafted cocktails on the penthouse level, where guests sit at eye level with palm trees, gazing at the horizon with an unobstructed, glorious view from LAX to Malibu. . . .

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A beloved neighborhood restaurant is switching things up. Dinah’s Family Restaurant is moving to Culver Crossroads. The owners shuttered its location on the corner of Sepulveda and Centinela on April 30 after 65 years. 

“We’re in the very thick of it,” Mario Ernst, who owns Dinah’s with his wife, Teri, said.

“Emotionally, it’s really tough,” he continued. “We’ve been there since 1959. I’m 64. The restaurant was created a year before I was born. I’ve grown up in that place, so I have mixed emotions. I have great memories, but I am also excited about a change.” . . .

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Blueys is the neighborhood joint Dave and Sabrina Harper always dreamed of. Situated on the corner of Beethoven Street and Venice Boulevard, the restaurant has offered a laid-back atmosphere and really good coffee since December 2022. 

“Our goal is to serve healthy and affordable food that you can eat a couple of times a week,” Dave said.

“We get a lot of people commenting that what we’ve done is amazing for the community,” he continued. “We’re here for the community because we are part of it. You can dress down or up, come in board shorts. People can walk to us for morning coffee, come back for brunch, hang out writing emails. We also have people from Japan walking up to the counter and holding up a picture asking to try the sweet squash pancakes.” . . .

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On Saturday, Feb. 10, Seoulmates celebrated the opening of its second location at Colony Cooks in Santa Monica. The first 50 attendees received a limited-edition Korean spicy pork sando with house-made pickles on Ginza Nishikawa shokupan (Japanese milk bread), with a purchase. 

Owner Christina Hong said she s very fortunate to have a Korean mom who cooked authentic dishes as she was growing up. She fondly remembers her mom in the kitchen cooking without measuring cups, mimicking what she saw her mom do, and sitting around the table with her family eating dinner together every night. Preparing food was her mom’s version of sharing love. When she left home in Chicago to attend the University of Illinois a few hours away, she began to miss her mom’s dishes. 

“When it is gone, you appreciate it more,” Hong said. “I was missing home and Korean food.” . . .

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Mon Ami, which opened in May on Ocean Avenue and features a menu inspired by countries by the Mediterranean Sea, launched a new happy hour menu on Jan. 9.

“As we get into the colder seasons, we wanted to phase out our brunch menu temporarily and give a boost to the earlier crowd that comes in,” explained Nas Negahban, owner/operator of Mon Ami and Pacific Coast Hospitality Group.

“We also wanted to test some new food and cocktail items that are getting some great feedback in the short time we have launched our happy hour menu. The PCH Burger and Mallorca Mule are the initial winners of the bunch thus far.” …

Read the full article at The Argonaut.