The latest issue of LA Confidential is out, and along with it, several of my new restaurant reviews. The first one I'll share is of a new bar-lounge-restaurant in Santa Monica called 31Ten in a Main Street space that has meant the doom of restaurants like Hidden and Cache.Ah well, now the guys behind Italian favorite Ado have taken over and converted it into a little slice of "Hollywood on the Westside," complete with fire pits, seasonal drinks, wood-fired pizzas and more. check it out at the link, or read the text of my article below.
Link: http://www.la-confidential-magazine.com/dining/articles/three-new-la-eateries
31TEN
We’re all about hybrids: fuel-efficient cars, celebrity nicknames and especially bar-lounge-restaurants like 31Ten on Santa Monica’s Main Street. Ado partners Paolo Cesaro and chef Antonio Muré have renovated Caché Restaurant & Lounge, transforming it into 31Ten, “a Hollywood nightclub for Santa Monica,” as Cesaro puts it. The dining tables have been replaced by leather furniture and bar counters, a central fire pit, an indoor-outdoor bar and three private cabanas.
Muré showcases his kitchen skills with such starters as warm lobster salad with shaved asparagus in a white-wine and black-truffle vinaigrette, and main courses including bacon-wrapped sea scallops on rosemary skewers served over braised cauliflower. But he also simplifies things with a selection of crispy wood-fired pizzas (the only food available after 10:30 PM). There’s a full Italian-dominated wine menu, but the experience here is more about the regularly updated all-organic cocktail list; recent specials have included the Californication, made with vodka, St-Germain, Thai basil, black grapes, pomegranate juice and Prosecco. There’s also bottle service for those looking to make a night of it on the Westside. 31Ten is open Wednesday through Saturday, with DJs after 10 PM and a bimonthly Beatles cover band. Guess Hollywood really has moved west. 3110 Main St., Santa Monica; 31tenlounge.com
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