Monday, September 28, 1998
Village prepares
to get made over
FUTURE: Upscale shops, restaurants to revamp flailing Westwood image
By Trina Enriquez
Daily Bruin Contributor
Westwood Village is metamorphosing, as restaurants, retailers and major land developers alike close in on its market potential.
New restaurants such as Tanino Ristorante and Bar, Palomino Euro Bistro and Eurochow will move into previously vacated building spaces, while developers reconstruct entire segments lining the main arteries of the village.
"Students can look forward to the idea that the village is worth coming back to," said Jeff Knight, co-owner of the Maui Beach Cafe.
The Armand Hammer Museum and the proximity of both the J. Paul Getty Center and Schubert Theater all contribute to making Westwood Village into what Knight calls "a cultural hub of southern California."
The village also possesses what many consider to be excellent consumer demographics. The students, faculty and staff of the UCLA campus and medical center; the businesspeople who work on Wilshire Boulevard; and residents of Westwood, Beverly Hills and the surrounding vicinity are all close enough to the village to attract a lot of retailers and restaurants.
The coming influx of new restaurants and stores indicates that businesses are not blind to such potential.
"It's an injustice to the people of the area not to have boutiques and nicer restaurants to go to," said Franco Simplicio, co-owner of Tanino. "The demographics demand it."
Simplicio, who owns Allegria's Italian restaurant in Malibu, and co-owner Tanino Drago plan to open Tanino Ristorante & Bar on Westwood Boulevard in late October. The restaurant will resemble a Venetian palace similar to rooms inside the Hearst Castle in San Simeon.
Drago will be head chef, a position he held for seven years at his brother's Drago restaurant before joining Simplicio in establishing his own restaurant in Westwood.
"The village atmosphere is totally European," Drago said. "With people walking around, there's just that feeling of Italy."
Simplicio, a UCLA graduate, cited his nostalgia from coming to the village in the 1970s, plus the need for more upscale businesses, as reasons for establishing the restaurant in Westwood.
Restaurants Unlimited plans to open its Palomino Euro Bistro on the corner of Glendon and Lindbrook, opposite the Hammer museum. It will feature a marble interior with large paintings, stained wood cabinetry and pendants with glass art hung throughout the restaurant.
"I'm completely optimistic that Westwood is going to be a perfect place [for Palomino]," said Rick Giboney, senior vice-president of development at Restaurants Unlimited. "If it wasn't turning around, we wouldn't be coming in there."
Restaurants Unlimited hopes to open the restaurant's doors in early December, but if such an aggressive date proves impossible, the bistro will probably open in early February, after heavy staff recruitment throughout January.
"It's a wonderful job to have while you're going to college," said Giboney, who is cognizant of the resources afforded by UCLA students living nearby. "Universities are great for the business and energy they create."
Yet another prestigious addition to future Westwood restaurants is Eurochow, which will be housed in the dome building formerly occupied by the Wherehouse, and which will be open by the end of this year.
Eurochow is the brainchild of Michael Chow, who owns Mr. Chow restaurants in Beverly Hills, New York and London. Chow has designed all of his own restaurants, in addition to two couture boutiques for Giorgio Armani.
Contrary to what its billing may imply, Eurochow's fare will not be a fusion of Chinese and Italian cuisine. Both will be featured on one menu and cooked side by side in a large open kitchen, but the authenticity of each cuisine shall be preserved, Chow said.
Numerous other restaurants are also taking advantage of the village's potential.
California Pizza Kitchen, for example, has recently signed a lease for the space previously occupied by Mario's, and plans to open in March of next year.
Restaurants, however, are not the only businesses ready to bank on a Westwood renaissance.
Upscale retail stores will be brought in by developers spearheading such projects as the Westwood Marketplace, the Westwood Promenade and Village Center Westwood.
Presently, representatives for these projects will not name tenants, but Westwood Marketplace hints that upscale apparel, houseware, furniture and pottery stores will open after that project breaks ground in late summer 1999.
In previous public meetings, stores such as J. Crew, Banana Republic, Gymboree and Crate & Barrel had been mentioned as possible lessees. Though none of these establishments have been confirmed, their mere mention indicates the level of retail scouted by the Marketplace.
Westwood Marketplace is a project of Regent Properties, and will be located on Gayley Ave. Spanish colonial-style buildings shall house an anchor restaurant, several retail stores, a Mann multiplex with stadium-style seating and 700 subterranean parking spaces. The project is currently proceeding as scheduled.
The Westwood Promenade, implemented by Christina Development, encompasses an eastern block of Westwood Boulevard. At present, storefronts are being redone and permits obtained as redevelopment moves from building to building, concentrating on emphasizing the individuality of each structure.
What's notable about the Promenade is that Richard Meier and Partners, the architectural firm that designed the Getty Center, will be working on the project.
According to Stephen Fink, vice-president of Christina Development, Westwood patrons shouldn't expect to see the Getty in Westwood, but the same elements of class and sophistication of design shall be present in the redesigned store facades.
"After all," Fink said, "museums and retail are similar. They're all about display."
Another development project, Village Center Westwood, proposes a 5-acre sunken plaza closing Glendon Ave. between Kinross and Weyburn Avenues. The plan features restaurants, retail stores, 16 cinemas and an IMAX movie theater. There would also be ample room for relaxing amidst fountains and verdant landscaping.
The project, however, suffered a setback in May due to the death of Jack Ostrow, who had been project developer Ira Smedra's partner and a financial backer. Approval dates for the project have been pushed back indefinitely as a result.
In addition to these projects, Arden Realty, Inc. has acquired the structure housing Monty's Steakhouse, and has plans to renovate it. The restaurant will remain open during the renovation, which is geared toward creating a state-of-the-art office building.
The combined renovations taking place, along with the new restaurants and shops cropping up around the village during the course of the next year, signal that intense revitalization of the village has indeed begun.
Related site:
•Daily Bruin (9/22/97): The men who play with Westwood
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]