A New Baja-Inspired Restaurant Is Opening in Silver Lake This Summer

Blue Plate Taco in Santa Monica.

Santa Monica’s Blue Plate Restaurant Company, which operates Blue Plate Oysterette, Blue Plate Taco, and Divine Vintage wine shop, is opening a Baja-inspired restaurant called Tacolina in Silver Lake with 100 seats, a cocktail bar, and live entertainment in August 2024. (The address will be shared publicly soon.)

The Silver Lake restaurant draws inspiration from the city of Todos Santos near Los Cabos where owner Jenny Rush has spent time, according to a representative. The menu includes rotisserie meats, farmers market produce, and handmade tortillas prepared by chef Jonathan Juarez of Blue Plate Taco, who will helm the kitchen at Tacolina.

Erewhon sues its Studio City landlords

Erewhon is suing its landlord, Midwood Investment and Development, which owns the now-closed Sportsman’s Lodge hotel, to stop the development of a 520-unit residential development on the property, reports the Los Angeles Times. The upscale grocery chain opened a location at the next-door development, called the Shoppes at Sportsman’s Lodge, in 2021. Erewhon and other opponents are suing to rescind development permits, alleging the city failed to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, as well as other state and local laws. The development opponents also expressed concern about construction noise and the proposed residential property’s 97-foot building height.

New omakase coming to Culver City

What Now LA reports that a new omakase restaurant will open inside the current Sushi Mashiko space at 10726 Jefferson Boulevard in Culver City. The new owners confirmed in the report that an omakase concept is replacing Sushi Mashiko, but didn’t share other details. Sushi Mashiko was opened in 1990 by Motoichi “Mickey” Horino.

Every penny counts at Botanica

Heather Sperling, co-founder of Botanica, does a full-cost rundown of her Silver Lake restaurant in a new feature in the Los Angeles Times. The report shows the restaurant had a profit margin of just over 1 percent in 2023, making every penny count for the business. The restaurant would’ve had a net profit loss if it weren’t for commercial shoots unrelated to the restaurant operation that provided a revenue boost.

Botanica restaurant in Silver Lake.

Red Lobster’s sudden Torrance closure

Struggling chain Red Lobster announced the immediate closure of more than 80 locations across the country on May 13. The Torrance outlet was the only LA-area restaurant included, reports 9News. The Orlando-based chain, which has 650 locations and is in the market for a buyer to avoid bankruptcy, brought back its endless shrimp special last year that resulted in millions of dollars in losses.

Where to get nachos, thanks to Reddit

There are so many nachos in the world — and so little time, so Redditors are here to help. The online forum asked folks in Los Angeles about their favorite places to get nachos; some popular picks include Carnitas Michoacan, El Huero Drive-Thru, and Casa Garcia in Pico-Rivera.