"If at first you don't succeed" seems to be the mantra of UK chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay, who will be opening a pub soon at The Grove.
Eater LA says they have confirmation the "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares" main man will be opening up in place of The Farm, which is set to close at the end of March.
Gordon Ramsay Trying Again in L.A. With Pub at The Grove
Joe Torre Retires From MLB to Bid For Dodgers Ownership
Count Joe Torre among the hopefuls bidding for ownership of the financially distressed Los Angeles Dodgers. The former team manager, 71, has retired from his post as an executive vice president with Major League Baseball in order to be eligible to bid for team ownership.
Next Gen Apple Store to Open Saturday at The Americana in Glendale
The newest Apple Store is opening at The Americana at Brand this weekend, across the street from one of its first locations -- the Glendale Galleria. Only this one's much larger. Apple announced in an email to customers this week that its newest location will open on Saturday at 10 a.m. at The Americana at Brand.
Eminence Front: 'Americana At Brand' Expansion Hearing Halted
Owners of the Golden Key Hotel and Americana at Brand in Glendale "agreed to postpone a hearing on their competing redevelopment proposals to allow more time for negotiations," reports the Glendale News-Press. The new hearing is scheduled for Feb. 22.
When it Comes to Raves at the Coliseum, Was 'the fox guarding the henhouse'?
A member of the group responsible for the administration of affairs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is in some pretty hot water after word surfaced he was concurrently working for a company that put on events at the venue. Now the L.A. County DA's office is taking a look at Todd DeStefano's timeclock to see if he was in violation of California's conflict of interest laws, according to KTLA.
Did Americana Construction Force Recording Studio Closure?
A judge has ruled that Caruso Affiliated's 2005 to 2008 construction at Americana at Brand forced nearby recording studio Backroom Entertainment to close, according to Glendale News Press and Caruso plans to appeal.
Caruso vs. Patel: Competing Plans for Americana at Brand
Ray Patel wants to hold on to his Golden Key Hotel. Rick Caruso wants to buy the land, raze the hotel and erect an Americana at Brand expansion in its place. Patel refused Caruso's $6M offer to buy the property and was given a 45-day deadline by Glendale City Council to revamp it or sell it to Caruso. The plans are in and a hearing will usher in the next stage of the showdown, according to 818 Now.
15.5 Acres of Americana Shopping Not Enough for Caruso
Don't we have enough tricked-out, over-the-top, strangely Disneyland-esque malls in L.A. to last...a lifetime? Rick Caruso has a different vision for Los Angeles malls and wants to expand the 15.5 acre Americana at Brand to two additional properties, according to the Glendale New-Press.
Caruso is hoping to expand his soulless mall empire by acquiring the Golden Key Hotel at 123 W. Colorado Blvd. and another property nearby. The two properties combined would add another 60,000 to 140,000 square feet to the already large Americana mall and would cost roughly $50 million.
Encino Residents Want Books Not Drugs
With its lease set to expire in December, the Barnes & Noble bookstore in the Encino Marketplace will be replaced by higher-paying tenant CVS Pharmacy, and residents protested yesterday to share their frustration, the Encino Patch reports.
Rave On: Coliseum Overturns Moratorium on Hosting Raves
The Commission that runs the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has overturned a ban on raves at the venue initiated in June of this year, according to the LA Times. The moratorium on the events was issued following the drug-related death of a teenager who had been at the Electric Daisy Carnival.
Barnes & Noble to Close 2 Area Locations
As part of their company's need to re-approach their business model, book retailer Barnes & Noble have announced two Los Angeles locations will be closing down by the end of the year, according to the Daily News. B&N will shut down their Calabasas and Encino locations on December 31. Both shopping plaza properties are owned by Rick Caruso, who says he has CVS as the new tenant slated to take over in Encino, but wants to work with Calabasas to keep B&N as an anchor store at his Commons property. In case he can't get the bookseller to stay put, he is already lining up prospective tenants for the space.
New Owners of Santa Anita Park and Rick Caruso May Revive High-End Retail Development
It's once more into the starting gates for retail development mogul Rick Caruso, who will enter into talks today with the new owners of the Santa Anita Park, reports the Pasadena Star-News. They may opt to revive a plan for an upscale retail project in the racetrack's parking lot which had been voided five years ago when the proposal was found to not be in the best financial interest for the racetrack itself.
California's Most Powerful Non-Elected Officials? L.A. is Home to Many
Every year Capitol Weekly releases a list of the 100 most powerful people that are not politicians. These include reporters, state employees and business people. The Weekly has released half the list with the other half coming next week. Here are some local notables:
Brent's Deli vs. Rick Caruso
Since Brent's Deli (of Northridge fame) opened in Westlake Village, the place has been packed. Well, it looks like developer Rick Caruso (of The Grove, The Americana fame) noticed this as well, and his center at the same off-ramp with Bristol Farms as anchor tenant is about to get a Nate & Al's from Beverly Hills, complete with the Mendelsohns. Let the Deli wars begin!
New Trader Joe's to be Built near the Beverly Center
The Grove and Americana developer Rick Caruso had another project approved today by the LA City Council. A new 88-unit apartment complex with a Trader Joe's on the first floor will be built at Burton Way and La Doux Road near the La Cienega/San Vicente intersection. "Between this project, and the recently completed SLS Hotel, the neighborhood is definitely seeing some significant changes," noted Curbed LA, who has project renderings.
For Sale: Santa Anita Race Track
The famous track is in bankruptcy and going on the auction block next September. So just in case you're interested in buying it, you should know developer Rick Caruso of The Grove and Americana fame, is rumored to wanting it for himself. Considering he already has stake in the track's north parking lot--a $500 million, 820,000-square foot "The Shops at Santa Anita" currently in the Environmental Review process--it would make sense, but you never know.
Who Will Be Your Next Mayor, LA?
Saturday at noon marked the deadline for hopeful candidates to take out filing papers for the March 3rd local election for multiple local offices from City Council to School Board, including the Mayor's. Those hoping to run have "until Dec. 3 to return their nominating petitions and qualifying signatures of eligible Los Angeles voters," explains the LA Times' Opinion LA blog.
City of Cheesecake: Caruso's Possible Bid for Mayor
Grove and Americana developer Rick Caruso is running for Mayor. No wait, he is not running for Mayor, but he is, oh no he isn't... and so the broken record goes. Today the LA Weekly takes a look at Rick Caruso, his background, his developments and his political aspirations. Some worry as mayor he would turn the city into one big Disneyland-like development with Cheesecake Factories everywhere, but the Weekly looks at the closer into the man who has influenced a lot of what Los Angeles is today. Here's a little from the large profile:
Photo Essay: Americana At Brand
Love it or hate it, Rick Caruso's $400 million, 15.5 acre Super-Grove opened this morning in Glendale. The open-aired shopping mecca boasts over 75 retail stores, a wide variety of eateries, and one heck of a fountain. It's the perfect place to spend an afternoon people-watching, listening to piped-in Sinatra and downing Beard Papa cream puffs, while secretly cursing Capitalism and referring to the retail monstrosity as "Genericana".

