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Spark Woodfire Grill to Shutter, Mystery Surrounds What's Next
Partial photo of owner Elizabeth Chait's letter hanging on Spark's door this week | Reader submitted photo
Partial photo of owner Elizabeth Chait's letter hanging on Spark's door this week | Reader submitted photo
Bad news came Monday when Elizabeth Chait suddenly announced that her Pico Boulevard location of Spark Woodfire Grill would be closing later this week. But as the letter, which was posted to the restaurant's front door, continued, things got a little more curious. "In a few days we will be announcing a new concept which will open in the space," she wrote. "There will be many exciting things happening at this location."
There's no official word on what's next, but the closure is oddly timed with rumors that Brian Saltsburg -- one half of the duo behind Boyz Night Out, the underground restaurant industry who's who event that roams the city -- are planning a secret pop-up restaurant concept to debut next week. Saltsburg is known for his savvy connections in the local dining scene.
Adding to the evidence is some foodie chatter that indicates some notables making more business-like trips to Spark. Those seen, according to LAist readers, include Ricardo Zarate and Stephane Bombet of Mo-Chica, Shawna Dawson, who helped launch the Lazy Ox Canteen, but is more known for co-founding the L.A. Street Food Festival, and Bill Chait, the long-time L.A. restauranteur who is currently a managing partner at Spark and Rivera, which recently debuted new menus that are creating their own buzz. Putting two and two together, that's a whole lot of action for a closure of a restaurant that has two other locations that will stay open.
Also of note, Spark sits in a space that has three stories. The upper two are pretty much unused, but if some uber-chef power team is coming together, this space has the potential to become quite the spot.
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