Note to Kathy Griffin: blue on blue at the Avalon Hotel is now oliverio
Well, this was out of the blue! The blue on blue restaurant (sorry we couldn’t resist!) Kor Hotels’ Avalon Beverly Hills has transformed into oliverio. Still lowercase, we’re not sure why. Taking over from Chef Scott Garrett is new Executive Chef Mirko Paderno, formerly of L.A. hotspots Cecconi’s and All’Angelo. We don’t know what prompted the changeover, but we’ve gotten a first-look at what the new restaurant, which had a "soft opening" this week, will be like.
We have high hopes for Pederno, whose past accolades include "Best New Restaurant of 2007" in Esquire and "Top Ten New Restaurants of the United States" in Gayot. He describes his menu as "Italian food with regional touches." That sounds ambiguous enough to encompass whatever he wants, but some of the dishes we heard about include: tortelli with braised lamb, butter and sage; gnocchetti with fresh tomatoes and smoked mozzarella; and simple dishes like fritto misto, caprese, and salume served with homemade olive foccacia.
The dish with the most pizzazz has to be the chitarra spaghetti with spicy langoustines, which will go for $21, meaning the restaurant is remaining in the same price category as before.
To go along with the new menu, the hotel in-house designer Kelly Wearstler is set to re-imagine the poolside dining area in a 1950’s Italian vibe. Some of the interesting new features? A 1960’s fiberglass "Safari" sofa, cracked-glass tables, folding wooden screens, Italian gilt ceramic columns, and a geometric overhead light mural.
We’ll let you know when we have the chance to head in there for a meal, but here’s to hoping that the celeb-sighting stays good. Rates at the hotel this fall start at $188 a night.
[Photo: Rocky Radio]
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