Blog Left Sidebar

Here’s the latest restaurant and retail news for the week ending Jan. 7, 2018.

Coffee switcheroo at Market Place

One coffee shop replaces another at The Market Place. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf recently closed on the Irvine side of the shopping center. The Irvine Co. is replacing the national chain with a local brand: BLKdot Coffee.

The cafe, which first opened at the Google Center in Irvine in 2015,  sells niche products including VTM coffee (a slow drip Vietnamese-style coffee), sea salt coffee and Thai tea latte.

The cafes also serve food including a chicken banh mi sandwiches, croissants, bagels, muffins and scones. The cafe is expected to open in spring 2018.

BLK is in expansion mode, opening two more locations in late 2018 in Laguna Beach and Irvine Spectrum Center.

Seal Beach Pie shop closes

Doc’s Pie Shop, run by a longtime dentist turned baker, closed Jan. 1 after less than a year in business.

The shop opened mid-March in downtown Seal Beach. Owner James Blake made the announcement on the pie shop’s website after Christmas. He did not give a reason for the closure, only calling it a humbling experience.

He thanked the community for its support and said he would refund any unused gift cards.

Onotria closes

A land dispute that’s been ongoing for two years has prompted Onotria in Costa Mesa to close.

Massimo Navarretta, chef and owner, said the restaurant is on property owned by two different landlords. Both have been trying to buy each other out for two years. But negotiations are deadlocked between them, leaving Navarretta stuck in the middle. Not knowing the fate of the property, Navarretta said he made the tough decision to close the 12-year-old restaurant, a fixture on Bristol Street about a half-mile from The Lab.

The restaurant’s last day open is Dec. 30.

“It’s difficult for me to let so many good people go,” Navarretta said during a phone interview Friday, Dec. 29.

Navarretta, a charismatic chef who routinely wore his signature Panama hat, grew up in an agricultural town in Italy where he ate plenty of fruits, vegetables and legumes. He brought those seasonally inspired foods and classic pasta dishes to Onotria.

“Onotria feels more authentically Italian to me than any other restaurant I’ve encountered in Orange County,” Register restaurant critic Brad A. Johnson wrote in a 2014 review. “The dining room is open and airy, with high ceilings and tables spaced far apart. There’s a slight echo and a laidback breeziness to the place that makes me feel like I’m in a converted barn at an agriturismo on a rural road in Italy, one of those working farms that opens its spare bedrooms and dining room to tourists, who are mostly other Italians from the cities.”

After Onotria closes, he said he plans to move to San Francisco where he’ll continue to run his wine distribution business. He sells wine to restaurants throughout California including Orange County.

“I’m not good at goodbyes,” he said. “In the end, we’ll still be around.”

Curbside pick up at Dunkin’

San Clemente is the home of the first Dunkin’ Donuts with curbside pickup in Southern California.

The new doughnut shop, which opened in early December, is at 635 Camino De Los Mares. It features designated parking spots for customers who don’t have to get out of their car to pick up orders made through the company’s mobile app.

The San Clemente shop is among hundreds of restaurants across the nation adding curbside pick up, Dunkin’ said. It’s run by franchise group Precision Hospitality & Development. The company opened Orange County’s first Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant in Laguna Hills in 2014.

Most Popular Uber, Lyft Restaurants

Stag Bar in Newport Beach, Karl Strauss in Costa Mesa and The Bungalow in Huntington Beach are three of the most popular restaurants or bars in Orange County, according to Uber and Lyft.

Those three Orange County venues rank high for both drop-offs and pick-ups, according to data crunched by ride-sharing rivals Uber and Lyft. In a survey of rides for 2017, Lyft said Orange County’s most visited restaurant is Karl Strauss in Costa Mesa, while Stag Bar in Newport Beach is the most visited bar.

The Bungalow in Huntington Beach and Stag Bar, however, are among the top two bars where customers request a pickup, according to Uber.

Where do other restaurants and bars rank for 2017? Here’s the rundown.

Top Restaurants (Lyft)

1. Karl Strauss
2. BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse (106 Main St., Newport Beach)
3. American Junkie
4. Skyloft
5. The Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen
6. Mutt Lynch’s
7. Roscoe’s Famous Deli (Fullerton)
8. The Cannery 
9. Saddle Ranch Chop House (Costa Mesa)

Top Bars (Lyft)

1. Stag Bar + Kitchen
2. Baja Sharkeez
3. The Bungalow
4. Goat Hill Tavern
5. Time Nightclub
6. Woody’s Wharf  (Newport Beach)
7. Malarky’s Irish Pub
8. The Wayfarer (Costa Mesa)
9. The Copper Door (Santa Ana)

Top 10 Bars  (Uber)

1. The Bungalow (Pacific City,  Huntington Beach)
2. Stag Bar
3. The Blue Beet
4. Time Nightclub
5. Goat Hill Tavern
6. Mesa
7. Malarky’s Irish Pub
8. Baja Sharkeez
9. Wild Goose Tavern
10. Woody’s Wharf (Newport Beach)

Top 10 Restaurants (Uber)

1. Stag Bar
2. Cheesecake Factory (Anaheim)
3. Mesa
4. The Cannery
5. A Restaurant
6. Bosscat Kitchen and Libations
7. Nobu Newport Beach
8. Javier’s Grill & Cantina (Newport Beach)
9. Billy’s at the Beach
10. Cassidy’s Bar & Grill

(Note: Uber’s list is based onpickupss, while Lyft calculated its list based on trip destinations. Uber excluded restaurants and bars at Fashion Island and South Coast Plaza. Lyft sent us 10 bars and 10 restaurants but each list included an establishment from Los Angeles. We removed those venues, which is why each list has nine places instead of 10.)

L’Oréal Paris has tapped Winona Ryder to appear in a campaign tied to a massive rebrand of its U.S. hair business, WWD has exclusively learned.
A “robust, 360-campaign” comprising digital, social, TV and print advertising is set to launch Sunday during the Golden Globes with a TV commercial featuring Ryder, said Anne Marie Nelson-Bogle, senior vice president of marketing at L’Oréal Paris.
Titled “The Comeback,” the campaign is tied to the repositioning of the majority of the L’Oréal Paris hair-care products, including shampoos, conditioners and treatments, plus a few new products, under a new franchise called Elvive.
The Elvive platform focuses on damage prevention, a message L’Oréal is hoping U.S. consumers — fond of curling irons, blowouts, dry shampoo and bleach — will relate to. L’Oréal research found that eight in 10 women in the U.S. have damaged hair — and 18- to 34-year-olds in particular overindex in hot-tool-related damage.
“Everyone does love a comeback, and we will be communicating that damaged hair deserves one, too,” said Nelson-Bogle of the new campaign. “For Winona, we know that from TV sets to the red carpet, her hair has gone through many transformations — her hair is dry and damaged.”
In a commercial airing during the Golden Globes,

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More…

HEAR MY SONG: First film, now music. Having commissioned leading filmmakers including Gregg Araki and Sean Baker to create short films, Kenzo has tapped singer-songwriter Karen O to record an original song, and writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour to direct the accompanying film.
Titled “Yo! My Saint,” the track will be released on Jan. 12 across more than 50 streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Pandora, Deezer and Google Play Music. A companion limited-edition vinyl is to go on sale on Jan. 22 in Kenzo stores and online.
While championing female talent is nothing new for Kenzo creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, the project marks the first time the label has released an original song. Others brands which have produced music include Burberry, which supports British artists via its Burberry Acoustic initiative, and Kitsuné, which has its own record label.

Karen O 
Corey Olsen

Best known as the frontwoman of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, O — whose full name is Karen Lee Orzolek — frequently works with director Spike Jonze, another member of Kenzo’s extended tribe of creative collaborators. The two were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “The Moon Song,” which appeared on the soundtrack of Jonze’s movie “Her.”
Amirpour’s

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More…

VFiles’ camo-inspired capsule with Mountain Dew launches its next iteration exclusively at PacSun Friday as the brand turns its attention to expansion beyond New York for its next act.
New York-based VFiles is most simply described as a social networking platform aimed at youth culture via three main pillars: fashion, music and sports. It connects with its target audience through its site, events and store at 12 Mercer Street, which houses designs from emerging and established labels.
The company linked with Mountain Dew in fall 2016 on its Camo Out capsule, releasing multiple versions of it since that time. Friday’s launch exclusively at 10 PacSun stores in the U.S. and the retailer’s online store introduces new light pink and blue color ways.
“We are honestly so inspired to work with Mountain Dew and work with a brand who thinks like this,” said VFiles ceo and founder Julie Anne Quay, mentioning the award the first Camo Out capsule received. “When does that happen? When it comes down to it, it’s a soda company and us winning design awards.”
The company in 2016 received the Silver A’Design Award in the wearable technologies category for a collection that included a Bluetooth-enabled parka, solar backpack and earbud-wired tracksuit.
“The

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More…

Dip your toe into the world of streetwear with the brand’s graphic new bags and briefcases.

The 2nd Floor bar updates New York City’s classic 2nd Avenue Deli for a new generation.

Saks Fifth Avenue fashion director Roopal Patel spotlights the three top trends for 2018.

Setting sail on a magical journey through the Sea of Japan.

The 21,000-square-foot home comes with 350 feet of water frontage.

Here are homebuying highlights for Lake Forest, Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills from ReportsOnHousing for October.

This house-hunting data tracks resales of existing detached and attached residences in the communities. Analysis includes October trends based on closed sales: sale counts; average price vs. average list price; high and low price paid in the month; average cost per square foot and average size; plus, based on broker listing networks stats on Sept. 7, the “market time” metric comparing supply of listings to new escrows opened in past 30 days.

Citywide, sales totaled 68 vs. 74 a year ago, or a decline of 8 percent. Here are 23 facts you should know about how homebuying broke down by community vs. countywide trends …

In Foothill Ranch …

1. Sales: 8 sold vs. 15 a year ago.

2. Average sales price: $667,813 that ranked No. 27 out of 46 Orange County markets tracked and was down 0.0 percent in a year.

3. Compared to list: Sellers got 100.2 percent of what they typically asked for, ranking No. 2 of the 46 markets.

4. Range: High sale of $915,000 vs. the $361,000 low.

5. Sizing: On average, buyers paid $379 per square foot on a 1,762 square-foot residence. This pricing metric was up 2.9 percent in a year.

6. Market speed: 23 days, listing to escrow opened vs. 43 days a year ago and 90 days two years ago.

In Lake Forest …

7. Sales: 54 sold vs. 57 a year ago.

8. Average sales price: $582,824 that ranked No. 37 out of 46 Orange County markets tracked and was up 0.8 percent in a year.

9. Compared to list: Sellers got 99.2 percent of what they typically asked for, ranking No. 7 of the 46 markets.

10. Range: High sale of $1,435,000 vs. the $250,000 low.

11. Sizing: On average, buyers paid $366 per square foot on a 1,592 square-foot residence. This pricing metric was up 5.8 percent in a year.

12. Market speed: 31 days, listing to escrow opened vs. 36 days a year ago and 53 days two years ago.

In Portola Hills …

13. Sales: 6 sold vs. 2 a year ago.

14. Average sales price: $492,317 that ranked No. 43 out of 46 Orange County markets tracked and was up 12.7 percent in a year.

15. Compared to list: Sellers got 98.7 percent of what they typically asked for, ranking No. 17 of the 46 markets.

16. Range: High sale of $675,000 vs. the $375,000 low.

17. Sizing: On average, buyers paid $413 per square foot on a 1,192 square-foot residence. This pricing metric was up 9.3 percent in a year.

18. Market speed: 11 days, listing to escrow opened vs. 30 days a year ago and 90 days two years ago.

Compare these patterns to five October trends we saw in all of Orange County …

19. Sales: 2,553 sold vs. 2,575 a year ago.

20. Average sales price: $868,090, up 10.4 percent in a year.

21. Compared to list: 98.4 percent.

22. Sizing: On average, buyers paid $464 per square foot — up 9.7 percent in a year — on a 1,870 square-foot residence.

23. Market speed, as of Nov 30: 62 days vs. 73 days a year ago and 75 days two years ago.

DID YOU SEE …

Southern California population grows at fastest pace since 2014

Southern California housing takes nation’s largest bite of local paychecks

Southern California homes overvalued? Appraisers suggest yes

What bums out employees at Orange County’s top workplaces