West Hollywood’s restaurant scene continues to evolve, with the opening this week of Oliver’s Prime at the Grafton on Sunset and news that Fatty’s Public House is being turned into Open Air Kitchen + Bar, likely a more appealing name to health-conscious Southern California diners.
Oliver’s Prime, a 74-seat steakhouse, fills the space left empty with the closing in 2012 of the Olive Kitchen + Bar, one of several Los Angeles-area restaurants that restaurateur Greg Morris closed in recent years (the Spanish Kitchen in 2012 and Oak Fire Pizzeria and Pub in 2011). Oliver’s Prime chef Greg Elkin offers a menu that focuses on steak and seafood.
Oliver’s Prime, 8462 Sunset near Olive, thus becomes the fourth major restaurant on Sunset with a steakhouse focus. Las Vegas nightclub developer Victor Drai’s Rare by Drai’s at 8720 Sunset Blvd. replaced BLT Steakhouse in December. Then there’s Innovation Dining Group’s BOA Steakhouse, which opened at 9200 Sunset in 2009. Saddle Ranch Chop House, 8371 Sunset, opened in 1999, adding a “Western” feel (along with a mechanical bull that guests can ride).
Broseph Restaurant Group opened Fatty’s Public House, whose name is a reference to the notorious actor Fatty Arbuckle, last summer. Renovations are under way to turn Fatty’s, 829 N. La Cienega near Willoughby, into Open Air Kitchen + Bar, which is adding more cosmopolitan items, such as prosciutto, fig and arugula salad, to a menu characterized by entrees such as braised short ribs and a French dip sandwich. The transition to Open Air, which involves interior redesign, is expected to be completed next month. Fatty’s remains open for dining while the work progresses.
