Amá•cita, Tex-Mex with an L.A. twist, opens in Culver City; Taco Drama in Koreatown

Openings

Tex-Mex with an L.A. Twist

Amá•cita is now open in Culver City from Josef Centeno, the chef-owner of Bäco Mercat, Orsa & Winston and Bar Amá. A modern Tex-Mex menu includes mesquite-grilled pork collar skewers, tacos dorados, chorizo-rubbed Denver Wagyu skirt steak, blistered okra with ranchero sauce and blue cheese-stuffed crispy hot ham.

9552 Washington Blvd., Culver City, (424) 523-3300, ama-cita.com

Grill switch

Mideast Tacos will launch its first pop-up Aug. 9 in Highland Park. Owner Armen Martirosyan said he is making big changes to the way his meats are prepared by cooking skewered chicken and steak over grapevines on a traditional Armenian manghal grill. The Mexican/Middle Eastern fusion cart, celebrated for its falafel taco, will still appear at Smorgasburg on Sundays.

5300 York Blvd., Highland Park, mideasttacos.com

Drama king

Tacos Drama is popping up Friday and Saturday nights next to Here’s Looking at You in Koreatown. The streetside taqueria comes from James “Drama” Martinez, the restaurant’s former chef de cuisine and a veteran of Manhattan Beach Post and Animal. Expect birria de chivo, beef cheek barbacoa and tacos campechanos with longaniza, chicharron and rib-eye steak.

3901 W. 6th St., Los Angeles, instagram.com/tacosdrama

Menya at work

Menya Hanabi will be soft-open starting Thursday in Arcadia. Specializing in a Taiwanese-influenced, soup-less ramen made popular in Nagoya, Japan, the restaurant will serve virtually the same menu of noodles and side dishes as it does at its overseas locations. The grand opening will follow July 28.

733 W. Naomi Ave., Arcadia, (626) 623-6190, facebook.com/menyahanabiusa

Mezcal and the lamb barbacoa that loves it

Lanea, which takes over the former Copa d’Oro space, is now open in Santa Monica. Beachy, agave-based cocktails are the focus, including the Batanga with tequila, Coca-Cola and a salt rim that gets stirred with a steak knife. There’s also a menu from East L.A. barbacoa specialist Barba Kush, including its signature pit-roasted lamb barbacoa.

217 Broadway, Santa Monica, (424) 265-7437, gotolanea.com

French bistro favorites in Brentwood

Meet in Paris recently opened a second location in Brentwood. The French restaurant serves escargots, croque-monsieur and lobster crepes during breakfast and lunch, and boeuf Bourguignon, moules frites and poulet roti for dinner.

11740 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, meetrestaurantla.com

Ace jam

Asso Pasta Bar & Wine recently opened in Silver Lake. Dishes alternate every two to three weeks, including items such as tonnarelli cacio e pepe, lasagna, cavolo nero, and bruschetta with smoked salmon.

4019 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 522-6769, assopasta.com

Fried prawns and spicy pork ears in the SGV

Sichuan Classic Kitchen is now open in Artesia. The menu includes spicy pork ears, fried prawns, Chongqing noodles and boiled fish with pickled cabbage and chiles.

17806 S. Pioneer Blvd., Artesia, (562) 865-9901

Smash it up

Brick Burgers is now popping up in a Northridge parking lot with smashburgers made with freshly ground U.S. Wagyu, American cheese and dill pickles.

16958 Nordhoff St., Northridge, instagram.com/brickburgers

Closings

Good Measure closed on Sunday after nearly two years in Atwater Village.

Scoops Westside will close Aug. 24, after more than eight years in Palms.

Falafel King is closed after 30 years in Westwood. A handwritten note left behind hints at an eventual new location.

Extras

A restaurant named V is taking over the former Mas Malo space in downtown, with plans to open in August. The following month, the restaurant hopes to open a location in Sweden.

515 W. 7th St., Los Angeles, v.restaurant

The PokeBar, a pop-up bar for Pokémon fans, will open Sept. 7 in Hawthorne.

3411 El Segundo Blvd., Hawthorne, thepokebarpopup.com

Cinderella Cakes, a long-standing bakery with four locations in Orange County, is planning to open a store in Beverly Hills in the fall.

214 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, cinderellacakes.com

Las Perlas Mezcal Bar will open a West Hollywood location at the end of 2019; its original location is in downtown L.A.

Thomas Keller will open a new, yet-to-be-named concept at Wynn Las Vegas in the fall of 2020.