Patina’s Birthday Present: A New Decor

When Patina celebrates its sixth birthday on Wednesday and Thursday with two extravagant dinners (sorry, both are already sold out), the French restaurant will unveil a new look. Joe Terrell, who designed Cafe Pinot downtown, has been charged with the task of freshening up Patina’s decor. The bar is being refinished, the limestone floors are being resealed. He’s upholstering banquettes and chairs in richer fabrics. And Christine Splichal has picked out new china and Frette linens. Joachim Splichal has added a new rare Armagnac and cognac list--and a collection of special coffees, too.

Patina, on Melrose, will now be closed for lunch every day except Tuesdays. That’s because Pinot Hollywood Restaurant & Martini Bar is opening Oct. 21 in the old Columbia Bar & Grill on Sunset. Patina’s lunch staff is simply moving over to the new bistro/ brasserie. Pinot Hollywood’s executive chef/partner is Jon Fernow, who was in charge of catering at Patina. Now comes a tongue twister: Next door will be Patinette at Pinot Hollywood, a takeout with small lunch counter modeled after Patinette at MOCA downtown.

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Pumping Breakfast: How about starting the day with a breakfast that includes 10 scrambled egg whites served with a choice of banana buckwheat pancakes, Oregon oatmeal or oven-roasted skirt steak? Yes, breakfast is back at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Schatzi on Main. Starting at 6 a.m. weekdays, all the big guys are there tucking into the aforementioned bodybuilder’s breakfast. For the rest of us, chef Robert Cocca proposes a menu of less weighty items.

Get the Skinny on Fat: Saturday afternoon Barnes & Noble in Pasadena hosts a free lecture and discussion by Anita A. Jones, author of “Healthy Dining in Los Angeles.” The book is a compilation of menu items from local restaurants that meet the American Heart Assn. and U.S. surgeon general’s guidelines. Jones will advise health-conscious diners how to eat out at local restaurants and still watch out for fat and calories.

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Openings: Volare, a new Italian restaurant on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills, opens early next week. Its owner-chef is Rita Zeppieri, who has had restaurants in Italy, Canada and San Diego. The focus of the 90-seat restaurant is a wood-burning pizza oven where Zeppieri plans to cook not only pizzas, but rabbits, ducks, game birds and more. Volare will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. . . . Cobalt Cantina debuts in the former Babylon space on Robertson in West Hollywood next Thursday. The California-Southwestern menu will be very similar to the original restaurant’s in Silver Lake. However, Peter Raub, who oversees both kitchens, has added a few new appetizers and lighter dishes for the West Hollywood crowd. After the first weekend, it will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. Hmmm. Is everybody in sync or what?

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Reader Redux: So what if the big chains give you 20% or more off on bestsellers? At Book Soup bookstore in West Hollywood, all through September get 10% off what you spend on books--any books--taken off your bill at Book Soup Bistro next door. “At Book Soup we want you to go home well read and well fed,” reads a flyer.

For more restaurant coverage please see Thursday’s Food section and Sunday’s Los Angeles Times Magazine.