M Café, a casual restaurant opened by Chaya Restaurant Group in 2005 serving “contemporary macrobiotic cuisine,” is closing on Saturday, September 30 following an 18-year run on Melrose Avenue. The restaurant and its landlord were unable to successfully renegotiate new lease terms, a representative from M Café tells Eater.
“We opened our doors more than 18 years ago here at our Melrose location and our hope was to change the way we eat by providing healthy, yet great tasting, balanced whole food based on the foundation of macrobiotic cuisine. It has been a great ride,” the restaurant shared in a statement posted to Instagram. “Someday, we hope to be able to re-open and hope to serve all of you again.” M Café will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. through September 30.
Mid-Autumn Festival, Vietnamese-style
LôiLôi, a Little Saigon-based coffee shop and concept space, is hosting its first-ever LA event on Saturday, September 30 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in celebration of Tết Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Festival). The event will feature a coffee pop-up, food vendors selling Vietnamese breakfast foods, activities, workshops, and more. Tickets are priced at $15 and are available on Eventbrite.
Meet Nicky Fisher, Echo Park’s ice cream whisperer
Eater LA contributor Emily Wilson recently launched a restaurant-focused Substack called the Angel. Her debut article profiling Nicky Fisher, the owner of Echo Park’s El Prado bar and the ice cream shop Fluffy McCloud’s, explores his ice cream-making process, the art inside the parlor, and more.
Pumpkin spice season is here
Pumpkin spice season is in full swing at Sweet Lady Jane (multiple locations). The autumnal gourd-inspired line-up includes pumpkin spice cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting, pumpkin spiced whoopie pies with coffee mascarpone filling, and pumpkin spice cake in a jar.
Pass the pasta, please
LA’s favorite dried pasta purveyor Semolina is hosting a meet and greet with Italian food expert Viola Buitoni at its Pasadena manufactory on Thursday, September 28 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Buitoni will prepare a pasta recipe from her new book Italy by Ingredient, while Ventura Spirits will be pouring Amaro Angeleno. Tickets start at $12 and are available on Eventbrite.
A new tenant at Roy’s in Pasadena
The long-vacant Roy’s restaurant space on the ground floor of the Trio apartments at 641 E. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena will soon have a new tenant. Star Leaf will serve a pan-Asian menu and is slated to open on November 1.
Bettina gets into the frozen pizza game
Santa Barbara pizza darling Bettina is teaming up with Kitchenette to offer frozen pies to the public. The two pizzas — margherita ($20) and white pie ($23) — are available for purchase online with local delivery in the Santa Barbara area.
Chinatown royalty
Chinatown Community for Equitable Development celebrates local legend Zen Mei Bistro on its social channels. Located on the corner of Yale and Alpine, the Cantonese stalwart has been serving the Chinatown community for over a decade.