Photo by Alen Lin
We know have official word from the Patina Group about the not-so-shocking Paperfish closing last night:
“It is with sadness that I made the decision to close Paperfish.” said Joachim Splichal, Chef and Founder of Patina Restaurant Group. “Much time, effort and creativity went into the foundation of the restaurant, but we had an option in our lease to return the space to our landlord, and with the current economic climate, it did not make sense to continue to foster this new concept. Executive Chef Kevin Meehan is a wonderful chef and I look forward to working with him as he continues to impress at another Patina Restaurant Group property.”
We're told other staffers who were let go last night may be rolled into other Patina restaurants or catering operations should they so choose.
Why this closing is significant: This was Splichal's new seafood concept and his first restaurant on the Westside, and it was supposed to breathe new life in the former Maple Drive space, which was once a must-go spot but completely waned after the 90s. He brought in a young talented chef (Yianni Koufondontis who shined at Petros in Manhattan Beach after working at Spago and Maple Drive), but the two did not mesh. After opening in November 2007, the critics views were mixed (half-star review from the Times, but Brad Johnson at Angeleno thought it was best restaurant in Splichal's entire portfolio), and then Koufondontis was replaced with a Patina alum, but even that could keep it afloat. We only ate lunch there way in the beginning and, yes, it all felt a little too corporate---the setting and the food. Splichal and the Patina Group will no longer be affiliated with that space, so we'll keep our eyes on what might go in there.
· Eater Inside: Paperfish [~ELA~]
· Week in Reviews: Paperfish Sinks [~ELA~]
· Breaking: Paperfish Shake Up [~ELA~]
· New Paperfish Chef [~ELA~]
· Late Breaking: Paperfish, Out [~ELA~]
For more stories from Eater LA, go to la.eater.com.
