Everything that rises must converge, or so someone once said. Proof: The vertically integrated Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner, who count among their cinema empire the Landmark Theatres chain, have just linked arms with Tristan Simon, the Lord of Henderson Avenue and head of Consilient Restaurants, in a Los Angeles restaurant venture to open in June 2008. Westside Tavern will be the 10,700-square foot anchor restaurant in the newly renovated Westside Pavilion retail development. That’s an awfully big Porch.
Westside will serve upscale, chef-driven “tavern” cuisine drafted by Consilient chef Nick Badovinus and act as a counterpoint for the Pavilion’s $20-million Landmark Theatres multiplex, which, at 11,500-square feet, is the nation’s largest independent film salon. The 2,000-seat theater complex has 12 state-of-the-art screens, reserved seating, valet parking, a wine bar and concierge services. Plus, vegan cookies. Thus it is the crown jewel of Landmark’s 57 art/indie flick theaters in 23 cities. Westside Tavern marks Consilient Restaurants first foray off Texas shores since the company shed its Genghis Grill Mongolian stir-fry concept in late 2004, after it gradually swallowed the whole thing from founder Jeff Sinelli and got a bad case of the Mongolian trots. --Mark Stuertz