September Restaurant Roundup: Ludo's Fried Chicken, Mas Tacos + Mystery Omakase

We've cooed over cronuts, farm-to-table fare and inventive cocktails. Now we're back to L.A.'s most iconic food: tacos, fancy and otherwise. Chef Ricardo Diaz recently opened Colonia Taco Lounge in La Puente. Crunch into guisados-style tacos, sip craft beer and enjoy free parking. There are about a dozen taco mainstays to choose from: a delicately braised lamb barbacoa, a crisply fried cauliflower, and the doraditos (fried potato tacos filled with cheese and crema). Diaz is also planning to open a fried taco joint in Silver Lake, aptly called Duro (that's “hard” in Spanish).

Adding some mystery to our over-exposed lives (Twitheads, you know who you are), chef Josef Centeno (Bäco Mercat, Bar Amá) is opening Orsa & Winston in downtown L.A., in the Old Bank District. He offers Japanese-Italian tasting menus (five-course tasting menu, nine-course omakase or a family-style prix-fixe), which rotate regularly. At the four-seat chef's counter, a “super omakase” menu is available with advance reservations. You never know what you're going to get: “Rice,” the name of one tasting menu might feature uni and razor clam risotto with Koshihikari sushi rice, according to Urban Daddy. For “Dessert”? Your guess is as good as ours. The official open date is Oct. 2. You can make reservations by calling (213) 687-7000 or through info@orsaandwinston.com.

Ludo Lefebvre and Lee Zeidman at LudoBird; Credit: Photo credit: Evan Gole, Staples Center

Bringing fried chicken to the Staples Center, Ludo Lefebvre opened LudoBird, a stand serving roughly the same menu as his LudoTruck, with a few tweaks. Krissy Lefebvre, Ludo's wife and business partner, explains that the white meat and dark meat of the Provençal chicken (original recipe) can be ordered as just chicken or on a sandwich. There's also garlic honey wings, along with house-made potato chips and a new potato salad. Look out for sweet and salty ice cream sandwiches and honey lavender biscuits.

Read on for a full list of recent openings and closings:

Restaurant Openings:

Donut Friend: 5107 York Blvd., Los Angeles; (213) 995-6191.

Hakkasan: 233 N Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills; (310) 888-8661.

Juice Served Here: 8366 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles.

Mercado: 7910 W 3rd St., Los Angeles (323) 944-0947.

Orsa & Winston: 122 W 4th St., Los Angeles; (213) 687-0300.

Rao's: 1006 Seward St., Los Angeles; (323) 962-7267.

South End: 2805 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice; (424) 228-4736.

Sweet Rose Creamery: 826 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica.

Colonia Taco Lounge: 13030 Valley Blvd., La Puente; (626) 363-4691.

Ludobird: 1111 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles; (877) 522-8669.

643 North: 643 North Spring St., Los Angeles; (213) 687-8888.

Sage: 4114 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City; (424) 228-5835.

TLT Food: 225 W. 7th St., Los Angeles; (213) 377-5333.

The Know Where Bar: 5634 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; (323) 217-6560.

Twins Sliders: 5940 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.

Umami Burger: 738 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles.

Zo: 334 S. Main St., Los Angeles; (213) 935-8409.

Restaurant Closings:

Buddha's Belly: 7475 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 931-8588.

House Cafe: 8114 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 655-5553.

Murakami Sushi (temporary shutter): 1714 N Wilcox Ave., Hollywood; (323) 467-8181.

The Parish: 840 S. Spring St., Los Angeles; (213) 225-2400.

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