One of West Hollywood’s most well-known restaurants is heading out to Calabasas, and it could have big meaning for the future of the west San Fernando Valley. The standalone city of Calabasas is known as a bastion of upscale suburban living, punctuated by lots of wealthy and well-known locals who — until recently — haven’t had a ton of great LA dining options to choose from. Now comes Crossroads Kitchen, the plant-based staple from Melrose that’s owned and operated by star chef Tal Ronnen.
The new Crossroads takes up residence in a former Corner Bakery space at the Caruso-owned Commons at Calabasas. Ronnen told Eater last week that the plan would be to essentially replicate much of what has made the vegan Crossroads so successful in West Hollywood, meaning a mix of simpler fare like salads and pizza to more thoughtful turns like housemade fettuccine with black truffles, pumpkin seed tofu marsala, and artichoke ‘oyster’ starters.
“It’s going to be very similar to the original,” said Ronnen by phone. “The same style of booths, even the same guy who did all the millwork for the wood.” The new restaurant will offer loads more outdoor seating, though, and keep a slightly more upscale lunchtime menu as well; currently the Melrose location offers a more fast casual dining experience during the daytime.
Ronnen said that he had been hearing for years from Calabasas and Hidden Hills residents that a Crossroads would work there, so now he’s finally giving it a go. “It can be a good 45 minutes to an hour to drive to Melrose,” says Ronnen. “They’re happy to do it once in a while, but not every week.” So now, he’s bringing the plant-based menu to them, with hopes of pulling in even more regulars.
Word is already out about the upcoming opening. The City of Calabasas is so excited they announced the news in a press release, and local Kourtney Kardashian spotted (and posted about) signage for Crossroads at the Commons just yesterday. The neighborhood hasn’t been this excited since the opening of Beverly Hills / Pacific Palisades Italian staple Porta Via at the Commons a while back. An opening is slated for sometime this fall. Ronnen and the Crossroads team must first brave Las Vegas, where an opening is planned at Resorts World this spring.
