A brand new yet-to-be-named restaurant will be moving into the former space of Chez Tex in Venice, located at 218 Main St.
The new 1,200 square-foot space will be twice the size of Crudo e Nudo, which owners Brian Bornemann and Leena Culhane opened during the pandemic, along with Bella Dea in New York’s West Village. The two will team up with Chez Tex owners Hayley and Jesse Feldman to open this new restaurant in its home, which has one of the few wood-fired grills in Westside. The unnamed restaurant will open in mid-January 2023 and will feature local sake maker Sawtelle Sake to help define the menu, according to Eater LA.
“We’ve maxed out the ability of what we can serve raw at Crudo, with as many as ten items on the menu,” Bornemann tells Eater LA. “Now we’ll have the opportunity to use other proteins and veggies we couldn’t use. Black cod, skate, ray, and we’re going to add in feathers — duck, quail, pheasant, chicken. But no four-legs, no quadrupeds. We want to use something that’s underrepresented, underutilized. You can get a steak anywhere. It’s time for something a little bit more fresh.”
The Feldmans have been looking for a partnership like this since last year. When it opens, customers can expect an appropriate change to the Chez Tex space, with more of a “sexy nighttime vibe,” according to Bornemann. There will be space for 50 customers indoors, which includes a banquette and a bar, combined with an additional 20 seats at sidewalk tables. Chez Tex will shut down for two weeks in early January and will soon transform into a beautiful restaurant space with a “proper golden hour,” starting at 5 p.m.
“We admired their collective values when it came to ingredients, sustainability, and community,” said the Feldmans. “We want to divide and conquer as equal partners. We’re making the change with excitement, not regret. This is the next chapter for this space.”
