Restaurant titans Chez Mélange, Abigaile announce closures
Chez Melange partners Robert Bell and Michael Franks in 2009, on the evening they closed their original location in the former Plush Horse Hotel coffeeshop. Photo Less than two weeks into the new year, South Bay diners were hit with not one but two bombshells: two restaurants that changed the area’s culinary culture were closing. Chez Mélange opened in 1982, Abigaile in 2012. Both launched trends that continue to shape the South Bay. When Chez Mélange opened the South Bay restaurant scene was a decade behind the rest of Los Angeles. The new venture single-handedly dragged us into the contemporary scene. People came from miles around to gawk at a menu that wasn’t organized around any particular cultural theme, blurred the distinction between appetizers and main courses, and changed every single day, based on the best ingredients that were available. The wines included small producers few had heard of, and the staff was trained to pair them with items that were Italian, Chinese, Hispanic, or nothing we had ever seen before. The Chez pioneered wine dinners, guest chefs, and many other ideas during their early years. Chef Robert Bell often came out of the kitchen to interact with…
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