Restaurant

ARIANA MADIX HAS BIGGER FISH TO FRY

It has taken years and one major scandal, but Something About Her, a sandwich shop in West Hollywood that was just opened by Vanderpump Rules castmates, Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney might soon be called something for sale! The gals came up with the idea to open the sandwich shop BEFORE Ariana’s relationship with Tom Sandoval exploded into a cheating scandal and made them both famous. The publicity propelled Ariana her to bigger opportunities -including a twirl on Dancing With The Stars and a role on a made for TV movie. Although the restaurant has long lines, Ariana is quietly looking to sell her shares in the place so she can focus on bigger money-making opportunities. As my source explains it, at the time she was just one cast member on a so-so reality show, but after the cheating scandal made her super-famous, she’s not quite sure she wants to be slicing turkey in the kitchen as part of her career.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA Ariana and Katie at crowded restaurant opening

HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

Billy Ray Cyrus’s Achy Breaky Heart broke again this week when he filed for an annulment from his estranged wife, Australian singer Firerose. While the headlines were scandalous -with both sides leveling accusations against one another- I am hearing it’s going to get even messier. Firerose is now trying to get Billy’s estranged daughter Miley and his ex-wife Tish to testify on her behalf about his history of alleged abuse. As my source puts it, the gloves are off and the punches are coming.

Travis Kelce was on the news when he was seen partying hard on Tuesday in Nashville Tennessee, but his trip wasn’t all fun and games. We heard that when he wasn’t living it up, Travis was actually checking out commercial real estate as he and his teammate Patrick Mahomes are eyeing opening a location of 1587 Prime, their Kansas City steakhouse in Nashville. Only this time their business partner will be Travis’ better half Taylor Swift. Their thinking is while there may not be many Kansas City Chief fans in Nashville, there are plenty of Taylor Swift fans there to fill the seats.

Madonna made the news when a lawsuit two concertgoers filed against her was abruptly dismissed on their part. The suit centered around Madonna starting her concert two hours late and claimed fraud. Here’s what we know. Madonna quickly filed an Anti-Slapp lawsuit against the two so that they would be legally responsible for her legal bills if they lost the seemingly frivolous case. Mere moments after the suit was filed, the duo’s case was dropped. Once again, learn your lesson people, don’t mess with Madonna.

Kevin Costner made the news when he spoke fondly about his time on Yellowstone in a cover story in People magazine. Here’s what we know. The reason for Kevin‘s sudden change of heart is because he’s quietly negotiating to rejoin the show for one final season. Kevin’s interview was his way of extending an olive branch, and if a deal can be reached, Kevin will be back on the popular show.

Finally, the big story of the week was Justin Timberlake’s arrest in Sag Harbor, New York for an alleged DUI. We are hearing two things. Justin‘s wife Jessica Biel has been telling friends that Justin seems to be going through a major midlife crisis as he’s no longer a member of one of the worlds most popular boy bands, but now a middle-aged man with wrinkles and thinning hair. From another source though, we are hearing something a little more nefarious. Some music industry insiders are speculating that the whole incident was planned to give Justin an excuse to postpone or cancel his world tour amid sluggish ticket sales. Although Justin’s team has already come out and denied it to TMZ, my sources agree that he will likely do a stint in rehab to repair his tarnished image.

PHOTO: Instagram

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE MIGHT DO IT AGAIN

It’s been 30 years since Christina Applegate opened her a popular, but short-lived restaurant, RubiRosa, in West Hollywood, and now she’s hoping to re-create the magic. The Married with Children star has put acting on the back burner due to her battle with MS, but she wants to keep herself busy. She’s been telling friends that even though her restaurant only lasted a few years, she had some of the best times of her life there. Christina’s hoping lightning strikes twice and she’s looking at available spaces in the West Hollywood area to open up a hip vegetarian restaurant. She’s altered her diet due to her health issues and has gotten creative with her vegetarian cooking – her kale lasagna (!) is one of her specialties. It is still in the planning stages, so we’ll keep you posted as we hear more updates…

Photo: Instagram

ELLEN DEGENERES AND PORTIA DE ROSSI ARE OPENING A VEGAN RESTAURANT

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia DeRossi are looking for real estate in Montecito, California. But this time they don’t want a house to flip, they’re looking for a location to open up a vegan restaurant. Although they still have a place in Los Angeles, the two women spend most of their time in Montecito, where they call Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle their neighbors. The moneyed neighborhood has some very high-end restaurants, but Portia and Ellen are NOT thrilled with the vegan options. They’re working with a private chef and hope to partner up and open up a place on Coast Village Road later this year.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

 

BROOKLYN BECKHAM IS EYEING THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS

Brooklyn Beckham may have finally figured out what to do with his life. He and his wife, Nicole Peltz, are going into the restaurant business. The jet setting couple haves homes in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Miami, so now they want to open restaurants in each city. Brooklyn has spent the last few years honing his chef skills on his poorly-received online cooking show, Cookin With Brooklyn. Back then he barely knew how to boil water and online comments were abundant and cruel, but people watched.  Nevertheless, he’s become more confident with his cooking skills. For THEIR restaurants, Brooklyn and Nicole envision clubby style places that would appeal to their generation.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

 

OPRAH: BACK IN THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS?

Oprah Winfrey wants to get back in the restaurant business. In the late 1980’s Oprah opened The Eccentric in Chicago with partners, but her TV career kept her SO busy that she  barely had time to enjoy the venture. Fast forward to now,  and Oprah is semi-retired, so she wants to open up a Members Only restaurant in Montecito, where she and her neighbors like Meghan Markle and Kevin Costner can cut loose away from the prying eyes of the public…

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

LISA VANDERPUMP IS EXPANDING, NOT DOWNSIZING

Is a rent increase the REAL reason that former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Lisa Vanderpump closing her successful West Hollywood restaurant Pump? Lisa has owned the popular place located in the center of boys town (where the gay bars and restaurants are located) for a decade, and recently revealed she‘s closing the doors because of a rent increase. A Bravo insider says that might not be the ONLY reason. Lisa, who already owns restaurants in Las Vegas and is opening more, is in talks to be the lead of The Real Housewives of Las Vegas, which is quietly being developed. Lisa and her husband are also looking at estates in the posh Lake Las Vegas area. My Bravo insider says the plan is to cast Vegas movers and shakers, and have familiar face Lisa also star.

Photo: Instagram

BEN AND JEN MIGHT GET INTO THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez want to serve you some tasty BBQ. The couple hired Jon G’s, a modest Texas-style barbecue restaurant in North Carolina, to cater their 2022 wedding and their guests absolutely FLIPPED for the food. Now Ben and Jen are hoping to invest in the mom and pop business and take it nationwide. An insider reveals the excited owners have no current desire to sell the restaurant or their recipes, but they ARE interested in partnering up with the famous couple to expand across the USA.

PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Vaughn – customers line up an hour before Jon G’s bbq opens…

GORDON RAMSAY DOESN’T ALWAYS GET IT RIGHT

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Gordon Ramsay was photographed with his cute daughter Mathilda in London. (We wonder if she’s inherited his penchant for profanity.) His family life has been less disruptive than his restaurants – he’s been married to his wife Tana since 1996 and they have four kids total. Meanwhile the restaurant he opened at The Grove here in Los Angeles was a miserable failure. Perhaps it SOUNDED like a good idea to name it The Fat Pig, but it repelled a lot of people. (Us included.) The food was described as unappetizing and overpriced ($28 for a cheeseburger at a mall?) It closed after a year and a half and the landlord sued Ramsay for $6 million, and his business partner sued him too. He even got sued by another restaurant with the same name.

Photo Credit: AKM-GSI

LISA VANDERPUMP GETS HER WAY AT THE POLO LOUNGE

Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Ken went to the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel for their special Sunday brunch that costs $67.00 per person. The restaurant doesn’t allow splitting, but Lisa INSISTED on sharing the 3 course meal with Ken. (Is she saving money or calories?) Her waiter didn’t know what to do and referred her to their manager. She turned on the “Housewives” charm and told to the manager that she and Ken ALWAYS split their meals, and could he PLEASE make an exception? He did, and we wonder if Lisa would do the same in HER restaurants…
Photo: Bravo