Owner of new Echo Park restaurant speaks up
I got a chance to speak with Tony Yanow, owner of Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank as well as the new restaurant being installed in the old Ramona Theater in Echo Park. The reason for our conversation revolved around concerns brought up by residents involved in the www.echoparklife.org website, which we wrote about last week. Mr. Yanow wanted to address a few of those concerns, including parking, bar hours, and the wood-fired pizza oven.
Parking
Mr. Yanow says he has secured well over the 54 spots required for a restaurant that size. While details are still being worked out, he has approximately 80 spots so far. As far as how many people he expects to be in the restaurant at any given time, he would “absolutely love” for all 200 seats in the house to be full at all times, but isn’t convinced the presence of the new restaurant will increase the parking problem (or rather, not much) for the neighborhood than there already is. He has suggested to neighbors they research getting a placard system for their neighborhood (residents surrounding Dodger Stadium are well-versed in that effort).
In addition, he will be installing bike racks outside of the restaurant like he has at his other restaurant, Tony’s Darts Away located in Burbank.
Restaurant hours
“I have long hours,” Mr. Yanow told me, “but the reason for the long hours isn’t because I want to flood the neighborhood with noise and debree.”
Tony’s Darts, he says, has been open for four months without a single complaint from a single neighbor. Tony and his family live in Los Feliz, and says he loves Echo Park and understands the community. He says the new restaurant in Echo Park is not going to be an upscale place, but a nice, friendly family place that he can bring his own family to. He will be posting a sign (you’ll see one similar to what he’s posting in front of the Short Stop in Echo Park) that will say something along the lines of “be nice to our neighbors” and keep the noise down. It’s important to him that he has a restaurant that is “in keeping with what the neighborhood vibe is.”
Pizza oven
Mr. Yanow says his pizza oven is the same oven they use at the California Pizza Kitchen establishments. Everything is up to code, ducted properly, and no different than any other gas appliance, so he doesn’t feel it will be a problem with the neighbors.
Live music and noise
Apparently the old theater was, on occasion, used as a space for some louder bands to play in the past, and neighbors complained because of the noise. There’s just a big, giant hole in the roof, which Mr. Yanow is sealing and actually replacing the entire roof so that noise won’t be directed at the neighbors behind 
the building, but instead being directed toward the street in the front. The back of the building is 16 feet underground, and a new air conditioning system is being put in, so the building will be better insulated. He says that he does have permits for live music, but no permits to sell tickets pre-sale or charge a cover, and no permit for dancing. In his words, “it’s not a nightclub, it’s a restaurant.”
It seems like the bottom line for Mr. Yanow is that he really does want the new restaurant to help the property values along that block (there are quite a few empty store fronts). “That block is under-served, and could be such a magical block, but it seems so desolate. I think the community will really respond to the food and the alcohol. I can’t stress enough about how excited I am about the menu.”
The menu is going to be very “fresh” and will depend on local farmer’s market finds, so it will be changing based on what’s available. He and and his family are vegan (his seven-year-old daughter is, for the most part), so they plan on having a vegan menu in addition to the non-vegan menu. A lot of the hype revolving Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank is a large drink menu with vegan beers, and he plans on extending a similar bar menu into the Echo Park establishment (he comes from a craft beer background and focuses the menu on local and/or California beer).
I asked him about the restaurant next door, Elf Cafe, and whether or not he thinks they’ll be competing. As a vegan himself, he LOVES Elf Cafe. “Our food is very very different from what they do at Elf, so I hope we’ll be a nice compliment to each other.”
Tony's Darts Away wine keg, Flickr photo via greenlagirl
Besides the beer, I have to admit I’m a little excited to have more restaurants in Echo Park focused on the basics of being environmentally friendly (hat tip to Masa, which offers compostable to-go packaging). Apart from the napkins and straws that you have to have in a restaurant, he plans on having zero waste from bar. They’ll reuse everything when they can (menus are printed because they will change often, but they will reuse those), and everything is post-consumer waste. They are operating as a bottle-free bar, where beer is kegged and even wine is custom kegged for them.
Other than that, count on the new restaurant to be a place where you can watch a Dodgers or Lakers game, but sports won’t be on all the time.
Initially, the restaurant was to be called El Camino, but they are still playing around with the name. If you’d like to give in your two cents for what it should be called (perhaps think about something represents Echo Park) visit the Facebook page for Tony’s Darts Away and share your ideas for the restaurant name.
Finally…
The website Echo Park Life has gotten a lot of criticism lately regarding their efforts, but they did respond yesterday and will hopefully clarify some things with readers (including why your comments may not be showing up on the site), so take a look and maybe you’ll get a chance to see them at the upcoming meeting on Wednesday to discuss issues revolving the new restaurant at the old Ramona Theater. They are nice people, we just all need to be on the same page and understand where everyone is coming from.
The Echo Park Improvement Association Neighborhood Issues committee will be meeting on Wednesday, August 18 at 7:00 pm at Williams Hall, Barlow Hospital, to talk to Mr. Yanow and other residents about what to expect. I’ll be posting the agenda as soon as it’s published. See you there!
UPDATE:
Looks like Mr. Yanow and his crew have decided on a name for the new spot, and are calling it Mohawk Brasserie. Click here for the Facebook page.
Related Articles:
- “Old Ramona Theater Begins Transformation.” July 28, 2010. Echo Park Now
- “Echo Park restaurant owner responds to his critics.” August 16, 2010. The Eastsider LA
I can’t even fathom why anyone may have a problem with this. I can’t wait for this, and wish more of the eyesore empty spaces in our area would fill up w/ new, smart, forward thinking restaurants.
great post! i am so glad to see blogs brining attention to this matter, and it think it’s ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS that neighbors are trying to keep tony’s out.
that building is an eye sore right now. what could be bad about bringing a nice, chill, restaurant/bar into an area that needs more places to hang out?
i hope everything works out for tony and he is able to open this restaurant up soon. vegan pizza and beer sound amazing.
I’m with Bob. something like this would help transform what is a dingy area. I’m glad somebody like Tony has the guts to take on old buildings like this – there are way too many of them all over LA rotting to bits.
Anyone that opposes a new restaurant that serves local food, local beer, cares about the neighborhood and will bring value and quality to a run down, dilapidated homeless hangout is crazy. What’s next, anti gay marriage?? …..oh wait
I’ve encountered this kind of resistance to “change” in other parts of the country where I’ve lived, so it’s not unique to here, by any means. But, the opposition/complaints about this place and some of the other restaurants, bars, etc in the area are almost kind of funny. Yes, you can get a semi-loud “bar crowd,” and often times, sure, someone peeing on the sidewalk. I’d much rather deal with that than 1) empty buildings 2) homeless sleeping in front of said empty buildings 3) a heavily “gangified” neighborhood. I’d think just about anyone would prefer that, but it appears not.
This will be a great addition to the area!! I have been waiting for someone to take over that old empty dumpy theatre for years, let alone a local/vegan friendly place that serves quality food and drinks at great prices, I can only imagine this will be a great improvement to Echo Park. Good luck Tony! Love your spot in Burbank!
What Tony’s doing will be great for this area. He shouldn’t be punished bringing a very sound business and great restaurant to an area that needs this kind of positive revitilization. The neighborhood should be thankful someone is willing to take a chance and invest time and money into the old place.
Anyone who’s resisting this should take a look what he did in Burbank. Tony’s Darts Away is my go-to neighborhood place – it’s local, quiet, and has quality fare and people, not to mention dog beds and bike racks in front!
Speaking as a neighbor of Tony’s Darts Away, I’ve been impressed with how they’ve managed their business. There is a little bit of increased traffic and parking, but a lot of it is also bike/foot traffic and the customer base is very low-key and relaxed. There’s no “bar crowd”, and in fact I’m pretty comfortable bringing my toddler by for lunch on occasion. He took a pretty barren spot and made something of it, while being considerate of the neighbors. You guys have nothing to worry about!
for those of you who don’t understand why people living in the immediate vicinity would be concerned, i’ll shed some light for you. i own a home on the street immediately behind the old theater and have spoken to many residents on both Mohawk and Elsinore Streets. there are those of us who welcome the idea of a great new place to get some good food and a beverage within walking distance, but others who don’t. personally, i’m all for it and look forward to it opening.
it sounds like it will be cool.
others are not so keen on it because they fear a constant flow of cars onto our streets from those who don’t want to valet their cars, increased foot traffic from people who have been drinking who and are prone to talking loudly, fighting and urinating in front of our houses– all of this potentially going on until after 2am when the place closes.
some who live closer to the venue also worry about noise and smells wafting up into their homes. there are apartments and houses within 100 feet or so of the back of restaurant. believe it or not, Mohawk and Elsinore streets are VERY quite at night despite their proximity to Sunset. there was talk of a back patio or open area in some online articles about the restaurant at one point, but it seems to me that Mr. Yanow has addressed that by fixing the roof or changing his plans.
others are concerned about alcohol being served during the day because of the new elementary school being built less than a block away. there are a lot of kids living on the surrounding streets and many more will be walking to and from the school. that might be a sticking point for some residents.
i can say that we are definitely banding together as a neighborhood to try and get “permit parking only” to try and mitigate some of these fears, but there are lots of hoops to jump through to get this done.
despite the push for permit parking, many feel that also protesting the liquor license is the only way to get their voices heard. the city, in its approval process seemed less concerned about the people living in the immediate vicinity than it did about increasing its tax revenue. many residents had no idea this was going to happen or could not attend the hearing because it was held at 11am on a weekday. as a result, many formal protests have been filled out and sent to the ABC, if for anything, to try and limit the hours that alcohol can be served. Citysip, the wine and beer bar directly across the street is only open untill 11pm on weekdays and Midnight on the weekends. I think most in the area are happy with that and are pleased with its addition to the neighborhood. i hope that Mr. Yanow’s establishment will ultimately be welcomed in the same way.
hope this makes things clear for those of you who don’t live in the immediate area…
Thanks for that, K.O.!
We also must remember that just because the liquor license applied for allows alcohol to be served until 2:00 am (CitySip probably has the same license), it doesn’t mean they will be open until 2:00 am. Hours aren’t finalized for the restaurant yet, but I personally doubt there will be a problem as it’s not a club environment for people to hang out in until the wee hours of the morning.
Thanks for reading!
I am a huge fan of Tony’s Dart’s Away in Burbank and travel there often, despite it not being convenient location to where I live. I am so excited for another Tony location, especially one offering vegan brick oven pizza. I can only imagine benefits for a neighborhood with the addition of a successful business where there was previously a vacant building. That this business will utilize primarily local resources and produce minimal waste is another benefit. Change from the status quo is always scary in a neighborhood, but I cannot imagine how a vacant building serves to benefit the neighborhood in terms of either safety or property value. I will be one of the first customers lining up!
Great post, Kelly! I don’t live in Echo Park, so maybe I should shut my trap, but I’m really excited for this place. It sounds like a classy joint with high-quality food and drinks that probably wouldn’t attract too many outdoor urinators. But that’s easy for me to say,sitting here in Mount Washington.
If they serve food late, it will be a brilliant move since there aren’t too many good cozy late-night spots this side of town.
Thank you KO for at least presenting the opposing view, as it has been hard to understand why there is any opposition at all.
The adjacent neighbors have chosen to live 1 block from a very busy thoroughfare. It might be on the quiet side and protected from the hustle and bustle of Sunset but they are near a commercial area and they have to understand that. I don’t see why we don’t have permit parking already. Seems like it’s the obvious solution to everyone’s problems. Maybe the owner could help spearhead that effort, though it really ought to be those who live nearby.
I live 4 blocks away and this will not affect me as much, but I feel it brings a tremendous benefit to our area and I know that all of my neighbors agree. That block needs this and frankly whatever the owners want to do with it is their prerogative as long as they do their best to keep patrons in the commercial area. It sounds like they have gone above and beyond, so I’m surprised that they are taking such an aggressive and protesting stand against this business.
As for people drinking during the day, give me a break. Adults sit in restaurants all over the world and drink during the day. So why not here? That is absurd.
Like many of you voiced above, I think this business will be a tremendous asset to the neighborhood and from what I’ve been reading about the ownership (google-Tony’s Darts Away) this seems like the kind of people we want here in Echo Park.
To the neighbors complaining: just as you want us to be sensitive to your needs, remember that this community is bigger than 1 block and this is a good thing for everyone. Please work with the owner to come up with reasonable solutions. He is improving that block and thus helping all of us.
Peace out
fyi: it’s not just one block– it’s more than 8 blocks. those who live in the Washington Heights tract above Sunset between Alvarado, Waterloo and Reservoir more than understand the realities of living adjacent to a commercial area. for some of us, that was part of the draw for moving to this part of Echo Park, buying these great old homes and rennovating them. the neighborhood keeps getting better all the time and this is truly one of the best places to live in L.A. for rich diversity, incredible topography and the ability to walk to all sorts of amenities. mr. yanow’s restaurant will be another great addition, for some of us, at least… (why not call it The Ramona???).
we also know that the parking issue is ours to fix. we have a sense of urgency and are building a consensus among residents to get it now because we are also dealing with the potential for a 5 story 64 unit mixed use building with inadequate parking for tenants, guests and those visiting the retail stores that will straddle between Sunset and Elsinore.
For anyone who has a problem with this restaurant, I highly recommend that you visit Tony’s other place, “Tony’s Darts Away,” in Burbank. The bar is quite the opposite of a wild, irresponsible, and loud venue. It is quite civilized, well run, and has a strong understanding of its place as a local business. Tony is exactly the kind of business owner we should be ENCOURAGING to setup more places, not discouraging. He creates relaxed, family friendly environments that cater to different appetites and interests. What’s more, he is incredibly committed to keeping carbon footprint costs low and supporting our local economy.
This new restaurant won’t just be a delight for local residents, it will serve as a model for future endeavors. I support it fully and can’t wait for it to open.
If Echo Park residents were to spend a few hours at Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank, their fears would vanish and they’d realize how lucky they are to have Mr. Yanow establish a business in their neighborhood! He took a dark, foreboding dive bar and turned it into a thriving, upscale but not pretentious establishment where craft beer enthusiasts can enjoy a wide variety of California craft beer and delicious food. I love that it’s California-centric, and that he takes such a green approach…even shunning bottled beer. How many bars do you know of that provide bicycle racks!
The Ramona Theatre restaurant will attract a very desirable type of customer to the area, and be a huge step forward in the renovation of this somewhat rundown area. Why anybody would prefer a crime-ridden abandoned building to a thriving business that will bring much needed dollars & jobs is beyond me.
Good luck to you Tony! I can’t wait to visit the new restaurant.
I think this undertaking sounds crazy. If you ask me, he should stop before he loses tons of money. The neighborhood really wants a movie theater in that space. Tony could cut his loses now, open a movie theater that sells beer and wine and keep everyone happy. AND he won’t be closing his doors in 6 months because he took on too much. That’s my 2 cents.
This restaurant and bar sounds phenomenal! Los Angeles, and every city, is in necessity of a fantastic, thoughtful, delicious and entertaining destination to go to. Amazing food, amazing beer, amazing atmosphere… there is nothing but positives that this establishment brings to Sunset @ Mohawk. Cheers!
I live at Mohawk and Reservoir, and I couldn’t be more excited to have this place open.
Thank you so much for you post, KO.
And to those of you who are perceiving the neighbors around the new restaurant as whiners,
I live on Mohawk next to International Playground, literally right around the corner from the theatre. I couldn’t be more psyched that a place like this is opening so close. I’m not worried about it attracting the wrong crowd or being too loud (i live across the street from a damn fire department, so safe to say noise doesn’t bother me too much). From what I’ve read, this joint combines 3 things I absolutely love: veggie food, pizza, and BEER. AWESOME.
What I DON’T love is walking back to my home alone in the middle of the night after having to park a mile away because my street and all the surrounding streets are filled with cars of non-residents. This is usually the case on friday, saturday, and sunday nights if I get home too late, which I’ve kept in mind and started to head back home earlier. But I worry this will be the case EVERY night after Mohawk Bend opens and make the weekend nights even worse.
As I said, I am very excited about this restaurant and I think we definitely need to push for permit parking for residents. I love my apartment, love my neighborhood and neighbors, and don’t want the opening of Mohawk Bend, as awesome as it may be, to become a reason to move.
I used to live two blocks away and walk past the abandoned theater all the time. Here is a list of things I have seen at the theater in passing:
– a run-down eyesore
– a homeless person pooping in a flower box
Having a great restaurant instead of a giant, ugly, empty building will do wonders for the neighborhood. I don’t know how anyone could be upset about this.
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