Which Bravolebrity Is Opening a Big New Restaurant Near Lisa Vanderpump's SUR?
The Vanderpump Rules crew might be tempted by this upcoming West Hollywood hotspot.
An adventurous Vanderpump Rules fan could make an entire evening out of bar hopping between Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd's West Hollywood establishments SUR, Pump, and Tom Tom, which are all within walking (and stumbling) distance of each other. And later this year, another Bravolebrity will open a place in this zone of fun, adding another potential eating and drinking stop on this unofficial tour.
Ladies of London alum Marissa Hermer and her husband, Matt Hermer, have signed a lease on the space that formerly housed actress Jessica Biel's kid-focused restaurant Au Fudge, which closed under a cloud of bad labor accusations last summer. After remodeling, they plan to open a new Mediterranean restaurant called Olivetta in the space as early as this fall.
Olivetta will be the second local restaurant for the Hermers, who are seasoned restaurateurs in London. Ladies of London viewers saw them plan a move from England to California as the series concluded in 2017; they opened a beautiful brasserie called The Draycott in Pacific Palisades just last September.
"The local knowledge we have in London in the food and beverage sector and the lack of the local knowledge that we had in the food and beverage sector in California was like the steepest learning curve that we've ever had opening up any site," Marissa admitted to The Feast at The Draycott over the Hermers' famous Walton Street watermelon martinis, which were also a staple on Ladies of London and are sure to give LVP's Pump-tinis a run for their money.
"We sprinted before we could walk," she said. And the neighborhood turned out in droves.
"In London, there are other places to go to, people are not starved for anywhere to go, so our day one we had a parade coming in the front door and it was like, 'Oh my!'" she recalled. "So it was full on!"
Before moving back to California, Marissa had her doubts about leaving her adopted home in London, and thought they'd be back in the United Kingdom within six months. Luckily, she figured out a way to have her cake and eat it, too.
"When we moved here, I was nostalgic for London. Now I don't miss it," she admitted. "But when we first moved here I did and so I really created this place that reminded me of London. And people walk in here and they’re like, 'This feels like London!' And I go, 'Well, thats what I was hoping for, that’s what I wanted.'"
Marissa still makes frequent visits to London, where they still own bars and restaurants, but she now prefers their California life.
"After finding this lovely, nourishing family rhythm in the Palisades, after five days in London, I’m done. I’m like, 'Put me in a body bag and send me home.' I need my hikes and green juices and family time. London is the best city in the world, without a doubt, but there is something that’s very nourishing about going back to your childhood home, which is this."
