Santa Monica’s evolving food scene continues to flourish with three more unique eateries coming to, and finally filling out, the Kitchen United Mix food court on the city’s Third Street Promenade.
Gogo Ya, which specializes in crispy nori sushi tacos and bento bowls, is already open; Ms. Clucks Deluxe, offers Japanese-inspired twists on chicken and dumplings and is set to open in late April and Mr Roni Cups will offer Italian pizza and will open in mid-May.
All three quirky-named, fast-casual restaurants will sit either side of Farmesa on the second floor of the Kitchen United Mix, at 1315 Third Street. Gogo Ya and Mr Roni Cups will share the space to the right of the Chipotle spin-off, if you’re looking at it, close to the outdoor dining area, while Clucks Deluxe will be to the left.
However, these aren’t brand new culinary concepts, James Beard Award-Winning Chef Tim Cushman and restaurateur Nancy Cushman have been operating the first outposts of all three outlets in Boston since 2018.
"I’ve always had immense reverence for Los Angeles’ food scene, and can’t wait to be back in my old stomping grounds," said Tim, who began his career in Southern California working for pioneering chefs like Michael Roberts, Roy Yamaguchi, and Nobu Matsuhisa. "I’m proud and humbled to re-join such a vibrant culinary community."
And the city of Santa Monica continues to be a tantalizing testbed for our taste buds as new trends give us new flavors to explore and enjoy.
"Across the world, young chefs with lots of experience and really good restaurants are starting to open more, especially with the pandemic having finally passed," says Tim. "Everyone has this new energy. There’s always room for growth and evolution and the food scene changes all the time."
The menu of Gogo Ya will be anchored by signature crispy nori sushi tacos and bento bowls, with fillings like torched salmon teriyaki and soy braised shiitake and hon shimeji mushroom. The menu of Ms. Clucks Deluxe will include a Cajun karaage sandwich, spicy chicken and dumpling soup (with ramen noodles and truffled chicken wontons) and — unique to this location — the chicken smashburger featuring a teriyaki glazed chicken smash patty, ginger pickle relish, sesame mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onion.
However, Mr Roni Cups is said to come from Tim’s decades-long research and development into all things dough and toppings. The menu will boast 10" round and pan pizzas made with 48-hour fermented dough made from imported Italian flour, resulting in a crisp-yet-airy crust, and rotating, seasonal toppings.
According to Tim, the name Mr Roni Cups was inspired by the little, curled cup-like shapes that slices of pepperoni often make when baked atop a pizza. Apparently, this is a well-known thing in some parts of the country.
"We’re just having a bit of fun with it," laughs Nancy. "When we were thinking of a name, we wanted it to sound fun. It’s kind of goofy, but it makes us smile and hopefully it’ll make other people smile too."
Gogo Ya is now open, from Tuesday-Saturday from 11-3pm, with expanded hours coming soon. Customers will be able to dine-in at Kitchen United’s communal seating areas and outdoor patio, or alternatively order take-out and delivery on UberEats, DoorDash and Grubhub.
