Making New Memories at Minx

In the restaurant business, the phrase "soft opening" indicates a new venue will start to serve customers without the fanfare and pressure of a grand opening. Kinks in service, preparation, inventory computer programs and construction finishing can be ironed out as the new personnel learn their way around the house.

Minx Restaurant and Lounge in the Glendale foothills has softly opened, quietly serving dinner for the past couple weeks in the Glendale foothill location of the former Rusty Pelican. Lunch service is expected to start next week. Brunch will be served soon on weekends.

Many local residents celebrated special occasions at Rusty Pelican when it opened more than two decades ago on the spectacular hilltop near the Holly Street exit of the 210 Freeway. I have good memories of the Pelican. But over time, the quality of the food dwindled. Like our friends, we went elsewhere.

The owner, who purchased the property a few years ago, envisioned a sophisticated restaurant equal to the romantic sunsets and sparkling city views visible from the hilltop. He found a collaborative group of young and innovative chefs, designers and nightclub and hospitality experts to make that dream a reality.

Credit for Minx's design goes to a hot, hip interior decorator, Margaret O'Brien. Her work on new restaurants, (Republic, Café de Boheme, Garden of Eden, Monsoon Café) rates rave reviews. At Minx she has gone with a stripped down palate of neutrals with lively color accents and spot lighting. She's taken a serene, stylish approach to contemporary large spaces, eliminating the ugly exposed pipes and black cavernous ceilings popular in the past decade. Luminous, nebulous soft white light fixtures glow in the high ceilings.

Shiny white square or rectangular china lets the food dominate the table, displayed without a trace of fussiness. A Euro-American style favorably compares to the Asian-Zen expression of clarity through simplicity. It is beautiful.

Bob and I dined in the bar on cushy velvet chairs in jewel tones of red and blue. I liked the table spacing and the glass rectangles that held a tiny glitter of light from an oil-filled vessel nestled in round pebbles. The dining room is a mix of tables, booths and banquette seating. A large chef's table in a side lounge accommodates private parties.