L.A.'s hottest arrivals in shopping, nightlife, dining, entertainment, attractions, museums, theater, culture, sports and recreation. MAPS of Los Angeles

DINING
Spotlight on Momed and Waterloo & City
Two new modest-seeming eateries offer menus whose sophistication and quality belie their casual environs. Minimalist cafe Momed (233 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.270.4444) offers Mediterranean dishes with a lighter, modern twist. (“Momed” stands for “modern Mediterranean.”) Sample the pides, traditional Turkish flatbreads, including one with chicken breast, pistachios and oven-roasted peaches; for breakfast, try the Lebanese manaeesh with Intelligentsia coffee. Exec chef Matt Carpenter has cooked at Bastide and Josie. Waterloo & City‘s (12517 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 310.391.4222) humble exterior still resembles the diner formerly housed here, but inside, it’s a hip English gastropub dishing out house-made charcuterie, gourmet pizzas topped with Moroccan spiced lamb and slow-braised short rib, and updated versions of classic cocktails. Chef Brendan Collins has worked at acclaimed restaurants Mélisse and Anisette Brasserie.

MUSICALS
RENT At the Hollywood Bowl
How do you get a Pussycat Doll, a Disney star and an Emmy winner on one stage? Apparently, you cast them in the Hollywood Bowl’s production of Rent, playing Aug. 6–8 at the historic outdoor amphitheater. High School Musical sweetheart Vanessa Hudgens takes on the role of Mimi, while award-winning actor/comedian Wayne Brady takes the stage as Tom Collins and Pussycat Dolls vixen Nicole Scherzinger plays Maureen. Actor Neil Patrick Harris of CBS’ How I Met Your Mother makes his musical directing debut. See the cast perform renditions of “La Vie Bohème,” “Seasons of Love” and all the tunes that helped make Rent a smash hit throughout its 12-year run on Broadway.

SWEETS
Magnolia Bakery Sets Up LA Outpost
Local sweet tooths have been taunted by the promise of a new Magnolia Bakery (8389 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.951.0636) for close to a year now, and the New York-based bakery responsible for kicking off the cupcake craze has finally opened its second stateside outpost. The minicakes are offered in the “classic” flavors vanilla and chocolate buttercream, plus the frenzy-inducing red velvet, but you can also expect rotating specialty concoctions such as “Hummingbird” (sweet cream cheese icing), “S’mores” (honey graham cake with meringue icing and a chocolate center) and “Sno-cap” (devil’s food cake with meringue icing). Find other baked goods like Magnolia’s “famous” banana pudding, mini cheesecakes, breakfast coffee cakes, brownies and bars.

SHOPPING
Santa Monica Place Reopens
Place by the Sea You could say Santa Monica Place mall has experienced a sea change. After a long closure for remodeling, the overhauled and sparkling new outdoor mall with beautiful views of Santa Monica State Beach, just two blocks away, debuts Aug. 6. The three-level structure is anchored by Nordstrom (opening Aug. 27), Barneys CO-OP and a Bloomingdale’s. L.A.-based 7 for All Mankind, Ever, Bird Pick Tea & Herb and Kitson have boutiques alongside international brands such as AllSaints Spitalfields, Burberry, Coach and Tiffany & Co. The rooftop Dining Deck is outfitted with six restaurants, 10 fast-casual eateries in the food court and a gourmet market emphasizing handmade and organic food products.

GALLERIES
Marilyn Monore Remembered
Late film icon Marilyn Monroe would have celebrated her 84th birthday this year. The Andrew Weiss Gallery (179 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.246.9333) presents a tribute to the glamorous Monroe in the photography exhibition Becoming Marilyn. Images spanning 17 years include those from photographer Bill Carroll of the then-19-year-old Norma Jeane and from Bruno Bernard (aka Bernard of Hollywood), whose legendary photos helped catapult the actress to stardom. The Hollywood Museum showcases Marilyn Remembered: An Intimate Look at the Legend, the world's largest exhibition of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, through Aug. 31. See the glamerious dresses and jewelry worn by Monroe, in addition to her personal film scripts for "Niagara," "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "How to Marry a Millionaire." On view will be the dress Marilyn wore on the USO tour during her honeymoon with Joe DiMaggio. 1660 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, 323.464.7776 Map H13 www.thehollywoodmuseum.com

ART
Document: Iranian-Americans in Los Angeles
From October 2009 through January 2010, four documentary photographers—Farhad Parsa, Arash
Saedinia, Parisa Taghizadeh and Ramin Talaie—focused their lenses on second-generation Iranian Americans in Los Angeles, home to the world’s largest population of expatriate Iranians. Document: Iranian-Americans in Los Angeles, on view at the Fowler Museum at UCLA through Aug. 22, offers a selection of images by each photographer that considers the everyday lives of their subjects. The exhibition also addresses the processes of documentation and how they relate to the photographers’ understandings of their own hyphenated Iranian identities. The photographs capture the varied lives and interests of the Iranian American community in Los Angeles—from toddlers at play to an acupuncturist in her Los Feliz office, from a young man break dancing to a young woman at prayer. There are also a number of recognizable figures, such as public intellectual Reza Aslan and comedian Maz Jobrani.

FASHION
L.A. Designers Branch Out
New on chichi Montana Avenue is a second location of Roseark (1111 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, 310.395.6706), owned by Launch My Line winner Kathy Rose and offering contemporary and fine women’s jewelry. Look for brands such as Ruby Kobo, Whitestreet, Jennifer Meyer Jewelry (designed by actor Tobey Maguire’s wife) plus Rose’s own line of baubles. One of our favorite handbag designers, Culver City-based Treesje, has just expanded with a line of street-chic accessories, including wallets, cuffs, wrap bracelets and belts. Designers Sheila Nazarian and Laura Darrah were inspired by rock goddess Joan Jett for the studded leather designs from their Jett Collection. Find them at Fred Segal Girl (420 Broadway, Santa Monica, 310.393.6223).

NIGHTLIFE
Sip Vino In Three New Chic Spots
Wine aficionados, rejoice: There are three new reasons to get your drink on. First is Italian-inspired Vintage Enoteca (7554 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, 323.512.5278). Chef Paul Dozois has worked under Tom Colicchio, José Andrés and Wolfgang Puck, and offers a menu of small and shared plates to complement the international wine list. There’s a communal, neighborhood vibe at Covell (4628 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz, 323.660.4400), whose wine director hails from Silverlake Wine, another Eastside neighborhood treasure. Mignon (128 E. 6th St., downtown, 213.489.0131) is an intimate wine-and-cheese bar serving mostly boutique labels from Europe.

ATTRACTIONS
King Kong 360 3-D at Universal City
The Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour has a monstrous new addition: King Kong 360 3-D, a state-of-the-art, 3-D upgrade from the original attraction that burned down two years ago. Peter Jackson, director of the 2005 remake of the King Kong film, created the experience, which is projected on two 187’-by-40’ wrap-around screens, the largest 3-D projection installation ever produced. After taking a tram through studio sets, guests enter a cave on “Skull Island” and are immersed an epic two-minute battle between Kong and a herd of dinosaurs. Says Jackson, ”When the dinosaurs bang or try and push the tram, passengers will feel the tram being moved around physically.” Air and water effects add to the multisensory experience.

MUSEuMS
Largest Collection of Mummies at California Science Center
California Science Center hosts Mummies of the World, a traveling exhibition of 150 human and animal mummies and objects from South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania and Egypt, including a 6,420-year-old child mummy. For discounted tickets, visit WhereLA.com/Mummies.

DINING
Rick Bayless Lands In LA With Red O
Chef Rick Bayless’ résumé is, to say the least, impressive: winner of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, host of PBS’ Mexico—One Plate at a Time, author of six cookbooks and, more recently, guest chef for a White House state dinner. (Michelle and Barack Obama are vocal fans.) He’s also a pioneer of modern Mexican cuisine, responsible for redirecting Americans’ conception of Mexican food from rice and beans to more intriguing fare. Long-awaited Red O (8155 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.655.5009) is Bayless’ only venture outside of Chicago, where the James Beard Award winner helms his Frontera Grill and Topolobampo restaurants. Featured on Red O’s menu are albondigas al chipotle (beef and pork meatballs), pork belly sopes with black beans and salsa negra, and creamy goat-cheese cheesecake with caramel corn and Mexican “root beer” sauce.

ART
Documentary Photography On Disply At Getty Center
In the decades after World War II, an independently minded and critically engaged form of photography gathered momentum. Situated between journalism and art, its practitioners created extended photographic essays that delved deeply into topics of social concern and presented distinct personal visions of the world. On view at the Getty Center all month, Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography Since the Sixties looks in-depth at projects by a selection of the most vital photographers who have contributed to the development of this approach. The exhibition is structured around suites of photographs from these projects: Girl Culture by Lauren Greenfield; The Mennonites by Larry Towell; Streetwise by Mary Ellen Mark; Black in White America by Leonard Freed; Nicaragua, June 1978–July 1979 by Susan Meiselas; Vietnam Inc. by Philip Jones Griffiths; The Sacrifice by James Nachtwey; Migrations: Humanity in Transition by Sebastião Salgado; and Minamata by W. Eugene and Aileen M. Smith.

CLUBS
Beach Clubs Hit Hollywood
New “daylife” hot spot Beachwood (1439 Ivar Ave., Hollywood,
drinkmingleplay.com) is billed as a “pop-up beach party,” open Saturdays from noon to 8 pm, featuring DJs, cabanas, a dance floor, hot tubs and even a day spa. Rooftop-mounted water “cannons” keep patrons cool. The Colony is the rapidly expanding SBE empire’s newest nightspot, a Hamptons-styled lounge replete with nautical touches—a faux lifeguard stand, hammocks—and surrounded by sand.

FOOD + DRINK
Restaurants Offer Takeaway Picnics
Fine restaurants are offering takeaway picnics with Hollywood Bowl showgoers in mind. Petrossian Boutique & Restaurant’s (321 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.271.0576) custom baskets feature dishes with its signature caviar, each priced at $14–$32. The superdeluxe Bijoux de la Mer basket, left, is $235. Chaya’s three locations offer the sizable Bento at the Bowl, $65, for two people, with a smoked salmon petit sandwich, spiced roasted chicken, cheese, a bottle of wine and more. Elements Kitchen offers a bento box for $37.50 each, with artisan cheese, salad, choice of entree and coconut pound cake (order one day in advance, minimum two). Entertainment industry fave The Grill on the Alley offers several baskets, $32.95–$42.95, with entrees including shrimp-and-crab louie or sliced filet mignon, fully equipped with a tablecloth, plates, utensils, glasses, napkins and a wine-bottle opener.

MUSEuMS
NHM Reopens Historic Core With Two New Exhibitions
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in Exposition Park reopens its historic core, the 1913 Building, a restored Beaux-Arts building and the oldest museum building in L.A. In the opulent Rotunda, with its Romanesque columns and original stained-glass dome, museumgoers can peruse What on Earth?, a rotating exhibition of unique and puzzling specimens from the museum’s collections. The North Wing of the 1913 Building—bordered by arched windows and capped with skylights—holds the new permanent exhibition Age of Mammals. This look at the evolution of mammals in the context of the Earth’s geology and climate displays fossil specimens such as a mastodon from Simi Valley and a suspended sperm whale.