As work continues on the $23 million renovation of Downtown’s Westin Long Beach, renderings reveal that two of the new spaces in its lobby—the first Bluestone Lane coffee shop outside of the heart of Los Angeles and an entirely new restaurant concept dubbed Navy Proof Food & Spirits—will be major parts of the project’s highlights.
Bluestone Lane, the cafe chain that advertises itself as the squint-inducing “Australian-life inspired” coffee shop, has been quickly expanding since the project received funding from billionaire Stephen Ross, owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, who recently gave $19.5 million funding to acquire a minority stake in Bluestone.
Since that investment in the summer of last year, Bluestone has been on an aggressive opening platform, announcing some 60 shops across the nation. Within Los Angeles, locations have already popped up in Venice, Santa Monica, and more neighborhoods. It also marks—much like the craft beer industry—a reflected interest in the third-wave coffee scene: Nestlé acquired San Francisco-based Blue Bottle while Peet’s Coffee acquired Portland’s Stumptown and Chicago’s Intelligentsia.
Meanwhile, Westin will be taking on Chef Chris Garasic—the man behind Zinc at the Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach and most recently Malibu Farm Lido in Newport Beach—for Navy Proof Food & Spirits.
Harkening to both our closeness to the ocean as well as California’s immigrant food, Garasic’s menu will range from a duck confit bahn mi to raw bar offerings to a breakfast item dubbed “The Longshoreman,” your basic meat-and-potatoes breakfast plate.
“We’re thrilled to bring a new concept to the shores of Long Beach,” Garasic said in a statement. “Our menu and atmosphere pay tribute to our surroundings, from dishes like California spot prawns, sea scallops and fried green tomatoes to custom artwork and living greenery. We can’t wait to welcome both travelers and locals in for an exceptional experience.”
The project is expected to be completed by this summer.
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