Quinn & Karen Hatfield to Open New Restaurant Odys + Penelope

Charles Ryan

With the news that Hatfield‘s will close at the end of December, it seems to be perfect timing for the upcoming opening of Quinn and Karen Hatfield’s newest venture: Odys + Penelope.

After eight years of delighting Angelenos with fine dining, the Melrose restaurant, which features one of the few vegetarian prix fixe menus in town (for $59) may be the latest casualty of the recession a few years back. Instead of all the frills and fancy (read: costly) foods, people are more interested in the interesting and competitively priced.

Quinn and Karen’s opening of The Sycamore Kitchen almost three years ago has been met with great success. Serving Karen’s delicious, and famous, pastries and sweets as well as a lunch menu full of very well-executed sandwiches and salads, S.K. has seen a constant stream of business since opening.

Odys + Penelope, the couple’s newest addition, will open sometime this month not too far from The Sycamore Kitchen. Completely different in cuisine style from both Hatfield’s and S.K., Odys + Penelope is being touted as a “contemporary, casual churrasco and grill offering an eclectic menu of flavorful and simply prepared fare, with a strong emphasis on locally sourced and sustainable meats, seafood and vegetables.” The name, which references Odysseus and Penelope of Homer’s The Odyssey, seems to be a playful nod to exploring a new cuisine, style and crowd.

The grilling and smoking at the new restaurant seems to be an exploration of that craft. Churrasco, both a Spanish and Portuguese term, describes a few different things depending on where you live. It always refers to meat and in Brazil; it is the term for a barbeque, while in many other Latin American countries it refers to a thin cut of steak and accompanying side dishes. With both a barbeque and a smoker set to be focal points of the restaurant, the place looks like it will be a meat lover’s paradise.

Considering that Hatfield’s was awarded a Michelin star, and that The Sycamore Kitchen’s success as a far more casual spot hasn’t waned or wavered since its inception, Odys + Penelope will undoubtedly prove to be a huge success.

Odys + Penelope opens Late December.