DINING DEALS : SAME CHEFS, NEW SPACES.

Byline: Larry Lipson

If you're asking where are the great chefs of Los Angeles, the answer may well be, ``Not where they were last week, last month or last year.''

Chef Hugo Molina has departed from the Parkway Grill and Crocodile Cafes group and will open his own Hugo Molina restaurant in the former Roxxi space (briefly Out Take Cafe and Chelsea) at 1065 E. Green St., Pasadena. ... Serge Falesitch, the ex-Spago chef who opened Eclipse (now shuttered) has resurfaced as the chef of the upcoming new dining room of the long-closed L'Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills. ... Also back in the spotlight is chef David Slay, who brought his act from St. Louis to Beverly Hills with his La Veranda, and who is now in charge of the kitchen at the new Millennium, 9229 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, [phone].

And chef Andre Guerrero, late of his own Duet and previously at Alice's will be manning stoves at the forthcoming Signature Grill in Sherman Oaks (expected to open later this month at 14755 Ventura Blvd.) where Gary Watanabe, recently with Houston's, will be executive chef. Information: [phone].

Back in Los Angeles is another familiar toque, that of Kazuto Matsusaka, alumnus of Spago, Chinois, Zenzero and Cafe La Boheme, most recently a hit in Paris, where he brought his Euro-Asian fare to the Barfly.

Here, he'll soon be duplicating this effort at a Sunset Strip version of Barfly in the old Nicky Blair's site at 8730 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.

Eat, drink, be charitable

Today is ``Wine & Roses'' day, with the annual fund-raiser featuring 24 restaurants and a similar number of wineries participating in the black-tie event at 6 p.m. at the Glendale Memorial Hospital Plaza, 1420 S. Central Ave., Glendale. Tickets: $150. Call [phone].

Oktoberfest in Pasadena

And Pasadena's annual Oktoberfest event, also a fund-raiser, continues from 2 to 8 p.m. today in its usual place, Mercantile Alley between Fair Oaks and Raymond avenues near Colorado Boulevard in Old Town with live oom-pah-pah music, dancing, a car show, skits, beers (of course), rotisserie chicken, sauerkraut, fresh pretzels, bratwurst and schnitzels. Admission is $3 (children under 18 and seniors $2). Call [phone].

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Andre Guerrero

Coming to Signature Grill

(2) David Slay

In charge at Millennium