[Updated] Owners of The Must Rebound with Perch Rooftop Lounge

First, a nasty blind item about their downtown Los Angeles wine bar, The Must, had owners Coly Den Haan and Rachel Thomas considering legal action against Eater LA. The controversy from that scuffle died down, but a year later, they were unceremoniously evicted via a middle-of-the-night lockout by landlord Julie Rico (who owned now shuttered Weeneez). [Update: We spoke with Rico who took exception to her characterization as The Must's landlord. She says the owners of The Must were not her tenants but, rather, were non-voting partners in her LLC. The legal dispute surrounding these issues is winding its way through civil court.]

Now comes word from BlackBook that they're preparing to open Perch, a rooftoop lounge high above Pershing Square. It looks like the past eight months have been busy ones.

Set to open by this summer, Perch is a multi-floor bar and restaurant, with a menu of updated Gallic classics from executive chef Benjamin Udave. The Art Deco-influenced bar should open in May, and the restaurant should open a month or so later. Den Haan and Thomas say they want to avoid the pretentiousness of the "traditional rooftop bar." Anything that gives The Standard (and its terrible, overpriced cocktails) a run for their money can only be good.

The Perch: 448 South Hill St., Los Angeles. www.perchla.com.