Ludo Bites may be gone from one BreadBar location, but the Hatchi series continues at the other. This Thursday Remi Lauvand will be the guest chef at the Century City BreadBar event. The French-born Lauvand was chef de cuisine at Citrus at Social during Michel Richard's tenure; since leaving Citrus he has worked with John Sedlar at Rivera. Among the 8 dishes on Lauvand's menu will be pork belly salad with parsnips and jalapeño sauce; foie "parfait" with pain d'épices and Black Mission figs; and handmade farfalle with octopus, chicken oysters and tomatoes.

Remi Lauvand

Remi Lauvand will be the next Hatchi series chef

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A little background: the Hatchi series, a collaboration between Breadbar and chef Noriyuki Sugie, began this past June and showcases a guest chef the last Thursday of each month. The series menu features 8 small plate courses at $8 a dish--"hatchi" means 8 in Japanese--and guests order a minimum of three dishes. I guess you can order 8 if you want, for symmetry. The chefs, who are picked for their rising-star talent, are given a budget and must stick within it; Sugie is on hand to mentor, watch, and (one hopes) taste a few dishes. The previous chefs to run the floor were Debbie Lee (The Next Food Network Star, now at Gyenari), Michael Voltaggio (now chef de cuisine at The Langham) and Santa Barbara-based private chef Roberto Cortez.

The rest of the lineup: October 29th: Eda Vesterman; November 19th: Waylynn Lucas; December 17th: Marcel Vigneron. Yes, that Marcel, runner-up from Top Chef's second season and currently sous chef at The Bazaar.

Hatchi at Breadbar: 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 277-3770. The dinner is served from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Reservations are recommended