​We were as confused as some of our readers when we read, last week on Eater LA, that La Bottega Marino in Beverly Hills would soon be closing. So we called owner Sal Marino. He says, unequivocally, the rumor is untrue.

"It's completely false. I have no idea where it came from," Marino says. Strike one.

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Guzzle & Nosh

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When we last checked in on Sotto and its elaborate, hand-built pizza oven made from Vesuvian soil, the Italian restaurant was scheduled to open on the ground floor of the former Test Kitchen space in late February. That date came in went. The latest news is that Sotto, pending final approvals and permits, will open March 15. Strap on your pizza bib.

Lemonade: Coming soon to Brentwood

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Sure, we enjoy swanky restaurants like The Wilshire, but it's usually the small hole-in-the walls that hold a special place in our hearts, and stomachs. That's why it hurts so bad when the dinky places close. RIP Tacos Carmelita. Let's take a moment to appreciate our favorite dives, taco carts, food trucks, and smoothie stands located on the corner of Heartbreak and Cash Only Avenues.

We're still waiting for The Must's reopening, which is tentatively slated for early summer, as well as SmithHouse Tap & Grill, which was pushed to June. In the meantime we can busy ourselves with a number of upcoming eateries. On the chain front, The Counter posted signage that they will open in Century City's Westfield Mall, next to RockSugar, and Lemonade will open in Brentwood in about three weeks.

Read on for this month's list of Openings and Closures:

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N. Galuten

Inside Son of a Gun, where the paper will be up until tomorrow morning.

​After much waiting and anticipation, Son of a Gun, the new restaurant from Animal chefs Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook, is opening for business tomorrow night. We spoke with Shook over the phone, who confirmed the opening, and told us that they are "just finishing the final menu today."

The paper covering the restaurant's windows is set to come down tomorrow morning, and then at 2 p.m. their website will go live and the phone number will be connected. At that point, people can begin calling to reserve a table. Since half of the restaurant is walk-in only, with communal tables, and the other half is for reservations, expect the books to fill up rather quickly.

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Celia Soudry

Inside vacant Tacos Don Jorge

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Tacos Don Jorge, which initially began as a taco truck then expanded to a restaurant three years ago on Venice Boulevard in Culver City, has closed. After an economically turbulent few months, "they just couldn't stay open anymore," said Eduardo Marambio, owner of the building where Jorge was housed. The restaurant and food truck are both no longer operational, according to Marambio.

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Jim Thurman

Yu Pin replaces Bamboodles

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With literally hundreds of restaurants in a relatively few square miles of the western part of the San Gabriel Valley, nearly constant openings and closings are guaranteed. And for every door that closes, a new one opens.

That's the case with Bamboodles. Opened in late 2008, noodle lovers quickly streamed to a mini mall at the corner of Valley and New in San Gabriel to watch a master prepare noodles by kneading dough while straddling a large bamboo pole. Replacing it is a new restaurant, Yu Pin. Despite a sign proclaiming: "keep old menu," there are some changes. While many items have been retained, Bamboodles signature green tea pork noodle soup is conspicuously absent (replaced by spicy black tea noodles). Bamboodles is directing inquiries to their website, which states they are seeking a new location and to check regularly for updates.

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N. Galuten

The other side of the paper: Vinny Dotolo (left) and Jon Shook inside Son of a Gun

​"I remember walking these streets wasted," said Jon Shook, who along with Vinny Dotolo make up the chef and ownership duo behind the highly-acclaimed restaurant Animal. "I'm back."

Dotolo and Shook are a few weeks away from opening their newest restaurant venture, Son of a Gun. Located on West Third, it is also just a few blocks from where they rented their first apartment in Los Angeles. It was 500 square feet, and they shared it with one other guy. Rent was 900 dollars a month. "So I guess I'll be walking these streets wasted again," said Shook.

As they recently told Food & Wine Magazine, Son of a Gun will have a primarily seafood-focused menu, and their current ideas include items like bottarga taramasalata; uni with carrot, nettle curry vinaigrette, and apple; pimento cheese fries; and baked clams, "mafia style." Though there will also be fried chicken, "inspired by Chick-fil-A and Bakesale Betty."

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Mitch Glaser via Flickr

​It's that time again ... to learn about all the lovely critters lurking in our city's restaurants and grocers. Worms were found in a Westwood McDonalds burger last month, the Beverly Hills Courier reported. Though it may just be another found a finger-in-my-chili scheme. What we do know for certain is what's written on the L.A. County Health Department's website each month: who has been shut down for vermin harborage, sewage, gross contamination of utensils, etc. Looks like Stephen King Burger (see list after the jump) is sticking to its horror roots...

Got scary stories of your own? Write 'em in the comments.

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Anne Fishbein

RIP Beacon

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For those of us who've kept our New Year's resolutions, bravo ... and for the other 99 percent, we hope our favorite food spots continue to serve the stuff we love. Sit-down restaurants are nice, but who has the time (or money) for three-martini lunches anymore? Good thing we've got sausage on wheels; Jersey Grub to cure hangovers; and Carmela Ice Cream to wash it down. Yes, there's porn scandals and violence in food truck land, but as long as they're serving their signature goods, we're waiting patiently in line. Still, it's nice to have a place to go during lunch breaks and for dinner dates.

On the horizon comes Panini Cafe in Westwood, SmithHouse Bar & Grill in Century City, Neapolitan Pizza Oven, Kachi Bistro, and Ink, to name a few.

Read on for a list of January openings and closures...

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Celia Soudry

Stan's Produce

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The National Bureau of Economic Research claims that the recession is over, but many small business owners and their unemployed workers would most likely disagree. On Sunday, January 9th, owner Stanley Bosco informed employees, as well as longtime customers, that his 18-year-old produce shop on West Pico Boulevard was closing. The closure was due to an increase in the rent, a familiar scenario among retail shop owners such as Bosco.

Fortunately, Bosco negotiated with the landlord and announced that he will remain open for at least another year. "She's a businesswoman, too," he said of the landlady. Others were not so lucky: Fin's in Old Town Calabasas closed in October, as did Angelina's Self Serve Yogurt Shop in Beverly Hills, a spot on Bedford Drive which has been vacant for nearly two months. Realtors for the Angelina's space could not be reached for comment. "It just got too expensive to stay there," said Fins' owner Moez Megji.

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