Celebrities Open Chez Soi in MB

Big names are "soft opening" a new restaurant in downtown Manhattan Beach tonight, according to website laeater.com.

Chef Mark Gold of the recently shuttered Eva in Los Angeles will be behind the cuisine of Chez Soi, owned by French restaurateur Thierry Perez of Fraiche and L'Epicerie with partner/actor Ty Burrell, who plays Phil Dunphy in ABC's Modern Family.

Gold's menu is American with plenty of California-inspired options for vegetarians using locally-sourced Southern California ingredients. The European flavors are there, too, with dishes such as chestnut flour pasta and chanterelles an a wild duck with buckwheat, plum and puffed kale. Other selections include a kale salad, loup de mer with spinach and a roasted salmon.

Brunch and bar menus are expected to follow in the near future.

Chez Soi, which means "at home" in French, is located in Metlox Plaza where Sashi held forth for several years. It offers 5,900 square feet of interior and exterior dining space at 451 Manhattan Beach Blvd.

Burrell, who also owns Bar X in Salt Lake City, brought in his team to fashion the cocktails for Chez Soi.