Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill, a premium fast-casual restaurant and lifestyle brand featuring an award-winning menu rooted in innovative and flavorful Mexican recipes made with natural, organic or local ingredients, has opened its 25th location at the former Twain’s restaurant, a historic restaurant building on the famed Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, California. Sharky’s also seized the opportunity to debut a new breakfast menu at the restaurant, which for years was a community gathering spot known for its breakfast offerings.
Built nearly 50 years ago and known for its “Googie-style” architecture, the iconic Twain’s restaurant was a beloved fixture on the Studio City dining scene. From inception, Sharky’s overall design approach was to restore the classic Googie elements while infusing specific Sharky’s brand design components to create a fresh, new personality at the historic San Fernando Valley intersection of Ventura and Coldwater Canyon Boulevards. All of the background perimeter Googie architectural elements have been retained but given a new contemporary skin or finish representative of the Sharky’s brand. The existing sloping roofline and beams are now cladded in sandblasted Douglas Fir, while the sloped stonewalls have been updated utilizing horizontal wood slates. Sharky’s also kept the landmark’s twirling sign, restoring it with the concept’s branding.
The interiors at the new restaurant also reflect the fusion of the old and the new. The updated color scheme features a Googie color influence of bright orange accents for the stool fabric and back bar frame, and a new hexagon color tile with a retro orange, brown, green and off-white pattern was used for the face of the bar and beverage counter. Additionally, the lines of the counter millwork fabrication were deliberately more streamlined to complement the sweeping roof beams that exist within the building. As to not forget the history of the building, Sharky’s also installed black and white photo wall art, depicting Twain’s in its heyday.
“It was tremendously important to all of us at Sharky’s to be the best of neighbors in Studio City, and that started with respecting the community’s love of that historic building and its iconic architecture,” says Steven Paperno, founder and CEO, Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill. “And because Twain’s was a favorite breakfast spot, it was the ideal location to debut our breakfast menu. We look forward to serving the Studio City community and introducing them to our ‘Feel Good About Eating’ breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings.”
Sharky’s contemporary approach to Mexican-inspired fare now includes breakfast at the Studio City restaurant only, with an anticipated rollout to additional locations beginning in a year’s time. Created to meet the same exacting standards on the lunch and dinner menu, ingredients have been carefully sourced and feature organic, cage-free eggs, all-natural chicken breast and Angus beef, Non-GMO Project Verified corn and canola oil, wild-caught fish, and organic quinoa, greens, yams, tofu, beans and rice.
Guests can choose from Americano, Mexicano, Fajita, and Vegan burritos, a Vegan or Breakfast Taco, and breakfast entrees including NuMex Scramble, Stacked Breakfast Enchiladas, Chilaquilles, Wild Salmon & Avocado Toast, Slow-Cooked Pork Hash, an Organic Breakfast Bowl, and a Breakfast Power Plate. More traditional breakfast options include Organic Whole Grain Pancakes or Cinnamon Brioche French Toast, Organic Quinoa Oatmeal and Organic Granola & Yogurt. Breakfast options also include various sides such as toast, bacon, sausage links, breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit and more.
Sharky’s Studio City also serves organic Groundwork coffee, organic hot tea from Art of Tea, and fresh-squeezed juice.
The lunch and dinner menu at all Sharky’s restaurants features burritos filled with organic beans and rice and all-natural, mesquite-grilled chicken or beef; marinated, mesquite-grilled organic tofu tacos; Superfood salads with organic greens and quinoa; stone-fired pizzas, and many other hand-crafted, fresh and nutritionally dense choices. Sharky’s menu also accommodates a variety of different lifestyles and dining choices, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free.
