An A-list of celebrities attended the grand opening of the Planet Dailies last April. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jennifer Lopez, and television and radio personality Mario Lopez all attended to sample some of cocktail master Salvatore “The Maestro” Calabrese’s creative cocktails, and Executive Chef Adrian Tenorio’s enticing dishes.

There are a few Chinese dishes on the menu, like the delectable Szechuan eggplant, which offers a spicy kick with each bite. (photo by Jill Weinlein)

Larry Fink, vice president of public relations for Celebrity Entertainment, was also there to make sure everyone had a good time. This is the second Planet Dailies to open in the United States; the first opened in Las Vegas when Planet Hollywood took over the former Aladdin Hotel and Casino.

In March 2007, Robert Earl, from Earl Enterprise, had a vision to open a 24-hour diner next to the hotel’s casino. He hired the amiable Chef Tenorio to create an extensive array of ultimate coffee shop food. Dishes are made from scratch and are plentiful. The restaurant became a huge success.

Tenorio was the obvious choice to work with Earl in planning the opening of Planet Dailies in Los Angeles, and the Original Farmers Market is the ideal location for the new farm fresh menu. Tenorio visited every stall in the Market while the restaurant was being built, working with some of his neighbors in providing creative dishes. Tenorio took the Las Vegas menu and ramped up farm fresh and healthier dishes for the Los Angeles clientele.

Tenorio starting cooking at age six while living in Austin, Texas. One morning he stood up and said, “I can’t take this anymore” to his mother, because he didn’t like the eggs she prepared. He got out a frying pan and made his own breakfast. “My brother tells the story better than I do,”  Tenorio said. “I was mad and decided to take the matter into my own hands.”

Planet Dailies has a fresh approach to the daily news. They place daily newspapers from all over the world on the walls near the entrance and in the restrooms. There are 28 televisions broadcasting sports and news shows. The placemat is a paper Planet Dailies Hollywood Reporter informing diners about the latest movie and celebrity news.

The florentine eggs Benedict is one of the savory brunch items at Planet Dailies. (photo by Jill Weinlein)

My group decided to order a few appetizers and a cocktail first, before diving into the entrées. The lemon-grilled fish tacos, splashed with a mango salsa, were a delightful starting dish. They are served in mini-corn tortillas with cabbage and radish dressed in a ginger vinaigrette. Next, we split the lobster and crab cakes, with red peppers, onions, mayonnaise, and an herb and lemon aioli.

The blackened ahi tuna had Cajun-spiced seaweed with an avocado cream sauce, and was devoured quickly. For those who enjoy salads, the restaurant offers two of my summer favorites: watermelon and feta with arugula, spinach leaves and tomatoes splashed with a light lemon dressing, or a peach and spinach salad with candied walnuts, strawberries, bleu cheese crumble, and grilled chicken breast. It’s dressed with a light tomato vinaigrette, which enhances the wonderful summertime flavors.

The meats at Planet Dailies are natural with no nitrites, and they are roasted in-house. For those who crave a burger, Planet Dallies offers beef, chicken and a veggie patty. The mushroom, sweet onion and Swiss certified Angus burger was served on a potato bun with lettuce, tomato and their house-made mustard. The veggie burger has a very moist and flavorful patty.

There are a few Chinese dishes on the menu. We tried the Szechwan Japanese eggplant with bamboo shoots, carrots, green onions, wood ear mushrooms and a kung pao sauce with hints of spicy chili, giving it a little zing.

Since Planet Dailies recently unveiled its brunch menu, Tenorio prepared his special purple blueberry and toasted almond pancakes for us. The buttermilk pancake batter has a fresh blueberry compote in the center and is sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with maple syrup

Tenorio’s Florentine Eggs Benedict is served with sautéed spinach, Swiss cheese and a classic Hollandaise sauce on a soft English muffin, along with breakfast potatoes or beefsteak tomatoes.

Tenorio is also a wizard with desserts. He makes a martini sundae filled with ice cream and whipped cream that is big enough for a party of up to four to share.

“Arnold Schwarzenegger ate an entire martini sundae all by himself the last time he was here,” our server shared with us. The cheesecake is creamy, rich and made with a golden graham cracker crust.

“It took over one year to perfect my cheesecake recipe,” Tenorio added.

Two other desserts worth mentioning are the cookie iron skillet sundae, and the vanilla bread pudding with a caramel sauce.

Due to its proximity to The Grove, Mario Lopez comes in often to tape his radio show inside the restaurant. It’s also near CBS Studios, where they tape the hit show, “Dancing With The Stars” and some of the dancers stroll in for a post-taping party around 9 p.m. on Monday nights.

The menu appeals to everyone with its wide variety of farm fresh dishes. Planet Dailies is located upstairs at the Original Farmers Market, next to Mixology 101, and is worth a visit. $-$$ Open seven-days-a-week at 11 a.m. 6333 W. Third St. (323)370-6560.