[Codex Borgia]

I just recently accepted a position working for the Omni Hotel Downtown. I am excited to be back Downtown again after one heck of a long absence. Although I am no stranger to downtown dining - I am not exactly hip to every new restaurant on the scene now and in the near future...

In reviewing Trip Advisor.com reviews on the Omni, I have found many glowing reviews however many guests have mentioned the dearth of restaurant options downtown. All of you Downtown Boosters chime in here and list your favourites and anticipated openings.

Thanks! :notacrook:

[Easy]

I've noticed that for quite a while. The people writing reviews on tripadvisor consistently give downtown low scores for restaurants, nightlife, and the homeless. Okay nightlife and especially the homeless I can understand, but there seem to be quite a few good restaurants downtown. I've come to the conclusion that many people from out of town are not looking for Patina, Cafe Pinot, Palm, etc. They're looking for Bubba Gump's, Outback, and similar. The LA Live opening should go a looong way to changing tourists impressions of downtown. Once there is a popular destination these other great restaurants that have been there all along will "discovered" by business visitors and tourists.

[Westsidelife]

Pete's Cafe (San Fernando Building)

Pitfire Pizza (Higgins Building)

[bobcat]

Seriously, there's no need for a thread to list every current downtown restaurant. Any new restaurants are usually mentioned in the "Downtown LA Nightlife" discussion.

[KarLarRec1]

Liberty Grill
Wolfgang Puck Express
Qdoba
Camille's Sidewalk Cafe
626 Reserve

[Codex Borgia]

:) Thanks for your input guys - much appreciated!

[colemonkee]

Codex, congrats on the job, and welcome (back) to downtown! There's lots of info on the LA Nightlife thread. My personal favs are Pitfire Pizza, Pete's Cafe and Bar, Blossom and Lost Souls (note they are all within two blocks of my place).

[PeterJ]

i'm a big fan of tiara cafe for lunch. i think roy's is a nice addition to the DTOWN dinner scene, as is Liberty Grill. I like Roy's a bit more tho.

Had dinner at Royal Claytons last weekend. Food was so-so. But the bar was nice.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

My favorite is Blossom at Main/Winston and Uncle Johns at 8th/Olive (open only for lunch).

[Codex Borgia]

Great!-many restaurants here that I was unaware of - I'll inform my staff about them. Looking forward to visiting them myself. :tup:

[RAlossi]

There are quite a few restaurants in Little Tokyo that you can check out. There are too many to mention here, but you might want to try one of the shabu-shabu houses out there for an interesting experience if they've never done it before. I like Kushi Shabu, which is in Weller Court (2nd/San Pedro)

[RAlossi]

Oh yeah, and be sure to check out chowhound.com for a whole lot of interesting reviews about restaurants. It's a really active forum, so just search for "downtown" in the LA boards. There's always a lot of input there.

[hesed]

Does anyone have any suggestions for good places (coffee shop or cafe?) to hang out and read for a couple of hours?

[PeterJ]

went to the opening night at J restaurant and lounge on saturday. remarkable space. i hope they get the maximum out of it. the food was good, not great. the space is huge and will be, no doubt, be used for many events.

above the dining room, there is a bar, dance floor and outdoor smoking terrace. from what i can tell, that area will function like a nightclub.

to me, the great potential of the space is the giant wraparound patio that is closed in by a high wall so that you feel secluded -- yet it's not so high that you can't see the skyline towering above it. if they design it right and give it a garden feel, it could be spectacular. imagine dining in a private garden in downtown LA with a view of the skyline.

oh, it's located at 11th and olive.

[RAlossi]

Does anyone have any suggestions for good places (coffee shop or cafe?) to hang out and read for a couple of hours?

I'd definitely recommend Lost Souls Cafe on 4th between Broadway and Main (I think) at 124 West 4th Street. I can't remember if they played music in there, but if so, it was kind of quiet.

Otherwise, there are bound to be places around Bunker Hill/FiDi during the weekdays that are open... maybe grab some coffee and hang out at Pershing Square, WaterCourt, or the Central Library.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

I'd definitely recommend Lost Souls Cafe on 4th between Broadway and Main (I think) at 124 West 4th Street. I can't remember if they played music in there, but if so, it was kind of quiet.

Otherwise, there are bound to be places around Bunker Hill/FiDi during the weekdays that are open... maybe grab some coffee and hang out at Pershing Square, WaterCourt, or the Central Library.


I have to concur on that one!

It's inbetween Main and SPRING St. in the alley.

[Alta California]

Lost Souls Cafe is an earnestly hip place. It's what you imagine the breakroom of LA Weekly would be. It's tuck in an alley between two Gilmore buildings. The coffee is of unknown origin and like Starbucks, survives on sugary drinks.

There's a sushi and roll place called Teriyaki Boy on Main and 3rd. A good lunch place with a good non-hipster crowd.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Does anyone have any suggestions for good places (coffee shop or cafe?) to hang out and read for a couple of hours?

Also forgot to mention Bishop Coffee Shop at 8th/Grand on the ground floor of the South Park Lofts. It's a small coffee shop and it needs business desperately. :(

[WesTheAngelino]

^Anybody feel that way about Lost Souls too? Everytime I walk in there it's dead as door knob. I hope the people who run it are just using it as a front for a drug business or something lol cause i would hate to see it fail

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

The space underneath the Roosevelt will be a Citizen Smiths restaurant when the sales center closes down, according to what i was told yesterday while checking out some floorplans.

[sbocguy]

^^There's something substance-related about that place, in any case... when I went there, the people behind the counter all had that mellow, spacey, just-having-smoked-a-bowl look about them... ;) (plus they forgot about my friend's panino while it was on the grill and burned it).

Anyway, did anyone watch Huell Howser's visit to Far East Cafe in LT and French Garden on 7th? The latter especially seemed to be quite a hidden gem, and I wonder if anyone's had a chance to try it...

[RAlossi]

Didn't know where to put this, but I thought this thread would be a good fit. I was down in Little Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, and I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed with the state of things there! So much construction going on, buildings being completed, people everywhere, new restaurants, and buildings being cleaned up. It's truly changed from even a couple years ago.

I went to the Japanese Village Plaza, and was VERY surprised to see it so packed with tourists, residents, and workers. There are several new restaurants and shops there, including Fiore (like Pinkberry), and a bar or two.

I was slightly disappointed to see most of the area on Second Street just east of the Plaza not open on a Saturday. I initially wanted to go to Haru Ulala for their okonomiyaki, but they weren't open, and a number of other restaurants were closed all day. I know that these restaurants are still open for business on other days, but why would they close on a Saturday?! Yikes.

Weller Court is still as depressing as ever and is visibly falling apart. Chunks of tile are coming off from the floors and stairs, and many businesses were closed. Marukai Market needs to be opened up more to the street and to the courtyard.

First Street east of San Pedro was doing well, though. Most of the business were open, even if they looked a little dumpy. Despite my initial unwillingness to eat "Chinese" food in Little Tokyo (I really, really wanted shabu-shabu), I decided to eat with the BF at Chop Suey Far East Cafe (newly remodeled/reopened/rehipsterized/whatever). Food was terrible and the service sucked, but it wasn't too expensive. It's the kind of restaurant Midwestern tourists (or people like my family, haha) would like as an exploration of "Far-Eastern culture" since they don't know any better. Know what I mean?

Sorry I didn't take any pictures. There wasn't much to show building-wise as Hikari and Teramachi still have construction fencing/construction sidewalks up, but I do regret not taking pictures of the mass of people walking around in Little Tokyo! With some serious investment in this area, it could be THE spot in DTLA.

EDIT: Is there a BID that serves the Little Tokyo area? If so, it needs to get on those business owners' collective asses to open up shop daily. The area itself is pretty clean, so the BID is either doing a great job or should be focusing more on marketing the district and bringing new business into the area. Can't wait for the Gold Line stop there, even though it's a couple blocks east of where all the action is.

[ThreeHundred]

^Anybody feel that way about Lost Souls too? Everytime I walk in there it's dead as door knob. I hope the people who run it are just using it as a front for a drug business or something lol cause i would hate to see it fail

It seems as if even though it's a coffee shop (an awesome one at that), it would recieve more business during the night. Besides, it's a bit 'underground' and unless you know what you are looking for, you won't be able to find it.

[POLA]

for the best latte in dt, and a great place to just "read a book" you have to check out Groundworks in the arts district (walking distance to little tokyo) also coming soon the OBD!

http://lacoffee.com/locations.html

[citywatch]

Didn't know where to put this, but I thought this thread would be a good fit. I was down in Little Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, and I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed with the state of things there! Thanks for the report, even more so since SSP's server has gotten so clogged over the past few months, which prob makes many ppl not patient enough to post more than a few words or sentences, or post anything at all.

I know LT til not too long ago showed signs of really hurting, in that the opening of bail bonds businesses could be seen as almost not so bad considering all the otherwise vacant spaces. That's why the devlpt of new housing has been so important & long overdue.

I'm hoping that Related can get its condo/apt proj underway ASAP catercorner to the new Caltrans bldg, & directly north of the Teramachi condo bldg. That means I also hope the problems they're having with the Grand Ave proj won't affect their proj in Little Tokyo.

The opening of the Hikari apt bldg in the next several wks, & then Mura in the next several months, followed by the Artisan, should add to the hood's sense of finally coming into its own. I think the completion of the Hikari in particular should make the stretch of 2nd St between San Pedro & Central seem even more ppl oriented or even kind of cozy.

[ChrisLA]

Well I don't get downtown much these days since I have very little time, and working graveyard really takes a toll on your energy. Anyway the last time I was in Little Tokyo on a Saturday night (a little over a year ago) it seems like its a happening area. I'm sure its getting better than as downtown changes.

Oh btw I was just checking out that website for GroundWorks Coffee a few days ago. I found it on one of the websites promoting downtown LA. For sure I would like to check it out myself since I'm always looking for good espresso beans and a good place to stop for a cappuccino. I think it said their beans are orgainic too, not that it matters to me.

[colemonkee]

Dropped in on Groundworks this morning. The construction guy says if inspections go well, they should open in two weeks. I'll give them 4-6 weeks, as those inspections never go as planned.

Warung Cafe has finally reopened. Interior re-designed and slightly new menu. Smelled great walking by it. Glad to have them back. The owners are very nice and the food is/was pretty damn good.

In non-restaurant related news, Lofty Dog - a new canine spa and retail store - opened up on 2nd street in the low rise building next to the Higgins. Even if you don't plan on pampering your pooch, you should check it out. They did a kick-ass job on the interior.

On another note, the forum issues of late are driving my crazy. This is the second post I've had to re-type today after submitting and getting a "server is too busy" message, only to find out it didn't post. :hell: :hell: :hell:

[RAlossi]

If this has been posted already, I apologize.

NIGHT LIFE
Destination downtown
Los Angeles’ core is becoming party central, as a new wave of bars and clubs packs in the crowds

Look who's moved in
Currently open:

Vertigos, 801 W. Temple St., (213) 977-0888. vertigos.com. A bar for party people. Goth nights mix with cover band nights, guest DJs and go-go dancers.

Bordello, 901 E. 1st St., (213) 687-3766. Formerly Little Pedro's, which claims to be the oldest bar in L.A. Once edgy, cavernous and concrete; poised to reopen with more postured style.

The Redwood Bar & Grill, 316 W. 2nd St., (213) 680-2600, theredwoodbar.com. A nautically themed bar with gastro-pub fare.

The Edison, 108 W. 2nd St., No. 101 (in Harlem Place alley), (213) 613-0000. edisondowntown.com. Surreal study in adaptive reuse. Could be the set for a Dario Argento horror film, except it's too up-and-coming to be scary.

Vibiana Place, 210 S. Main St., (213) 622-4949. vibianala.com. Formerly St. Vibiana's Cathedral. A priceless piece of L.A. history fully restored, with promoters booking the likes of Snoop Dogg. You've gotta see it to believe it. Special events and performing arts shows are also staged.

La Cita, 336 S. Hill St., (213) 687-7111. lacitabar.com. South of the border spice without the drive. Hip DJs and lively Mexican dance music complete the scene.

Bar 107, 107 W. 4th St., (213) 625-7382. myspace.com. Doesn't everybody dig a Christmas tree decorated with tall-boy cans?

Lost Souls Cafe, 124 W. 4th St., (213) 617-7006. lostsouls.com. An ambient cafe featuring local art, music and poetry, as well as panini sandwiches.

Pete's Cafe & Bar, 400 S. Main St., (213) 617-1000. petescafe.com. On the bustling, swiftly changing corner of 4th and Main, this East Coast style bistro packs 'em in at all hours.

King Edward Saloon, 131 E. 5th St., (213) 629-2023. Old-school downtown dive in all its hard-luck glory. Working stiffs mingle with the down and out and those just looking for fun.

Casey's Irish Bar & Grille, 613. S. Grand Ave., (213) 629-2353. bigcaseys.com. A subterranean after-work hangout with a 35-year history in downtown.

Rooftop Bar at the Standard, 550 S. Flower St., (213) 892-8080. www.standardhotel.com. With a pool, stunning views of downtown and waterbed pods, this is the rooftop bar in L.A. Hollywood waits in line here.

Library Bar, 630 W. 6th St. (at Hope), (213) 614-0053. librarybarla.com. Low-key class, quality selection of drinks and friendly ambience make this a neighborhood bar to visit.

Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet, 118 E. 6th St., (213) 622-4090. colespebuffet.com. One of downtown's oldest, most revered hangouts. Due for a mini-Moses makeover in 2007.

626 Reserve, 626 S. Spring St., (213) 627-9800. 626reserve.com. A quaint fine wine and small plates bar with ties to the gallery scene.

Royal Claytons, 1855 Industrial St., (213) 622-0512. royalclaytonspub.com. A destination day and night. Large, airy environment; affordable food and drink.

Golden Gopher, 417 W. 8th St., (213) 614-8001. goldengopherbar.com. One of L.A.'s oldest liquor licenses allows you to buy liquor to go.

Broadway Bar, 830 S. Broadway, (213) 614-9909. thebroadwaybar.net. The bar's designer Ricki Kline says, "The theme is glam — as in New York Dolls rock 'n' roll glam." Say no more.

Club 740 and Heaven 4rty, 740 S. Broadway, (213) 627-6277. 740la.com. Mega-nightclub with go-go dancers and a Vegas-style laser light show. Mellower Heaven 4rty opens after the New Year.

J Restaurant & Lounge, 1119 S. Olive St., (213) 746-7746. jloungela.com. Mediterranean-inspired food, three bars, and a patio with fire pits and cabanas.

On the way

Seven Grand, 515 W. 7th St., twoonethree.com. Cozy whiskey bar with a pool table, live music and a smoking patio.

Petroleum, 714 W. Olympic Blvd., twoonethree.com. Lavish private club specializing in mixology.

Regent Theater, 448 S. Main St. Live music venue focusing on rock, with a restaurant downstairs and a bar and club upstairs.

Mercury Liquors, 215 W. 6th St. In an old bank vault with a blown-out wall housing "the Thieves Bar."

Dietrich's, 116 W. 4th St. A 500-seat jazz club in planned for the basement of the Hellman Building.

Bridge Tavern, 1356 Palmetto. Former Studio Cafe morphs into an English beer garden in February.



By Jessica Gelt, Times Staff Writer

With clubs and bars popping up in the land of office cubicles, there are lots of places downtown for play.It's happy hour at funky Bar 107 in downtown Los Angeles. "Johnny Hit and Run Pauline" by the iconic punk band X plays on the stereo as bartender Felicia Cox, her chest and arms covered in intricate tattoos, pours stiff vodka tonics for several members of the burgeoning inner-city hip set. A homeless man shambles in, sits at the end of the long wooden bar and carefully lays down three crumpled dollar bills. The regulars watch with interest as Cox sets a Schlitz tall boy in front of the man, who nods thankfully and takes a big swig. Despite its loft-inspired leaps toward gentrification, downtown remains an area of glorious contrast.

Known not long ago as a nighttime no-man's-land, the concrete landscape bordered by the Los Angeles River and the 101, 10 and 110 freeways finds itself at the center of an extraordinary bar and nightclub explosion fueled by a who's-who of L.A.'s thriving after-dark empire.

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By the middle of next year, some 20 venues — including bars, boutique drinking establishments and live music houses — will have opened (or undergone makeovers) in roughly a two-year span. The phenomenon owes much to the success of the area's residential market. But as its entertainment options multiply and the sight of dog-walking locals allays concerns about safety, downtown is increasingly becoming a nightlife destination.

"Until the Standard opened downtown, there was nothing much to do," says Jason71, a 35-year-old musician and visual artist who has lived downtown for six years. "Now there are more boutique-y bars and other places that have opened up and are attracting people to come on down."

Indeed, entrepreneurs are using downtown's growing residential base as a foundation for their ventures. The number of market-rate residential units has more than doubled since 1998 and stands at nearly 7,500, according to the Downtown Center Business Improvement District. Eight thousand more units are under construction. Officials project that by 2013, downtown's current population of roughly 30,000 will have doubled.

And in a twist on the cheesy "Field of Dreams" catchphrase, it might be said that if they come, someone will build a bar.

Getting started

Three or four years ago, downtown nightlife lacked cohesion and most folks left before it got too late. What little scene existed was kept afloat by pockets of activity in distinctly separate areas serving disparate clienteles. There were devotees of the sushi and sake bars of Little Tokyo, as well as the low-key lounges and galleries of Chinatown. There were partyers at the often-illicit warehouse raves. There were the white-collar happy-hour crowd at restaurant bars, the out-of-towners cloistered at hotel bars, the sports hordes that came to Staples Center and its Fox Sports Sky Box, and the patrons of the fine art venues who suspected downtown began and ended with the Patina Group and its upscale eateries. Then there were the regulars, who tippled at legendary places such as Cole's, Hank's and Little Pedro's, or divey options like Crabby Joe's and King Edward's.

The Standard's L.A.-noir rooftop lounge, which opened in 2002, turned the heads of a few Hollywood players. "The last couple of years we're always packed," says the bar's manager, Steven Sué. "It's a destination bar, for sure."

Dotting downtown are other venues revealing a changing scene.

Bar 107 was a gay dive before L.A. (roller) Derby Girl Vianey Delgadillo and her manager, a onetime king of low-brow Hollywood after-hour parties, Brian Traynam, turned it into a raucous neighborhood spot where a little person named O-Dawg could occasionally be spotted doing back flips and inverted push-ups on the bar.

The saloon has the good fortune of being located near the 6-year-old lofts above Pete's Cafe & Bar at 4th and Main, a corner widely considered the birthplace of the downtown "renaissance." The lofts and their in-house restaurant were developed by charismatic New York expat Tom Gilmore, who says that his decision to be the first to convert downtown office space into residences — shortly after the 1999 adaptive reuse ordinance proposed by the Central City Assn. made the endeavor possible — was "a no-brainer."

"It shocked me that the second-largest city in America didn't have a workable downtown," Gilmore says. "I wanted to reintroduce urbanism."

"Tom Gilmore did a really smart thing," Jason71 says. "He got three buildings in the same neighborhood. Instant community."

Says Gilmore: "Pete's came about because we needed Pete's. My residents were like, 'This is a really good loft, but where are we going to eat and drink?' "

Moving it forward

If Gilmore gave the loft and restaurant movement wings, then downtown prodigy Cedd Moses is the granddaddy of the nascent bar scene.

Tall, slender, with an air of unstudied distraction and a droning voice, Moses, the son of abstract artist Ed Moses, is the source of inspiration most frequently cited by new bar owners. After all, it was Moses who in 2004 opened the hugely successful Golden Gopher on 8th Street between Olive and Hill in a space once known for being one of the most dangerous bars downtown. A year later, he cut the ribbon for the Broadway Bar next to the Orpheum Theatre. Now he is poised to unveil a plush whiskey bar named Seven Grand in the old Clifton's Silver Spoon Cafeteria on 7th Street. Seven Grand highlights will include a pool table, a smoking deck, more than a dozen draft beers, live music and whiskey-friendly, extra-slow-melting ice cubes.

"In 24 hours a half million people work down here," Moses says, leaning over a color-coded map of downtown in his 213 Inc. offices above Seven Grand. "We want to create neighborhood bars out of beautiful buildings. Once there's critical mass in terms of bars down here, we'll create a destination."

In fact, Moses and his partner, design guru Ricki Kline, seem to be willing to create critical mass all by themselves. Moses just bought the classic 1908 Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet on 6th Street. "Cole's is brilliant already," Moses says. "It just needs cleaning and a little paint and a big improvement in the food department." He is also working on a lavish private club specializing in mixology called Petroleum in the old Petroleum building at Olympic and Flower. And he is partnering with Spaceland Productions' Mitchell Frank to acquire a historic downtown theater with designs on making it a live music venue. The undisclosed space is in escrow.

"I tried to get investors five or six years ago and nobody would listen," Frank says. "Now they all listen."

Future plans

Other entrepreneurs have felt downtown's siren call too. Take the folks behind the new Library Bar, cater-cornered from the Standard on Hope Street. Co-owner Michael Leko, the mastermind behind L.A.'s Eat Well restaurant chain (he sold the last one in his arsenal to open the Library Bar), says that tourists' reactions to downtown provide a litmus test for the health of the area.

"People have been saying, 'Oh my gosh, I've been doing business here for years and I usually go to the Westside at night.' But now they're saying, 'I stayed downtown all week,' " Leko says.

Leko and his partner, Will Shamlian, who has a stake in Eagle Rock's Chalet and Silver Lake's 4100 bar, have created a classy neighborhood hangout with the Library Bar. Brick walls, wooden shutters, herringbone wood floors, dim candles in brown glass holders, club chairs and wall-to-wall bookcases put the bar in the same class as Moses' ventures. Although Moses creates faithful retro renderings of interiors based on the historical context of the buildings his bars occupy, Leko and Shamlian have added modern twists to theirs, like nailing sheets of shiny zinc to the tops of wooden tables.

That almost artistic attention to detail sets this generation of entrepreneurs apart from the cavalier L.A. development pack. Many work within the delicate framework of buildings that are close to a century old; they see it as their duty to reinvigorate them. Kline points out that because parts of downtown had fallen so tragically down on their luck, they were largely ignored during the ravenous demolition derby that laid much of L.A.'s architectural heritage to waste beginning in the late 1950s.

Cindy Olnick, the communications manager at the Los Angeles Conservancy agrees: "You've heard of demolition by neglect? Well, this is preservation by neglect."

The conservancy is particularly excited about the future of the 1876, baroque-inspired St. Vibiana's Cathedral at 2nd and Main streets, which it fought desperately to save. With help from the conservancy and state politicians, Gilmore has rejuvenated the structure and began using it as a special-events venue last year.

Gilmore has also taken out a 20-year lease on the Regent Theater on Main Street, which he will open as a 450-seat rock 'n' roll venue next year. Additional blueprints reveal plans for a tapas restaurant called La Puerta at 4th and Spring streets, and next door another restaurant: Sushi on Spring.

More to come

Far from being worried about competition from other corners, Gilmore and his fellow downtown bar owners welcome it. "We all frequent each other's bars," Moses says.

Gilmore praises a number of his competitors, including Elizabeth Peterson, the brains behind Industrial Street's new watering hole the Royal Claytons pub. In addition to partnering with former Derby co-owner Tony Gower and others to remake Little Pedro's as the lush Bordello, Peterson will unveil an English beer garden named Bridge Tavern (in the old Studio Cafe) in February. The mostly outdoor venue will have "serious food and a boutique beer list," Peterson says.

Finally, Peterson plans to open a "speak-easy-style jazz club" named Dietrich's (after one of the original downtown party girls, Marlene) in the basement of the Hellman Building, directly below another Gilmore favorite, Lost Souls Cafe.

Still, the endeavor Gilmore effuses about the most isn't his own. It's the Edison, the dreamlike creation of Marc Smith and Andrew Meieran. "It'll rip your head off, it's so cool," Gilmore says.

The Edison is in the basement of the historic Higgins Building, with an entrance off the Harlem Place alley on 2nd Street between Main and Spring. "There was this incredible, almost surreal Jules Verne-esque space — it was under water and abandoned for 20-some years and my imagination went wild," Meieran says. He preserved a giant boiler — now home to a cozy wine bar — and four ancient generators, displayed behind low-slung chains.

The duo is also pairing up on another venture called Mercury Liquors, which will be located in the vaults of an old bank near 6th and Spring. The centerpiece will be the bank's 38-ton solid-steel vault door, which Smith (whose other interests include Hollywood's Three Clubs) says you can still swing open with your pinkie.

DCBID and CCA President Carol Schatz considers adaptive re-use essential to the future of downtown. She speaks in terms of "pillars of revitalization" and cites Staples Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall as the catalysts for a boom that eventually will include L.A. Live near Staples and the Grand Avenue Project near the performing arts centers. "Suddenly people had a reason to come downtown that had no reason before," she says.

"It's almost as if the city fled its center as far as possible, but like ripples in a pond spreading outwards, eventually those ripples are going to hit the bank and head back to the center," Meieran says. "Malls like the Grand Avenue Project and L.A. Live will create hubs to pull people into the area. It's starting on polar sides and filling in block by block."

Community feeling

Nobody has felt the filling-in phenomenon more acutely than Bert Green, the owner of Bert Green Fine Art on 5th near Main and the organizer of the Downtown Art Walk. In two years, the number of participating galleries has grown from eight to 28, and on the second Thursday of every month, the event draws between 1,000 and 2,000 browsers. "People discover the area and come back," he says. "Restaurants within walking distance have told me that's it's their busiest day of the month."

Artists worry that those most vital to the authentic inner-city workings of the district will be priced out. Others point out in a c'est la vie manner that revitalization gives as much as it takes away.

"It's pretty much gentrified now," says sculptor and musician Liz McGrath, who has lived downtown for a decade, since the days starving artists could actually barter for their rent. "It's nice to go to a restaurant or coffee shop and have a conversation with people who aren't asking you for money."

As Leko from the Library Bar points out, downtown's multicultural, multi-economic nature — including Broadway's Latino swap meets and storefront churches, Little Tokyo and skid row's homeless population — guarantees that, for the time being at least, downtown will remain diversified. "Try as much as you want, swing for the fence, but you won't lose that gritty sex appeal," Leko says.

Old will continue to commingle with new. Take La Cita, the Hill Street bar adjacent to Grand Central Market that long has been a destination for downtown's working-class Latino population. When new investors took over the bar this summer, they retained the popular norteno, cumbia and tejano entertainment on weekends; on weeknights, La Cita draws a decidedly different crowd, with street artist Shepard Fairey DJing on Thursdays and hipster kids Part Time Punks throwing a party on Fridays. But La Cita still retains its old look.

"We refurbished the original furnishings, lowered the lights, cleaned it up a bit, and that's it," one of the new owners, Carl Lofgren, says of the bar's classic plush-red interior and cozy open-air patio.

Just around the corner on 2nd Street, the new owners of the Redwood Bar & Grill, Dev Dugal and Christian Frizzell (ex-GM of the Golden Gopher), have taken a different tack. For years the Redwood was the dive bar of choice for Los Angeles Times staffers. A red phone legendarily connected the bar to the news desk. When Dugal and Frizzell bought the space in May, they remade it with a nautical theme and a menu of gastro-pub fare.

Dugal believes so much in downtown that he bought a 25-passenger shuttle bus for the Redwood. He plans to recruit other bar owners to start a free shuttle service through a new venture, Downtown Bar Hopper.

Bar-hopping corridor or not, most entrepreneurs are aiming for a neighborhood feel that is distinctly anti-Hollywood. "If Lindsay Lohan doesn't ever pay a visit to this place, it'll be fine by me," the Library Bar's Leko jokes.

That's not to say glitz and glamour are absent.

Ralph Verdugo's Club 740, with its multiple levels, glass walls, light shows, go-go dancers and VIP rooms, is a Hollywood-worthy mega-club that brings the kind of glitter often delivered by promoters at the nearby Mayan Theatre. After the New Year, Verdugo plans a mellower lounge on the street level of his Broadway club called Heaven 4rty.

And closer to Staples, Sergio Dovarro's J Restaurant & Lounge takes a similar approach with a more elegant sensibility. Boasting 25,000 square feet of space over two levels, J's includes a cigar patio, dance floor, restaurant, three full bars (with wine hand-picked by former L'Orangerie sommelier Fréderic Hémon), VIP rooms and a patio with cabanas and fire pits.

Standing on the patio, Dovarro looks out over the changing downtown skyline. "Look around at all the cranes," he exclaims. "How can you not get excited?" Despite the fact that Dovarro hosts celebrity bashes, such as one for the Black Eyed Peas earlier this month, he still feels a kinship with his live-in neighbors, allowing some to leave through the emergency exits and go straight to their units.

"I used to see a dog a month, now it's dog row," he says. "It's become a community."

[KarLarRec1]

Since I practically live downtown (I am a student at Loyola Law School), I eat out downtown a couple of times a week. And I just wanted to add my 2 cents...

TIARA CAFE is by far the best addition to downtown, and I am really annoyed they aren't open for dinner. They have a chicken sandwich that's too die for. The place is really cute inside, too. And it's also got a to-go section with pasta salads, etc, and some international groceries.

LIBERTY GRILL. This is my second favorite! I don't like the inside -- I love the outside though. The view of Staples and Met Lofts is great. They have a nice fireplace, and lights hanging above. The food's good too.

Then there's the 2 pizza places: PITFIRE PIZZA and ROCKET PIZZA. Rocket is more casual (and much smaller) than Pitfire. Pitfire also has a wider selection. I think Pitfire's food is better -- although they're both good, plus Rocket Pizza has really good breadsticks.

PETE'S CAFE and WOLFGANG PUCK EXPRESS. No explanations needed here. They're both pretty well-known. I am amazed at how busy Pete's is at night. PACKED EVERY NIGHT till late!!

LOST SOULS CAFE. Really really a great space! But it was almost empty when I went there...Nice workers though!

I know it's not a restaurant, but I went to Redwood Bar one night -- cool space, and it was pretty busy.

Next on my list:

- J's
- 626 Reserve


---

Generally though, I have been so thoroughly pleased/surprised with the amount of people downtown at nighttime. It's really really great. And especially around 4th/Main -- gosh, there's this certain energy with all those people around Pete's/Banquette/Rocket Pizza/Bar 107/Lost Souls. People on the sidewalks, sitting outside at sidewalk cafes, all the new stores popping up. But I can't get over how many people there are at that corner!

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

The Retail-Restaurant Explosion

High Rents and Bidding Wars Hit Downtown; Get Ready for Pinkberry And a $4 Million Sushi Joint

by Kathryn Maese

It'll be hotter than the Standard's rooftop bar, pump out pricier meals than the Water Grill and draw more celebrities than a Lakers playoff game at Staples Center.
Emil Eyvazoff is opening a $4 million restaurant and nightclub atop the 811 Wilshire Building. It is one of the dozens of new establishments that are driving Downtown's retail market. Photo by Gary Leonard.

At least, that's how Emil Eyvazoff of the Downtown Entertainment Group sees his new $4 million sushi restaurant and lounge, which dazzles with wall-to-wall glass atop the entire 21st floor of the 811 Wilshire Building. When it opens in May, Eyvazoff hopes the ultra-modern venture will draw a celebrity clientele along the lines of the Sunset Strip's posh Katana.

"This restaurant will offer outdoor dining high above Downtown for the first time," said Eyvazoff, one of three partners behind the Takami Sushi and Robata Restaurant and the Elevate Lounge. "This is very New York, very Tokyo. Those are the places you find an establishment like this."

Eyvazoff is just one of dozens of restaurant and retail investors who are flooding Downtown Los Angeles, and have begun to radically transform the business landscape over the last year. And while fierce bidding wars may be a thing of the past in the housing market, local brokers and real estate experts say Downtown's long-dormant retail spaces are fielding multiple offers from national retailers like Walgreens and smaller chains such as Pinkberry frozen yogurt.

The scenario is playing out across Downtown, not just hot spots like South Park near the active Staples Center. The notoriously hard-to-fill ground floors of residential buildings are steadily signing tenants who plan to open everything from galleries to furniture boutiques to mid-sized restaurants. Likewise, square footage in areas such as the Financial District, which has drawn relatively little attention from after-hours users, is now a hot commodity.

Take, for example, the Pacific Center next to the Biltmore Hotel. For more than a decade real estate firm CB Richard Ellis carried the listing on the 12,200-square-foot space, with little more than passing interest from would-be renters. Today, the landlord has offers from two tenants who want in and are willing to pay rents pushing $3.50 a square foot per month - about $1.50 higher than last year for the area.
*

"In just the last two to three years there has been over a 100% increase in activity," said Derrick Moore, who heads retail for CB Richard Ellis' Urban Redevelopment Group. "It's not uncommon to have half a dozen letters of interest for each and every space whether it's in the Central Business District, South Park or projects in Little Tokyo like the Hikari, which is getting some of the highest [residential] rents."

Frenzied Atmosphere


Moore, who has dozens of retail listings in Downtown, said many of the area's available spaces are already in play. That shortage is creating a frenzy of sorts.

At the Hikari apartments on Second and Central, Moore was besieged with interest, despite rents north of $3 per square foot. A new casual Italian restaurant chain called Pastagina inked a deal to open its first Downtown location in the building this spring, with two more planned by next summer. Baja Fresh, La Salsa and a Hawaiian eatery are gunning for the remaining 1,200 square feet.

"We believe that Downtown is growing and we've seen how fast they are building," said Danilo Terribili, a partner in the Pastagina chain. "A lot of single people are living in Downtown and you have all those lofts going up that are selling very fast. It's a great opportunity. Plus you have all the office workers."

Even established restaurants are reaping the rewards of a re-energized marketplace, fueled by a workforce of half a million people and an ever-growing resident base of about 30,000. The Palm steakhouse, for example, racked up a 10% increase in business over the last year, and is the third busiest in the chain, while the upscale Roy's Hawaiian fusion restaurant finished its first year $2 million over projections.

Numbers like that are pushing interest in retail leasing to the tipping point. Armed with demographic figures from the Downtown Center Business Improvement District touting the area's median household income of $90,000, retailers - particularly restaurants and bars - are making the move in droves.

The DCBID will soon release its second demographic study, which officials from the business group said would offer even more surprising statistics on the Downtown market.

"It will make even more of a compelling case," said Carol Schatz, president and chief executive of the DCBID and the Central City Association. "The average income level of the new residents is even higher than indicated in the first study. That's what retailers need to hear."

Schatz said the influx of nightclubs and bars marks a major transformation in the retail sector, with name chefs and prominent investors - including a few celebrity partnerships - backing projects. Eyvazoff of Takami didn't hesitate to sign a 20-year lease for the 14,000-square-foot space. In fact, the Downtown resident had scouted the area for some time, looking at about 50 locations before committing to the Financial District spot.

He said he has no doubt the multi-million dollar investment will become an instant destination. "I have a database of 300,000 customers and at any point I can send out a mailer and if less than 1% respond I'm over capacity and I've got a line down the street," said Eyvazoff, who operates two nightclubs in Southern California. "So it's not about filling the place up, it's about filling it with the right people at the right time."

A Downtown Pig?


A few blocks from Takami, the new retail mix is expanding with as many as 10 deals in the Financial District, specifically along Seventh Street between Olive and Figueroa. The corridor, which was a thriving retail hub before it was crippled by Westside expansion, recession and years of subway construction, is set to host a diverse slate of restaurants, stores and nightclubs.

One of those newcomers will occupy 10,000 square feet on the ground floor of the 76-unit Brockman Building. Called Duci Italian, the mid-priced to high-end eatery will include a gourmet market similar to New York's Dean & Deluca, Moore said.

Others hunting around in the district include the proprietors of the famed Pig 'n Whistle pub, who are looking to open a location on Seventh Street - possibly in the Fine Arts Building. The Hollywood Boulevard restaurant has a hopping bar scene and eclectic menu. Barney's Beanery, the hipster-adopted old-school eatery in West Hollywood, is also hoping to set up shop in Downtown, Moore noted.

Though brokers say the market for the non-food sector is slower, several notable tenants are coming into the area or even changing their policy on locating Downtown - Walgreens (likely in the Financial District) and CVS are looking to establish a presence in the market, according to several brokers who were interviewed. Opening late this year is Bo Concept, an upscale Scandinavian furniture store with locations around the world. The high-design showroom will occupy space in the 617 Building at 617 W. Seventh St.

Smaller clusters are also cropping up, like one on a stretch of Fifth Street off Broadway that includes an edgy hip-hop clothing store, two cafes and a cleaners. Meanwhile, Little Tokyo's active street scene is drawing plenty of newcomers, including a Pinkberry yogurt shop on Second Street across from Japanese Village Plaza.

"The really traditional users have not really come back again but other firms are looking to open in Downtown," said Amy Raine, senior director of retail for Cushman & Wakefield. "There's a certain amount of watching and waiting but there are a lot more users looking, especially mom-and-pop stores."

These smaller retailers have been finding their way into the dozens of residential buildings now coming online, many attracted by the built-in customer base. Leasing agent Frank DeFoe of Ramsey Shilling Co. said the 50-unit Douglas Building at Third and Spring streets has fully leased its retail, with four tenants that include the 3,789-square-foot Ma Petite Bakery and Café, the 3,367-square-foot Origami Bistro and Bar, as well as a photo gallery and coffee and tea bar. Likewise, 801 Grand, an office and residential development, has snagged Tranquility Base, a 3,166-square-foot American restaurant set to open this year.

"Retail as a component of these projects is a very important part of marketing and revenue generation," said Chris Maling, senior director of Marcus & Millichap's National Retail Group. "People are saying if I have a dry cleaners, hair salon or place where I can get coffee, I'll patronize it because it's convenient. This is the mom-and-pop concept that will evolve out of what's happening Downtown."

With Ralphs supermarket opening this summer and Downtown's two mega projects taking shape - the L.A. Live entertainment district and the Grand Avenue cultural hub - thousands of square feet of retail are hitting the market. But the sudden retail rush is creating a few snags and even some concerns, including the lack of affordable visitor parking, poor logistical infrastructure such as loading docks, and the need for retail diversity.

"We need some space for a brave retail entrepreneur to address the contemporary scene," said Ilse Metchek, who heads the California Fashion Association. "We need to replicate what Silver Lake and Echo Park are doing with their retail boutiques that sets them apart, not the same standard fare like Chicos, Ann Taylor and Talbots. We need a developer with that brainpower."

But the biggest problem, business owners say, is the slow city permitting and approval process. It can take developers as long as nine months to receive a conditional use permit to house a restaurant or a bar in their building, and even longer for the tenant to move forward.

"I think because of the number of projects happening at the same time, along with all of the residential, it's a combination of the city not being prepared for it, delays, and the Zoning Department had a lot of turnover," Eyvazoff said. "If you want to open up a restaurant or a lounge or nightclub tomorrow, it's not going to happen. You've got about a two-year wait. There are some growing pains that this area will feel, but the people who really want to do an outstanding project will do it."

Contact Kathryn Maese at kathryn@downtownnews.com.

page 1, 2/5/2007

[KarLarRec1]

I don't think anyone has summarized the article yet, so I will.

Anticipated in Downtown this year:

- Pig N Whistle
- Barney's Beanery
- $4M sushi restaurant & lounge atop 21st floor of 811 Wilshire (outdoor)
- Duci Italian at Brockman Bldg (with gourmet market)
- Pinkberry in Little Tokyo
- Ma Petite Bakery and Café, Origami Bistro and Bar, + photo gallery and coffee and tea bar (all at Douglas Bldg)
- Tranquility Base (American restaurant) at 801 Grand
- Pastagina (and some other chains) at Hikari
- CVS
- Walgreens
- Bo Concept (Scandinavian furniture) at 617 Bldg.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Chaya to Open in City National Plaza



Chaya Brasserie, a high-end Asian fusion restaurant with glitzy hot spots in Venice and Beverly Hills, is coming to the Financial District's City National Plaza, according to leasing officials with owner Thomas Properties Group. The deal was long in the works and will see Chaya Brasserie open by 2008, officials said. The twin 51-story black granite office towers at Fifth and Flower rise from a large plaza and fountain area, across from the Central Library. Thomas Properties Group acquired the complex in 2003 and launched an extensive upgrade of the buildings and an underground mall. Chaya Brasserie will lease a 7,000-square-foot retail space, said Kent Handleman, managing director of leasing. "It fulfills our vision for the plaza that we've had all along," Handleman said. "It's a statement for Downtown, not only our project."



page 2, 2/19/2007

[Codex Borgia]

WOW!! :tup:
I love Chaya, it will make an impressive addition to downtown, and especially in that prominent space!! WooHooo!! I can hardly wait to see how they are going to use that space, I am sure that it will look nothing less than stunning in that dramatic space.
Bravo for them and Downtown

[dragonsky]

Chaya to Open in City National Plaza

Chaya Brasserie, a high-end Asian fusion restaurant with glitzy hot spots in Venice and Beverly Hills, is coming to the Financial District's City National Plaza, according to leasing officials with owner Thomas Properties Group. The deal was long in the works and will see Chaya Brasserie open by 2008, officials said. The twin 51-story black granite office towers at Fifth and Flower rise from a large plaza and fountain area, across from the Central Library. Thomas Properties Group acquired the complex in 2003 and launched an extensive upgrade of the buildings and an underground mall. Chaya Brasserie will lease a 7,000-square-foot retail space, said Kent Handleman, managing director of leasing. "It fulfills our vision for the plaza that we've had all along," Handleman said. "It's a statement for Downtown, not only our project."

[LongBeachUrbanist]

In non-restaurant related news, Lofty Dog - a new canine spa and retail store - opened up on 2nd street in the low rise building next to the Higgins. Even if you don't plan on pampering your pooch, you should check it out. They did a kick-ass job on the interior.

I could've sworn I saw a Lofty Dog location at Seventh and Spring. Can anyone confirm this?

[colemonkee]

There is another Lofty Dog on Spring, either on 6th and Spring or 7th and Spring. Lofty Dog on 2nd just installed neon signage in the window. Not my cup of tea aesthetically, but it does liven up the street at night.

[dragonsky]

March 7, 2007

Urban chic at Blue Velvet
Perched on a hill with stunning city views, the newest downtown spot takes you to an L.A. you've yet to meet.

By S. Irene Virbila, Times Staff Writer

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-03/28269696.jpg

The back dining room at Blue Velvet, a new restaurant and lounge tucked downtown just west of the 110 Freeway, is dimly lighted and romantic, with red glass walls and dark wood tables. In the concrete fireplace, a line of gas flames dances a conga, picking out diamonds on the major bling worn by a guy at the table next to me.

His watch has a face the size of a teacup encrusted with sparkly bits, which I surmise are not rhinestones, and the firelight catches reflections from his diamond stud earrings.

Happily eating, he's discussing business with his woman companion, letting drop figures in the hundreds of thousands. Whether it's real or it's show, I haven't a clue. More interesting is the fact that the woman is not eating a bite. It's not that she's just picking at her food: She doesn't even have a plate in front of her. Nothing.

Maybe she already ate. Or maybe she's been to so many trendy restaurants where the overpriced, overly ambitious food is mediocre that she figures she'll just say no, not having any.

If that's the case, she would be very wrong. Because the food at this 3-month-old spot lives up to its stylish good looks. Executive chef Kris Morningstar, whose resume includes stints at A.O.C., Me'son G and Patina, is turning out polished contemporary cooking with a deft and light hand.

Even more unusual, the place is lighthearted and fun. It's versatile too. You can come for a drink and a bite in the sleek lounge with low-slung sofas and a sunken, blue granite communal table with space carved out below for dangling feet. Or just as easily reserve for dinner in one of the two very different dining rooms, one with a view that skims over a turquoise pool to the noirish cityscape beyond.

Located at the residential complex called the Flat, Blue Velvet was designed by Tag Front, the downtown architectural and design firm that has consistently created some of the most intriguing restaurant spaces in L.A., including Boa, Nacional, Geisha House and Katana. The designers have given the former Holiday Inn a sharp, contemporary edge and chalked up planet-friendly points with the use of environmentally sound materials.

The wall that divides the lounge from the dining room is made of several layers of pale MDF (medium density fiberboard) cut with oval holes, the holes and layers overlapping so it resembles a slice of Swiss cheese on legs. Another wall covered in dark gray pebbles exudes calm. At the entrance, an egg shape cut into a frosted-glass panel offers a look into the main dining room. Walking into that room — already set with sparkling stemware — gives a sense of occasion, especially with that view of city lights and, off in the distance, the sizzling neon of Staples Center and Figueroa Hotel.

One night, just as we take a first sip of cool, steely Sauvignon Blanc (cult winemaker Didier Dagueneau's Pur Sang) from the savvy wine list, the glassy surface of the pool outside the window is broken by two dark heads gliding through the water like seals: residents from the adjoining apartment taking a late night swim. It feels like a dreamscape.

A modern focus

Early on, Blue Velvet's menu seemed too similar to every other trendy restaurant's to telegraph a clear identity. But in recent weeks, Morningstar has risen to the occasion. He's worked hard to bring his distinctly modern style into focus. And as the kitchen has evolved into a coherent team, the execution has stepped up a notch too.

A meal at Blue Velvet might begin with a delightful amuse such as a "bacon chip," so flat it looks as if it's been ironed, on a coin of sticky rice, and garnished with a puddle of pineapple pure'e and a frothy coconut emulsion. And two peas.

Then comes a parade of intriguing first courses. There's a fabulous salad of tender, barely cooked squid rings with sweet, slightly nutty salsify cut to mimic fettuccine noodles and punctuated with fresh mint and a chili sauce dotted with luscious kumquats that are both tart and sweet. The flavors work some magic to create a squid salad utterly unlike anything else in town.

Crispy yogurt sounds so odd, somebody has to order it and that somebody is me. The yogurt is thick, something like labneh, the Lebanese yogurt with the texture and weight of ricotta, fried gold on the outside and served with a spinach-almond pure'e, pine nuts and golden raisins. A lashing of blackstrap molasses on the side of the plate injects a startling contrast to the rest of the flavors.

Lobster cassoulet is deconstructed to a pile of beans in a rich lobster sauce dotted with lobster meat, flanked by some of the same beans, pure'ed, and rich, inky boudin noir (blood sausage) topped with slices of the tender lobster tail. The sweet, intricately laced flavors of the black sausage against the lobster works beautifully.

Sushi fanciers will, of course, zero in on the hamachi. The yellowtail is sushi quality, served raw with sumptuous, marinated Japanese eggplant, shimeji mushrooms and blood orange segments, another wonderful combination of tastes.

Squab cre'pinette is another terrific dish. Pigeon breast is sandwiched with a forcemeat of the liver, leg and mushroom duxelles, the whole package wrapped in lacy caul fat (which almost melts away in the cooking), sliced and served rosy rare with fried shallots.

There's only one dud in the group of appetizers: rock shrimp and sweet potato agnolotti tossed in a sweet, intense cherry sauce that coats the pasta and covers the delicate flavors of the stuffing.

I've brought a diverse group of friends with me on every visit, and Blue Velvet appeals to each of them in a different way. The hipster loves the look and the action. The aesthete enjoys the design and the fairly subdued noise level. The wine aficionado is quite taken with the wide-ranging wine list. And everybody enjoys the food.

Service is personable and brisk, but not intrusive, other than the usual bus person attempting to fill up your water glass every time you take a sip. The sommelier, who just moved here from Atlanta, is charming and unpretentious, helpful in selecting something unusual and interesting from the list.

Downtown crowd

In a town where hype is rampant, we often have the sense that we're discovering something. This is not a restaurant anybody would find by driving by. It's tucked away in the historic Westlake neighborhood, which is in transition, with refurbished buildings like this one popping up here and there. It offers a unique view of the city, with a crowd that draws on downtown loft dwellers, Koreatown and Little Tokyo, Silver Lake and Echo Park. The result is understated and intriguing, something that higher profile Westside hot spots could never emulate.

As is the case on many menus, main courses have trouble competing with the more obvious attractions of the first courses. Still, they're very good. Loup de mer comes with an enticing dice of potatoes and fresh clams and a thatch of fried leeks on top. There's a nice free-range chicken dish dressed up with fava beans, hedgehog mushrooms and excellent potatoes saute'ed in duck fat.

Colorado rack of lamb really tastes like lamb. At $32, it's the most expensive item — and worth it. Monkfish in a miso cider reduction, though, is boring and oversalted, outshone by the ribbons of cabbage, baby carrots and glazed chestnuts that come with it.

I liked the venison loin, however, and its smart accompaniments of gnocchi, red chard with apples, and bacon onion pure'e. The chef really spends time considering each plate as a whole. None of the vegetables or accompaniments ever feels like an afterthought.

Just before 10 p.m., the management starts cranking up the music as the lounge crowd filters in. Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" segues into AC/DC, and then I lose track as the conversation carries us somewhere else and we're distracted by the prospect of desserts. These, too, are a cut above.

White chocolate bombe resembles a light, fluffy cheesecake brought into relief by lime curd and candied pistachios. "Almost a sundae" features a smear of bru^le'ed marshmallow "fondue" highlighting a bar of milk chocolate parfait, with a tall glass of frothy bitter-almond foam, and espresso ice cream alongside.

Beet financier cake, though, served with a tangy, goat cheese ice cream and candied beets is an oddity. Maybe it's just outside most people's comfort zone, but however well executed, I can't imagine ordering it again. The flavors are too jarring. No worries. Pastry chef Randall Perez (Me'son G, Patina, and Bouchon in Napa Valley) seems to come up with new items every week.

A work in progress

In all, this last meal is the best of several, and because each time I've been to Blue Velvet the food has been better than the time before, it's encouraging.

I have to note, however, that even on a weekend night, the restaurant has never been extremely busy. Whether the kitchen can perform at the same level when both dining rooms are packed is yet to be determined.

As we leave, we pass a video monitor mounted outside that displays the stream of car lights on the intersecting freeways. In the lobby, I notice a sign with arrows indicating "Rent" this way, "Eat" that way. Could this be the new urban paradigm? Eat and sleep in the same building?

A resident is happily ensconced on a sofa suspended from the ceiling like a porch swing, cooing into his cellphone, waiting for his date to arrive for dinner.

A glance at the traffic streaming on the monitor, and the message is clear: Why brave the freeway when you can eat so well so close to home?

*

Blue Velvet

Location: 750 S. Garland Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 239-0061; www.bluevelvetrestaurant.com.

Ambience: Downtown restaurant with city views and a smart, edgy look. The lounge features a sunken granite table and giant parchment lampshades. The crowd is urban and young, ready to eat, drink and party.

Service: Warm and personable, but also professional.

Price: Dinner appetizers, $10 to $16; main courses, $24 to $32; desserts, $8; chef's tasting menu, $75 per person.

Best dishes: Lobster cassoulet, hamachi with eggplant and blood oranges, warm squid salad with salsify noodles, crispy yogurt, loup de mer with clams and potatoes, squab cre'pinette, crispy pork short rib, Colorado lamb rack, blood-orange sundae.

Wine list: Wide-ranging and eclectic; corkage fee, $20

Best table: One in the corner of the back dining room.

Details: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and for dinner from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The lounge is open daily from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Full bar. Valet parking, $5.

[dragonsky]

Who has the bread for a $15 hot dog?
March 11, 2007

Even in Greater Los Angeles, home to Urasawa's $250 sushi dinner and Campanile's $14-and-up grilled cheese sandwiches, it does not seem possible.

A $15 hot dog?

The home of the offending haute dog is the brand new Trifecta Restaurant & Sports Lounge at 2nd and Hill streets in downtown Los Angeles. Downtown boosters kept telling us a renaissance was going on downtown, but they never warned us it would lead to this.

One day an editor and I stopped in at the Trifecta to see with our own eyes if the rumor could possibly be true. We checked the menu and there it was:

"BOLD VENTURE — The Big Footer."

Bold venture, indeed.

The dog was described thusly:

"A foot-long all-beef juicy hot dog on a toasted, buttered hot dog bun, served with sauerkraut, red cart onions (New York style onions), brown mustard and ketchup."

Unless it came with all the beer you could drink, that still didn't explain why it was $15, and I thought it made sense to invite a team of wiener experts to join me in a taste test.

So I called the Pink family.

Pink's hot dogs, at Melrose and La Brea avenues, has been a local institution since 1939. Gloria Pink took my call, heard me out and then asked the obvious question.

"A $15 hot dog?"

Yeah, it's un-American, isn't it?

Gloria, Richard and Beverly Pink gladly accepted the mission and met me at Trifecta one day last week, and see if you can guess what color they were wearing.

Yep.

Richard's pink shirt had "Pink" cufflinks from the upscale London clothing and accessory store by that name, and his wife and sister wore hot dog pins and toted little hot dog purses. I wish I'd gotten there in time to see whether they arrived in a wienermobile.

Trifecta has roughly 600 TV screens, some of them bigger than the face of Half Dome. Between that and the glare off the Pinks, I could barely see the menu. When our waitress came by, we asked what she thought of the hot dog. It's excellent, she said. Kind of like the hot dogs at Costco.

Who could say no after a recommendation like that? Richard and I each ordered a dog, and Beverly and Gloria decided to split one. Meanwhile, they sent us a new waitress. I think the first one might have been locked in the freezer after the Costco comparison.

The hot dogs at Pink's start at $2.85 and go all the way up to $6.45 for the Three Dog Night — three wieners in a giant tortilla, with onions, chili, three slices of cheese, three slices of bacon, three paramedics and a defibrillator. I should point out that fries cost an extra $2.15, whereas they're included with the Trifecta dog.

Finally, the moment of truth.

"It's a beautiful looking dog," Mr. Pink said as he surveyed the white, rectangular plates with three little cups for mustard, relish and ketchup. "Nice presentation."

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Each of the Pinks poked and tasted, poked and tasted, as if they were judging duck a l'orange.

"A little spicy," Richard said approvingly, but maybe a bit too dense.

A bit? The LAPD should look into replacing their batons with these things.

"It's good," said Gloria, but she couldn't hide what was really on her mind.

"It doesn't have the snap," she said.

"No," Beverly said in a somber tone.

"No," Richard chimed in gravely.

That's the problem with grilling dogs, he said. When you steam, as Pink's does, a dog holds its snap — a crackling burst of flavor. It's that snap, and good value at low prices, that keep customers lined up day and night, Gloria said.

"A hot dog should be habit-forming," Richard said, doubting that many folks can afford a $15 hot dog habit. "You're really going to have to love a dog at that price."

Chef Will Gotay had gotten word that the Pinks were in the house, and he visited our table to see what they thought.

"It was good," they said simultaneously.

Gotay, who cooked previously at Mastro's and Citizen Smith, said he wants to cater to an upscale sports-minded crowd, so he asked his meat purveyor to get him the best dog he could find. These were flown in from Chicago, Gotay said, and I almost choked on the coincidence: The Tribune-owned Los Angeles Times keeps flying wieners in from Chicago too.

Gotay told the Pinks he's still working on the menu and the concept, and hopes to add a cigar bar and movie and dinner nights on Fridays. It's a tough business, for sure, and they wished him well.

I asked Gotay if, by chance, he'd ever eaten at Pink's. He seemed to have lost track of how many times.

"Any chef who doesn't tell you he hits Pink's or Carl's Jr. after work is lying," Gotay said.

Speaking of hamburgers, try not to fall off your chairs when I tell you what Trifecta's Kobe beef hamburger costs.

Twenty-five bucks!

Are the owners of Tommy's burgers reading this? If so, let's have lunch.

[dragonsky]

March 14, 2007
Celadon covers all points West and East
Israeli-born, Japan-raised and U.S.-trained, chef Danny Elmaleh knows a thing or two about fusion.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-03/28394611.jpg

By S. Irene Virbila, Times Staff Writer

Celadon's affordable, elegant menu offers worldly bites made to share.

In L.A., everybody loves Italian, but close on that all-purpose cuisine is Euro-Asian. Chinois on Main has, for example, mined this very rich vein for almost 24 years. In the last couple of years, we've seen a new crop of contenders — Geisha House, Katana, Koi, Beacon. The new restaurant that aims to satisfy the urge for something pan-Asian with a few French touches is Celadon Galerie Culinaire on West 3rd Street in Los Angeles.

Owner Louie Chang has named his 3-month-old restaurant after the exquisite and much admired green glaze of Chinese ceramics. His design has given the former Yi Cuisine space a polished Asian look, weaving bamboo, orchids and opulent textures through the dining room and the adjacent lounge and bar. Thick staves of bamboo lean against the front window and in the foyer; water slides down the ribbed glass of a striking fountain. The d–cor isn't over-the-top. It's stated and subtle, all the better to show off chef Danny Elmaleh's cuisine.

You probably haven't heard the name of this young chef before. That's because he was sous-chef to Josiah Citr–n at M–lisse, and most recently, executive chef for Citr–n's more casual Lemon Moon, both in Santa Monica. Now he's getting the chance to star on his own and create a menu that reflects his unusual background.

Israeli-born, he grew up in Japan, attended the Culinary Institute of America and cooked at a French restaurant in Kobe, Japan, and at an Italian restaurant in Milan. All that experience is brought to bear on his menu at Celadon, which includes touches of the Middle East and North Africa as well as Europe and Asia. Elmaleh, whose parents are Moroccan and Japanese, has an instinctive knack for fusion. At 31, he's just developing his own style, informed by everywhere he's lived and cooked and tasted.

First up on the menu is crudo, or raw seafood. The term comes from Italian cuisine, but Elmaleh's take is Japanese in style. The silly-sounding tuna tartare "lollipops" are actually more like a sushi sandwich — sheets of nori in a gauzy tempura batter sandwiching tuna tartare and a shiso leaf. And they're irresistible. He gives sushi a Latin twist with a terrific hamachi citrus salsa, a slice of excellent raw yellowtail topped with chiles and citrus, enhanced with a little ponzu gel–e and a line of citrus "dust."

Like the food, the colors of the dining room are rich and vibrant. Bolts of orange dupioni silk unfurl overhead. And in the center of a room is a playful chandelier made from ostrich eggs. Upholstered booths are lined around the perimeter, beneath wraparound dark wood shelves that hold rows of crimson votive "candles" (only the light is coming from flickering flame-shaped bulbs). In the corner, the requisite blissed-out Buddha smiles his enigmatic smile.

Over several meals at Celadon, I've discovered the best strategy is to eat mezze-style. Cover the table with appetizers and nibble away. That's where Elmaleh shows his best stuff and where he breaks new ground with his very personal fusion.

Dishes come out on long platters, sometimes clear glass, sometimes porcelain, and they're mostly enough for four to share and get more than a bite. This style of eating makes for a companionable evening.

The Vietnamese shrimp toast delights and surprises, the deep-fried shrimp coated with black-and-white sesame seeds so they're speckled like the feathers of a guinea hen. Each sits on a thin slice of very crisp toast, a purple orchid tucked beside it.

There's also a fine variation on Chinese chicken salad with crisp, almost crystalline rice instead of wonton skins and tatsoi greens that look like petals of some exotic emerald flower. They're tossed with peanuts and slices of moist chicken in a rice vinegar dressing perfumed with sesame.

Hummus "parfait" is twin glasses of a delicious fluffy hummus sprouting celery sticks and served with warm pita bread sprinkled with za'tar, a Middle Eastern spice. Another standout is pork saltimbocca tonkatsu. As the name indicates, it's both Italian and Japanese inflected: thin slices of pork rolled up with mozzarella, dusted with breadcrumbs and fried enough to cook the meat and melt the cheese. It's a great idea, one that I've never seen before — like a well-traveled grilled cheese sandwich.

Ahi tuna pizza doesn't make it, though, mainly because the crust tastes like a limp pita and the slices of raw tuna just sit on top, unintegrated into the pie. If you think of it as a tuna crostini, it makes more sense. But in the end, it's dull, and on two occasions, our table didn't finish it. And while I love the idea of octopus dressed up in pesto, the noodles beneath are mushy.

Where starters shine

Every one of the appetizers has such a high production value — the plates, the garnish, the rigorously studied look — that by the time it comes to the larger plates, your eyes and your palate have been through so many changes that the main courses don't register as well. It's as if the chef is too serious when it comes to the big dishes. They've lost the wonderful light-hearted quality of the appetizers and are bogged down by too many ingredients and embellishments. Curiously, they're not plated as well either.

The exception is the wok and side dishes, which include a terrific bowl of steamed clams sparked with Thai bird chiles and fragrant Thai basil. The flavors are wonderful together. Szechwan spicy noodles aren't all that spicy, a bowl of wide noodles tossed with what tastes like peanut butter laced with chiles.

A better option is the special saraudon sizzling noodles (named for a Japanese dish) — a big happy mix of noodles with crisp rice, bok choy, scallops and shrimp. I love all the textures, and especially the rice crust where it sticks to the sides of the hot stone bowl. I only wish the sauce wasn't so sweet.

Best choices among the meat and fish dishes include the plum-braised short ribs, with the beef cooked to tenderness but still holding its shape and texture, lacquered with a glaze that highlights the flavor without overwhelming it. Still, they can't compete with the little pork ribs with a ginger-cinnamon crumble over the top served one night as a special. That combination was magic with the pork. This should get star billing on the next menu.

You can't go wrong with the grilled swordfish either. It's garnished with grapefruit segments, a flurry of greens and a thickened yogurt to pull it all together. But grilled lamb sirloin with tabbouleh and tahini sauce sounds more exciting than it is.

And flat-iron steak comes, bizarrely, with grilled cheese panini. The beef is tough to boot. Still, the most expensive of the meat and fish dishes is $15; it's hard to complain.

Service is generally good, except for the usual water torture. That would be when a server fills glasses to the brim, obviously hoping that a single bottle won't make it all the way around the table. You could easily end up with two waters at $7 each on your bill before you've ever taken a bite.

The smart and savvy wine list put together by wine consultant David McDonald includes a number of wines that go beautifully with this kind of food, like the Champalou Vouvray, a Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, or Pic Saint Loup, a red from the Languedoc region of France. And if you want to go in the sake direction, Celadon's list holds more than 30 selections, enough to keep you busy for more than one visit. In addition, the bar offers a slew of fanciful cocktails, including his and her aphrodisiac cocktails, and a selection made from sake and soju.

Desserts straddle the East-West line too, with a lovely black sesame custard escorted by a br–l–e of adorable baby bananas and an adzuki (red bean) custard tart. Otherwise, there's a trio of cr–me br–l–e (the better to share) or a chocolate trio that includes a miniature chocolate souffl–.

One more plus: the noise level. This is one of the few restaurants I've been to in months where it's quiet enough that you can have a conversation with friends over dinner. If only we didn't have to keep waving off the conscientious water pourers. Open late, till midnight most nights, Celadon is ready and waiting for anybody looking for a bite in a chic East-West setting. Say hello to Buddha for me.

Celadon Galerie Culinaire

Location: 7910 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (323) 658-8028; www.celadongalerie.com.
Ambience: Euro-Asian d–cor with orange silk and lots of flickering votive lights. An inviting lounge offers a fireplace and Indonesian teak sofas loaded with silk cushions.
Service: Overly solicitous: Back off with the water pouring!
Price: Crudo (raw seafood), $12 to $14; yam cha (fried things), $12; soups and salads, $6 to $14; fish and meats, $13 to $15; wok and sides, $6 to $17; desserts, $9 to $10.
Best dishes: Hamachi citrus salsa, tuna tartare "lollipop," Vietnamese sesame shrimp toasts, pork saltimbocca tonkatsu, saraudon sizzling crispy noodles and rice, black sesame custard.
Wine list: The sake list of more than 30 selections trumps the wine list. Corkage fee, $15.
Best table: A corner banquette.
Details: Dinner 6 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Friday; 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Full bar. Valet parking, $5.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Well I don't get downtown much these days since I have very little time, and working graveyard really takes a toll on your energy. Anyway the last time I was in Little Tokyo on a Saturday night (a little over a year ago) it seems like its a happening area. I'm sure its getting better than as downtown changes.

Oh btw I was just checking out that website for GroundWorks Coffee a few days ago. I found it on one of the websites promoting downtown LA. For sure I would like to check it out myself since I'm always looking for good espresso beans and a good place to stop for a cappuccino. I think it said their beans are orgainic too, not that it matters to me.


Here's why Groundworks tastes so good. It is literally ONE OF A KIND right now in LA... :tup: (DOWNTOWN LA TO BE EXACT!) ;)

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A lucky break for drip coffee
A high-tech machine called the Clover brews like a French press one cup at a time. Coffee shop owners and drip drinkers are buzzing.
By Amy Scattergood
Times Staff Writer

March 14, 2007

IN the breve new world of coffeehouses, espresso has been getting all the love. Tattooed baristas pull perfect shots from loud machines the size of Fiats. Lattes come crowned with filigreed leaves drawn in foam; macchiati appear in dainty demitasses of Italian porcelain. The drip coffee drinker, however, is handed a paper cup and directed to a stoic thermos, exiled near the napkins and sugar packets.

But a seismic change is on the way in this highly caffeinated world. Drip coffee is getting a serious upgrade, thanks to a new machine called the Clover. A high-tech gadget that looks like a cross between a water cooler and a microwave (and it's the size of a small one), the Clover brews a single cup of coffee at a time, to order, through a process that allows the barista to adjust the brewing to fit the flavor profile of specific lots of coffee.

Coffee brewed in the Clover has the depth of flavor of a French-press brew with none of the sediment; it has a clarity and focus, even an elegance, that you just don't experience with other brewing methods.

And the price for a cup of such brilliant coffee? Two bucks. At least that's what it costs (for most brews) at the new downtown branch of Groundwork Coffee Co., which has the only Clover in operation so far in Los Angeles. Not bad, when you consider that the machine costs a cool $11,000.

But there are more on the way. A new coffee shop with plans to open in May in Silverlake will house two of them, and Groundwork has plans for two more. There are two in San Francisco (Ritual Coffee Roasters just installed them); ironically, Seattle has only one. There are a total of 68 Clovers in the U.S., many of them owned by coffee roasters.

Meanwhile, at the new downtown Groundwork last week, customer Ted Humphrey was excited to find the Clover — he had heard about it, he said, and had made three trips trying to find the coffeehouse that had it. He waited as the barista, Shawna Whitlock, prepared his cup of Malacara from El Salvador.

She ground the beans in a burr grinder, poured the ground coffee into the top of the Clover, and pressed a button. About a minute later, the coffee poured into a waiting ceramic cup. Humphrey sipped — and was impressed. "It's a really great cup," he said. "There's no bitterness, but it's not stripped down either, and it's got terrific finish."

Just back from a sourcing trip to Africa, where his purchases included 650 bags of raw Ethiopian beans, Groundwork President Ric Rhinehart said he sees the Clover as a way to showcase the specialty coffees — single-origin beans, estate blends, Cup of Excellence award winners and micro-lots — that he's sourced and roasted to exact specifications.

"It's a remarkable machine," he said, "the closest approximation to the cupping ritual." Cupping is the technique used by coffee experts to evaluate the flavor profile of a coffee, in which hot water is poured into small cups of freshly ground beans; the mixture is stirred, allowed to form a crust, which is then broken and the liquid below the surface slurped and spat out.

"For people who are drip coffee drinkers, the Clover can deliver the experience [of coffee] I have in my mind," said Rhinehart, who has two more Clovers on order, one for his shop in Hollywood, the other for his flagship store in Venice.

But Groundwork won't have the market cornered for long. Intelligentsia Coffee, which is soon to open its first retail store outside of Chicago in Silverlake, will have two Clovers at the new shop at Sunset Junction when the doors open in May.

Doug Zell, Intelligentsia's founder and owner, in town recently checking on his new local roasting facility, said that not only did he have two Clovers ready for the new store, but that he wants the brewed coffee to be "all Clover." No thermoses of coffee in sight — or on site. All the brewed coffee the Intelligentsia store will offer — organic Nicaraguan micro-lots, direct trade beans from Colombia — will be made to order on one of the two machines.

Zell admitted this won't be easy. Brewing coffee on a cup-by-cup basis takes time and attention, even on the Clover. The beans must be "dosed" (measured), ground individually to order, stirred once the water goes in — and there's cleanup between cups.

That leaves time for some conversation between the barista and the customer, which is one of the selling points of the Clover. The barista's job will be to spark interest in the beans, offering an estate blend, an Ethiopian Yergecheffe just bought at auction, or a single-origin bean from a Fair Trade farm in Venezuela.

In fact, both Rhinehart and Zell use the metaphor of the wine industry when discussing their decision to use the Clover. They'd like to banish the image of the harried waitress pouring a 10-cent cup of anonymous joe. Instead the barista will be more like a sommelier, imparting specific information while changing the way the customer thinks about the very cup they're waiting for. What it really tastes like, where it comes from, what food it pairs with. It's the difference between ordering a glass of generic red wine or a Guigal La Mouline C–te R–tie from the northern Rh–ne.

So how does one machine with an $11,000 price tag achieve this?

The Clover uses a patented vacuum-press system, which essentially combines the technology of the French press and the vacuum pump.

The barista chooses a pre-programmed setting that fits the flavor profile of the coffee; she can also tweak it according to a customer's preferences. Once the ground coffee goes in, the Clover then releases water, heated to a specific temperature, into the chamber. After the barista agitates the coffee, it steeps for an amount of time calculated by the machine — usually 30 to 45 seconds. Then the Clover's piston rises, creating a vacuum that draws the water through the grounds and delivers coffee to a waiting cup.

The machine, which came on the market a year ago, is the brainchild of Zander Nosler, president and co-founder of the Coffee Equipment Co., a nine-person, 3-year-old company in Seattle.

"Drip was the forgotten stepchild of the coffee industry," said Nosler, a former mechanical engineer who worked in product development.

Sensing a need for great drip coffee in their espresso-soaked city, coffee that would show the new artisanally roasted, carefully sourced beans to their best advantage, Nosler and his co-founder Randy Hulett, also an engineer (a third co-founder has since left the company) quit their day jobs in early 2004, drafted a business plan and began development. In October 2005, the Clover debuted at the Seattle Coffee Fest.

The experiment paid off, and quickly. The Clover won the Specialty Coffee Assn. of America's best new product award in 2006. And since it hit the market, it's sold 80 machines worldwide. Go to the website (cloverequipment.com) and a satellite map shows the locations of the Clovers around the world, from the four just installed in Portland's new Stumptown location, to the cafe in Vancouver, British Columbia, where the first Clover debuted, to the machine newly placed "at origin," in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This is happy news for drip coffee lovers. And it should be a boon to artisan coffee roasters, who have spent much of the last decade sourcing beans, developing relationships with coffee farmers, championing free-trade business models and fine-tuning roasting techniques.

But they're not all convinced. Though the Clover has passionate advocates among some of the best artisan roasters in the country, others confessed to being skeptical of the high price and gadgety feel of the machine.

"It remains to be seen whether it can find a place outside the lunatic fringe," said Tim Castle, former president of the Specialty Coffee Assn. of America and co-author of "The Great Coffee Book."

"But it may not need to," Castle continued. "Just being there it might be enough to stimulate interest in brewed coffee."

*


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
amy.scattergood@latimes.com

[ChrisLA]

Here's why Groundworks tastes so good. It is literally ONE OF A KIND right now in LA... :tup: (DOWNTOWN LA TO BE EXACT!) ;)

---------


A lucky break for drip coffee
A high-tech machine called the Clover brews like a French press one cup at a time. Coffee shop owners and drip drinkers are buzzing.
By Amy Scattergood
Times Staff Writer


And the price for a cup of such brilliant coffee? Two bucks. At least that's what it costs (for most brews) at the new downtown branch of Groundwork Coffee Co., which has the only Clover in operation so far in Los Angeles. Not bad, when you consider that the machine costs a cool $11,000.

Meanwhile, at the new downtown Groundwork last week, customer Ted Humphrey was excited to find the Clover — he had heard about it, he said, and had made three trips trying to find the coffeehouse that had it. He waited as the barista, Shawna Whitlock, prepared his cup of Malacara from El Salvador.

Humphrey sipped — and was impressed. "It's a really great cup," he said. "There's no bitterness, but it's not stripped down either, and it's got terrific finish."


Yes indeed, the espresso is very good, I'm hooked like its a drug (lol). I haven't had the coffee yet, but I was offered to try a free cup from this machine the first time I visited this new one a few weeks ago. I was also in there last Friday, and had a wet cappuccino, and purchased some beans for my cousin. I think this guy was in there with me. I remember these two guys walking in, and speaking about the machine trying out different coffees. One guy looked like he was there as a reporter, and not really there for coffee.

[RAlossi]

I liked Groundwork, but I really like the coffee more at Lost Souls (plus the guys that own/operate it are really cool). I'm not a coffee connoisseur by any means, though. So that's just a personal opinion.

By the way, Lost Souls is now selling their beans -- and they just started that very recently, according to the guy behind the counter! I haven't had such good-smelling/tasting coffee ever. All righty, I'm done now!

[hesed]

I was in downtown this afternoon and was going to try Warung, after reading here of several positive experiences, but it was closed. I guess they're only open Mon. thru Fri.? Bummer. I ended up going to Rocket Pizza instead, which was better than last time I went and couple of months ago.

I also spent some time at Groundwork Coffee. I asked what the deal with their air conditioning was and the lady working there said that apparently the developer didn't install a/c to any of the ground floor retail spaces. They didn't know until they tried to turn it on and it blew out hot air. She didn't seem too optimistic about the problem being resolved any time soon. I hope that doesn't hurt their business as we move into the hot time of year for the next several months. Other than that, however, the place looked good. They had a steady stream of folks coming through. I ordered a cup of coffee from the $11,000 coffee machine. To be honest, I don't think I could tell the difference, but I'm not much of a coffee connoisseur.

[ChrisLA]

^
Yeah I do hope they figure out something to resolved the a/c issue. Its not even summer and the two times I've been there it was pretty warm inside. In fact almost unbearable, and I quickly down my cappuccino because I was sweating like crazy, and I don't like to be sweaty and sticky. Its one of the reasons I hate the east coast during the summer. Personally think it will affect their business and they need to find alternate plans on getting this resolved asap, or threat to file a law suit again the owners and hopefully can show proof how it affects their business.

[dragonsky]

March 14, 2007
Tropical flair and a spicy Maya soul
In its spacious second location, Chichen Itza serves the unique cuisine of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-03/28394477.jpg

By Linda Burum, Special to The Times

It's hardly a surprise that the arrival of Chichen Itza's new restaurant generated so much pre-opening buzz. And not just because it's one of the few Yucatan-style eating spots in L.A.. The original location, a modest stall at the Mercado La Paloma complex on Grand Avenue, attracts a loyal following (in spite of its inconvenient 6 p.m. closing time) and rapturous commentary from fans for its regional specialties. No matter what time of day you order them, the tikin-xic (fillet of sole marinated in sour orange juice and seasoned with garlic and annatto), the crisp egg-roll-like codzitos and the poc chuc (smoky grilled pork) from this little counter come out as beautifully plated as if they had emerged from a trendy restaurant kitchen.

Now it's clear that Chichen's owner, Gilberto Cetina, has had a visionary plan all along. The original cafe was a place to rehearse for the cloth-napkin restaurant he recently opened on 6th Street near MacArthur Park.

His new endeavor, ensconced in the ground floor of the recently swankified '20s-era Asbury apartment building, sits across the street from the often-filmed Romanesque-style Park View Hotel. It's a long way from Chichen Itza's up-and-coming neighborhood to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula where the restaurant's namesake ancient Maya temple lies. Likewise the Yucatan's Caribbean-leaning cuisine seems a breathtaking leap from the northern-influenced Mexican cooking that's prevalent in Mexican restaurants here.

Don't expect chips and guacamole. Do expect plantains, black beans and other tropical touches along with plenty of turkey and even venison (the Mayas' favorite wild meat).

As in northern Mexico, corn, tomatoes, chiles and other timeless pre-Columbian staples are at the heart of the cuisine. But, isolated from the rest of the country by jungle, Yucatecan cooks developed their own Maya-influenced spicings akin to those of Cuba and Central America's coastal areas. You can taste them in Chichen Itza's cochinita pibil, roasted pork infused with the Caribbean's chile-garlic-annatto seed trilogy doused with Seville orange juice marinade and roasted in banana leaf.

In Cetina's hands, this palette of flavors can yield fabulous results. His chile mole de camar–n, a sauced shrimp dish, is made with recado negro, an inky black spice paste of slightly burnt chiles, tortillas, nuts and seeds that evolved over centuries. Its unctuous smokiness sets off the sweetness of large juicy crustaceans to create a thrill more addictive than spicy French fries.

Appetizers are as far from taco stand fare as imaginable: Small golden chiles stuffed with fresh tuna (chile xcatic relleno de at–n) are fried in a tempura-like batter and served on a mild tomato coulis. The jicama-orange salad contrasts sweet mandarins with Valencia oranges. Lightly splashed with lime, chile and a dash of olive oil, the combo complements the perfect shrimp ceviche or strips of squid in a sauce of its own ink (calamar en su tinta). Chaya, a soft leafy green native to the Yucatan, appears in a luscious creamed soup and in the dramatic brazo de reina (literally "arm of the queen"). This tamale, probably unlike any other you've tried, starts with a thin rectangle of creamy chaya-flecked masa. Spread with an egg and pumpkin seed filling, it's rolled and sliced into festive green and butter-yellow spirals, set on a film of translucent orange-yellow tomato sauce and scattered with more roasted seeds.

Cetina's often delicate hand with seasonings and his whimsical presentations allude to the Nueva Cocina Mexicana popular in Mexico City restaurants, yet his dishes follow traditional Yucatecan recipes and use typical ingredients. To balance the delicacy of some items, Chichen Itza makes two haba–ero-based salsas that clearly illustrate the chile's reputation as a tonsil torcher.

A few specialties need re-thinking. Marinated grilled venison comes stylishly plated, its accompaniments as precisely arranged as a design for jewelry. But the venison has been rather chewy. And pork ribs in mole-like pipian sauce are simply bland.

But the restaurant gets most things down. The simple yet stylish two-room dining area, with its rustic wall colorings and subtle folkloric touches, mirrors the food's urbane bent. Service is gracious, there are lovely fresh fruit aguas frescas, a growing beer and wine list and touchingly homey desserts such as caballeros pobres, a light, raisin-syrup-infused relative of bread pudding reminiscent of baba au rhum.

Even as the kitchen works out a few kinks, Chichen Itza is a treasure that brings us closer to the once mysterious cooking of the Yucatan.

Chichen Itza

Location: 2501 W. 6th St., (213) 380-0051; www.chichenitzarestaurant.com
Price: Sides, snacks and appetizers, $3 to $8; entr–es, $10 to $28; desserts, $4.50.
Best dishes: Chile mole de camar–n (shrimp mole), tikin-xic (seasoned, marinated fillet of sole), brazo de reina (egg and pumpkin seed filled tamale spirals), chile xcatic relleno de at–n (yellow chiles stuffed with tuna), ensalada de jicama (jicama salad).
Details: Open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Validated lot parking. Beer and wine, Visa, Mastercard.

[dragonsky]

Another Chance for Seventh Street

Seventh Street, one of Downtown's key underutilized corridors, now has another chance at a turnaround. Advocates say this time is different, that transforming the street between Figueroa and Olive into a "Restaurant Row" holds economic development potential that did not exist in previous efforts.

While a continuing slate of unfulfilled revitalization proposals could be compared to crying wolf, we think that this plan has a sound base and real potential. As such, it deserves support from the business and political community. It needs backing, but also requires careful nurturing with tempered expectations.

This particular plan involves the portion of Seventh Street stretching from the Financial District and the 7+Fig mall to the edge of the Jewelry District. It is built around bringing restaurants to the street, but the key is the impending arrival of new housing complexes.

This summer, the Roosevelt Lofts at Seventh and Flower streets is expected to open, delivering residents of 223 condominiums to the area. Later this year, the 80-condo Brockman Building is scheduled to debut at Seventh and Grand. Both developments include plans for ground-floor retail and eating establishments.

These residential efforts will usher people directly onto Seventh Street, providing a clientele that, immediately upon arrival, will be looking for walking distance attractions, especially after dark. Recognizing that, the Downtown Center Business Improvement District is trying to woo restaurants and other establishments that will stay open late and on weekends, serving these new inhabitants and the thousands of people who have moved into neighboring areas.

Already a few establishments have signed on: Wokcano restaurant will have a location just west of the Roosevelt and the whiskey bar Seven Grand will open at 515 W. Seventh St. A gastropub is slated for the Fine Arts Building.

But the area needs more than a build-it-and-they-will-come philosophy. Along with food, effective and comprehensive nighttime lighting is key, as is inexpensive parking for those who drive into the area. While those may seem less important than securing new restaurants, dark sidewalks or greedy parking lot operators could shrink crowds and doom the investment many people are making.

This could also be the time to approach the city's Department of Transportation yet again to urge the creation of a DASH system that will serve the residents, the office workers who would like to relax after 5 p.m. and the emerging nightlife in Downtown Los Angeles. Such a project is also a legitimate expenditure for the Community Redevelopment Agency. Thousands of people are making big personal and professional investments in redevelopment areas. Doesn't it make sense to support a DASH to help it all succeed?

Seventh Street could and should be vibrant. Local leaders need to continue and intensify their work. This really is the best opportunity in years to turn the street around.

[dragonsky]

At the Top of the Food Chain
For Big-Name Restaurants, the Downtown Gamble Pays Off

http://www.downtownnews.com/content/articles/2007/03/26/news/news02.jpg

by Kathryn Maese

Walk into the Downtown Palm during just about any lunch and you'll see a full house of the area's business elite. And at night, especially if the Lakers are playing or someone like Rod Stewart is crooning at Staples Center, fans don't think twice about ordering a four-pound lobster dinner and downing a few gin martinis.

A few blocks north at Roy's, the bar is routinely packed with convention goers, suits and more of those Staples Center fans. If you think Tuesday night will be slow, think again. The place is packed daily and lunch is as busy as dinner.

Then there's the Daily Grill at Sixth and Flower streets, where the same scenario plays out as lawyers, loft dwellers from the building's upper floors and financial types crowd the room for clubby American eats and a hopping bar scene. Like at the Palm and Roy's, it's frequently crowded at lunch and dinner.

Despite the booming business, not so long ago the corporate brass behind these establishments, all part of medium-sized restaurant chains, considered Downtown Los Angeles a dead zone. Their accountants doubted the hype of local boosters and their executives laughed at the idea that a restaurant in the Central City could give high-traffic locations in Santa Monica or Newport Beach a run for their money.

But that was then. Today, these big name eateries lead their chains in revenue. All three of the abovementioned Downtown outposts are among their company's top locations.

"A lot of restaurant companies are looking at Downtown as if it were Manhattan 50 years ago," said Ed Engeron, president and chief executive of Los Angeles-based Prospectives/The Consulting Group Inc. "There's tremendous opportunity, especially with all the mixed-use development and the new zoning. Downtown is now hot property. This is no longer considered to be northern Mexico."

Take Roy's, an upscale Hawaiian fusion restaurant with more than 20 locations. The Downtown restaurant, which this month celebrated its first anniversary at Eighth and Figueroa streets, is number one in the entire chain. It out-produces the Roy's in New York City, Las Vegas, Newport Beach and San Francisco.

"I attribute the success to what's going on with Downtown's revitalization," said Tim Matousek, a joint venture partner with Roy's. "I'm very optimistic that we'll continue to grow. In fact, I'm so confident that we're building a 700-square-foot addition to extend the dining room."

That wasn't always the case. Three years ago, when Matousek was considering opening a new location, he wasn't looking anywhere near Downtown L.A. In fact, he'd been scouring Beverly Hills and had just finalized a deal in Woodland Hills when he decided to take a meeting with a Downtown business leader - who ultimately convinced him to take a chance in the busy Financial District.

Matousek hasn't looked back since. When the numbers come in at the end of this quarter, he said Roy's will have exceeded projections by 30%.

"Everyone told me I was making a mistake, and told me that it's a rough neighborhood and I might not want to be a pioneer in that market," he added. "But I saw what happened with San Diego's Gaslamp District and the ballpark. It felt very good to be at ground zero."

High Rankings

Roy's isn't the first to wager on Downtown and win big. Nearly four years before Roy's opened, The Palm put money into a 400-seat space in the emerging South Park neighborhood, where Staples Center was only a few years old and the steel girders and gaping construction pits barely hinted at the residential buildup to come.

Approaching its fifth year next month, the clubby steakhouse at 11th and Flower generates the third-highest revenue in the 30-restaurant chain (the first is the Las Vegas Palm). At lunch, the crowd starts arriving at 11:45 a.m. and lingers till 2:30 p.m., with about 200 meals served during the rush - double that when a convention's in town. For dinner, nearly 300 diners fill the restaurant, while lines at the bar are often three people deep.

"Our sales and profits have continued to grow each year, just as the Downtown and South Park area have flourished," said Jonathon Scott, The Palm's general manager. "Our numbers are great, and we are thrilled to have entered the market when we did."

Opening a fine dining establishment in South Park in 2002 might have appeared to be a risky undertaking. But for The Palm's top brass, the opportunity to anchor the future L.A. Live sports and entertainment district was too good to pass up. The crowds will likely only increase when L.A. Live's first phase opens this fall across the street.

While the Palm jumped in feet first, it took a bit more prodding for the Daily Grill. But when parent company Grill Concepts decided to sign on in 2004, they did so in a big way, with a $2 million restaurant and a 15-year lease on the ground floor of the 322-apartment Pegasus building at 612 S. Flower St. The location at the nexus of new housing, hundreds of hotel rooms and office towers, coupled with the area's emerging demographics, convinced company President and Chief Executive Bob Spivak to open.

In business nearly two years, the 183-seat restaurant ranks in the top quarter of Daily Grills, said Philip Gay, president and CEO of Grill Concepts. In the first year, it served an average of 400 lunches and 150 dinners each day, and saw 40% more business than projected. Currently it serves about 300 lunches and 200 dinners a day, said Gay.

Like other regional destinations, such as Pasadena's Old Town and Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, a big restaurant prompts others to follow. The success of the Daily Grill and The Palm have spurred even more interest from other medium-sized chains. According to restaurant industry experts, big players are on the prowl.

Engeron, who consults with major restaurants both nationally and internationally, said at least five of his clients are looking to ink deals in Downtown Los Angeles.

"I think you'll find that chains are looking for opportunities," he said. "In a lot of cases they are pretty landlocked and they can't expand in existing areas. The larger the company, the more they can afford to take a risk."

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar is also in the market, and has looked at locations in the Financial District and South Park, said a broker familiar with the deal.

In addition, the '50s-style diner Johnny Rockets is opening its first Downtown eatery by fall, said a spokesperson for the chain.

The last major rush of big restaurants came in the late 1990s, when players such as Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken gave the community a taste of Latin America in the form of Ciudad, and restaurateur Joachim Splichal continued to expand his Downtown empire with Nick and Stef's.

The fact that Downtown's chains are performing so strongly bodes well for future growth, including a recently announced plan to launch a Restaurant Row along Seventh Street.

"Restaurants are the fuel and catalyst for urban redevelopment," Engeron said. "If you take a look at Melrose and Santa Monica in West Hollywood and what's happening there with all the restaurants, that's what we're seeing in Downtown."

[colemonkee]

^ That Johnny Rockets will be at 5th and Figueroa (source - Johnny Rockets corporate marketing). Let's hope it's not underground...

[LA/OCman]

There is a new Italian restaurant on 8th Street called Colori Kitchen, a couple of buildings west of the Golden Gopher (west of Hill). This is a great find. The Italian chef is from Ca'Brea and his wife and sister in law work there as well. They are open for breakfast and lunch during the week and for dinner on Friday and Saturday from 6:00 PM to 10 PM. The food is so reasonable and the food incredible. They took over a greek restaurant. This is the kind of neighborhood restaurant most places in LA lack. They use fresh ingredients and the pastas are amazing. I hope everyone helps to support this place....Two of us got out for under $20 total. If you live in the Eastern Columbia building, you will love this location. They are only open for dinner two nights right now...hopefully that will change!

[colemonkee]

^ Hot damn! I'll have to try that. I tried Blue Velvet for the first time this weekend and was very impressed. It's pricey (dinner for two with appetizers and drinks - $120), but the food is beyond excellent and the atmosphere energetic and feeling very "it", for lack of a better term. The view is nice too.

The only drawback: the parking situation. As we were leaving it became quite the scene, and it was painfully obvious that they didn't have nearly enough valets to handle the demand. I felt like I was at the Mondrian...

[danparker276]

Anyone know a good restaurant open past 2, besides dennys or ihop?

[MapGoulet]

There is a new Italian restaurant on 8th Street called Colori Kitchen, a couple of buildings west of the Golden Gopher (west of Hill). This is a great find. The Italian chef is from Ca'Brea and his wife and sister in law work there as well. They are open for breakfast and lunch during the week and for dinner on Friday and Saturday from 6:00 PM to 10 PM. The food is so reasonable and the food incredible. They took over a greek restaurant. This is the kind of neighborhood restaurant most places in LA lack. They use fresh ingredients and the pastas are amazing. I hope everyone helps to support this place....Two of us got out for under $20 total. If you live in the Eastern Columbia building, you will love this location. They are only open for dinner two nights right now...hopefully that will change!


This is encouraging. I met these owners (a married couple as I recall) at the opening of the Historic Downtown Retail Project in late 05/early 06. They were looking for locations and they really wanted to be in the historic core. They had looked at the space below Seven Grand in the Cliftons' Silver Spoon building but I guess that didn't work out.

[MapGoulet]

Anyone know a good restaurant open past 2, besides dennys or ihop?

There's a great Japanese noodle place on Second, just across the street and slightly west of the southern entrace of the Japanese Village Mall. It's open until 3am I think.

LAB, is that right?

[LA/OCman]

This is encouraging. I met these owners (a married couple as I recall) at the opening of the Historic Downtown Retail Project in late 05/early 06. They were looking for locations and they really wanted to be in the historic core. They had looked at the space below Seven Grand in the Cliftons' Silver Spoon building but I guess that didn't work out.

Yes, they have a sign outside their restaurant regarding the Historic Downtown Retail Project. I hope the word gets out. I have only eaten there for dinner and there were a total of 6 other people eating there that night. I would hope those visiting the Golden Gopher will stop by.

[dragonsky]

Sushi Hotspot To Open in June

News Brief

More details are emerging on a new $4 million sushi restaurant and lounge atop the 811 Wilshire building. Takami Sushi and Robata Restaurant and its adjacent Elevate Lounge is set to open in June, according to developer Downtown Entertainment Group. The company also announced that the culinary team will be led by Executive Chef Kenny Yamamada, who opened Encino's famed Katsu-ya restaurant and Bel Air's SHU (Sushi House Unico). Design firm Tag Front, which has worked on some of the city's trendiest restaurants, was commissioned to conceive Takami's 6,000-square-foot space.

[luckyeight]

coming to L.A. LIVE?

May 2008 is the target date completion of L.A. LIVE Espn, retail/restaurant, conga room, plaza etc.....

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

wow, Spago!! where did you read that?

[luckyeight]

wow, Spago!! where did you read that?

the catering for Staples Center. Major announcement at the end of this
month regarding the hotel and other venues of LA LIVE. Don't know
if Spago is one of the announcement about having a restaurant at LA LIVE.

Major international restaurant chains might be in coming too.....


10 to 11 million annual visitors are anticipated around Staples Center
and LA LIVE complex.....

Staples Center
Wolfgang Puck Catering together with Levy Restaurants, North America's market leader in sports and entertainment dining, have partnered to create and deliver memorable dining experiences for guests who visit the STAPLES Center. AEG brings great sports events and entertainment, while signature Wolfgang Puck items, featuring pizzas, salads and other culinary delights are offered to all guests throughout the facility. STAPLES Center guests can also enjoy award-winning cuisine from Levy Restaurants and Wolfgang Puck from the Arena Club and Grand Reserve Club, to the Luxury Suites and Concessions.

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[bobcat]

^That was announced a long time ago but I didn't post it because it doesn't mean anything. There's a huge difference between a Spago restaurant at LA Live and having Wolfgang Puck catering at Staples.

[blogdowntown]

^That was announced a long time ago but I didn't post it because it doesn't mean anything. There's a huge difference between a Spago restaurant at LA Live and having Wolfgang Puck catering at Staples.

AEG has been saying for a while now that Wolfgang Puck is opening a new concept restaurant as part of LA Live. I didn't get the impression it was super high-end, though.

[LACityRat]

Anyone know a good restaurant open past 2, besides dennys or ihop?

If you mean past 2:00am . . . The Pacific Dining Car at 6th & Witmer is about your only option. It's open 24/7. The Pantry is also open 24/7, but you're taking your life into your hands when eating there. My cholesterol goes up 30 points just thinkin' about their food. :slob:

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ Don't forget Tofu House on Wilshire in K-Town open 24/7. Also there are a ton of Chinese/Asian restaurants a few miles away in the SGV in areas like Monterey Park, Alhambra, and San Gabriel that stay open almost all night. Some of the best food you'll ever have in your life!

[MapGoulet]

^ Don't forget Tofu House on Wilshire in K-Town open 24/7. Also there are a ton of Chinese/Asian restaurants a few miles away in the SGV in areas like Monterey Park, Alhambra, and San Gabriel that stay open almost all night. Some of the best food you'll ever have in your life!

That is such an LAB response. :D

Tofu house is great and inexpensive. Also try the Korean restaurants and cafe's at the corner of 6th and Alexandria. A couple are open until 3am I think.

[LA/OC/London]

I was recently introduced to some of the late night/all night cafe's in Monterey Park by my bf ;)

I believe JJ cafe is one and ABC Cafe is another? there are others I think. They are pretty un-assuming in appearance but are crowded well into the night. Even those that aren't open all night will remain open past their posted hours if there are paying patrons inside. Definitely worth checking out.

[RAlossi]

Hodori in Koreatown is 24/7, I think.

Fred 62 in Los Feliz

[colemonkee]

Fred 62 is the shiznit.

[danparker276]

Just looking for stuff in downtown. Used to go to Thai town late night, nothing beats that. Went to the restauarant across from mountain bar last weekend though. That was good I think.

[cookiejarvis]

Well, there's also TV Cafe on Olympic & Alameda. The food's nothing to write home about, but the clientele look like they've walked out of a David Lynch movie.

[RAlossi]

Is there any Korean BBQ in Downtown proper? I'm referring to the at-your-table style as opposed to the kitchen doing it for you.

[Carioca]

Hey Kids,

What is the closest all night food market to downtown.
I keep finding my self starving at 1AM coming in from work.
The Japanese markets would be perfect, but they all batten down the hatches at 8 or 9...

[edluva]

hmmm, might be hard finding food markets of any sort opening that late around there. Closest 24h market i can think of is vons on third and vermont

[RAlossi]

The new Ralphs at Wilshire/Western may be 24-hour... it's just south of the intersection.

I think there's also a Ralphs across the street from the Third/Vermont Vons that's open 24 hours.

[fridayinla]

The new Ralphs at Wilshire/Western may be 24-hour... it's just south of the intersection.

I think there's also a Ralphs across the street from the Third/Vermont Vons that's open 24 hours.

The Ralph's at Wilshire/Wilshire has always been 24 hours. They temporarily shortened their hours during the renovations, which I think are complete now.

[Carioca]

Perfect, both of those are not far off my normal route home. Thanks again.

[Easy]

Update on the sushi place...

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant and the adjacent Elevate Lounge, the newest additions to Downtown Los Angeles’ growing list of luxury restaurants and late night lounges, will open their doors in late June 2007. Located on the corner of Flower Street and Wilshire Boulevard in the midst of the financial district, the 14,200 square foot multi-dimensional destination will encompass the entire 21st story penthouse suite of the 811 Wilshire Boulevard office building. This $4 million project, complete with sweeping views from the South Bay to the San Fernando Valley, is the latest creation from the Downtown Entertainment Group.

More here (http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070525005082&newsLang=en)

website (http://www.takamisushi.com/)

[RAlossi]

Is anyone else tired of this project being described as a "$4 million sushi restaurant"? It just sounds pretentious.

Think GOB's character in Arrested Development describing his $5,000 suit.

[colemonkee]

^ That'll be some expensive sushi.

On another restaurant note, I got a public hearing notice today for Tom Gilmore's upgrades to Vibiana Place (old St. Vibiana's Church). They include full liquor licenses for:

1) a 9,652 square-foot restaurant with live entertainment and public patron dancing seating a total of 325 patrons
2) a 35,216 square-foot existing church and event space with live entertainment and public patron dancing
3) a 2,614 square-foot cafe/gallery within the rectory seating 117 patrons

All with operating hours of 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ Speaking of the St. Vibiana's...

How does the recent news about the LAPD motor pool facility affect the future of Tom Gilmore's proposed residential tower adjacent to the former cathedral? Will the city's use of eminent domain to acquire the Higgins Gallery building ALSO include the land for the proposed tower?

Anyone have any insights into this matter?

[colemonkee]

^ It shouldn't. In the presentation I saw, Gilmore's property is adjacent to the motor pool - the two structures abut each other. He even had it in his render. If you go by the site, Gilmore is going to squeeze his tower into the sunken dirt lot directly south of the church. The Motor Pool will take up the parking lot directly to the south of the sunken lot.

[fridayinla]

^To illustrate your point Colemonkee, I took these yesterday:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/516660227_c0f8c61dea_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/249/516660237_52a0d0d55d_b.jpg

[RAlossi]

What's going on in the pit there? It looks like a little preconstruction work. Or is it just going to be used as a staging area for the upgrades to the cathedral?

[colemonkee]

The work you see here is foundation repair underneath the church tower. They're going in through the side to literally re-lay the foundation under the tower, which was severly damaged in the '94 earthquake. That part of the church has been uninhabitable since, and is the last remaining piece of the historic property to be restored. Once it's done, they can start work on the restaurants.

The proposed tower will take up most of the dirt lot (with a narrow paseo between the church and the planned tower). I wouldn't expect construction to start on the tower anytime soon.

[fridayinla]

I just got a postcard in the mail advertizing The Edison now has a food menu, serving from Wed - Fri 5pm-11pm and Sat 6pm-11pm. I'll have to check that out!

[citywatch]

Couple Offer a Change in L.A. Arts District

Peterson, Gower have ambitious designs for area

By KATHY A. MCDONALD
Variety, 06/21/07

"From Santa Monica to Venice to Hollywood to here, my motto has always been to be the first in," says veteran nightlife impresario Elizabeth Peterson about bringing dining, service and live music into the once-forlorn southeast edge of downtown Los Angeles. "I like to drop it into a community in the middle of nowhere and change the block."

Peterson and partner Tony Gower's baby, Royal Claytons, is a welcoming watering hole at the edge of downtown's Arts District. The couple has two other venues just a short drive away -- the red-lit, mirrored Bordello (formerly Little Pedro's) and the Bridge, an indoor/outdoor beer garden slated for an August opening. "Downtown is so much more refreshing," Gower says. "It's raw and yet there are so many interesting people. It has a much more low-key, cooler vibe and is less pretentious (than Hollywood)."

Their gothic-styled, neo-pub may be newly opened, but the partners bring to the project a seasoned perspective on what pencils out profitably in Los Angeles' ultra-competitive restaurant/bar/venue biz. While Royal Claytons' block has echoes of Manhattan's Meatpacking District, with the stylish Biscuit Co. Lofts just across the street, the surrounding area is still predominantly industrial and zoned accordingly. The restaurant/bar is carved out of a corner of the ground level of the Toy Factory Lofts' building.

The decor, designed by Silver Lake's Dana Hollister, is a mix of old and new, featuring stained-glass windows plus vintage ink-black doors and light fixtures, sculpted wood columns and a (free) pool table. Peterson says downtown benefits from "great bones and a freer palette."

She points to two iconic projects that helped reposition and initiate the current downtown revitalization: the San Fernando Building at Fourth and Main, developed by Tom Gilmore, and Andre Balazs' Downtown Standard Hotel. Both projects promised, and delivered, the ability to socialize -- fundamental to reviving the long-dormant downtown core.

Downtown's transformation is confirmed, says Gower, by the numerous people walking their dogs and the almost startling presence of joggers -- seemingly ordinary activities but unlikely in the area even six months ago.

The couple are so confident of downtown's viability that they have another project in the works -- a 13,000-square-foot modern speakeasy slated for Fourth and Main. "There's no other part of the country we want to open businesses in than downtown Los Angeles."


Upcoming Downtown L.A. Eateries

A look at restaurants under construction

By PAT SAPERSTEIN

Ready to open:
Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant and Elevate Lounge in the 811 Wilshire building offers stunning city views and plenty of patio space as well as dishes like "Pop Art Crab." Bow is projected for the last week of July. Former Katsu-ya chef Kenny Yamada is in charge.

Under construction:
Chaya is expanding its Westside-oriented eatery empire to downtown at 505 S. Flower St. Speakeasy themes are all the rage, and construction is under way on the Crocker Club at 453 S. Spring St. A hidden entrance will lead to a basement vault bar and lounge.

Calling all astronauts:
Tranquility Base will be a lunar-themed American cuisine restaurant on the ground floor of the Sky Project at 801 S. Grand Ave.

Swanky Roosevelt Lofts on Seventh Street are said to be getting an outpost of Hollywood hot spot Citizen Smith.

Down the line:
Michael Cimarusti, owner of Providence, wants to open a French brasserie. He told the L.A. Times: "The perfect place for it is someplace downtown, where you've got good walking traffic and a good lunch crowd."

London uberchef Gordon Ramsay, who already announced a West Hollywood eatery, is said to be planning a second location -- and may be attracted to downtown's burgeoning scene.

Chef Laurent Quenioux is looking for a downtown base now that he's left Bistro K, where he introduced veal feet and ant larvae to adventurous Angelenos.

[DowntownCharlieBrown]

This weekend I’m receiving my Birthday present. It’s an overnight stay in a downtown hotel and includes two days of walking tours around DTLA. Yes, this is what I asked for. Yes, that makes me a geek. Yes, I found my home here on these boards.

Any suggestions for a great place to have brunch/lunch? We’ll be in our walking clothes (t-shirts and shorts) and it has to be open on the weekend. Anything with a view would be a plus.

[fridayinla]

^Happy Birthday! Angelique Cafe and Pete's are my favorite for brunch/lunch, but no view. Blue Velvet in City West has good lunch (a little more pricey) and you can get a view with the right table.

[fridayinla]

Under construction:
Chaya is expanding its Westside-oriented eatery empire to downtown at 505 S. Flower St. Speakeasy themes are all the rage, and construction is under way on the Crocker Club at 453 S. Spring St. A hidden entrance will lead to a basement vault bar and lounge.


Volcano Grill on 7th has been under construction for while, also. Last week I walked by and saw the interior taking shape. You can make out the bar and dining areas. Maybe another 3-4 months to completion, considering the slow pace they've been moving.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ Volcano? or Wokcano?

[fridayinla]

The public notice sign says Volcano.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Where is Volcano located on 7th?

[PeterJ]

Happy Birthday, Charlie Brown!

Go Tiara Cafe on 9th and have the pancakes. They are delish.

[fridayinla]

Where is Volcano located on 7th?

SW corner of 7th St & Flower St.

[DowntownCharlieBrown]

PeterJ – Thanks for the suggestion. The good thing for the Tiara Café is that they are becoming very popular. Unfortunately for us, that meant they were out of pancakes by the time we arrived. A very cool looking restaurant, with a very nice staff. They promised us free pancakes next time we come back. The hash browns were more than delish.

Friday – Thanks for the Pete’s Café suggestion. We were still full from Tiara Café when we arrived, but decided to stop in for a drink and snack. I was saying to my bf as we were walking up to the corner of 4th and Main that this is the most filmed corner in the country (which I think I read from one of your posts??? or LAB's), when suddenly it was revealed that a major filming shoot was taking place. We sat out on the sidewalk of Pete’s and sipped our drinks and munched on the blue-cheese fries (very yummy) and watched as this very attractive lady (in the white dress) walked a bulldog down the street about 30 times while being filmed.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1340/1025581647_b46c9e0035.jpg

After our drinks we walked across 4th to the Medallion site (I believe it is the Medallion site) to get a better view of the shoot. However, they were rapping up. That’s when a beautiful woman in black ran across Main Street towards me. As soon as I realized whom she was, I turned to my bf and framed my face with my thumbs and index fingers, pushing down the right index finger to give him the international sign for “get the camera ready”. I smiled at Heather Graham as she passed me, and she smiled back. However, as my bf and the other paparazzi started snapping pictures, she let the wind grab her hair to cover her face.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1134/1025582187_2e5b0ad64f.jpg

She walked across 4th, unimpeded by the red light as the paparazzi literally stopped traffic for her. She disappeared through the front door of Pete’s Café. She looked very hot dressed all in black.

That’s if for now from StarReporter,
Downtown Charlie Brown.;)

[ocman]

[size=5]
[b]Under construction:


Down the line:
Michael Cimarusti, owner of Providence, wants to open a French brasserie. He told the L.A. Times: "The perfect place for it is someplace downtown, where you've got good walking traffic and a good lunch crowd."

.

Huge news for LA foodies.

[lasteph]

was supposed to post this a few weeks ago.... Takami is opening on Aug 18th.... well that's what they said when I called.....

[LosAngelesBeauty]

The public notice sign says Volcano.


I went to check this place out a few days ago and saw the sign which listed "Volcano Grill, Inc." as the operators of this new restaurant actively under construction. I asked the contractor inside, and he confirmed that it would be a Wokcano Cafe.

The website for Wokcano Cafe further confirms this!


http://img03.picoodle.com/img/img03/9/8/8/f_untitledm_fc2ca5e.jpg (http://www.picoodle.com/view.php?img=/9/8/8/f_untitledm_fc2ca5e.jpg&srv=img03)

[lasteph]

was supposed to post this a few weeks ago.... Takami is opening on Aug 18th.... well that's what they said when I called.....

their website says the Lounge opend on the 10th. I might have to check it out!

[logandankr]

eater la and downtown news are reporting that Riordan's restaurant next to the Pantry is open for business.
la.eater.com/archives/2007/08/06/eater_inside_riordans_tavern.php
www.downtownnews.com/articles/2007/08/06/news/news_briefs/at02.txt

thrillist.com has a stroy about Elevate Lounge (of the 8 billion $ sushi restaurant ;) ):
www.thrillist.com/archives/2007/07/elevate.html

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ Hopefully the very crappy Flower Street Cafe downstairs from Takami will be changed out sometime in the near future. It's in one of the best locations Downtown (7th/Flower) and a bar/restaurant would increase the pedestrian activity at night in the FiDi.

[lasteph]

^ Hopefully the very crappy Flower Street Cafe downstairs from Takami will be changed out sometime in the near future. It's in one of the best locations Downtown (7th/Flower) and a bar/restaurant would increase the pedestrian activity at night in the FiDi.

most def!! imagine how different that area will/would be with Takami, and some other place instead of Flower Street Cafe......