TASTE | Where to Eat in Downtown LA
If you follow me on instagram, then you know that I am often in a different city at least 2 times a month- sometimes once a week. One of my favorite parts of traveling is experiencing different restaurants. One week I may be in Los Angeles and the next a little town in the middle of Tennessee, but regardless of the size of the town, there is always something delicious to taste. As a result of my loves for experience new restaurants, I have decided to start a new series, called "Taste... (insert city name here)", where I will share with you where I'm eating and what I'm ordering.
B R E A K F A S T : If you ever find yourself in DTLA (Downtown Los Angeles), you must stay at the ACE Hotel, recently listed as one of the top 10 new hotels in the world, according to Condé Nast Traveler, and after staying there for three nights myself, it did not disappoint. For breakfast, orrder the avocado toast on 7 grain toast with crushed avocado + aleppo pepper with a side of Anastasia Kusmi tea, which is a blend of black tea, bergamot and orange blossom.
L U N C H : Perch Cafe just recently opened for lunch and it is a must, in my book. From start to finish, talk about an experience! You start off by arriving in the lobby of 448 South Hill St. then once you enter the elevator, in case you forgot what floor your going to, there is a little gold bird right next to the #13. From there you enter to a dark little lobby with draped curtains, then step into a second elevator, again with the little gold bird guiding the way. Next stop, 15th floor - be prepared to be amazed! Every detail is thought of, from the layout to the decor, to the food - not to mention the incredible views from the outdoor balcony, giving you the feeling of being "perched" high up in a birds nest. We ordered the quinoa + kale salad and the grilled peach + speck salad with grilled shrimp - both were delicious and highly recommended. Now I must go back and try dinner!
S N A C K : The coffee counter in L.A. Chapter, has a wonderful selection of kusmi tea and stumptown coffee... plus a wonderful assortment of pastries - the pistachio cookie is a must!
D I N N E R : Fortunately I was able to experience two great restaurants in DTLA, one at the ACE Hotel called L.A. Chapter and one close by called Faith + Flower.
L.A. Chapter was great, a quaint place with beautiful b+w checkered floors, gold round table tops, and b+w woven chairs. The food was equally as good. My favorites included the grilled octopus and the watermelon + cucumber salad, with both red and yellow watermelon.
Next up, Faith + Flower... now this restaurant has been added to my top 10 restaurant experiences of all time, three of which were in Mexico City, one in Paris and one in London... saving those stories for another day. Faith + Flower named for the street name today (Flower) and the street name in the 1920's (Faith), pays homage to heyday of downtown LA, and they do it so well. Every detail is impeccable. We had the pleasure of meeting not only the manager but one of the owners of the restaurant and hearing first hand their "story". Lucky for us, we went during restaurant week, so we pretty much got to try everything on the menu - however it changes daily. Not to be missed is the spaghetti, the octopus, the snow peas and the crab toast - and make sure you leave a little room for the passion fruit marshmallows - holy cow, they're amazing!
D R I N K S : The Garden Cup at Faith + Flower is not only stunning but delicious too including pimms, basil, citrus and pickled carrot. I had never had primms before but the bartender sold me when he said it was similar to an earl grey tea! This drink really is like a garden in a cup - like a delicious fresh squeezed juice with a kick and the watermelon radius garnish was the perfect touch. Highly recommended.
D E S S E R T : Last but but not least, head to downtown LA and then "escape to Paris" by dinning at Bottega Louie. I went for the dessert and opted for an assortment of macarons and coconut tea, obviously, but there are so many great options to try, including the sorbet and beignets. I also hear dinner is great too.
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The next time you find yourself in la la land (Los Angeles), be sure to check out DTLA - with so many amazing little gems to try and many more to be discovered, it's a must!