Food & Nightlife

Long Closed, Mode Finally Gets Evicted

By Eric Richardson — May 19, 2009 — 12 Comments

Eric Richardson

If you blinked, you may have missed Mode, the supposed-to-be-24-hour restaurant on Olive street. Open only five weeks around the turn of 2008, the restaurant was highly anticipated but vanished in a cloud of allegations about lack of permits and unpaid staff.

The premises have stayed untouched ever since, but now an eviction notice on the front door promises to close the book on what appeared like it would be a story about the revitalization of an unlikely block in South Park. — Continued Inside...

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill Opens Today at L.A. Live

By Eric Richardson — May 18, 2009

Eric Richardson

|Photo Gallery| After a soft-opening on Saturday evening, the new Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill opens for dinner this evening on L.A. Live's Nokia Plaza. When fully operational, the restaurant can seat approximately 320, but Klaus Puck says they plan to stay well below that while getting service and the kitchen up to speed. — Continued Inside...

Siptea to Close on Sunday

By Ed Fuentes — May 14, 2009 — 16 Comments

Ed Fuentes

On Sunday, Laura Stewart will close the doors at siptea's Broadway location for the last time. By next month, the space is set to be home to a cafe serving lunches.

The tea house opened in October with dreams of becoming a neighborhood gathering place, but the economic downturn led to a severe drop in revenue. Despite a recent uptick, Stewart could no longer wait for business to pick up. — Continued Inside...

Tony's Opens in a Surprising Corner of Downtown

By Ed Fuentes — May 13, 2009 — 1 Comment

Peden+Munk

When Tony's quietly opens its doors on 7th street this Friday, the bar will mark a physical departure from the other venues opened by Cedd Moses' 213 Ventures.

Over a mile and a half east of Seven Grand, Tony's exists in that southern edge of the Arts District known more for a Greyhound station than its nightlife. — Continued Inside...

Little LA Cafe Adds Big Late Night Hours

By Eric Richardson — May 12, 2009 — 9 Comments

Eric Richardson

What Spring street's LA Cafe lacks in size, it makes up for in ambition. Starting this Thursday, the tiny cafe will be staying open until 4am Thursday through Saturday nights, offering delivery until 3:30am and free regular coffee after midnight.

It's a big first step toward owner David Bakhshi's dream of seeing the eatery open 24-hours. — Continued Inside...

After Long Journey, BottleRock Downtown Opens into a Changed Market

By Eric Richardson — May 11, 2009 — 2 Comments

Eric Richardson

When BottleRock signed its Downtown lease in early 2007, the L.A. Live complex was still a hole in the ground. Two blocks away, a pair of new thirty story residential towers were not yet out of the ground. The economy and development markets were booming.

Two years later, a lot has changed. L.A. Live is in full swing, those towers are nearing occupancy and the economy has collapsed.

That doesn't seem to bother Fred Hakim. "It was well worth waiting the time and doing things right," the BottleRock co-owner said while sitting inside the about-to-open space on Monday. — Continued Inside...

Two New Bars Coming to Spring Street

By Eric Richardson — May 08, 2009 — 7 Comments

Eric Richardson

Spring street is getting set to add a double-dose of new nightlife. Recently shuttered wine bar 626 Reserve is close to finding a tenant and will soon be joined in the City Lofts building by a new bar from one of the partners behind Hollywood's The Woods.

The two will be located on what is perhaps Downtown's most densely residential block, with five residential buildings open and two under construction. — Continued Inside...