Please The Palate |

City Tavern DTLA

Looking for a causal gastropub for some good old comfort food? If so, City Tavern is a great option and you have the choice of the original Culver City location or the new Downtown LA location. While the menus vary a bit, one thing the Downtown LA location has that Culver City doesn't, is a cocktail program developed by Brent Falco and Cari Hah.

City Tavern Downtown LA is located on the lower level of a mall (FIGAT7TH center) at 7th + Figueroa. But, once you enter the large space with the exposed brick walls, reclaimed wood floors & walls, and wood tables and chairs, you will forget you are in a mall.

01 May, 2014

Alma

I had been hearing the reviews about Alma and finally scheduled a date with some friends. After all of the accolades (Best New Restaurant of the Year by Bon Appetit magazine and Ari Traymor being named one of Food & Wine magazine's Best New Chefs of 2013), I was very excited about this meal. Alma offers two tasting menus each night - a 5-course tasting menu for $65/person and a larger one (9 courses) for $110/person (+$55/person for wine pairings). We decided to splurge and go for the big tasting menu, and we were ready to see what was on the menu using ingredients grown in their own Flower Avenue garden, as well as local farms that they work with. Our meal started with little "snacks" - ocean trout, roe and parsnip, mini english muffin with uni, burrata, fennel and roe and tofu and yuzu fritters. The ocean trout was a perfect balance of flavors and textures and the bellini with uni left us wanting more.

29 April, 2014

Justice Urban Tavern

Justice Urban Tavern is the newest gastropub in Downtown Los Angeles. Located on the outside of the Double Tree Hotel in Little Tokyo, on the southeast corner of First and Los Angeles streets, Justice offers a menu of modern comfort food while looking out at the lights of the Civic Center looming above.

The interior sports a bar near the entrance, plus communal seating and tables spread out through a sleek dining room with high ceilings. For those looking to get some fresh air, there’s also a large outdoor patio.

11 April, 2014