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Restaurant Buzz

The Palm has brought back its summer lobster special. Meals for two start at $95. Photo by Gary Leonard.

Squeeze of Lime, Lobster Mania and Return of the Beerfest

by Kathryn Maese and Richard Guzman

Published: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 9:50 AM PDT

Restaurant Buzz recently checked out the new Lime Cafe at Fifth and Spring streets on the ground floor of the Security Building. Opened this month by Michael Franz, the casual space is part restaurant, part bar and part art gallery.

Diners will find reasonably priced Mexican food with a healthy bent. The simple menu offers up burritos, tacos and tostadas made with natural and organic ingredients with sides such as black beans and brown rice. Orders are prepared at the counter, and you can eat at one of the booths. Choices include carne asada, chicken, portobello and red pepper, as well as another vegetarian version. We tried the carne asada burrito ($6.95) with a nice limey guacamole. The meat was tender and well-seasoned, though the salsa could have used more zing. The limeade looked refreshing but was way too sour.

Lime Cafe is a decent new option for the area, though service could be improved and the menu expanded, both things that could happen as the establishment works out the kinks. Hoping to cater to the local loft dweller and Art Walk crowd, the restaurant is open later in the evening and serves beer, wine, and soju margaritas and mojitos. You'll find drink specials Wednesday through Saturday. Thursday and Friday hold Hippy Hour from 6-8 p.m. with psychedelic music, and Saturday offers $14 margarita pitchers.
At 118 W. Fifth St., (310) 383-4578. Open Tues.-Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 6-midnight.

Patina Gives Back to the Locals: For all those with a Downtown zip code, or who work here and consider themselves local, the Patina Restaurant Group is offering an opportunity to mix and mingle every Thursday night from 6-10 p.m. Starting June 26, the establishment founded by Joachim Splichal will host Locals Nights at its various restaurants in Downtown. Early arrival is a must, since each event will include an hour of free appetizers, plus drink specials and music by DJ Jean-Christophe. Those in attendance can also win gift certificates to area events and businesses. The first event is this Thursday at Zucca, at Eighth and Figueroa streets, where complimentary appetizers will include gourmet pizzas and bruschetta. The second event will be at Nick and Stef's and will include Belgian beer tasting.
For more information, patinagroup.com/locals.

Summers Suds: The Kyoto Grand Hotel & Gardens (formerly the New Otani) continues the great summer Beerfest tradition through Sept. 1. Every Tuesday through Friday you can gather up a bunch of your workmates or neighbors and head over to the lovely third floor gardens of the hotel. German, Japanese and American beers are available to sample, along with barbecued treats and live music on Friday. Drink specials start at $5 and pitchers at $15. It's a nice chance to sip and watch the city center.
At 120 S. Los Angeles St., (213) 629-1200 or kyotograndhotel.com. Open 5-9 p.m. and until 10 p.m. on Friday.

Pass the Butter: Crustacean lovers rejoice. The Palm Downtown has brought back its summer lobster dinner-for-two deal. As Palm devotees know, the Nova Scotia lobster is among the best in town, flown in almost daily from across the continent, with the live shellfish packed in ice, ensuring sweet, firm meat. Through Aug. 31, diners at the South Park restaurant can get a four-pound lobster split in half, along with two salads (a choice of mixed greens, a Caesar or the Palm's summer salad) and a side dish. If you're a bit hungrier, there is a five-pound version for $110 and a six-pound dinner for $130. You will leave stuffed and pleased.
At 1100 S. Flower St., (213) 763-4600 or thepalm.com.

Dinner and a Drink: On June 26 at 7:30 p.m., Ciudad will host its Presidio wine dinner, where it will showcase organic and biodynamic wines from that estate. The $75 meal features four courses and live music by Cale.

Ever wonder what the difference is between bourbon and whiskey? Coming up July 8 is Arnie Morton's $45 bourbon tasting from 6-7:30 p.m. Guests will sample four cocktails including a Knob Creek mint julep and Basil Hayden's Southern Citrus Smash as a whiskey expert explains the spirit's journey from the barrel to the bottle. If all that whets your appetite for a thick steak, you're in the right place.
For reservations, call Ciudad at (213) 486-5171 and Arnie Morton's at (213) 553-4566.

Nacho Libre: Any place that has a nacho bar is okay in our book. From the restaurant that brought you Seafood Fridays, City Grill shifts gears with a Mexican-themed extravaganza dubbed Wacomole Wednesdays. The $17.95 buffet includes carnitas, chicken fajitas, tortillas, shrimp ceviche, Mexican salads, guacamole, salsas and the aforementioned nacho bar. The lunch is 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at City Grill in the Wilshire Grand Hotel.
At 930 Wilshire Blvd., (213) 627-4289 or wilshiregrand.com.

More Hours, More Pizza: Answering the call of late night door-knockers, Rocket Pizza in the Old Bank District is extending its weekend hours to accommodate the ever growing Downtown nightlife scene. Previously open until midnight, the pizzeria will now keep its oven on until 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Restaurant manager Ivan Garcia said Rocket recently started getting busier late at night and he didn't want to see any more sad faces at the door after midnight. "People tried to knock and come in after we were already closed, so we decided to stay open one more hour," he said.
At 122 W. Fourth St., (213) 687-4992 or rocketpizzalounge.com.

Casually Upscale: Downtown has a new "upscale but casual" setting. Maria's Italian Kitchen, which opened its first location in Brentwood Village in 1975, opened its 10th restaurant, and first in Downtown Los Angeles, last week. The 5,000-square-foot space includes a 26-foot bar, three private rooms and three plasma screens. The food includes Neapolitian cuisine with pastas, panini, and of course, pizza. Maria's is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. and weekends from 4-10 p.m. Reservations are recommended for lunch and dinner and required for private rooms. But if you're in a hurry, there is also Maria's Express, a casual and quicker version next door.
At 615 S. Flower St., (213) 623-4777 or mariasdowntownla.com.

Every Good Downtown Deserves Fudge: With its gourmet coffee, pastries and homemade fudge, if Kelly's Coffee & Fudge Factory doesn't get you going in the morning, well, then Restaurant Buzz hates to break the news to you, but you might be dead. Originating in New England, the chain coffee house opened its first Downtown location last week. No day can start off wrong with a little fresh fudge with flavors that include chocolate caramel, rocky road and Oreo fudge. Coffees include espresso, cappuccino and latte. Kelly's also serves sandwiches, salads and baked goods like fresh cookies, bagels and scones.
At 227 W. Eighth St., (213) 622-2263 or kellyscoffee.com.

Know any juicy restaurant news? Email kathryn@downtownnews.com.

page 20, 6/23/2008
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.


		Grub With Guzman

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