Downtown LA musings

Americas - USA West Los Angeles
7

Too bad about Cleo L.A. Live.

We had a really good meal during dine/LA 2017. Forgive me, I can’t remember full details of the meal. But I and my 2 dinner companions enjoyed it. A chain? Yes. Enjoyable meal? Yes. Fried things were crispy, dips and cheeses were creamy, tangy, herby, garlicky; flat breads were good; meats (lamb & beef/flesh, necks & ribs) were properly cooked.

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Lablabi - Soup w/Chickpeas, Harissa, Tomatoes, Cumin

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Delicious standout for me. :blush:

Spicy Cigars - Brik Pastry, Spiced Beef, Lebaneh (sic?) Feta

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Another standout - crispy, savory insides, delicious creamy tangy lebaneh & feta. :blush:

The delicious, well cooked, can’t quite remembers…

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Passion Fruit (I think) Panna Cotta

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I love a good panna cotta and remember that the gelato or sorbet on top was superfluous and blighted the whole dish.

The lighting isn’t conducive to photo taking. Which is a shame, because the plating of the food and the space is lovely.

I’m not really surprised Cleo is not making it at L.A. Live. I sometimes wonder how anything does. I think the establishments are like bears. They load up during sport seasons and concert events, then live off reserves the rest of the year. I don’t think a place like Cleo is on the radar of that particular demographic. It’s probably a nice stand alone date night or fun dinner with friends type place. It doesn’t help when you go on the website and SBE is promoting everything in terms of fun nightlife. Food in the restaurants get a passing mention.

Oh well…

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8

Is it supposed to be any good. I emerged from the Expo stop dazed and confused (and then saddened by the total non-event that the March for Science turned out to be) and didn’t know anything about the eateries at The Bloc. So @SpockSpork and I ended up at Bottega Louie (which was actually just fine, for our purposes).

9

I’ve always had good meals at Cleo too, but never once been to the one at LA Live even though I can walk to it. It might have done better if opened in the heart of downtown for some reason.

I’m not sure, but I keep an eye out for weeknight type places that aren’t too expensive, so this was on my radar. Will report back…

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10

Anyone else had Comfort LA? Just as good as the soul places in Crenshaw/Inglewood/South Central?

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No, but good rec.

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I love Comfort LA

Me and @Chowseeker1999, both.

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13

Gizmo Cereal Bar is now open.

Rejoice. You can now all get strawberry milk with your Cocoa Puffs without the nasty eye from your beloved mother.

Gizmo Cereal Bar
215 West 6th Street
Downtown LA

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The concept has been tried (and died) before. Who remember JuJu Cereal Bar in Westwood circa 2007?

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Saw another cereal concept in Ktown. I think near Wilshire/Western

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cleo was still open when i walked by on sunday. the entire la live area was dead since there were no events to be found but made for a nice quiet meal.

cleo has always been dependable for me especially in the area. it’ll be a shame when it closes but the med cuisine is plentiful in the area with 10e and the exchange. 10e should be on a death watch too. it’s never full.

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Cleo donzo

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Following up on my last report re Urban Oven, I have gone fairly regularly for a quite bite over the last 2-3 months. They only seem to be improving. This Tuscan Kale pizza would not have been my first choice, but it was on special. Kale, mozzarella, sausage, red chilli flake, and lemon juice gave it a surprisingly bright flavor that was super tasty. Not destination worthy, but nice for those in the area. 10" pies are around $11.

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Separately, I was not a fan of Hatch Yakitori, unfortunately, for the money spent. Some things were pretty decent, but the charcoal (i.e. all black) chicken kara-age was flavorless.

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20

While I like Chik-Fil-A, the one in DTLA must be manned by some of the most incompetent nincompoops.

Plus, just as a general PSA, people need to stop stealing, ahem, forgetting to put back the little potted plants on the tables when they leave.

21

Hi DTLA Diners!

I’m looking for something Italian for a casual, but nice family birthday dinner. The Urban Oven looks yummy, but maybe a little too fast-casual and Bestia a little too upscale ($$) for this particular occasion. The bday boy has been to Maccheroni Republic a few times (hit or miss pasta, but good group spot), so looking for something new. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

22

Urban Oven is def too casual.

A nice step up from that but still on the family causal side would be Sixth + Mill. It’s next door to Officine Brera. They have nice pizza pies and other Italian dishes like pasta and veggies.

Factory Kitchen is another nice choice less expensive than Bestia, but still good atmosphere.

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23

Colori Kitchen

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24

Hi @DTLAeater!

I love Factory Kitchen and haven’t been in a while.

The internet is so wacky with pricing - a google search for Italian dtla shows Bestia at $$ and Factory Kitchen $$$. I’m not sure what criteria they’re using as FK has more pasta dishes which are always more reasonable than meat and seafood.

One more thing - we may have a toddler with us. He loves going out and is usually a good boy. He was great at Jon & Vinny’s. But toddlers are unpredictable, so. Do you think Sixth + Mill or FK is better?

Thanks!

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Definitely a consideration and priced right. I’ve only had it Postmated. Do you think it’s a cool enough atmosphere for young adults?

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No idea, but…

It’s good manners to consider cool wherever the adults are paying so that the young adults can eat for free.

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27

Factory Kitchen can be quite loud, but I’ve noticed quite a few kids eating at Sixth + Mill. Perhaps due to the more casual nature of the place. I’d go for Sixth + Mill in your case since they have pizzas.

The $$ vs $$$ is never entirely trustworthy as portion sizes etc comes into play too.

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