mode restaurant brightens a neighborhood
UPDATE: Mode is now closed until further notice. We’ll keep you posted. Following through on an invitation to attend Mode’s four-course tasting preview this evening, the angelenic team arrived promptly at 7:30pm to scope out the joint. The French bistro-style restaurant was a beacon of light on the dark block, where conversation and energy carried out onto a previously forlorn portion of Olive Street.
Pedestrians slowed as they strolled by, some leaning over the patio railing to ask diners what kind of event was taking place. At one point, a Metro bus driver stopped a half-full bus in front of the bustling space to see what all the commotion was about.
You can’t blame them - Mode looks flashy from the sidewalk. The interior is colorful and perky with Kartell pendant lamps and a blue-illuminated runway extending down the center of the restaurant from the kitchen. A large photo mural completely covering the northern wall depicts a rowdy and crowded tofu festival scene (interesting choice?), while a large projection screen in the rear is dedicated to the fashion chronicles of MODTV. Is that even a real channel?
Speaking of fashion, we remember reading that Mode’s servers will strut down the “catwalk” in futuristic metallic jumpsuits and white mini-dresses. Maybe that was intended as a joke. We asked our waiter why he wasn’t wearing his jumpsuit, and he looked puzzled. Although a mischievous grin afterwards told us he seemed keen on the idea.
Looking slightly unsatisfied now with his all-black attire, the waiter proceeded to bring us glasses of wine with our first course: Potato pancakes topped with sour cream and salmon roe. Decadent finger food indeed. Miniature sandwiches of roast beef, sundried tomatoes and goat cheese on toasted bread were brought out next, followed by baby bok choy-tuna bites. All of these samples (however minuscule) suggest a very creative and delightful menu of cuisine can be expected from this eatery.
Live entertainment included a DJ and flirty lounge singer - sporting a white mini-dress as promised! It was all fitting for the occasion, and the music selection lent itself well to the chic feel that Mode projects.
With all the positive things we have to say, not everything was picture perfect. The service was jittery, although understandable for a new restaurant. We also left hungry because the portions were so tiny. It was a “tasting” preview - ok, we get it now!
Mode will be open 24 hours starting tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. We’re going back then for a full-sized meal! It should be worth fighting the crowd.
Mode Restaurant
916 S. Olive Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 627-4888
Additional photographs here.
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30 comments
It is really going to be open 24 hours! No way..!
7 days a week!
I wonder how Mode will impact the block. The taxi dancing establishment, Galaxy Girls, on the corner of 9th & Olive tends to get a lot of visits from the police. I’m hopeful Mode have a calming influence.
PeterJ commented a few days ago, “According to Mode, the retail space next door is going to be a bakery, part of a chain.” I wanted to confirm this with Tony Jones (Mode’s owner), but didn’t get a chance. Rico and I plan to investigate.
David is right. Their neighbors are “100 Beautiful Galaxy Girls.” I am so happy there is a new establishment; let’s hope it puts a fire under more people to clean up this lovely block.
to me this place looks like something out of WESt LA, which could be another possibly good thing for Downtown drawing Westsiders, but a bakery? why not more retail like something really trendy or cutting edge, next thing you know this will become a new 4th & Main type area.
I don’t think Westsiders are moving to Downtown because it’s just like the Westside.
I really like this restaurant. It’s not groundbreaking, but it doesn’t need to be, and it’s got a great street presence and will be open 24 hours a day.
And believe me… there’s plenty of unused retail space Downtown that can attract high-quality/trend-setting/groundbreaking tenants. There’s no shortage there…
Well, a bakery COULD be really hip and trendy. A great bakery would be awesome.
And it is retail, from what I understand, it’s going to be a shop, you know, that sells cookies, muffins, etc. Unfortunately, i think it will be a chain (like Mrs. Fields), but I don’t know the full scoop yet. Maybe it will be a cool chain? Is there such a thing? Anyway… hopefully, Friday and Rico will get the details. Although, I am going for dinner tonight at Mode… maybe I’ll hear something.
something like BREAD BAR would be nice… or the CANTER’S bakery, for that matter.
takin my BF tonight…look forward to it! thx so much guys for being here and dishin all the latest on the community!
Just went to mode. They are cash only tonight and only have 2 entrees (lamb osso buco and a goat cheese pasta thing)and a few apps/salads.
maybe it could be a SPRINKLES Cupcakes, (fingers crossed) those red velvet cupcakes are the best thing since sliced bread lmao.
Yeah, I went to mode last night with my husband and friend, they had limited menu, and then when we ordered from the limited menu, they came back 3 times to tell us that most of the things we asked for/ordered we’re unavailable as well (french fries, blue cheese dressing, etc) and the service from only one of the waitresses was good. Not to mention the lights went out about 3 times. The food that we did get eventually was good, but the overall experience was humerous, not amazing.
also fyi, per one of the waitresses…
after last night’s embarassment, Mode is once again closed, to reopen on Monday.
Oh, bad move! I just called and their phone is busy. Unreal.
is it too late to get gordon ramsey in to do a kitchen nightmares episode? or too early?
They re-opening last night (12/4). My bf and i were searching for someplace to eat after 9:30 pm and stopped by. They said they are going to open from 5 pm until 3 a.m. until they get a steady stream of customers before going 24/7. The right side of the catwalk had its booths filled, but fairly quiet otherwise.
The food was okay.. the waitress kept asking for feedback, so they are probably still testing out what works. the pineapple dessert was yummy!
FAR too expensive. cheapest entree is 14 bucks. give me a break.
i take it all back. i went last night and got a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke for 14 bucks. it was a good burger. it was all real good. goat cheese, qual-ass bread. totally worth it for me. i’d go back.
mode is open at 11am now! There are actually many items that are 5 to 8 dollars that can be individual plates or mixed and matched. The menu needs some re-formatting to indicate this and proces tweaked. The bakery is not a “chain” in the sense that its a chain. It’s their second bakery. B & G Cookie Company is the name. It is a bakery but its also sit down. Beverly and Grace are sisters and are really cool ladies. It should be open soon and looks great inside. Three other things: 1) we are currently working with the BID for the placement of sleep-proof benches in front of 908, 914, 916, and 920 (1o in all) along Olive as well as bicyccle racks, 2) we are in negotiations with the current tenants at 922 Olive to take over their lease where we plan a boutique (men and women casual/hip/denim mostly) If space provides upstairs we’d like to add a salon. 3) The Galaxy Girls place and places like that thrive on discretion so it made sense that it would be located where it is. That may change as the street changes.
I have lived downtown since 2003 (after 11 years in Silverlake) and focus on developing projects for the downtown lifestyle. I love that our community is growing and growing, but let there be no doubt that Mode is for the downtown dweller. I am working on pricing and menu re-formatting today and we will have a one-sheet of specials everyday. Thanks for the feedback and keep it coming. We will always improve, I promise!
Tony - if you could please, ask the City to open up street parking on the 900 block of Olive. It’s unfortunate that the street in front of you is a miniature highway (4 - 5 lanes in one way!!!). We don’t need more parking lots/garages taking precious retail/restaurant space. In order for places to thrive, street parking is good to the urban character. I hope you can make this request to the city as well. Thanks!
I recommend this to all new businesses opening up downtown: give your customers some kind of incentive to take public transportation to your establishment:
1) maybe a 10% discount if you show your Metro monthly pass or day pass
2) On your web site, make sure you give directions how to take public transit there.
3) Also give these same directions on any menus or take-out menus or flyers.
You guys are only 5 blocks from the 7th/Metro Center subway station, a doable walk. You are also only 2 blocks from the new 7-11 about to open up at 7th and Olive…Olive is becoming a late nite nabe…
I would totally commend public transit over driving…but the absolute worst thing that can happen to an urban corridor is the REMOVAL of parking spaces to make ways for MINIATURE HIGHWAYS. That’s not conducive to an urban core. Heck, I live 3 blocks from Mode, I ain’t driving. But yet, I don’t want Mode have to rely on a parking garage for those visitors who taking public transit/walking is not viable. Plus, it’s cool seeing people park their cars on the street and walking on the sidewalk. I’m not a big fan of people parking in an underground garage, taking the elevator to their destination, and then leaving without ever stepping foot on a sidewalk. That’s not pedestrian friendly. Oops…I just described Ralphs.
AVOID AVOID AVOID for at least a few months.
I’m so disappointed to have to write a bad review about this place (or anyplace for that matter). A group of friends walked over to Mode last night after the Bjork show at the Nokia. The place looks great but was dead quiet. The music was so low you could barely hear it. This was no atmosphere for a restaurant tying to capture a fun, young “new” downtown crowd. The poor and quiet music was just the tip of the iceberg.
I say iceberg because it was 61 degrees in the restaurant. I know because we were stilling next to the thermostat. The waiter and the manager seemed unable to turn the heat up. We literally ate in jackets and scarves. The girls we were with were freezing.
Since it was so cold I asked for some hot tea. Oh, sorry, we don’t have any HOT WATER tonight. Yes, they had no HOT WATER. OK, um, then let’s go with some decaf coffee. They brought me out a COLD cup of coffee, which the manager told me actually wasn’t decaf since they don’t have any decaf coffee. Hmmmmm.
The food was fine. Nothing special. We literally would have eaten the same quality food at Denny’s.
Mode needs to take a page from Cafeteria in New York and Miami for an example of a fashion oriented 24 hour restaurant. The food should be cool, the music pumping, the vibe energetic. All of this was lacking at Mode.
Mode is owned by the same people who run Royal on Wilshire near MacArthur Park. Royal is so great, I don’t know what the hell happened with this place. AVOID.
I had the exact same experience yesterday for lunch. I took 4 co-workers to Mode around 1pm and the place was empty. In fact, as we were walking up I thought they were closed.
They didn’t have the mixed green salad that 3 of us wanted and we waited for over 20 minutes for our food. The food was good, but a little cold.
There’s no excuse for that, especially since there was only one other party in the restaurant. Then it took forever to get our checks and pay.
This place so much potential, but wtf?! I won’t be going back anytime soon. They’ve got major issues to sort out. I hope they don’t go under.
Not sure what happened to the last 2 guys, but I ate there last night and loved the place. First off, I’m really happy just to find a place thats open after 9 in downtown! It’s so hard to get food out here that alot of nights I settle for driving out to Farmer Boys or going to Ralphs and waiting in line for an hour at the checkout…
In any case, the food was good, the ambiance was cool, it wasn’t super busy, but all of the booths were taken on one side of the restaurant and a couple of tables on the other side. It looks like they are still working out the kinks and so the service might be hit or miss for a while…
I have now eaten at Mode 3 times in past week or so. Yes, they are still working out the kinks. Right now, they’re having issues with the heat in the space. They’re still waiting on the beer and wine license. Anyone eating there is really being treated to a soft opening of sorts.
But the food is good. The steak is excellent. The cheesecake excellent. This is the kind of neighborhood establishment that needs encouragement and room to find its legs. Be patient as they get things going. It has the potential to be a truly cool and remarkable spot in DT. Don’t let an uneven experience during the initial phase turn you off. Give the restaurant some time to find its way.
I also hate to write a bad review, especially about a place I’ve been looking forward to since I first read about it in the Downtown News.
For me, the bottom line is this: Don’t open a restaurant until you’re ready to be open. Don’t jerk along your potential loyal clientele with intermittent operating hours and a poorly stocked kitchen.
I too shared the same frustration with other people who attempted to dine there but found the place closed after their “opening.” Or calling to only get a busy signal. Went there one night and they ran out of milk for coffee. Oh, and there was no heat. And yeah, it was uncomfortably cold inside, while forced to watch the same TV profile on Olivier Theyskens over and over. (I recommend dropping the TV projection. I want to have dinner with my friends and guests, not compete with a TV.) Today, went for breakfast (it is Sunday late morning, after all), but they were serving their dinner menu. Come on.
Rather than pissing people off with a weak start, why not button it down before serving the first plate? Forcing the “fashion” theme will only date this restaurant fast, as the flimsy gimmick of a “runway” and fashion TV is corny, much like a large part of the fashion market in Los Angeles at this point in time.
I look forward to this restaurant doing well but so far, I’m so far from impressed. It’s time Los Angeles looked to San Francisco for how to properly create and operate great restaurants. I wouldn’t live up there but they know what they’re doing in the food industry.
My husband was recently hired at Mode as a line chef, but to our dismay we were shocked when he showed up for his first day and was sent home due to some technical problems in the kitchen. The second day he showed up he was sent home again due to the fact that there were no eggs, butter, milk, and therefore lack of customers. My husband never even filled out paperwork which I thought was very strange. The third day he showed up he was only allowed to work for three hours and he was never compensated for it. He was very disapointed but still tried to stick it out. One of his worst fears was that he noticed none of the fresh ingredients were dated. This is a big no no in culinary. All fresh ingredients must have a date, if not customers could potentially become ill. After calling the Sous Chef for three days in a row, to see if he was still need, and never got a call back he decided to throw in the towel.
Hey You guys!!! Feature my blog. I live on 6th and Spring and I work at a downtown hotel, which I can’t tell you, but you can figure it out if you read the blog and have a couple braincells. I’m going to this restaurant today and can’t wait.
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