‘must wine bar’ set to replace failed historic core venture
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Lime Cafe, better known for its botched opening and short run than its delicious wild mushroom enchiladas, may have been a fleeting presence in the Historic Core — but that’s all set to change with the arrival of Must, a new wine bar set to open in the former Lime space in December.
More details are still forthcoming, but Must’s Coly Haan tells angelenic that the interior space is undergoing a dramatic aesthetic renovation.
“We’re getting rid of that awful yellow,” she says, referring to the bold color scheme chosen by the previous restaurant operator.
metro late-night holiday service begins this friday
Thanks to the funds provided by many nightlife establishments in Los Angeles, Metro is beginning its late-night holiday hours program this Friday, November 21.
Friday and Saturday nights — or early Saturday and Sunday mornings, rather — through December 27, the Metro Red Line will be running until 3:00am, giving revelers in LA’s many entertainment districts the ability to get back home safely on the subway.
At a cost to the transit agency of $4,500 per night, “owl service” may seem like a small price to pay for the ability to remove drunk drivers from roads in Hollywood, Koreatown and Downtown — but it took the grassroots support of such organizations as Cedd Moses’s 213 Inc., the Bringing Back Broadway Initiative, Broadway theaters, Universal Studios, and LA Live among many others to raise the $54,250 cost for the pilot program.
dt brief: union bagel cafe opens with fanfare today
With music by the USC Trojan marching band, free prize giveaways and an official ribbon cutting — not to mention free coffee all day long — Union Bagel Cafe’s grand opening ceremony is hitting the Financial District hard this afternoon.
Union Bagel replaces the Toaster, a fast-casual cafe that shuttered earlier this year. The 6th Street location is the second for the Union Station-based bakery and coffee shop.
Union Bagel
512 W 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Grand Opening Begins at 12:00pm
safari sam’s makes an offer no downtowner can refuse
Safari Sam’s, the all-ages performance venue that recently relocated to Downtown LA from Hollywood, is acclimating to its new location at Main Street’s Regent Theatre.
With room for nearly 800, the theater is twice as large as its former digs, says owner Sam Lanni. That poses some challenges in selling out a show that would have done so easily back at the smaller Sunset Boulevard space.
So in the spirit of neighborly introductions, Safari Sam’s is presenting Downtown residents a special offer: Free entry to any show at the Historic Core venue over the next six months, for those living in ZIP codes 90013, 90014, 90015, 90017 and 90021. Valid ID or proof of address required. UPDATE: ZIP 90012 is also included in this list, after clarification from Sam Lanni.
wurstküche grilling in the arts district tuesday
November’s a big month for the Arts District as Wurstküche Restaurant, the “exotic sausage grill” with a German/Belgian bent, opens to the public at 3rd and Traction on Tuesday, November 18th.
Affable owners Joseph Pitruzzelli and Tyler Wilson have been working for nearly a year to take their establishment from concept to reality, and now a mostly completed interior is ready for action.
Inside, warm brick walls and unfinished wood-strip wall coverings project a natural feeling to diners in the 300-square-foot grill area, which is Phase I of a larger project that will include a modern bar and more seating. Phase II should be ready later this year.
Pitruzzelli is still fine-tuning the opening menu — a tricky bill of fare when offering such specialties as alligator, pheasant and rattlesnake sausages.
mendocino farms reveals expansion plans… kind of
Lunchtime in Downtown just wouldn’t be the same without the culinary marvels created by Chef Judy Han of Mendocino Farms, located at Cal Plaza on Grand Avenue.
With a storied menu already covered on this blog, the jalapeno-garnished Kurobuta pork belly banh mi alone is worth a sometimes-inconvenient trip up Bunker Hill.
For those working in the Financial District flatlands, however, grabbing a bite at Mendocino during the noon hour can be a tight squeeze — not to mention the fast-casual spot’s infamous queue that snakes out into an open courtyard.
Well, don’t despair: Due to the success at the current location, a second is heading our way next year. Eater LA broke that story back in September, but now we’ve got the (fuzzy) details on the where and when.
prepping for ‘the big one’: thousands to march on city hall against prop 8
As reported previously, anger has erupted in the gay community over the past ten days as small, informal protests organized on the fly via text message, flyer distribution, email and social networking have grown in opposition to the passage of Proposition 8.
California voters passed the ballot measure, which eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry, by 52.2% to 47.8%.
Gay couples do not currently enjoy any of the tax breaks, health benefits or visitation rights currently afforded married couples on the federal level, relying on a conflicting patchwork of protections and restrictions across the 50 states.
As a national show of solidarity and strength, however, rallies will be taking place in cities across the country on Saturday in an effort to secure federal recognition of gay rights under a sympathetic Obama administration — effectively expanding upon California’s Prop 8 passage as a stepping stone to expanded civil rights in the United States.
The protests have particular significance in such states as Arkansas and Florida, which effectively banned gay adoption and legally protected same-sex partnerships (including civil unions), respectively, this past election.
According to a press release by civil rights group FAIR (Freedom, Action, Inclusion, Rights), “tens of thousands” are expected to show up tomorrow at City Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. Indeed, Facebook pages for both the Los Angeles event and national event show thousands of RSVPs.
Incidents of civil disobedience and protest information after the jump…
l.a. live lighting up the nighttime sky
With the opening of LA Live’s second phase right around the corner, the $2.5 billion development is setting the sky ablaze with its oversized LCD screens, floodlights, electric-blue detail lighting and and backlit advertisements.
Individual businesses are getting in on the act too, as Lucky Strike Lanes, New Zealand Ice Cream and Club Nokia have added new signage. Even the trees in Nokia Plaza have been outfitted with bright LED “icicles.”
Still, the development was a ghost town at 9:30pm Thursday with no events at Staples Center or the Nokia Theater apparent. Screens blasted advertisements for Toyota and Coca Cola, wanting for an audience.
That should change once new restaurants and venues continue to open up in phases, starting with last week’s Club Nokia debut.
