New announcements, grand openings, permit delays and some projects dead in the water — it’s all an indication of a very active local dining scene here in Downtown LA. Oddly enough, none of these has to do with 7th Street’s “Restaurant Row.”

Got a restaurant tip? Let us know!

Caffe Primo: In the ground floor of the Pegasus Apartments, the “next-generation cafe” should begin construction this month after recently obtaining construction permits, according to a company representative. Opening is planned for April 2009. [Wilshire and Flower]

Crown Cafe: Permit delays have held up the opening of this Los Angeles Street cafe / coffee shop, and with only one more holdout remaining, owner Robert Kashefi hopes to fling open the doors this month. [523 S Los Angeles Street]

Drago Centro: Celestino Drago’s contemporary-Italian eatery will open by late September in City National Plaza, according to publicist Emily Wilson. The bank’s “historic stone-walled vault” (but the building was built in 1972?) is being converted into a private dining room. The private dining area will be called, what else, “The Vault.” Did I mention there are vaulted ceilings? I’m not making this up, folks. Buildout is estimated to cost a total of $7 million, and a new website shows some construction progress. [525 S Flower Street]

Hygge: Construction begins this month on Luma’s ground-floor retail space, which will eventually house a new Danish-inspired restaurant and bakery. Don’t be swayed by the pronunciation of the restaurant’s name (sounds kind of like “hoo-guh”) — I’m sure there will be more unpronounceables on the menu. Owner Ray Lee is planning an ambitious year-end opening, but we all know how that goes. Either way, I’m filing this one in our “can’t wait” file; South Parkians can’t keep going to Panini Cafe every night. [11th and Hope]

Johnny Rockets: Two locations set to open, one in Little Tokyo and the other in South Park’s AT&T Center, join the first Downtown branch at 5th and Figueroa which opened earlier this year. Hiring continues, though no official opening date has been set at this time. [2nd and Central, 12th and Hill]

La Puerta: This Spanish tapas-style eatery in the Old Bank District (specifically, the ground floor of the Continental Building at 4th and Spring), is now officially on hold but may resume planning in the future once the economic environment improves. Art gallery enthusiasts can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the space will continue to host temporary exhibits. [4th and Spring]

Ma Petit: Co-owner and chef Nary Kim is pushing for an August 25th opening of the restaurant she’s opening with her sister Mary Kim. Originally planned for an early-April opening, construction delays had stalled the project until the pace picked up once again recently. The buildout of the Douglas Building’s retail spaces are nearly complete now, with Lot 44 Coffee opening a couple months ago and Origami Bistro & Bar on July 31. Let’s hope for some cross-traffic between them all. [3rd and Spring]

The Nickel Diner: Banquette’s Monica May is leading the team behind this Main Street diner. Hiring is commencing, though mum’s the word about a possible opening date. May couldn’t be reached for comment. [524 S Main Street]

Provecho: Another elusive restaurateur in hiring mode, Gabriel Morales’s latin eatery is set to open this month, according to the latest information from Eater LA. [Wilshire and Flower]

Shaily: Another Gilmore Development project placed on hold for now, Shaily was planned as a Cal-Indian concept for the Hellman Annex on Spring Street. The space currently houses Taller 410, the gallery and studio for Miguel Osuna, whom I regard as one of my favorite artists. [410 S Spring Street]

Showbiz Ribs: A sign hanging above the door promises an opening in the near future, until you realize it’s been there for quite some time now. I’ve given this business a new slogan: “We’ll Get There When We Get There.” [520 W 6th Street]

SipTea: Opening planned for next week if all goes well, with a grand opening the first week of September. Chalk the delays up to inspections once again. [852 S Broadway]

Wien Bakery: The Korean-Austrian “bakery fusion” as I call it, will commence next week, according to on-site employees. Cream cakes and cream pans and cream pies, oh my. [1234 Wilshire Blvd]

Previously Reported:

Casa: Construction continues on the Casa buildout at Cal Plaza. Chef Kris Morningstar (Blue Velvet, 750ml) will be joining Casa for its opening. [350 S Grand Avenue]

Corkbar: Announced today for the ground floor of Evo. Corkbar joins Bottlerock as South Park fills up with wine and teeny-tiny plates. [12th and Grand]

Lime Cafe: A recent grand opening ushers in a new concept for the young space. [118 W 5th Street]