Looking for information on Downtown LA?

Angelenic is the essential news resource for those living, working and visiting Downtown Los Angeles. Check out our homepage for the latest restaurant, retail, and cultural news in the neighborhood.

RSS or email feeds make it easy to receive angelenic in your inbox every morning!

Chaya Brasserie, the French-Japanese restaurant with locations in Venice Beach, Beverly Hills and San Francisco, is currently building out its new space at City National Plaza’s central retail pavilion at 5th and Flower streets.

Though this is a fusion restaurant of sorts, don’t expect small plates here. Hearty risottos, lobster ravioli, and a selection of fish and chops make this a restaurant sure to please Downtown foodies.

Also coming to City National Plaza is Drago Centro, a new dining establishment by Celestino Drago, one of seven family members behind Enoteca Drago Ristorante and Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills, Celestino Ristorante in Pasadena and Celestino Steakhouse in West Hollywood.

No timeline has been announced yet for the new venture. Drago’s other eateries feature high-quality Sicilian-Italian staples with a slight contemporary twist.

The presence of these two powerhouse names in Downtown’s maturing dining scene should help retain some of the daytime workforce in the neighborhood after hours, an untapped market of nearly 500,000. These workers are essential for the expansion of Downtown’s nightlife.

Fortunately, we’re already beginning to see more office workers lingering in the evening hours, but not until LA Live’s extensive lineup opens later this year will that impact be substantial.

Check out these related posts:

1. drago centro building recipe for success
2. downtown’s ‘drago centro’ opening near thanksgiving
3. caffe primo coming to the pegasus
4. trader vic’s coming to downtown in 2009