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Yxta Cocina Mexicana, the Industrial District restaurant from the family behind Highland Park’s El Arco Iris, is set to open February 25, according to owner Jesse Gomez.

At last check-in one month ago, Yxta was undergoing a light build-out phase — more like a tinkering of sorts — before opening day.

Expect full-sized entree plates and margaritas with freshly squeezed juices. Lunch prices will range from $9-$16; large dinner plates from $11-$21.  Free parking after 5:00pm; $2.00 valet during lunch.

Yxta Cocina Mexicana
601 S Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90021
Opening February 25, 2009
 yxta.net

Here’s one we’ve been tracking for a while.  Infusion Cafe, a contemporary, casual coffee shop at 8th and Spring, opened for business on Wednesday after lengthy delays.

While a food menu has not been set yet — expect that on Monday — says one employee on-site: “Everything is vegetarian, except for the tuna.”

Illy coffees, pastries and house-made crepes are also offered on top of the free WiFi.

Infusion Cafe is in the ground floor of the newly opened NCT Lofts.  Hours and phone number to follow.

Have you tried Infusion Cafe yet?  Let us know.

Infusion Cafe
808 S Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Now open for lunch

Downtown’s southern Financial District will be welcoming Magnolia Restaurant, a hip Hollywood hangout at the intersection of Sunset and Vine, in the spring.

Owner Laurie Mulstay confirms the sister location, which took over the shuttered Zita Trattoria at 9th and Figueroa. Though details about the second restaurant are still hazy, expect more information over the next several weeks.

Magnolia is known for its comfortably modern, eclectic interior, as well as a diverse menu of Mediterranean dishes, seafood and updated American comfort food.  Perhaps most exciting is the prospect of Sunday brunch, which would provide a much healthier alternative to the Pantry next door.

>>>More info and address after the jump…

While walking around the neighborhood, a papered-over window can mean only one thing: New restaurant. It’s even better when the door is slightly ajar.

So passing by the Roosevelt Lofts today at 7th and Flower, I was mildly tingled to see both — and couldn’t resist popping in for a look.

Octopus Japanese Restaurant, a smallish Southern California chain with locations in Glendale, Burbank, and Encino, will be opening in “about a month,” confirmed one manager at another location.

Described as “Japanese fusion,” expect the usual done-up rolls, tempura and entrees common to the genre.  Interestingly, Octopus sits catty-corner from Wokcano, another Japanese-fusion chain.  Spider rolls for everyone!

>>>More info and address details after the jump…

This just in from Kristen Trattner at the Nickel:  Dinner hours at the Main Street diner have been halted until mid-February following some staff shake-up.

Meanwhile, the search is on for a new line cook; interested parties should contact the restaurant directly.

I’ll post more information about the reinstated dinner hours once they become available.

What’s your favorite everyday Downtown dinner spot?

>>>Address, phone number and so forth after the jump…

More details about the Historic Core’s latest burger destination have been revealed to angelenic, while the fast-casual concept is closer than ever to completion.

D-Town Burger Bar has been nearly ready to open for a couple weeks now in the ground floor of the Hayward Hotel at Sixth and Spring.  As is usually the case, a litany of city-mandated changes is at the root of the delays.

Owner David Librush responds to a request for info via email: “It may be another two to three weeks, maybe a little less or a little longer until we can open.”

Sure, that’s a nebulous proposition for an impatient crowd, but we know how it goes.

Librush is taking a simple approach to the whole concept, with burgers, a few combos and a couple sides, In-N-Out-style.

>>>A deli and grocery store next door, and more info on the burger bar after the jump…

A long-standing institution that played a major role in feeding Los Angeles during the last economic crisis of epic proportions, Clifton’s Cafeteria was known not only for its themed redwood-forest dining hall, but also for its house rule:  Dine Free Unless Delighted.

That said a lot as the nation sagged under a nearly 25% unemployment rate during the Great Depression.

Indeed, 10,000 diners did dine free at the chain’s several Downtown cafeterias — guests were never turned away for lack of funds — before a “penny cafeteria” opened to serve them.

The relevancy of Clifton’s in this time of rising unemployment will surely be sorted out over the next few months, but the days of food for the masses is still here, albeit at inflation-adjusted prices.   A decent lunch can cost $15 per person now — a tidy sum, worthy of visiting nieces and nephews or out-of-town friends for the kitsch factor.

Still, Clifton’s is aiming to keep the light on a little longer in these dark times:  In deference to the thousands of new residents in the neighborhood, the cafeteria is now open until 9:00pm every Friday, Saturday and Art Walk Thursday.

>>>Meet-up opportunity and more info after the jump…

UPDATE:  Dinner hours halted, will resume mid-February after staff shake-up.

It all began innocently enough:  Open a comfort-food diner to cater to the locals.  Serve good food, at good prices, and hope for the best.

But the Nickel Diner’s Monica May and Kristen Trattner got more than they bargained for after opening the instant sensation on Main Street.  Blogs and school papers railed about what it is, what it isn’t, what it should be.

Needless to say, it’s been one hell of a ride.

So the moment we’ve been waiting for — dinner hours — comes as the Nickel’s staffing issues are being smoothed over and a slew of new restaurants and bars are now finding their places in the local food chain, so to speak.

>>>All about the new hours after the jump…