first look: ma petit bakery & cafe
Aiming to introduce the casual Parisian cafe experience to Downtown, sisters Mary and Nary Kim are partnering to bring Ma Petit Bakery & Café to the Douglas Building in the northwest corner of the Historic Core.
While drywall and plumbing lines were being installed during our tour on Tuesday, interior designer Nung Chong of Chong Architecture was enthusiastically describing his plans for the roughly 3,800 square-foot space, which are being finalized this week.
Conceptual sketches call for the creation of a characteristically French scene, with cobblestone floors, period-style moldings, leafy brick walls, plush bench seating, antique pendant lamps and murals depicting Parisian cityscapes.
With over two months left until their projected April opening, the usually temperamental City inspections process has been exceptionally problem-free for the owners, perhaps because the restaurant will not pursue an alcohol permit.
The Fare: High Quality With a Local Constitution
Filling the roll as head chef, owner Nary Kim relayed her excitement as she described her favorite menu items. Planned are an assortment of cuisines “from down-home American favorites to food with a European flavor.”
Freshly made Italian pasta and pizzettes will sit beside traditional French entrées on the menu, all of which will be prepared on-site using local ingredients. Even the kitchen’s tiny freezer foretells many trips to the nearby produce mart.
Since Ma Petit is also a bakery, wood display cases will proudly present breads made fresh daily along side assortments of French pastries and gourmet chocolates. Kim studied the art of chocolate-making under confectioner Ewald Notter, whose techniques are well-respected among those in the industry of confectionery arts. Ooh la la!
French Countryside Meets Modern Zen
At the rear of the dining area will be a separate, but connected lounge space called The Mix at the Douglas. While Ma Petit will not serve alcoholic beverages, this parlor space will give patrons a zen-like environment to enjoy pastries over coffee or tea and casual Asian fusion cuisine.
Bamboo plank (or hardwood) floors, a mini Koi pond, cube-shaped ottomans and a wall of black river pebbles will communicate the owners’ desire to bring a peaceful environment to their establishment.
The Mix and the cafe dining area will look out onto the Douglas Building’s glass-crowned inner courtyard, where patio seating allows soft natural light to fill the space.
Activating a Corner
Breakfast, lunch and dinner hours will enliven a block that for too long remained dormant, even after move-ins began for the residential spaces above over two years ago.
Ma Petit will debut with hours 6:30am until 8:30pm. While those evening hours are limited, the restaurant will remain open longer during Art Walk nights to draw in hungry crowds. Nighttime hours may be extended if the dinner crowd can support it.
We know we can, right?!
Ma Petit Bakery & Cafe
257 S, Spring Street (inside the Douglas Building)
Los Angeles, California 90012
Coming April 2008
-ma petit menu preview, more on ‘the mix’
Special thanks to reader Scott Mahoy for the help arranging the tour!
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7 comments
ooh it sounds and looks like it will be really lovely….this could be my future favorite place! Fresh bread….yuuummmm!
Sadly, the phrase “the usually temperamental City inspections process has been exceptionally problem-free” is to be expected. Too bad the phrase wasn’t “the efficient City inspectors partnered with the owners to help navigate the inspection process to meet the April opening”. Why does it seem the city’s policy is to discourage business development?
I think it has to deal w/ autocentric policies. For example, EIR reports (if applicable), where’s the parking?, shall we widen roads? do we need to remove more street parking so people can zip by at 50 mph? what ways to discourage pedestrian involvement? can we make this new development a plaza instead of street facing?
The bureaucracy also is chock full of lifetimers, meaning employees, supervisors and managers who are exceptionally smug and snug about their jobs because of government-employee unions and civil-service protection. So they’re quite prone to dawdling and having a “hasta manana” mentality in the way they treat the work environment.
I will be voting with my wallet and getting even fatter on their fresh bakery goodness. Everybody, drop the diet! Support Downtown businesses!
Yay! The residents at the Douglas can’t wait for our new neighbor to be up and running. and just a small correction to the post, some of us have been living in the building for more than 2 years, and that is, indeed, FAR too long for this corner to appear dormant. please support all of the new eateries going in on our ground floor-the best things come to those who wait! (Thanks Scott Mahoy for bringing about this awareness to other neighbors!)
Post fixed. Thanks for the correction, Daria!
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