mode closes again — haunted?
Ah, Mode Restaurant, everyone’s favorite dining melodrama! After a long-delayed opening and a turbulent initiation, many Downtowners believed that the 24-hour French bistro was finally getting its act together.
But it seems that Mode is up to its old tricks once more. Over the past few days, would-be patrons were again greeted with a lifeless storefront, while phone calls to the eatery went unanswered.
A recklessly typed sign on the inside of the glass entryway was as free of solid information as it was of punctuation. It appears that the latest snag was due to the recent rains wreaking havoc on the restaurant’s electrical systems.
The real shocker, however, came as I prepared to take a photo of said sign. While I stood in front of the glass doorway and peered through my camera’s viewfinder, a mysterious figure emerged from within the darkness of the bistro, muttering incoherently behind the closed door.
When I snapped the shot, the apparition mournfully wailed, “Waaahhhhhhhhh” just before fading into the pitch black from whence he came. Needless to say, I got out of there as fast as my legs could carry me.
Was that the Ghost of Good Restaurant Management come to haunt Mode? A drunken squatter taking advantage of the shuttered storefront? The elusive Tony Jones? …are they now one and the same?
We can’t speculate when Mode may reopen, and apparently neither can they. I’m just happy they left a sign on the door this time.
-more improvements coming to 9th and olive
-meltdown a la mode
-mode restaurant brightens a neighborhood
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28 comments
thats a hilarious right up. lol.
=) We thought so.
I spoke to a gentleman yesterday over the phone..not sure if he was a spirit..but he said they were doing some “tweaking” and would open in a week or two. The irony is that the Downtown News just published a review of the place in this week’s paper.
“The irony is that the Downtown News just published a review of the place in this week’s paper.”
Downtown News kinda pisses me off… it prominently lists Mode in it’s new restaurants in 2007 review (from the Dec. 31st paper) and yet completely ignores what in my opinion (and by the looks of the crowds, many share my opinion) was the best new restaurant to open in 2007 and the best dining experience in Downtown (and for me personally, the best dining experience ever) … Colori Kitchen.
It doesn’t even get a mention! Nonexistent Mode beat it. Freakin’ Pastagina beat it. It doesn’t even show up in the “Other Notables” write up for the one’s who don’t deserve their name in bold. Yet it’s one of the only restaurants in Downtown to offer consistently excellent food at an unbelievable value with customer service that’s second to none. They even instantly responded to the Downtown News’s surprisingly negative review that stated that the bread that comes complimentary with their often under $10 meals was not up to par. Within a week Colori upgraded their bread.
Get a clue Downtown News.
good god, that note is laughable with all the grammatical and punctual errors…glad the ghost didn’t eat you.
Yeah, Sha, I was across the street, and when I saw that there was a sign on the door, I knew it was going to be pure gold.
And Fred, I felt the same way when the Downtown News didn’t include Wood Spoon in their 2008 Dining Guide.
wood spoon and colori kitchen must not be advertising in the downtown news.
Good point about Wood Spoon! I forgot! A great Downtown dining addition completely ignored. Grr…
If the simple chore of putting up a sign on Mode’s front door, either at all (as around or a bit after their pre-premiere days) or at least that’s properly edited, taxes the ability of the owner, is it any wonder the restaurant still isn’t running smoothly? Will anyone be surprised, but no less disappointed, if Mode doesn’t remain in business over the long run?
I convinced a friend to meet me downtown for dinner Friday night. “There is a great Italian place next to Golden Gopher,” I told him. So we met there and was turned away because they close at 10pm (it was 10:15). 10 freakin PM. This is a downtown? We walk to Mode, the only “24 hour” place that doesn’t serve just pancakes or subs. We ended up at Pete’s after driving by Wood Spoon’s ghost town.
Where do people eat downtown after 10pm (!) besides Pete’s? Don’t get me wrong, I like that place. But it is the only place that seems to ever be open late.
My friends and I stopped by Tiara after the D&A show Saturday night. I would say there were about 20-25 people in the restaurant. The menu was limited, 8-9 items, because it was the second night of the “soft” opening. Overall it was not bad.
regarding colori closing at 10..
i feel lucky that we have a place open that late at all. a year ago it was a stretch trying to find a place open after 6!
I ate at Tiara on Friday night. Great meal. Really creative and adventurous menu. Very Tasty. I think they were a little surprised at the number of people who showed up (it was more than they expected). But they did a good job handling their opening dinner service. It wasn’t perfect (opening night never is), but their level of service was so much better than Mode. I am very excited about Tiara’s dinner service. The unique menu was really exciting. I hope Fred will keep it fresh and inventive. It is a great addition to the neighborhood. I wish there was a bar on 9th between Broadway and Los Angeles. Something else to make that stretch feel alive at night.
^ I don’t believe Broadway Bar is that far at all from 9th & Broadway, Los Angeles. More bars are great, but it’s not a strenous walk from the Broadway Bar to Tiara.
Yeah, Broadway Bar is not far at all. It was more that I am hoping for additional night time businesses (don’t have to be bars) on that specific stretch of 9th street. As of right now, there is nothing open at night within a block or two of Tiara. In order to create a safe, vibrant corridor, we need more things open in the evenings there. If you’re walking east on 9th in the Fashion District at 8 pm, the stretch after Main is so dark and desolate, it’s hard to imagine that Tiara could be open.
I agree with you Peter. The walk from 9th/Flower to 9th/Main is not the best after 9 pm. Luckily, I’m buzzed usually when walking back home, but I don’t consider the walk between the 2 streets safe.
Tiara… that’s right. I forgot they added dinner hours. I’ve only been there for Sunday brunch, so I’ll have to remember that.
Mdogg: You’re right. I really am glad we have places open later than 6 these days. Let’s keep the momentum going. I feel like more places need to commit to keeping late hours, staying open, letting word spread, or people just give up and drive to Silver Lake or Los Feliz.
The worst part about all this Mode nonsense is that people plan their evenings around a decent dinner there. When they get there and see a darkened storefront, it’s not like there’s too many 24-hour places nearby for dinner. It’s a hassle. And those people will be reluctant to try not only Mode next time, but will also be reluctant to try Downtown if they don’t live here!
Where are Wood Spoon and Colori Kitchen? We are going through a discover downtown phase……
Louie, check out our Restaurants page for a ton of info on Downtown-area establishments. http://www.angelenic.com/restaurants/
Actually the worst part of this whole Mode mess is that a lot of people lost their jobs. Tony Jones has been bouncing peoples paychecks (at Mode and Royale) for months, and now both places are closed.
Check this out (not written by me) http://losangeles.citysearch.com/review/41906575/2097940
Whoa! That’s nuts. I didn’t even know Royale was closed. I wonder what the issue is…
Oh, oh! As someone posted earlier, if the owner of the restaurant can’t even manage the basic task of putting up a small sign to tell potential guests what’s going on, and why the business may be closed, or why it may be open on such-and-such a day, and such-and-such an hour, then that suggests something really is rotten in Denmark.
The issue? Probably a flaky business plan, along with a flaky owner, combined with the always tough or very competitive climate that small merchants, particularly restauranteurs, often find themselves in.
This really is sad news because a non-starter type of business casts a shadow not only over its owner but also over the location of where it — in this case, a restaurant in a still tentative part of downtown — is located.
The “incoherent wailer” you saw was most likely the owner’s cousin Robert.
In spite of having no discernible job title or real function, scaring the (few) customers, sexually harassing and threatening the lives of employees and being on crack/drunk/crazy most of the time, he could not be fired. Just one of the many problems that plagued an establishment in which the owner (for good reason) wouldn’t show his face.
that is really sad to hear. mode had so much potential, now just a return to a dark block. i hope some new investors will buy mode and run it properly.
HERE IS THE SCOOP………….
the real reason for mode not being open is that they were OPERATING WITHOUT A HEALTH PERMIT and sucking power from a generator without a permit and jacking the city. That crazy man is his cousin, who is an alchoholic and is charged to “watch over” the business. HE OWES THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS …..
The owner, Anthony Jones, writes checks without funds in the account and therefore, the employees were basically working for free. He has sucessfully eluded over 4o employees attempts to collect their wages. His first restaurant ROYALE also has the same story. He owes thousands of dollars to employees, vendors, and performers who provided entertainment services under his request. ROYALE closed down for a bit, lockiing the employees out without notifying them that they did not have a job. It is now supposedly reopened, probably to get rid of the rest of the liquor. DISGUSTING
we open - not!
Grand Opening………………grand closing!
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