Downtown Map Event Calendar Birds & Bees Hotbox

JULY 2017 ISSUE 35

THE INSIDER GUIDE TO DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

PAGE 4 BROTHECARY If you’re looking to slurp up a transformative tradition you’ll want to check this place out.

BIRDS & BEES DOWNTOWN MAP HOTBOX An intimate approach to craft cocktails PAGE 8 Step into your own private sauna for a that’ll have you buzzing back for more. dripping dose of healthy heat. EVENT CALENDAR PAGE 6 PAGE 3 PAGE 10

LADOWNTOWNER.COM 2 3

DOWNTOWN EVENT CALENDAR IN THIS ISSUE LONG LIVE DOWNTOWN JULY 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 4 BROTHECARY THE INSIDER’S VIEW OF DOWNTOWN CULTURE, FOOD, 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DRINKS, FASHION & THE PEOPLE WHO SHAPE IT. FIGHT CLUB ANIME EXPO 4TH OF JULY HIP HOP CHINATOWN MARVEL RENEGADE OUTDOOR LA Convention Center BLOCK PARTY HAPPY HOUR AFTER DARK UNIVERSE LIVE! CRAFT FAIR SCREENING 1201 S Figueroa St. Grand Park La Cita Bar Far East Plaza Staples Center LA State Historic Park A FERROCONCRETE PUBLICATION 727 N Broadway 1111 S Figueroa St. 1245 N Spring St. LA State Historic Park 8AM 200 N Grand Ave. 336 S Hill St. 6 BIRDS & BEES — ferroconcrete.com — 1245 N Spring St. 2 — 9:30PM 6 — 10PM 7:30PM 11AM — 6PM The Anime Expo continues 4PM 5:30PM If the Anime Expo wasn’t Editor-in-Chief: Yo Santosa its massive takeover of the DTLA’s biggest family friendly Hip Hop Happy Hour On the first Thursday of Renegade Craft Fair returns enough, check out Marvel Street Food Cinema presents Convention Center through block party returns with happens every Wednesday every month, Chinatown’s to LA State Historic Park with Designer & Art Director: Mike Payne a screening of Fight Club Universe LIVE! to watch your the 4th. Celebrity Panels, two stages of live music and on El Patio at La Cita. $3 hottest property becomes DIY workshops, unique items under the stars with food favorite Marvel characters 8 MAP OF DOWNTOWN Senior Staff Writer & Digital Director: Janica de Guzman merch, sneak peeks and performances, food trucks, Tecate and domestics, $4 a hotbed of culinary from hundreds of Makers, trucks, drinks, and live music. join in an epic battle of cosplay abound. and of course, fireworks! imports and wells. innovation, as chefs and food + drink, and more. Assistant Editor: Linda Hosmer Reserved seating available. good vs. evil in the flesh. Pets welcome! friends take over. Free admission. Writers: Alexandra Bender, Brian Chernick, Abel Horwitz, Linda Hosmer, Delaney Rowe 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 10 HOTBOX Photographers: Eric Cacioppo, Stephen LaMarche, Natasha Lee, Rebekah Lemire, Laetitia Wajnapel LAS PERLAS ADBC FREE TACO LA TIMES IDEAS DOWNTOWN AMTRAC & FRIENDS: WICKED RAP Faithfully delivered by Paper Pushers BRUNCH SKEEBALL MONDAYS TUESDAYS EXCHANGE WITH LA ART WALK THE JUAN MACLEAN, PARTY VOL. 1: Las Perlas Arts District Brewing Mezcalero BILL NYE City Market South DURANTE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. 107 E 6th St. Company 510 S Broadway The Theatre at Ace Hotel 634 S Spring St. The Standard Hotel The Teragram Ballroom 1 — 4PM 828 Traction Ave. 3PM 933 S Broadway 6PM Downtown 1234 W 7th St. SUBSCRIBE CONTACT US 550 S Flower St. 12 P.Y.T. 3PM 7:30PM Main and Spring 9PM Enjoy breakfast tacos, Enjoy half-off Agave spirits 9PM For the latest finds & happenings: Got a cool tip to share?: mulitas, and tamales It’s impossible to have a and $3 Tacos at DTLA’s Join Bill Nye (the science streets come alive L’Affaire Musicale brings on the Las Perlas Patio guy) as he discusses better during DTLA’s favorite Amtrac’s summer party LADowntowner.com/subscribe [email protected] case of the Mondays at Arts newest addition to the residency continues on the a dance party homage to with live music and $5 District Brewing thanks to Free Mezcal scene. living through science and monthly street party. Notorious B.I.G. to the Follow us on Twitter & Instagram: Feedback or just to say hello: rooftop of the Standard Hotel. Happy Hour. Skeeball Mondays. Buy a beer, the joys of unleashing your The Juan Maclean and Durante Teragram Ballroom. 14 PRANK @LADowntowner [email protected] and your game is free! inner nerd at the Ace. guest star. Like us on Facebook: Looking to advertise? 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 facebook.com/LADowntowner [email protected] OUTFEST PRESENTS TIKI BOOT MUZE: LIFE YAPPY FYF FEST THE DISTANCE FREAK SHOW & MONDAYS CAMP DRAWING — ART HOUR Exposition Park IS BEAUTIFUL CLOSING NIGHT GALA Caña Rum Bar Grand Park WORKSHOP Arts District 700 Exposition Park Dr. Grand Park The Theatre at Ace Hotel 714 W Olympic Blvd. 200 N Grand Ave. ArtShare LA Brewing Company 5PM 200 N Grand Ave. 933 S Broadway 801 E 4th Pl. 828 Traction Ave. 5PM 5:30 — 6:30PM Missy Elliott, Bjork, 7:30PM 7PM 6:45PM 6 — 8PM Take a trip to Polynesia Enjoy a free post-work Frank Ocean, and Nine FLAX (France Los Angeles Two locations, one great with Tiki Mondays at workout while you explore Try your had at uninstructed Happy hour with your Inch Nails headline this Exchange) presents a night out. Outfest’s final year’s 3 day event at large-scale, participatory evening begins at The Ace Caña Rum Bar. Enjoy Grand Park and mingle with life drawing every Wednesday dog... because that’s with an awards ceremony and island beats and your DTLA neighbors. All at ArtShare LA. Bring your own what best friends are for. Exposition Park. international collaboration screening, and an after-party tropical libations. fitness levels welcome. supplies. RSVP is necessary. and dance performance at Clifton’s. culminating in Grand Park. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 The Intersection of Life + Style MYSTERY SCIENCE RUNDALAY TACOS & TRIVIA LOW END THE LIFE AND TIMES, DITA VON TEESE’S ROONEY WITH THEATER 3000 LIVE! Grand Park TUESDAYS THEORY MOSSBREAKER, THE ART OF RUN RIVER NORTH H&M, Zara, Target & More The Theatre at Ace Hotel 200 N Grand Ave. Angel City Brewery The Airliner INTRCPTR THE TEESE Teragram Ballroom 933 S Broadway 216 N. Alameda St. 2419 N Broadway Resident The Theatre at Ace Hotel 1234 W 7th St. SHOP + Nordstrom Rack Coming in October! SHOP 7:45AM 5PM & 8PM 7PM 9:30PM 428 S Hewitt St. 933 S Broadway 8PM Start the week off right 8PM 7:30PM The MST3K Live! traveling with a Monday morning Taqueria El Severo will be Weekly experimental Rooney shows off their 20 Restaurants & Eateries! roadshow rolls through the run along with a hundred servin’ up their grilled tacos hip hop and electronic The Life And Times bring Burlesque’s brightest star, new band lineup and new DINE DINE songs in support of their Theatre at The Ace. Each of your closest friends. outside, while inside will be music. Bring ear plugs their unique brand of spacey, Dita Von Teese, brings her show is completely different sonically overwhelming, highly lauded travelling forthcoming album. an ongoing game of trivia grandiosity to Resident. Run River North opens. Animal Soul Art Installation July 14-22 so fanboys and girls may from King Trivia. Mossbreaker and Intrcptr show to the Theater at PLAY + FREE Concerts Every Friday in August! PLAY want to go twice. also play. The Ace Hotel. 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 BALLETNOW MEZCAL BOOT CAMP LOW END CHINATOWN NO SIDE NOW-DANCE MORE STARS THAN Dorothy Chandler Pavilion MONDAYS Grand Park THEORY AFTER DARK THAT ABANDONS THERE ARE IN HEAVEN 135 N Grand Ave. Mezacalero 200 N Grand Ave. The Airliner Far East Plaza BOUNDARIES W ALICIA MAYER 2PM 510 S Broadway 5:30 — 6:30PM 2419 N Broadway 727 N Broadway California Plaza Los Angeles Central Library 3PM 9:30PM 6 — 10PM 350 S Grand Ave. 630 W 5th St. International ballet superstar Enjoy a free post-work 9PM 2PM Tiler Peck curates a selection DTLA’s newest Mezcal workout while you Weekly experimental On the first Thursday of of what’s now in ballet with specialty bar offers 50% explore Grand Park and hip hop and electronic every month, Chinatown’s Grand performances Great-grandniece of Louis B. boundary pushing ballets from off Mezcal, $4 wine and mingle with your DTLA music. Bring ear plugs hottest property becomes presents an evening Mayer shares never before seen revered choreographers. wells, and $7 specialty neighbors. All fitness a hotbed of culinary experimental dance works photos, memorabilia and cocktails all night. levels welcome. innovation, as chefs and inspired by street dance, studio tories about the film industry friends take over. practice and girlhood games. patriarch and MGM studios. #LifeHappensHere #StyleHappensHere

@figat7th · figat7th.com 735 S. Figueroa Street · Downtown Los Angeles · Across from the 7th Street/Metro Center Station VIEW OUR FULL CALENDAR AT LADOWNTOWNER.COM/CALENDAR

dried fruits and herbs found in the traditional BROTHECARY recipe. The finished product is something unlike a typical chicken soup. The savory flavor is GOOD TO THE BONE balanced against a soft sweetness extracted from succulent red dates, fresh coconut and Written By Brian Chernick longan fruit (same fruit family as the lychee). Photographed By Eric Cacioppo The more familiar beef bone broth is a communion of grass-fed beef bone and marrow Warm broths have this power to evoke a with onion and garlic. The end result is a light childhood memory of a savory savior releasing and buttery texture that tastes wholesome and you from the grasps of the common cold. delightful. The particular cuts of beef are chosen Doctor mom or dad would prescribe the natural for their high gelatin content that can provide remedy for any and all that ailed you. for stronger, healthier hair and nails. In some families that soul-soothing soup Both broths are jam-packed with nutrients might be paired with chicken and noodles, a that are anti-inflammatory, healthy for your refreshing carbonated beverage or perhaps some stomach and skin and provide other vitamins Vicks VapoRub. and minerals such as protein, calcium, Enter Brothecary — a company that takes magnesium, potassium and electrolytes. their premium bone broth and transforms it into The bone broths are delivered through an elixir served with dumplings. Borrowing from various forms. One can drink the broth straight their family’s Cantonese recipe, twins Allison So like a juice, or pair it with a serving of chicken or and Janice So have whipped up a modern take vegetable filled dumplings topped with scallions on the parental potion that is applicable both in and egg for the chicken broth or kimchi if you go sickness and in health. “Everyone’s mom has their with the beef broth. own,” Allison said. With Brothecary “we wanted Brothecary’s Panacea is the XLD — a soup to share with the world what we found to be so dumpling stuffed with soup and pork so massive rejuvenating and healing in our diet.” that it comes with its own straw to slurp up The two spent time away from their every last drop of goodness. Soon the So sisters California home in New York, expanding their will also debut a cold broth perfect for summer, palate thanks to the Big Apple’s extensive served up with gyoza chicken dumplings and culinary scene - but there was something fresh zucchini noodles. missing: a good home-cooked broth that had Working out of commissary kitchens, the once been a staple in their meals. two have developed a sense of community Stricken with homesickness, the two set through cooking and have continued that out to re-master the perfect antidote for their communal practice at Smorgasburg, where they ills and to keep their menu simple and focused can be found every Sunday feeding the crowds on quality, the So sisters specialize in two main their special concoctions. broths: chicken and beef.

Cooked for 20 hours, the chicken bone FIND IT HERE: broth combines organic Jidori chicken with the SmorgasburgLA — 785 Bay St. brothecary.us

FREE

want you to be intimidated by drinking. We’re excited to let you know what’s in your cocktail. BIRDS We’re here to give you exactly what you want,” says Bethany. What you want is most likely to be found inside of their menu. Keeping in theme with the & BEES bar’s retro feel, the cover features hip young A LIQUID LESSON people gathered around a record player with July 14 - 22 the suggestion to turn the page to learn How Written By Abel Horwitz To Host A Cocktail Party. In order to create the Photographed By Laetitia Wajnapel 12 – 10 pm daily drink list, Bethany scoured old cocktail recipes then used her extensive bartending experience Follow the wooden fence in the corner of the to update the drinks. parking lot at Broadway and 2nd. Enter the gate, The cocktails are named after celebrities go down the stairs, and pass through the small of yore, such as the Ella Fitzgerald, the Desi alley. You know you’re in the right place when Arnaz and the Lucille Ball. “I asked myself ‘What you find the golden door. Once inside, the first would Lucy drink?’” says Bethany, “And then thing you’ll notice is the decor — a beautiful made that.” Mrs. Ball’s namesake brings muddled 1950’s-style living room awaits you. Take a seat strawberries, saffron-infused Alto Reposado around the hanging fireplace and grab a drink. tequila, amontillado sherry, a house-made white You’re here to talk about the Birds & Bees. peppercorn tincture, cinnamon cordial and a The design of Birds & Bees is impeccable. splash of lemon juice, topped off with some Even though they’ve only been open since fresh-grated cinnamon. “It’s summer in a glass,” January, their interior, designed by David describes Bethany. “A cheerful drink for such a Poffenberger and Ryan Turner of Raveled Studio, cheerful personality.” was nominated for Time Out L.A.’s 2017 Bar It seems that everything at Birds & Bees has Award for Best Bar Design. been put together with such delight, with every Head bartender Bethany Ham stands behind small detail tended to with care. Even the water the gorgeous bar with a warm smile on her face. glasses were carefully considered. The owners, Tonight she’ll be your wingman. “All bartenders Ankur and Dev Desai, brought the cups back should be good wingmen,” she says. “We’re here from India. They are convinced (rightly) that to make you look cool.” Perhaps she’ll help you water tastes better in stainless steel. find that perfect conversation starter — “You can’t Birds & Bees is a hidden gem of a bar. Just go wrong by talking about how awesome Helen don’t call it a speakeasy — as that’s more closely Mirren is,” Bethany explains while she guides you associated with 1920’s prohibition design. Rather, to a cocktail you’ll love. . Bethany’s got your back. Birds & Bees is DTLA’s best open secret. A “We want Birds & Bees to feel like you’ve neighborhood bar where you’ll feel right at home. been invited to a cocktail party at someone’s house,” Bethany insists. “We want you to feel FIND IT HERE: welcome. If there’s a spirit you’re unfamiliar 207 S Broadway with, we’re happy to let you sample it. We never birdsandbeesla.com

CESAR

E. CHAVEZ AVE. DOWNTOWN DRINK TEMPLE ST. 1ST ST. ALPINE ST. COLLEGE ST. FAVORITES BIRDS & BEES BARTLETT ST. A 207 S Broadway TOASTEA CAFE birdsandbeesla.com 3RD ST. 1 600 W 7th St. Suite 120 — toasteacafe.com Think of Toastea as an elevated boba tea concept store. Gourmet PRANK YALE ST. teas are served with small-batch boba in mason jars, along with B 1100 S Hope St. locally baked brick toast concoctions that incorporate caramel prankbar.com HILL ST. apple pie, nutella, or matcha. Try sitting in their indoor ‘park’

complete with astroturf and mural of LA. AVE. 20 6TH ST. BROADWAY 2ND ST. WILSHIRE BLVD. SPRING ST. THE BACK DOOR PUB 2 813 S Flower St. / (213) 627-6981 7TH ST. LUCAS AVE. CHINA MAIN ST. Actual dive bars are becoming something of a rarity in DTLA, but BEAUDRY AVE. 4TH ST. 8TH ST. fortunately some do remain. The Back Door Pub has a digital jukebox, TOWN MOULTON AVE. popcorn machine, tacky decor and cheap stiff drinks, sans irony. CIVIC EAT CITY WEST5TH ST. CENTER THE RHYTHM ROOM BROTHECARY OLYMPIC BLVD. 3 206 W 6th St. — rhythmroomla.com C A Tucked away at 6th and Spring in the basement of the Hayward SmorgasburgLA — 785 Bay St. 11TH ST. brothecary.us EL Hotel, the newly opened The Rhythm Room is cavernous for a BUNKER basement bar. Shuffleboard, ping pong, pool tables, foosball, and HILL board games galore ensure this will be a locals favorite spot. D P.Y.T. PICO BLVD. 2 6 PUEBLO 400 S Main St. 9TH ST. B pytlosangeles.com 1 VENICE BLVD. THE EXCHANGE RESTAURANT FINANCIAL 4 416 W 8th St. — freehandhotels.com DISTRICT Situated in the newly opened Freehand Hotel, The Exchange Restaurant is a stunner. Walls of stained wood and fabric ceiling fixtures create a WASHINGTON BLVD. 12TH ST. D welcoming space to explore Alex Chang’s progressive Israeli fusion fare. 4 3 1ST ST. HISTORIC CORE LITTLE 7 As hotel lobby restaurants go, the bar has been raised. GALLERY ROW TOKYO MOVE JEWELRY 5 BAFFO DISTRICTSPRING ST. TOY 8 C 836 Traction Ave. — facebook.com/baffostreetfood 9 Some of the best sandwiches in LA are coming out of a little HOTBOX MAIN ST. 5 4TH PL. Airstream trailer in the Arts District. Baffo’s proprietor, Mateo, D 835 S Hill St. DISTRICT 15TH ST. SOUTH lovingly crafts each sandwich himself, changing the small and hotboxsaunastudio.com PARK deceptively simple menu daily. You didn’t know a ham & cheese E could be this good — or cheap. FIGUEROA ST. 18TH ST. GIULIA 6 701 W 7th St. — giuliadtla.com FLOWER ST. 6TH ST. The Financial District’s newest eatery, Giulia offers chef Jason Francisco’s take on classic Italian fare. Enjoy a plate of grilled HOPE ST. CENTRAL octopus or bone marrow as you sit at the undulating bar. Open late.

MATEO ST. GRAND AVE. CITY EAST7TH ST. ARTS SANTA FE AVE. DENK GALLERY OLIVE ST. FASHION 7 749 E Temple St. — denkgallery.com DISTRICT DENK, meaning “think” in Flemish, is a gallery with wellness in HILL ST. DISTRICT mind. Co-Proprietor Katja Van Herle, who is also an M.D., created 16TH ST. OLYMPIC BLVD. the commercial gallery space as a platform to explore the healing BROADWAY effects of art, creative expression, and communing. MAIN ST. SAVED TATTOO CENTRAL 8 825 E 3rd St. — savedtattoo.com LOS ANGELES ST. Celebrity tattoo artist Scott Campbell’s sort of secret tattoo studio CITY STREETS MAPLE AVE. INDUSTRIAL has opened in the back of the Shinola store in the Arts District. Limited edition art prints, clothing, accessories, and yes, tattoos, can FREEWAYS be had from a selection of rotating tattoo artists, hand picked by SAN PEDRO ST. Campbell. LA RIVER ART SHARE LA 9 801 E. 4th Pl. — artsharela.org METRO RAIL STATIONS CENTRAL AVE. Founded in 1997, Art Share LA is one of the longest running community artspaces in DTLA. Serving as a multi-use affordable housing, art studio, performance space, and gallery, Art Share LA

*MAP SIMPLIFIED & NOT TO SCALE ALAMEDA ST. hosts a myriad of classes, exhibitions and events.

“You can lose up to 600 calories in a single session (40 minutes), your blood pressure will HOTBOX decrease, your heart rate increases which is where that calorie loss comes in. Your skin HEATING UP THE will clear and you’ll sleep better at night,” says COMPETITION HotBox partner Brian Cohen about the benefits you’ll pick up after a solid sweat. Wait did you Written By Linda Hosmer say 600 calories?? Sounds like our favorite Photographed By Rebekah Lemire exercise ever — sitting on our ass. Oh and did we mention the entertainment system? You If you’ve ever been to a sauna the following can pump up your favorite jams on Spotify, flip might’ve kept you from going back: the shady through Netflix or Hulu, use your phone (yes stranger sitting across from you at the gym (what inside the sauna!) and just zone out while your are you staring at?), the suffocating heat (Is this body and the infrared pair up to do all the work death?) or the inability to do anything else (Ugh! while you sauna and chill. I wish I could catch up on my shows!) Enter But what separates this sauna experience HotBox Infrared Sauna in DTLA — a new way to from your traditional hot heat Finnish style sauna that’ll help you sweat out all hesitation. saunas? “This uses the infrared light to actually The idea came to founder Jessica Mortarotti penetrate deeper into your body to give you after checking out a couple of saunas that left her a deeper sweat, a better sweat,” says Brian. It’s feeling motivated to improve the current sauna what you’ll hear them call healthy heat. It’s culture, ”I think we could do this but better. ” a warm hug that isn’t suffocating, so it keeps As soon as you walk in, you’re met with your body from pushing the panic button in minimal design that feels elevated and super your brain. Instead you’ll just get smacked with welcoming at the same time, plus it’s easy to get delicious cool air once you step out and that’s started. First things first pick your light. Huh? when you realize the relaxing trip your body just Yes you get the chance to choose the color took. You feel awake and at ease, not groggy — of light that’ll fill your own private sauna box. so it’s a perfect lunch break vacation. Each light represents your mood goals: pink — A healthy experience where you can center calm, orange — confidence, blue — clarity. Next yourself in the middle of this chaotic city is you enter your own private room with a shower exactly what you need. but not just any shower, this one has a Vitamin C filter for that extra glow. So you wash off all FIND IT HERE: the day’s nasties and now you’re ready to step 835 S Hill St. inside your own private Arizona at 106 degrees. hotboxsaunastudio.com

clever reminder that vegetables come from the earth, a fact that is so often forgotten in a world of processed food. P.Y.T. With a small, ever rotating menu, it would MEATY VEGGIES be difficult to find something at P.Y.T. that isn’t satisfying, as the food is always fresh, always Written By Delaney Rowe seasonal, and always beautiful. The experience Photographed By Natasha Lee of digging into one of these plates is like hunting for treasure. Each dish has a hearty, “meaty,” Ask any L.A. native, or even a tourist dipping main component covered or surrounded by into L.A. and they’ll tell you it’s a city of yogis, grains, sauces, and vegetables highlighting it. green juice drinkers, health food enthusiasts, The precision in each dish is simply elegant. The and all around eating clean type crew. It’s a braised wood ear mushrooms in the bok choy dish phenomenon, and one certainly not to be accompanied by Tehachapi grain salad and chile discouraged. However, these vegan/vegetarian/ oil is an absolute revelation that can make even gluten-free friendly restaurants such as the most skeptical, pickiest eaters see the light. Cafe Gratitude, and Juice Served Here don’t And let’s not forget one of the best things that necessarily have the reputation of being the come from plants — carbs. The Green Piri-Piri Rice life of the party instead these are spots to go with an over easy egg (a vegan option is available, cleanse your system the day after the party. as well) is filling, crunchy, and surprising — making Yet Josef Centeno, head chef of the nearly the dish an all around joy to eat. one year-old downtown spot, P.Y.T, offers a Then there’s the lush, textured Chef Salad seamless combo of both scenes. You’ll find which is a combination of cooked and raw cocktails… mixed with beet juice. An indulgent vegetables served on top of a “walnut bahza” bowl of pasta... with fresh green garlic cream. — which somewhat mimics what mere mortals P.Y.T. is a restaurant where carnivores and would call “hummus.” With loosely torn farm vegetarians can exist in harmony at the same lettuces, Shishito peppers and a whole mess of dinner table; where someone who just started other local, seasonal ingredients, this dish blurs a new diet can split a dish with someone on the line between art and food, until you take one their “cheat day.” But notably, this restaurant bite and realize, “Yup, it’s food. Damn good food.” isn’t about vegetarianism or even healthy eating. The menu, the atmosphere and the motto of Instead, it successfully tackles the important P.Y.T. ask diners: Can we change what type of food challenge of focusing a meal around something is in the center of our plate? What does it mean to other than a sirloin or seared salmon — Plants. consider where food comes from, who harvested Serving no meat and fish, P.Y.T., is the it, and how it got in front of us? What if, when designated “vegetable restaurant,” as opposed to we sit down for dinner, we think about how what a label with stricter implications such as “vegan” we eat affects the world? Sounds like P.Y.T. not or “vegetarian.” The inspiration for it came from only promises good food and drinks, but thought- Centeno’s frequent work and partnership with provoking conversation. local farmers. This idea of eating fresh and local, P.Y.T. is grounded, current and inventive, giving after all, is really the foundation of this place. It insight into the future of cooking and eating. It is promotes the idea of mindful eating; knowing compelling. It is hopeful. where the food on your plate comes from. The amuse-bouche is fresh chickpeas, still on the vine FIND IT HERE: — mind blowing to the average individual that 400 S Main St. typically eats their chickpeas out of a can. It is a pytlosangeles.com

Prank prides itself on using non-inflammatory, non-GMO, organic and locally-sourced ingredients for its drinks as well as their food, PRANK offering something for omnivore, vegetarian, APPETIZING ANTICS vegan and gluten-free people alike. Despite the perception of skeptics over such buzzwords, the Written By Alexandra Bender difference truly is noticeable in practice. After Photographed By Stephen LaMarche experiencing your evening out, expect to feel satisfied instead of stuffed. And definitely try Welcome to the kind of bar your cool best the fries that accompany the veggie Fatflower friend would say you’ve got to try. It’s called Burgette, a cauliflower “burger” with sriracha Prank, and it’s LA’s first walk up bar. Let’s explain: sweet chili sauce and caramelized onions paired You don’t have to pass any gate to get in, up with those fries we just told you about — a you just pull up with immediate access from combination of traditional and sweet potato the street. Aside from excellent drinks, food fries that are simultaneously crispy, chewy and and atmosphere, the question guests need to salty. They’ll be sure to satisfy any bar hopper figure out, as they keep coming back, is why a who knows that kickass fries distinguish a good reasonably-priced, upscale-looking place bears bar from a great one. its eccentric name. Designed by the famous Ricki Kline, you will Dave Whitton, the owner, renowned barman walk into the bar and feel like you really are in a and “cocktail purist” says the name is something modern day Friends or Seinfeld in an era where he “wants people to interpret for themselves.” you can enjoy and take pictures of your stylish The hint he gives us is the word “playful,” with and substantial meal paired with artistically some hidden gems both upstairs and downstairs crafted drinks complete with the Instagram you have to experience first-hand. Noteworthy hashtag #foodporn. The perfectly geometrical is a prank call phone booth that doubles pattern printed neatly on the staircase balances as a private karaoke booth that may or may out its austere blue walls, which makes it an not broadcast you to the rest of the bar at a especially good environment to take your next moment’s notice. profile picture. The cocktails are well prepared, flavorful Set in the heart of Downtown LA, next to and super fresh. A good staple is a colorful five parking lots, and the Pico station so there’s concoction known as “Rebellious.” Described by really no excuse — go check it out. the creative owner as “house-made with tequila and agave,” and “double carbonated.” So good FIND IT HERE: you might even splurge and get the friend that 1100 S Hope St. brought you in here a drink. prankbar.com

Lakewood, Aaron Rivera, artist.

Artworks by 12 artists convey the distinctive character and vitality of communities and destinations served by LA Metro. Part of the Through the Eyes of Artists series, these artworks are currently on view at LA’s historic Union Station. To learn more, or to add your name to our email list for information about upcoming opportunities for artists, visit metro.net/art. 17-2976eh ©2017 lacmta ©2017 17-2976eh facebook.com/metroartla instagram.com/metro.art.la