DTLA Appetite: Time For a Hero No 1

Rise and Shine DOWNTOWN

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IT’S BREAKFAST TIME...

s the sun slowly peeks over the San Gabriel mountains its young rays gently caress the dark skies over Downtown coercing the night into following the moon to the other side of the world. Mighty skyscrapers and their historic grandfathers, who spent the night in black and gray, slowly awaken to find themselves dressed by the sun’s warmth in freshly lit hues of yellow, orange, blue, purple and red. It’s morning in Downtown as it’s reborn to the new world everyday.

For Downtown, morning speaks in whispers. A whisper that grows into a heated conversation filled with more and more overlapping comments as the day’s events pass you by.

Yep, Downtown mornings are like an exquisite delicacy compared to its early evening hustle filled with car horns, rush hour traffic, shared experiences, ticketed tensions and overflowing release of buffet energies.

Yet Downtown wakes up even before the sun, before the first bird’s chirp. With its first yawn and stretches the fading sounds of car motors headed down empty city streets, the

hydraulic bus doors opening and closing, and the gears and heavy loads roaming the roads running over man holes and giving way to screeching brakes.

The sun’s light overexposes the city streets as street cleaners beautify sidewalks and parking agents empty meters. Tent people oversleep deliberately missing the dog lovers, who greet each other and early morning joggers in a daily ritual of words spoken most times without thinking, “good morning” and “have a nice day” or “see you later.”

As cafe lines, breakfast spots and offices begin to fill, Downtown Los Angeles has a million-and-one different agendas as separate as the colors that paint the day, isolated and unique yet still bound to each other by the inevitable stomach growl.

All of us, despite our day-to-day, share the experience of “hungry” and like the sun we are given each new day to accomplish our goals, share warmth and a new chance to ascend to something great. YES it is morning. YES it is another day in Downtown LA. And YES we are all hungry for another opportunity to...

Rise and Shine.

UNPROCESSED ORGANIC &

DELICIOUS

NATURAL SELECTION

THE KITCHEN

“THE PEOPLE IN DOWNTOWN DESERVE TO HAVE UNPROCESSED, ORGANIC, FRESH FOOD JUST LIKE ANYWHERE IN LA” - Owner Marco Rodriguez

Opened in February 2014,

Natural Selection has been

committed to being an essential part of your health program by providing you with fresh, wholesome and delicious foods to fuel your body. Marco Rodriguez, a fitness trainer and life guard dedicated to your health, strives to provide high quality meals that you can truly trust. Best of all, there is no need to compromise your health for taste. Not only are the menu items satisfying and nutritious but they are also delicious.

Natural Selection

Customers walk out feeling like they’ve made the right choice.

Natural Selection

only serves organic, in-season fruits and vegetables and makes every recipe from unprocessed products, right down to their signature dressings.

SESAME WRAP WITH AVOCADO and SRIRACHA, HAWAIIAN VEGGIE BURGERS, TERIYAKI RICE BOWL, VEGGIE CHORIZO BURRITOS and MORE, complemented with signature DRESSINGS that are CRAFTED IN-HOUSE TO BALANCE EVERY BITE. Also available: freshly squeezed juices, smoothies and shakes.

Whether you dine in, have a snack, or need a quick meal to go, their partnership with you continually encourages and enhances your overall wellness with delicious meals that are just plain good for you.

Natural Selection: The Kitchen 646 S. Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90013 213-265-7470 Mon - Fri - 8am - 8pm Sat - 8am - 3pm, Sun - Closed www.eatatnaturalselection.com

SPRINGTIME IN NEW YORK “Our main focus when creating the menu was the freshness of the food”

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Springtime in New York Cafe

- Owner and Chef Shawn Laleh

pringtime in New York Cafe is the culmination of 14 years of experience in restaurant consulting for Shawn Laleh, who’s opened over 50 restaurants across the United States.

Opening Springtime in New York in October 2014 as owner and chef, however, is a first for Laleh, who used his experience as a consultant to completely solidify the meaning of “location-location-location.”

Springtime in New York nestles comfortably on the corner of Spring and 6th with an ever flowing stream of hungry traffic from the neighboring bus stops and 1000s of inhabitants who live in the lofts above that intersection.

At Springtime in New York, everything is made from scratch, the chicken, fish and beef are never frozen and breakfast is served all day.

Among the most popular dishes on the menu are the chicken sandwich, and chicken Alfredo, including the gyro, which many have said is the BEST in Downtown. Each is elegantly plated to accentuate and complement their dedication to freshness.

Following in the steps of other restaurant owners in the Historic Core, Springtime in New York is not all that Laleh has planned for Downtown.

Coming soon, with an entirely different menu, a second restaurant slated for the vacant space right next door is now under construction. The new space will have an entirely different concept than Springtime and will be totally different from anything currently in Downtown. So as not to ruin the surprise, hungry mouths will have to wait, but until then, there are plenty of delicious items to choose from at Springtime in New York Cafe.

Springtime in New York Cafe 557 S. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90014 213-537-0046 Sun - Wed: 8am - 12am Thurs - Sat: 8am - 3am www.springtimecafe.com

Crêpes Sans Frontières

“I’ve been doing this for 10 years and from the beginning, I wanted to do this the right way” - Owner and Chef Ruth Hudin

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Crêpes Sans Frontières

ioneer and visionary Ruth Hudin opened Crêpes Sans Frontières in August 2013 as the first eatery to christen the Spring Arcade Building, leading the way for the building’s restaurant development plans and inspiring others to open their new eateries shortly after.

Ruth found the location easy to admire. The Spring Arcade was built in 1923 by a San Francisco engineer trained at L’école des Beaux Arts de Paris, a structure in France with a glass roof strikingly similar to that of the Spring Arcade.

If you’re familiar with French culture, you already know they take their food very seriously. Commonly known for serving the most delicious and aesthetically presented foods in the world, the French hold the title for culinary masterpieces inspired by love and beauty.

Thanks to Ruth Hudin’s Crêpes Sans Frontières, Downtown’s vibrant community can now enjoy traditional buckwheat galettes (crêpes) made as they were intended for centuries, from the region of Brittany, France.

Sweet and savory, Ruth and her international team of culinary masters fill 100% organic gluten-free crêpes with fresh ingredients such as organic mushrooms, ripe tomatoes, caramelized onions, Emmental cheese and “joie de vivre.”

As much as you may love a plain butter crêpe sprinkled with powered sugar or a crêpe loaded with bananas and Nuttela topped with homemade whipped cream, don’t limit yourself. Crêpes Sans Frontières also come with Michael Cordon Bleu Salmon, crème fraîche, warm apples, mixed berries, lavender and lemon, eggs, bacon, fresh dill…and the list goes on. As beautiful as they are tasty, Ruth’s crepes have already been voted BEST CREPE of Downtown two years in a row and have become a favorite of our beloved Mayor.

For vegans or health enthusiasts, Ruth offers Kagen Water and a side açai bowl.

Now serving mimosas, champagne, wine and beer during brunch, for those who love the idea of French cuisine in Downtown LA, Viva Crêpes Sans Frontières.

Crêpes Sans Frontières 541 S. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90013 213-623-3606 Tuesday - Sunday: 9am - 4pm www.crepessansfrontieres.com

Taking a Break from the 9 to 5 in the BIG CITY

Lunch Crunch

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lthough Downtown is going through a residential growth spurt with thousands of new tenants eager to live, work and play in its newly reconstructed lofts, the BIG CITY has always been a place for commerce, a land of opportunity and sort of a “financial melting pot” for its many workers.

From the fine jewelry craftsmen to the professionally dressed office worker, close to 100,000 employees hold jobs here, and with 100,000 people all socially programed to eat somewhere between the hours of 12 and 2pm, lunch lines can feel more like traffic jams as workers scurry to eat during their lunch breaks only to hit long lines. Lines that stop them in their tracks, test their patience and tease them with aromas of anticipation.

Downtown restaurants expect this lunch crunch and do their best to serve up filling meals in less time, allowing the workers a place to dine in or take out, reenergizing them in time to get back to work before the day passes them by and leaves their projects undone.

Great restaurants are built by word of mouth, so Downtown eateries will work diligently each day to make sure those mouths are happy. With so many food choices, and a limited time to eat, restaurant owners know it is convenience, speed and quality that will keep their adjacent workers coming back. And with Downtown’s employees, who almost never work alone, reputation is everything.

One of the most commonly asked questions in the work place is “Have you tried the food at...?”

What makes those mouths happy enough to spread the word is a list of things including good customer service, presentation, great taste, and most important, a good sized quantity worthy of their hard earned buck.

“I tried the food, and it’s really excellent. We come here everyday.

We order sandwiches and share.

It’s too much for one person.”

- Sandra Tinson, who works for the Department of Justice at the City Attorney’s Office when talking about Spring Street’s newest lunch hub, Orleans & York.

TIME FOR A HERO: CHEF ERIC PARK Why do YOU call YOURSELVES HERO SHOP?

Well, a Banh Mi is essentially a Hero Sandwich. Meat piled high, topped with fresh produce, drizzled with vinaigrette, all stuffed into a nice flaky roll. We like to call it, “Your New American Hero.”

I don’t want to leave out our Coconut Rice Bowls. Many of our customers come just for these bowls and say they are as delicious as our Banh Mi Heros.

Our Coconut Rice is made with the highest quality coconut cream and coconut water. You can top it with our bestselling BBQ Pork or Soy Ginger Tofu, Roast Pork Belly, Blood Sausage, Spice and Sour Chicken, Fatty Brisket… It comes with a soft-cooked egg, house pickles, sambal hot sauce, fish sauce vinaigrette, cilantro, jalapenos…man, my mouth is watering just talking about this.

Oh and I don’t want to forget to mention that we have amazing VEGETARIAN options as well. Our Sambal Broccolini and Soy Ginger Tofu Heros are some of the best vegetarian sandwiches you’ll ever eat. We have a side of Garlic Scallion String Beans that are to die for.

So how can you get our food into your mouth?

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ERO SHOP is the first chef driven Banh Mi concept in Los Angeles And the goal was to open in Downtown.

We have some amazing I have always loved the idea of ones to choose from like the Banh Mi Sandwiches. The exotic fla- Spice and Sour Chicken: vors, bold ingredients and delicious meats all in a flaky baguette. But the ones I’ve tried I have always found lacking. There’s never enough meat, the quality is not the best and the flavors always seem to fall flat. I wanted to change that. That’s why we opened HERO SHOP. I wanted to bring exceptional quality, exciting flavors and perfectly portioned Banh Mi Heros to the people of Downtown LA.

Even though our specialty is Banh Mi,

Made with Jidori Farms chicken breast, it is roasted, then shredded and tossed with lime, fish sauce, thai chili, garlic, ginger…

It is so delicious. Or our fan-favorite Fatty Brisket: Our Certified Angus Brisket is rubbed with our Vietnamese Five Spice, then braised for six hours till it is mouth meltingly tender. This brisket sandwich can hang with the best of them.

We have made it easy for our busy Downtown crowd.

Go on our website: www.heroshopLA.com and you can order for pick-up or delivery, or just walk-in anytime from Monday-Friday, 11am-9pm or Saturday, 1pm-9pm 130 E. 6th Street, LA CA 90014.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention our Night-time Street Cart. Every night from 6pm-9pm we hawk Halal Style Chicken and Lamb over Rice. It’s the kind served with the addictive white sauce and killer red sauce.

It’s legit.

Hope to see you soon!

DT APPETITE

FRESH PICK of the MONTH goes to...

ORLEANS & YORK GRAND OPENING MAY 2015

What may be the most creative culinary mashup of all time?

Expertly prepared Mediterranean and Mexican dishes with a tasty twist that only our very own Chef Alex can provide.

Sultan Chicken has managed to do the unthinkable with chicken in combining these unique flavors and toppings in a way that’s sure to leave you... licking your fingers. www.sultanchicken.com

The Sultan

Auténtico Caliente

Casa La Doña opened in October 2012

on the corner of 8th and Main. All their delicious ingredients are locally bought in and around DTLA. They carry 18 different homemade salsas to pair with various entrees, similar to pairing wine with food.

Deliciously authentic and family operated, among their many favorable dishes, they offer $1 tacos on “Taco Tuesdays” and fish tacos on “Fish Friday.”

- Andrea Gonzalez #JadedLA

GUERO’S COCINA MEXICANA Delicious food - genuine service Owned and operated by the Elizalde Family, Guero’s strives to make their customers feel more like guests in their home rather than patrons.

Believe me, if your search is for authentic food with real Mexican flavor, your quest will end with their chicken mole! The sauce is so rich with just the right amount of kick, extra rice and handmade tortillas, it will make you feel like you just walked into their parents or grandparent’s home.

Their Queso Fundido with homemade chips is creamy, warm and just so good that it’ll make you forget anything else! They have housemade café de olla, Mexican lattes, breakfast chorizo burritos and fresh juices, and a flat screen TV for watching sports.

It’s great to see Downtown changing for the better, but amid all the fancy new buildings and restaurants you still need that one place where you can just get delicious food, where all the employees know you on a first-name basis, where you are among friends and family.

Guero’s Cocina Mexicana 737 S. Los Angeles Street Los Angeles, CA 90014 213-488-1574 Monday - Friday: 8am to 10pm

GUERO’S COCINA MEXICANA

HAMBURGUESA PUNTA CABRAS

The beauty of DTLA is fact that you can be adventurous with food and no two restaurants are the same.

“If you don’t already know about Hamburguesas Punta Cabras, then please allow me to introduce!”

By ANDREA GONZALEZ - JADED LA

Newly opened Hamburguesas Punta Cabras, which means “goats point,” is located on Spring Street in the Historic Core.

Owner Josh Gil has an impeccable history working in high-end fine-dining and Michelin star restaurants. He decided to venture out and start a Mexican hamburger eatery.

Josh grew up in Baja, refers to his food as “surfer food” and has created a devilishly fun menu!

Josh specializes in the Hamburguesa De Shrimp stacked with a shrimp patty, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, charred green onions, house pickles, cheese, and an unbelievable green curry guacamole.

Also recommended - the Dirty Fries, just to be extra bad, which are topped with chorizo-cheese, 1000 islas salsa, charred green onions, and cilantro.

I had a taste explosion left and right!

I have nothing more to say, just applause, about this amplified hamburger and filthy fries. Needless to say,

I ate it all up!

www.hamburguesapuntacabras.com

Downtown Dating....

If you want love & romance, Downtown can lead the way to any man’s (or woman’s) HEART.

Whether it’s rooftop city views, sidewalk dining voyeurism, or underground basement folly, dating in Downtown is always a romantic experience.

Love is our special sauce, so enjoy the backdrop of electric stars, along with the flavored aromas of the heart brought to you by the many talented food cupids of Downtown LA.