Week 20: Downtown LA Financial District Gastronomy Tour

This Week’s Activity

A walking gastronomy tour of Downtown Los Angeles’ Financial District.

A Little Background

My dad and his girlfriend were going to be visiting me this week, so I thought it would be nice to find an activity that all of us could enjoy together.  While browsing upcoming events on Brand X‘s weekly calendar, I discovered Six Taste‘s gastronomy walking tour of Downtown Los Angeles’ financial district.  Founded in the summer of 2009, Six Taste is a service dedicated to introducing tourists and Angelenos alike to LA’s burgeoning culinary scene through walking tours of various neighborhoods.  Jeff Okita and Alex Tao (the owners of Six Taste) currently offer two tours: Downtown LA’s Financial District and Little Tokyo, with murmurs of a third starting up in San Gabriel’s Chinatown.

Since we’d already be gorging ourselves on sushi earlier in the week, I scoped out the details of the Financial District tour and forwarded them to my father.  Six Taste’s website promised that this 3.5 hour gastronomical escapade would include tastings at five contrasting eateries and be peppered with an overview of the history and architecture of the area.  While I’ve spent increasingly more time Downtown at bars, the Music Center and Gallery Row, I’m still fairly unfamiliar with the various neighborhoods and always want to learn more.  When my father said he and his girlfriend were onboard, I was stoked but also a little skeptical.  The company seemed very small and very young.  And though the Yelp reviews were mostly positive, I wasn’t sure how rich of an experience we’d receive and whether I’d learn or taste anything all that new.

What Happened

Saturday afternoon my father, his girlfriend and I crawled through ridiculously thick freeway traffic as we made our way Downtown at a glacial pace.  My father, who’s always fancied himself Mario Andretti, kept urging me to move over to the other lane since mine was at a standstill.  They’re both slow, I insisted as we sat idling on the off-ramp.  We were due to meet our group in Pershing Square no later than 2:30pm as this was when the tour would depart on foot for the first restaurant.   We were only blocks away and had sixteen minutes remaining, but my father still nervously tapped the passenger window. As the dashboard clock turned from 2:14pm to 2:15pm, I comprised.  Here dad, I said handing him my cell phone, why don’t you give the guide a call and let him know we’re running a few minutes behind.  While my dad was on the phone, traffic opened up and we made it to Pershing Square with a few minutes to spare.
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It was a surprisingly sunny day given the torrential downpour that had plagued Los Angeles for the past week.  As the bright sunshine beat down from above, we stood at the corner of Olive and 5th scoping out pedestrians to determine if any of them was our guide.  Eventually, we spotted a young man at the edge of the park wearing a large orange messenger bag full of supplies and speaking with two women.  Ben introduced himself and we made small talk with Lucie, Kristine and the other participants as they continued to arrive.  After about ten minutes we’d amassed all eleven members and were ready to begin.  Ben, a recent USC grad and local DJ, gestured and spoke excitedly as he elaborated upon his love for all things Downtown and the cultural renaissance that’s transformed the area over the past ten years.

In a nutshell, post-World War II suburbanization led to a mass exodus of residents and corporations from LA’s Downtown City Center as automobile ownership increased and a newly built freeway system promoted urban flight.  Once vibrant neighborhoods fell into disrepair as funds were diverted from Downtown to these new suburban outposts cropping up further afoot along the freeways.  This continued for decades until 1999 when two important things happened.  The Staples Center opened bringing several hundred events and nearly 4 million visitors per year Downtown, and the LA City Council passed an ordinance streamlining the conversion of vacant commercial buildings into residential lofts and luxury apartments.

Ben explained, with a great deal of exuberance, that the next stage in this urban revitalization has been an influx of “mid-range restaurants”.   These mid-range eateries were what we would be exploring today – at a very brisk pace.  We had five stops to cover and though 3.5 hours might seem like quite a long stretch, we had barely enough time for all the eating and walking we needed to do.  So when we’re walking – we’re walking, he emphasized with a large grin on his face.  Ben had us formally introduce ourselves to the group, and after we did and pretty much everyone expressed that they were eager to start eating, we started walking.

Our first stop was the Lost Souls Cafe, a ragged little coffeehouse and gallery hidden down a charming alley off 4th Street between Spring and Main.  I rarely refer to alleys as charming, but this narrow walkway wedged between two large buildings seemed straight out of a European city with its wrought iron balconies, large potted trees and zigzagging Italian lights strung overhead.  I was a little concerned as we passed through the nondescript concrete doors into the very eclectic and somewhat dingy interior.  This cafe screamed college coffeehouse far more than urbane eatery, and I was skeptical as to what delicacies they could possibly have to offer.

In a matter of moments, one of three cooks on the other side of the faux marble counter top had whipped up a large batch of thick purple goo that she was portioning off into clear plastic cups.  Topped with a dollop of whip cream that floated like an island in a bright purple sea, these odd creations were Ube shakes – a Filipino drink made from purple Ube yams, ice cream and milk.  Damn, forgot the Lactaid again.  Oh well, I thought, this is neither the time nor the place.  Bottoms up!  And let me tell you, that freaky purple drink in that freaky little coffeehouse with the freaky cafe culture art hanging on the walls was the most delicious thing I’d sipped in a long long time.  Smooth and rich, it tasted like bananas with just a dash of sweetness.  I chased the island of whip cream around my cup with a straw, as the cook passed out our second and final item at Lost Souls – a Filipino sweet bread called pandesal or “salty bread”.  Sweet, warm and slightly crispy, this light bread hit the spot and was a perfect companion to my soon to be drained Ube Shake.

Ben impressed upon us that it was time to move along, and pretty soon we were headed down Main Street to Syrup Desserts on Spring between 6th and 7th in the heart of Gallery Row.  A swank little space neatly arranged within its narrow two-storey confines, Syrup offers a dazzling array of waffles, crepes, grilled cheese, coffee and teas.  And the management couldn’t have been more eager to please as they were constantly shoving food at us.  The first two items to hit the table were a pair of grilled cheese sandwiches:  Nutella, Banana and Cheddar on a thick multi-grain bread and a Raspberry Grilled Cheese on a croissant smothered in brie.  While I didn’t care for the banana/cheddar combo, the arranged marriage of raspberry and brie was simply inspiring.  I barely had a moment to savor the gooey goodness before the manager came by with a choice of either a Liege Sugar or Double Chocolate Belgian Waffle wedge.  I opted for the Liege Sugar that turned out to be a little too dense for my liking.  Fortunately, that was followed by a chaser – a Classic Belgian Waffle wedge and a Dixie cup of Amaretto.  And we were barely scratching the surface of what this dessert shop had to offer.  Their menu was jam-packed with a variety of gourmet waffles, crepes and unusual sweet grilled cheeses.  Not to mention a display case stocked with all manner of cakes, tarts and freshly baked goodies.  And at roughly five bucks a pop, almost any starving Angeleno hipster could afford enough sweets to fill out their sagging skinny jeans.

Just when I thought I was about to plunge into a diabetic coma, Ben rounded up the powdered sugar smudged masses and we headed out the door.  We were barely on the sidewalk when the manager came running after us with large to-go cups of Tangerine Mint Iced Tea.  As we strolled further South along Spring Street, I marveled at the potent fragrance of my Iced Tea.  It seemed that every time I took a sip, a top note of tangerine and mint found its way from my palate to my nose.  Steve, another member of our tour, agreed that it was also very refreshing.  I would return to Syrup Desserts just for the tea, or the next time I wanted to get my Hansel and Gretel on.

A couple blocks later and we were jamming ourselves into the narrow covered patio of LA Cafe.  After rustling up a few extra stools to accommodate our large group, we were besieged by large platters of paninis filled with veggie, carne asada and chicken pesto as well as a heaping bowl full of macaroni salad.  Though the paninis sounded rather heavy, they were incredibly subtle tasting and light as could be.  Probably my favorite treats from the whole trip.  Between the delicious carne asada and the sublime grilled chicken, I came up for air long enough to ask my dad and his girlfriend what they thought.  I think I heard two syllables and then we were all back to grazing.  Stacie, LA Cafe’s executive chef, hung out and chatted with us as we finished stuffing our faces.  She told us that the cafe recently expanded their hours so that they’re now open 24/7 – amazing news for anyone stumbling out of a Downtown club or bar past midnight.  I’ve been there.  And the options have traditionally been mystery meat sauteed in an equally tempting yet regrettable mystery juice.

Eventually it was time to depart as the sun was quickly sinking in the sky, and we still had two more restaurants on our tour.  We hung a right and headed northwest up 7th Street through the Jewelry District.  Bangles and baubles filled the windows and foot traffic became thick on the sidewalks and the streets.  More than a few times members of the group would get caught staring at a building or shop window and find that they’d been walking for blocks in a crowd of strangers.

After hauling some serious ass, we found ourselves peering through the windows of Soi 7, a modern Thai restaurant and the next stop on our movable feast.  Soi 7′s minimalist chic is pretty typical of many LA restaurants, however their intricate ceramic tiles and wood-cuttings lining the walls were imported directly from Thailand which would set this eatery apart from your run of the mill Angeleno mod dining spot.  That and the outstanding food.

Our group settled around a large square-shaped marble table bordered at one end by an enormous bar.  A wooden hive of shelves spanned the wall behind the bar from floor to ceiling, though only about twenty of these nooks were filled with shiny silver tea canisters.  Ben explained that Soi 7 will be expanding their tea selection to over a hundred different varieties.  I was fading at this point and ordered a Jasmine tea hoping it would prop me up.  The perfectly fragrant floral tea did just the trick and I managed to rally for a taste of Papaya Salad, Calamari, Crying Tiger Skirt Steak, Green Curry Fried Rice and Veggie Pad Thai.  Does it sound like a blur?  It was.  Everything was pretty solid, but the standout dish for me was the skirt steak.  Juicy tender and good to the last chew.

We had a good half hour at Soi 7 and though that was ample time, it went by in a flash.  The group rose from the table perhaps a little less sprightly than a few hours ago when our bellies weren’t so full of so many delicious dishes, and we made out way to the door and our final destination.  But first, an architectural detour.  We wove our way north until we were sandwiched between the LA Central Library and the US Bank Tower – that ubiquitous circular skyscraper prominently figured in the Downtown LA skyline in many films and photographs.  We hung a left and cut through the courtyard of the library, inspecting architectural details in the garden.  From there we headed west toward Bunker Hill and our final stop, Ciudad.  Jessica, another member of our group, mentioned that they had fantastic mojito’s and an excellent Happy Hour.  I delved a little further and discovered that unassuming Ms. Jessica was a veritable Wikipedia for hot Happy Hour spots around town.  And she could rattle them off by neighborhood.  I scrambled to jot down her suggestions, and after my hand began to cramp I gave up and took her e-mail address.

Once inside Ciudad, the group settled at a long table toward the back of the restaurant.  The sun had set outside, and the dimly lit restaurant felt particularly cozy.  The mojito helped as well.  At this point in the tour, I was more interested in the conversation than the food.  I barely had room in my stomach for the warm spinach and mushroom empanadas and the lightly battered calamari.  Since we’d spent the past three and a half hours together, everyone was chatting away about everything and anything.  I sat beside Gina, an amusement park architect, absorbing loads of fantastic ideas for the blog.  I expressed my frustration that I sometimes hit a wall looking for new things around town, and Jessica chimed in with suggestions of different websites and email newsletters for me to check out.

Around 6pm, we found our way back to the initial meeting point in Pershing Square.  My dad, his girlfriend and I were completely stuffed and exhausted – so much so that we canceled our dinner reservations.  Everybody wished each other well, thanked Ben for a job well done and went their separate ways.  Though I’ve omitted them here, Ben did infuse the tour with plenty of interesting details about the architecture or social history of the neighborhoods we passed through, and his knowledge and exuberance definitely contributed to making the tour such a smashing success.  And my dad and his girlfriend agreed – they’d had a marvelous time.

I have to say I was shocked by how much I’d enjoyed this tour.  Part of it was the fantastic variety of delectable dishes and a big part of it was the company.  Ben remarked a number of times how wonderfully our group seemed to get along, and I found it so refreshing to spend time with a bunch of new people and pick up some new ideas.  As I’ve progressed further along into my year of getting unstuck, I’ve found myself running into walls as I try to find new activities.  I have a large list of contenders taped to the front door of my apartment, but sometimes old ideas for new activities just feel kind of worn and I hunger for new inspiration.  This tour proved to be far more inspiring than I’d expected, and as we hopped back on the freeway that evening, I felt incredibly encouraged.

Til next week,

Ms. Flora

p.s.  Whale Watching was canceled this weekend due to rough seas.  I’ve learned my fickle LA winter weather lesson and am doubling up this weekend so as not to get too far behind.  So stay tuned next week (weather permitting) for a big one…a HUGE one…from a girl who’s been known to make friends on airplanes just so someone will hold her hand on takeoff…

Next Week:  Skydiving!  &  Intro to French…

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