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Chaya’s Dynasty Continues in Downtown LA

Cash for your car

Three times the charm, Chaya now has a culinary love triangle of restaurants to satisfy wherever you may be in Los Angeles. Chaya Downtown, nestled among highrises, opened Monday, March 16th 2009. It offers the same Euro-Asian menu and festive cocktails as the other two yet it possesses something so exciting that Angelenos will come in droves for: an impressive heated outdoor patio to enjoy one of LA’s biggest assets. Dressed in filmy white curtains, wicker furniture and heated floors, the patio offers a balmy tropical feel even on nippy nights.

Enjoy Heated Floors on the Patio

Enjoy the heated patio at Chaya Downtown.

Inside, the restaurant design mirrors the eclectic menu.  The bar and lounge area with etched glass and a colorful chandelier made of items found on the beach represent its European artful sensibilities.  The dining area has several Oriental wall murals and wooden accents giving nod to serious Japanese influence.  In the back, an almost entirely glass-walled private dining room equipped with the latest in technology for an impressive presentation or elegant party. It seeks to blend luxurious fine dining with a casual California attitude.

Chef Tachibe’s Franco Japanese menu offers a wide array of items from traditional sushi and sashimi to steaks and delicately prepared seafood like the delicious Soy Glazed Black Cod giving you a fresh experience each time you visit for lunch or dinner. Chef Tachibe has added his signature Tuna Tartare to the downtown menu, as few people know he was the original creator of Tuna Tartare back in 1983 (his original sushi knife is housed in the Smithsonian in Washington DC)!

Exclusive Eats
If you are looking for Downtown exclusive dishes, try some of these favorites: Pappardelle Kobe Beef with Mushroom Bolognese, Saffron Paella, Fresh Herb Grilled NZ Orange Roughy, or Grilled Center Cut Filet Mignon with Black Truffle Sauce.  Each dish continues in the Chaya tradition of simple preparation with fresh ingredients that delivers a consistently pleasurable dining experience. For lunch expect to spend around $25 per person and for dinner $45 per person.

On the sweeter side, order the delightful Baked Banana Cake that tastes like Grandma’s spice cake served with cream cheese ice cream.  If you want to have your cake and eat it too without the side effects, try their Green Tea ‘M Lato’: a sugar-free, vegan green tea ice cream served with a crunchy sesame crusted nori wafer. For a complete treat, pair it with a cup of gourmet French press coffee.

Creative Concoctions

Items Found on Beach Chandelier Brightens the Bar

The modern art chandelier is central to the Chaya bar.

One of the pioneers of designer cocktails in Los Angeles, Chaya Downtown continues to offer new liquid creations to experiment with.  The See Red cocktail made with blood orange juice and lavender infused Milagro tequila is strangely coherent. If vodka is your spirit of choice, try the Canton-ese if you Please made with Gray Goose Poire and Canton Ginger Liquer or the Russian Blues with citrus vodka and fresh blueberries. Happy hour is a budget friendly way to sample the unique cocktails. They offer $5 dollar wine, beer, saki, and selected cocktails from 3-7 pm Monday – Friday and on Saturdays from 5-7 pm.

Support Green
Chaya Downtown is not only the newest kid on the urban block but also one of the greenest. Leading the trend of eco-friendly restaurants, don’t ask for bottled water, they refuse to sell it. Both their flat and sparkling water is made in-house with an EverPure triple cartridge filtration system. Also, the heated floor on the patio is water powered instead of gas or electric powered.  Order take-out with a clean conscious. The to-go containers are completely biodegradable. They also have in the works a food utilizing program that will create compost out of the unused food products instead of simply letting it go to waste.

Clearly, with number three smoothly launched in the 25th year of the Chaya restaurant reign in LA, it is here to stay for at least another 25 years! Whether you’re looking to catch a bite to eat after a show, have a power lunch with clients or socialize to see and be seen, LAs the Place recommends it on all counts!

525 South Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA. 90071
T: 213.236.9577
www.thechaya.com
Open M-Sat for dinner, M-F for lunch
Fri and Sat open for late night menu 10-11 pm
Full Bar open M-Sat till Midnight
Validated Parking is offered in the City National Parking Plaza

About the author

Lanee Neil