After one of the best nights… ever (1. Went on a double date with my man and my sister and her boyfriend, 2. Sat in the front row at the Kings’ game, 3. Stayed at the Standard in Downtown LA, and 4. Drank chardonnay spritzers at the Rooftop Bar at the Standard and fell in love with the city lights), I woke up the next morning utterly starving. I wandered down the street and, by a stroke of luck (or fate, call it what you will), I found myself in front of Bottega Louie.
This place is perfect. My boyfriend and I have very different dining styles (he likes the low-key, all-American type of place… I like the hoity-toity restaurant that attracts the wannabe gourmand). Somehow, Bottega Louie manages to fuse the two. Even with its Los Angeles location it feels distinctly like New York. An exposed stainless steel kitchen, a hostess dressed to the nines with a giant reservation book (no computers here), and tiny two person tables charmingly clutter the floor. The place is bustling and loud, but maintains it’s high-class feel. The energy is contagious. It appeared that everyone was a somebody, or felt like they were a somebody, during the lunch hour that I spent here. Gourmet food and top-notch service at a reasonable lunch price range. We had the Portobello Fries, Onion Gratinée, and Napoli Pizza (we added pepporoni)… all of it: delicious. Plus, the full bakery and candy bar at the entrance (and, conveniently, that entrance is also the exit) basically demands that you buy something simply by its very adorable, well-decorated, and divine smelling presence.
