French Opulence

Pictures from: http://www.coolhunting.com/images/Bottega-Louie_0.jpg, http://resources.zagat.com/img/buzz/20090428_la_bottega_louie_CT.jpg, http://bottegalouie.blogspot.com/2010/04/torpedo-takes-off.html, https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZBEEo0MIWPoRGKXqGIHPcyC2rUtg5w_HdCGzl3wdMcOqQ97iO7Q5lneWFw_t0pJgkE4J4154qHe1AMxeTjP1WWJwwS51x5Nc5CSX2NeyosHMV6opjKUNrTiWbeXedAAcUP2d8nRioBg/s400/BOTTEGA_LOUIE_MACARONS.jpg

Today was quite the adventure! We left for downtown a little after eleven. My culinary partner and I arrived at our destination, Bottega Louie off of South Grand in less than ten minutes. The easiest place to park is the lost next door off of Grand, it's a $5 flat rate lot. The restaurant is gorgeous both inside and out. You cannot miss it, it is a large white marble tile building with GOLD letters that spell out Bottega Louie across the top of the restaurant. We walked through the large glass door and realized, we were not going to be eating right away. The market (sandwiches, cheeses, macaroons) was buzzing, the bar was completely full, and the gigantic dining area was completely full as well. It took a few minutes with the sea of people to see where it was that we needed to go to request a table (it's the large Napoleon like desk past the bar towards the wood-fire pizza ovens). We were told 25 minutes, so we decided to go for a walk. The walk was relaxing. I enjoyed the architecture that downtown LA has to offer, especially the older hotels that are now apartment buildings. We got back and were seated right away, one table away from a large picture frame window.

I ordered the Torpedo sandwich, which is basically an Italian sub with homemade potato chips and an iced tea of course. The iced tea came with your choice of liquid sugar, an orange slice, a lime slice, and a slice of lemon all presented uniquely on a little white plate. A few minutes later, a server also, brought over a cup of butter and strawberry jam, as well as a small white paper bag. Inside of the bag were two slices of bread. Delicious!

Lunch arrived (the service was a little slow, but that's due to the large volume of clientele--which was fine because I had great company) and it was a feast for the eyes. My sandwich was literally a torpedo, it was huge and required a fork and knife. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was! My tastebuds were more than thrilled. My dining partner had the salad trio which came with a toasted bagel, it seemed to be a popular entree, since most of the people seated near us had ordered the trio as well.

I highly recommend you check out Bottega Louie. Not only is it incredibly beautiful inside (it's like stepping into another world), but the food is beyond exceptional. You might have to wait quite a while, but it's worth the wait, and you can always go explore downtown while you wait.

Off to another adventure,

LA Girl