Downtown's South Park neighborhood has been transforming steadily into a culinary destination, and its reputation only looks to get better. While the restaurants planned for the LA Live complex (branches of Farm of Beverly Hills, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse, Il Pastaio, Yard House and NYC's Rosa Mexicano) won't open until 2009, Hygge, a Modern European restaurant situated on the ground floor of the postmodernist Luma Building right across from the Staples Center, will debut by summer.
The Hollywood space that was once Kress Department Store (and more recently Frederick's of Hollywood) is being turned into a sprawling restaurant and lounge called The Kress, with prodigal son Troy Thompson (formerly of Jer-Ne at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey) returning from Las Vegas to add pizzazz to the food; expect an opening by the end of the year (6751 Hollywood Blvd.).
Though the name Ma Petit Bakery & Cafe sounds très Gallic, the food at this casual cafe coming to 257 Spring Street in Downtown will roam from American through Pan-European (with plenty of French dishes as well). The cafe is rising inside a renovated building in the heart of LA and so comes with a lounge in the back of the building called The Mix. Expect it to open by late spring.
Finally, after many years on Colorado Boulevard and 12th Street in Santa Monica, LA's most respected seafood distributor, the Santa Monica Seafood Co., is moving into a new complex several blocks northwest on 10th Street and Wilshire Boulevard. Due to open by fall, its new space will include not just the company's processing facilities and a retail market (as it does now), but also a casual cafe with an oyster bar, grilled fish, salads and chowder along with beer and wine.