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BEST CHEF
Connor O’Neill at Mendocino Farms
At age 17, O’Neill was running the catering business for a friend’s father. “In high school I was one of those kids who already knew what he wanted to be,” he says. After a five-year stint as a sous chef and baker at a five-star restaurant in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, the 26-year-old O’Neill boarded a plane for Los Angeles. In the nine months since, he has done more than his share of recasting the sandwich as a gourmet experience, and has sparked long lunch lines in Cal Plaza. Now, he wants to stretch the Earl of Sandwich’s creation even further. Not satisfied with Mendocino Farms’ assemblages of fresh meats, cheeses, spreads and green apple, he envisions a future peanut butter and jelly: cayenne-almond butter, grilled plantains and cranberry chutney on toasted white bread. “You can do amazing things for less money and still provide really, really good food for everybody,” he says. At 300 S. Grand Ave., (213) 620-1114 or mendocinofarms.com.-AM

BEST BREAKFAST
The Original Pantry Café
If a restaurant has been serving breakfast for more than 80 years, it must be doing something right. The Pantry, on Figueroa and Ninth streets, is the venerable breakfast joint of Downtown, and for good reason. My dad says it’s because they know that a breakfast should have lots of meat and eggs. He is happy that they’ve just started serving Portuguese sausage, along with their staple ham and steak. My friend Lauren says it’s because they know that breakfasts need to include buckwheat pancakes, and she’s excited about the new turkey sausage option. Since my dad and Lauren are opposites on the food spectrum, it’s easy to deduce one thing the Pantry is doing: Pleasing just about everybody. At 877 S. Figueroa St., (213) 972-9279 or pantrycafe.com.-Kathleen Nye Flynn

BEST OUTDOOR DINING
Café Pinot
With its outdoor courtyard located in the Maguire Gardens adjacent to the Central Library, Café Pinot is among Downtown’s most scenic dining destinations. The garden’s artfully tiled water feature provides a relaxing soundtrack for elegant al fresco fare. But unlike restaurants where the view outshines the food, Café Pinot’s menu is just as stellar. Part of restaurateur Joachim Splichal’s famed Patina Group (Patina, Nick & Stef’s, etc.) the restaurant’s cuisine is contemporary California French. At lunch try chef Mark Gold’s seasonal specials created from farmers market-purchased organic produce. For dinner, don’t miss the Scottish king salmon served with braised artichokes, piquillo peppers, green olives and a saffron garnish or the Kobe short rib osso bucco with farmers market vegetables. For dessert, it’s all about chocolate and fresh fruit. At 700 W. Fifth St., (213) 239-6500 or patinagroup.com.-Lea Lion

BEST ROMANTIC DINNER
Windows
We all know that skylines are hot. Twinkling city lights or a sun setting over the edge of a metropolis offer more romantic ambiance than any candlelight and soft music can provide. So, at 32 stories atop the SBC Tower and looking across Downtown, Windows has all the ingredients for romance. Go there on Friday or Saturday evening and be serenaded with live jazz. Start your meal with the bacon-wrapped asparagus or toasted butternut squash ravioli and be sure to save room for the chocolate sponge cake with rich frosting and raspberry coulis. Don’t forget the wine. After a dinner with the whole city as a backdrop, you’ll never be happy with plain old candles again. At 1150 S. Olive St., (213) 746-1554.-KNF

BEST LATE-NIGHT DINING
Original Pantry Café
Now that there are more and more reasons to be driving around Downtown late into the night - after downing last-call drinks at the Golden Gopher or spinning from an all-night danceathon at an Arts District loft soiree - the Original Pantry has become essential for city survival. What better way to soak up the night’s revelries than with a heaping helping of macaroni and cheese? It’s a place where the party never ends because the Pantry literally never closes, and where you can order a side of coleslaw, a T-Bone steak or whatever else your blurry eyes can decipher from the chalkboard menu on the wall. The food at the restaurant owned by former Mayor Richard Riordan is heartier than many other all-night joints, and you can count on waking up in the morning ready to go, and just maybe one or two pounds heavier. At 877 S. Figueroa St., (213) 972-9279 or pantrycafe.-KNF

BEST STEAK
Arnie Morton’s the Steakhouse
Let them eat cake, there’s steak to be had. The master meatsmiths of Arnie Morton’s slice up grain-fed Chicago beef 11 different ways and present it with a flourish that would make any hunter-gatherer proud: a well-clad waiter wheels over a cart of meat and lets you give your cut the once-over. By that point, though, it’s already an evolved piece of the cow - Morton’s is renowned for the precise aging of its beef. Whether it’s the double cut filet or double cut porterhouse, the lighter weight Cajun rib eye or crab-and-crouton Filet Oskar, ol’ Arnie is sending us a clear message: prepare to meat your maker. At 735 S. Figueroa St., (213) 553-4566 or mortons.com.-AM

BEST SUSHI
R23 (Readers’ choice)
Sushi Go 55 (Editors’ choice)
Located in a nondescript former railroad loading dock in the Arts District, R23 just might be Downtown’s most hidden restaurant, but legions say it is worth seeking out. The dining room achieves a perfect balance of uncluttered and cozy with wooden floors, high ceilings and exposed brick walls decorated with oversized paintings of Gauguin-inspired nudes. The Frank Gehry-designed cardboard chairs are both functional and comfortable. Behind the counter, sushi chefs turn out artistic rolls and cuts of fish, while the kitchen handles the cooked dishes, which show up looking as artfully arranged as their raw counterparts. For the more adventurous, omakase (prix fixe chef’s choice meal of sushi and sashimi) is the way to go. At 923 E. Third St., (213) 687-7178.-LL
Perched on the top level of perhaps Downtown’s ugliest building, the gray fortress called the Little Tokyo Shopping Center, Sushi Go 55 offers some of the freshest fish around, with a nice mix of old reliables and Japanese specialties. The standout is the blue fin toro, a buttery offering that seems to dissolve in the mouth. Other winners are the tai (Japanese red snapper), a clean-tasting fish with a hint of sea salt, and the thick and refreshing amberjack. The spicy tuna roll brings the kick its name promises, while the albacore is tender with a surprising twist from a bit of onion. The service is quick and no-nonsense, and other options include sake steamed clams and a tempura dish of fresh shitake mushrooms and minced shrimp. The adventurous can opt for the gizzard shad sushi. At 333 S. Alameda St. No. 317, (213) 687-0777 or sushigo55.com.-Jon Regardie

BEST ITALIAN
Zita Trattoria
What is more romantic than low lighting, fabulous cocktails and heaps of fresh pasta? Being able to experience it late into the night, which is where Zita Trattoria comes in. Zita, just off the corner of Ninth and Figueroa streets, changed hands earlier this month. But this won’t impact the great food, said new owner Luis Tovar. Known for authentic, traditional dishes like fettuccini and risotto, Zita also has a great happy hour with complimentary pizza. Tovar added that Zita will soon extend its hours until about 1 a.m. Thursday-Saturday, with a limited menu and lounge-like atmosphere. Which means that next year, Zita might also be a contender for “Best Place to Have a Late-Night Date.” At 825 W. Ninth St., (213) 488-0400.-KNF

BEST MEXICAN
La Parrilla
This isn’t your average rice and beans joint. What sets La Parrilla apart from the thick competition of Mexican restaurants in Downtown is its unusual dishes that go well beyond tacos and burritos (in fact those are hardly on the menu). Instead, the restaurant offers inventions like bacon- wrapped shrimp and whole lobster tail served with octopus and grilled cactus. Its most popular dishes include Molcajete Pancho Villa, which is chicken, beef and shrimp, panela cheese and all the fixings served with tortillas and four bottles of beer. On La Parrilla’s enclosed porch, a highlight of the restaurant’s comfortable and eclectic ambiance, you can watch the staff make tortillas by hand. And then eat them (the tortillas, that is). At 1300 Wilshire Blvd., (213) 353-4980 or laparrillarestaurants.com.-KNF

BEST PIZZA
California Pizza Kitchen
Before the advent of California Pizza Kitchen, the words “chicken” and “pizza” were as dissimilar as “Los Angeles” and “trouble-free commute.” That changed in 1985 when the first CPK was planted in Beverly Hills. Since then, the restaurant has gained a following with hearth-baked gourmet pizzas such as the BLT, Thai Chicken, Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Original BBQ Chicken, along with a menu of pastas and salads. Those in the know say the two Downtown CPKs are among the busiest in the nation. At 735 S. Figueroa St., (213) 228-8500; and 330 S. Hope St., (213) 626-2616 or cpk.com.-Chris Coates

BEST CHINESE DISH
Slippery Shrimp at Yang Chow
It’s been imitated, but duplicating Yang Chow’s Slippery Shrimp has proved an impossible feat for the restaurants that have made the attempt. Reviews of this purveyor of some of Chinatown’s best Mandarin and Szechuan cuisine invariably mention the $14 dish, a generous portion of twice-cooked, slightly sweet and slightly spicy average-sized shrimp. The secret, the restaurant maintains, is the way the corn starch sauce is incorporated before the shrimps’ second run through the pan. Take care when serving up the dish, however; the wily crustacean often lives up to its name and nestles, ever-so-sweetly, into your lap. At 819 N. Broadway, (213) 625-0811 or yangchow.com.-AM

BEST SANDWICH
Mendocino Farms
To be frank, doling out the award for Best Sandwich is giving Mario Del Pero’s Mendocino Farms short shrift. This California Plaza newcomer cranks out 28 combinations of bread, meat, veggies, cheese and spread. Look for creations like the Muffalatta, an Italian deli-style Bayou barrage, a Cuban sandwich free of the dry bread that can plague even authentic restaurants, a curry chicken sandwich, or simpler arrangements like the applewood-smoked BLT or the turkey and brie. Soups to go along - perhaps unthinkable in the summer heat - are mercifully seasonal. It’s best to split up your party on the way into the shop, since securing a lunch table at Cal Plaza these days can be a battle in itself - thanks in no small part to Chef Connor O’Neill’s sandwiches. At 300 S. Grand Ave., (213) 620-1114 or mendocinofarms.com.-AM

BEST BURGER
Original Tommy’s
Devotees drove hundreds of miles through the night to make Original Tommy’s 60th birthday this spring, so cruising a few blocks west of Downtown isn’t much to ask. ‘Twas a sweet postwar May day when Tommy Koulax served his very first chili-topped creation from the shack on the corner of Beverly and Rampart boulevards. That burger has survived the wars named for its mass-produced inferiors, arguable intellectual property assaults (remember: “If you don’t see the shack, take it back!"), numberless diets and the occasional Mad Cow stampede. Yet it, and the shack that spawned locations from Simi Valley to Corona, live on to feed the narrow office worker/truck driver/hipster demographic that the company says grubs down there to the tune of 15,000 a week. At 2575 W. Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-9060 or originaltommys.com.-AM

BEST FOOD COURT
7+FiG
Sure, 7+Fig shopping center at Ernst & Young Plaza bears a striking resemblance to an ICBM launch silo, but the three-floors-down food court does exactly what a food court’s supposed to - provide the ideal playing surface for speed eating. Perennial favorites include Mrs. Fields cookies and Sbarro, The Italian Eatery, with which any mallrat is intimately familiar, and Mrs. Beasley’s, Panda Express and Quiznos are always on the tip of a hungry tongue. But rarer fare like Han’s Korean Grill, Charlie Kabob, Tacamole and George’s Greek Café round out the court and nudge it to the next level. Plus, several establishments offer takeaway catering, perfect fuel for those last-minute conferences or client drop-bys that, ahem, somehow missed making it into your calendar. Stay on your feet while you grab and go, though. Nobody likes a food court jester. At 735 S. Figueroa St. or 7fig.com.-AM

BEST SINGLE DISH
Lobster at the Palm Restaurant
People drive from all over Los Angeles to eat at the Downtown Palm. But the lobsters come from much further away. General Manager Jonathan Scott says the Palm flies in the crustaceans from Nova Scotia six days a week, packed in ice (and alive), ensuring maximum freshness. The result is meat that is simultaneously firm and sweet; the flavor is enhanced when spritzed with lemon and dipped into drawn butter. Additionally, says Scott, “We get larger lobsters compared to a lot of other places. We’ve been known for the jumbo lobsters.” Jumbo indeed, as Palm lobsters generally weigh in at three to six pounds. These days, they’re big sellers too. Thanks to an 80th birthday special which runs through Aug. 19, the Palm is offering four-pound lobsters with two salads, two sides and coffee or tea for $75 ($85 for a five-pounder and $95 for six pounds). Perfect for sharing, leftovers or both. At 1100 S. Flower St., (213) 763-4600, thepalm.com.-JR

BEST NEW RESTAURANT
Pitfire Pizza Company
The joint at Second and Main streets has been jammed at lunch since it opened last year, and rightly so. The airy, heavily orange space specializes, naturally, in pizza, but offers an uncommon, very-thin-crust variety that makes it easy to consume a pie at lunch and not feel like you need a nap (the Pitfire sausage and the wild mushroom varieties come highly recommended). There is also an assortment of flavorful salads, pastas and panini, with fresh ingredients the common theme. Pitfire offers an array of vegetarian options, and has an easy ordering process: wait in a short line, pay, take a number and the staff brings the meal to you. Then you go back for dessert, which should be the warm chocolate pudding cake. At 108 W. Second St., (213) 808-1200 or pitfirepizza.com.-JR

BEST CAFE
Lost Souls Café
The vibe at Lost Souls is hard to pin down. Sometimes it’s a mellow neighborhood coffee joint with free wireless Internet access and a couple of good couches for laptop interludes. Other times, you walk in for an innocent evening latte and tumble through a bit of a Downtown looking glass, catching live music that you heard no trace of in the alley entrance; nary a laptop in sight except for the one that belongs to the sunglassed DJ; and standing room only. In that case, you forget the latte and find yourself folded into the Lost Souls scene for a few hours. However the cool cafe morphs from day to night, the service is unfailingly nice, and the drinks and treats are solid. At 124 W. Fourth St., (213) 617-7006 or lostsouls.com.-Kristin Friedrich

BEST OUTDOOR LUNCH SPOT
California Plaza
The quality of an urban outdoor lunch experience is determined by the amount of seating available and the people watching. Cal Plaza fares well on both counts. Although the tables frequently fill up, one can almost always grab a spot on the Watercourt steps (there’s an added bonus if Grand Performance has a free noon show going, as it does about 20 weekdays every summer). Meanwhile, there is a great spectacle of humanity; the suit-and-tie crowd predominates, but you’ll gander at a fair amount of casual-dressed workers and the tourists who wander down from Disney Hall or MOCA. Grab a sandwich from Mendocino Farms or a meal from Organic To Go, Skewers or one of the many other quick offerings, and it will be a respite from a cubicle-driven day. At 300-350 S. Grand Ave.-JR

BEST POWER MEAL
Breakfast: Pacific Dining Car
Lunch: Engine Co. No. 28
Dinner: Water Grill
Everyone knows that most members of the City Council, as well as numerous other city, county and state politicos, have been sighted doing some early-morning strategizing, position wrangling and horse trading at the Pacific Dining Car. But an unexpected find amidst the high-backed chairs are the big-name trial lawyers prepping expert witnesses over breakfast. What are they fueling up on? General Manager Mike Green says blueberry pancakes with Dining Car sausage is popular, as is eggs Sardou, a New Orleans dish that includes poached eggs, creamed spinach and an artichoke bottom, all covered with Hollandaise sauce. The coffee is custom-blended for PDC. At 1310 W. Sixth St., (213) 483-6000 or pacificdiningcar.com.
Back in the 1910s, Engine Co. No. 28 housed firefighters. These days, especially at lunch, it is full of politicians, lawyers, developers, lenders and all other varieties of the genus known as the Downtown Los Angeles player. Certain political consultants use the Financial District establishment as a regular office. In fact, the number of local dealmakers who don’t dine at the historic-cultural monument is probably far less than the amount of people who do break (garlic) bread there. In between doing business, customers consume standout dishes such as the house meatloaf, the ever-reliable chili and, for non-carnivores, the portabello mushroom sandwich. Note: If you’re hammering out a deal, ask for a booth. You never know who’s at the next table. At 644 S. Figueroa St., (213) 624-6996 or engineco.com.
The who’s who of Downtown’s power structure has been dining at Water Grill since it opened 16 years ago. These days, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William Bratton are familiar faces, as is virtually anyone elected to any office in city, county or state government. Then there are the celebrities, such as Rosanna Arquette and Ryan Gosling. Once seated, said Manager Barbara Marie, who works with GM Fredi Buhler, the power crowd downs the seafood platter, the crab cakes and house specialties such as the Copper River salmon and turbot from Normandy, France. Through it all, they’re served by an experienced staff, many of whom have worked at Water Grill for more than five years and are used to power players, said Marie. “It is a place that people can come and expect excellence,” she said. “They know their privacy will be respected here.” At 544 S. Grand Ave., (213) 891-0900 or watergrill.com.-JR

BEST SERVICE
Roy’s
The local outlet from the Hawaiian-fusion chain may be one of Downtown’s newest establishments, but the staff didn’t need much of a learning curve. The spot, a few blocks north of Staples Center, has worked like a well-oiled machine since virtually day one, with an emphasis on being friendly and attentive. Some of the Roy’s Downtown employees actually hail from the Hawaiian islands, so don’t be surprised to get an authentic “aloha” on the way in and a “mahalo” on the way out. In between, of course, you can enjoy chef Roy Yamaguchi’s twist on the flavors of Asia and the Pacific Rim. Must-try entrees include the roasted macadamia nut mahi mahi in lobster butter sauce and hibachi-style grilled salmon with Japanese vegetables and citrus ponzu sauce. At 800 S. Figueroa St., (213) 488-4994 or roysrestaurant.com.-LL

BEST BARBECUE
Spring Street Smoke House
Ribs? Check. Hot links? Check. Barbecue pasta? Ch-wha? Spring Street Smoke House, the Chinatown eatery by the creators of Downtown perennial D&L Catering Inc., blends traditional barbecue fare in a quasi-hokey setting with dishes befitting its catering roots. The Cajun stuffed chicken crams chicken breasts with Jack cheese and jalapeño, wraps the spicy affair in bacon and then sends it to the grill and smoker. That and other adventurous entrees balance the more expected tri-tip, hot links and beef and pork ribs on the menu, but then there’s that barbecue pasta. What at first seems more a sloppy punch line than a serious attempt at culinary delight turns out to be a regular plate chock full of comfort-food goodness. At 640 N. Spring St., (213) 626-0535 or sssmokehouse.com.-AM

BEST PERSIAN FOOD
Farid Restaurant
Tucked away in the far reaches of St. Vincent Court off Seventh Street, Farid Restaurant serves authentic Persian food in a setting reminiscent of an alley in a Middle Eastern city. Men sit at outdoor tables drinking black tea and smoking, while inside diners feast on grilled meats, saffron rice and salads. No trip to Farid is complete without an order of the garlicky hummus appetizer, which comes with a stack of perfectly rectangular pieces of flatbread. Standout lunch specials include the “chicken boneless” and the shish kabob. A plate of cut lemons is on every table and when one diner asked the purpose, the reply was, “For everything.” Don’t be afraid to season, well, everything, with a liberal dose of lemon juice and a couple shakes of the burgundy-hued sumac powder also on the table. At 635 S. Broadway #A35 (St. Vincent Court between Broadway and Hill Street at Seventh Street), (213) 622-0808.-LL

BEST NACHOS
Ye Olde Taco House
For a restaurant with a name like Ye Olde Taco House, it’s a little ironic that the hottest selling item on the menu is the nachos. But, said owner Carlos Santizo, that’s what flies out of the Historic Core eatery, at a rate of about 20 to 30 orders a day. Santizo attributes the nacho plate’s popularity to the freshness of the ingredients, which includes jalapeño or regular cheese, and just-made guacamole and sour cream. Leave it vegetarian for $2.99 or add your choice of chicken, steak or carnitas for $3.99. Ye Olde Nacho House does have a nice ring to it. At 340 S. Hill St., (213) 625-2700.-KNF

BEST CHEAP TAKE OUT
Blossom Restaurant
The still-new restaurant at Main and Winston streets has become an instant Downtown favorite. Blossom serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine, including popular cold vermicelli rice dishes and rice noodle soups. While dine-in visitors relish the pleasant atmosphere, many patrons opt for the speedy and inexpensive takeout option. For just $6, you can grab a chicken pho soup served with a side of sprouts, basil, lime and chili peppers, or pick up a vegetarian curry with tofu, potatoes, green beans, carrots and mushrooms, served with a side of steamed rice. Of course, once you’ve tried Blossom’s Thai iced tea, you won’t be able to imagine a visit without at least a to-go cup of that cold, sweet perfection. At 426 S. Main St., (213) 623-1973 or blossomrestaurant.com.-LL

BEST PRE-STAPLES DINING
Palm Restaurant
The Palm’s location just minutes from the arena is both a blessing and a curse: It ensures big crowds, but they seemingly all arrive at once and demand excellent service that gets them out the door before the game or show begins. Chef Kay Lee handles it by focusing on preparation and planning, enabling his staff to knock out scores of New York strip steaks, double-cut lamb chops and bright red lobsters. Meanwhile, the servers are helpful without becoming obtrusive, and they know when to drop the check so customers have enough time to peruse it before wandering across the street. The proof is in the numbers: The Palm routinely feeds 400 people before Staples events, and does it all with an efficient staff of about 55. At 1100 S. Flower St., (213) 763-4600 or thepalm.com.-JR

BEST PRE-THEATER DINING
Patina
The pre-theater Patina crowd always looks fabulous. That’s what happens when you put a classy restaurant with a renowned chef (it was founded by Joachim Splichal) into the elegance of Walt Disney Concert Hall. The current menu, which changes seasonally, features treats like crispy jidori chicken breast and spiny lobster tail. If you only have time for wine and dessert, there’s a small wine bar and the best dessert menu in town (try the milk chocolate mousse or the vanilla poached peaches). The wait staff is always accommodating and knows how to get you out on time to catch the performance at the Taper or the Ahmanson - although, the show at Patina is hard to beat. At 141 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-3331 or patinagroup.com.-KNF