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DTLA WEEKLY

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DTLA REAL ESTATE EMPIRE

SOLD! Andrew Meieran Sells Iconic Clifton’s Building for $8.6mil

Los Angeles real estate investment firm Robhana Group has acquired Andrew Meieran’s Clifton’s Cafeteria, aka Clifton’s Republic for $8.6 million.

Astaple of the Bringing Back Broadway movement, the return of Clifton’s Republic in early 2022 stood as a beacon of hope for a struggling Downtown – resiliantly shining light on an otherwise destitute portion of Broadway left darkened by the pandemic.

In the years prior to the shutdowns, the building (which keeps the world’s oldest neon light still burning in the basement),

became a labor of love for former owner Andrew Meieran who spent the last 12 years of his life refurbishing the old relic. Adding to its interior of existing fountains, corridors and hard wood floors, Meieran’s “Cabinet of Curiosities” was filled with ev erything from vintage taxidermy peacocks and olden day furnishings to a 6 billion year old meteorite.

Meieran, who bought the building for just under $4 million in 2011, put in an ear nest effort to restore the former cafeteria founded back in 1931 by missionary and all around do-gooder, Clifford Clinton.

While nostalgia and cafeteria favorites kept the doors open since old Grandpa Clifton’s care, when Meieran first reopened Clifton’s Cafeteria after a decade of recon struction, guests found Meieran had filled his multi-level wonder from top to bottom with a collection of oddities, antiques, se cret bars, flappers, live bands and good ole fashion cocktails.

The Party Won’t Stop

Weekends at Clifton’s promise long lines and a packed house after 11:30 as visitors anxiously partake in their chance to show off their dance moves under the clubs giant faux redwood tree.

Dubbed by Downtown Weekly LA as the Disneyland for party goers, time-traveling Meieran with the help of skilled musi cians, dance troupes and rotating group of mixologists, successfully transported visitors back to the days of the downtown Speakeasy.

Despite the transfer of ownership it looks like the party won’t stop. It’s said Clifton’s signed a long-term lease with the new owner so that the nightclub would remain open.

Speaking of nightclubs, rumor has it, Meieran’s team will be reopening the Edi son in the basement of the Higgins Build ing some time in the near future.

IT CAME FROM THE SEA The More the Merrier at The Lonely Oyster of Echo Park

Recently opened this past September, Lonely Oyster Bar became the only restaurant of its kind in Echo Park.

The latest sea fearing adventure for Don Andes (Little Joy) along with Creative Director Jena Corbin, Sommelier Adam Ohler, Oyster Aficionado Dillon Turner, and General Manager Sam Valle is now setting the bar for what it means to have the most quaint seafood destination in the re gion.

Serving a variety of fresh catch from coast to coast, The Lonely Oyster is the one place guests can catch high-quality week end brunch menus, nighttime cocktails and late night eats all on the same hook.

Feeling lonely? There’s nothing like a date with a signature cocktail to break the ice and make some new aquatic ac quaintances.

Mixologist Sam Tiews nev er fails to intoxicate cocktail lovers with her special set of skills, shaken and stirred.

Add a starter bowl of Seafood Chowder or Shrimp Arancini for the beginnings of a beauti ful relationship.

Sommelier Adam Ohler’s wine list consisting of Californian and European favorites, are meant to pair well with all of Lonely Oyster’s seafood dishes. Tally the cocktail and start er by adding a glass of wine. Three is not a crowd at The Lonely Oyster.

Time to make even more new friends. There are six rotating flavor types of Oysters (depend ing on which picks are fresher each day) on the iced oyster bed, shucked and served with three very compatible sauces.

Oyster team

edge of where the oysters originate, what distinguishes each of them as far as flavor, and how the process of collect ing these briny mates works toward a more sustainable planet – giving new meaning to the phase, “The world is your oyster.”

Variety is the spice of life. Lonely Oyster’s Seafood Boils and combination “Plateaus” come loaded with chosen

varieties of steamed Ti ger Shrimp,

Manila Clams, Uni Cavi Wontons, Scallop Carpaccio, Peruvian Cerviche, Chilled Pei Mussels and Lobster. Invite a few delicious Grilled Veggie Skewers, Old Bay Fries, and Mac n Cheese that top the list.

Lobster Cobb Salads, Short Rib and Brisket Blend Burgers, Fish N Ships, Lebanese Bran zino, Lobster Rolls and Co co-Curry Shells also make for the best of friends at the Lonely Oyster.

Open seven days a week, Weekend Brunch at The Lonely Oyster serves plates of Lobster Hash, Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict, and Banana Brioche French Toast that go hand in hand with Bellinis, Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas.

If one is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do, then please, let everyday bring at least one dine in experience at the Lone ly Oyster. The more the merri er.

The Lonely Oyster is located at 1320 Echo Park Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90026 and is open 7 days a week from 5pm to 12am week nights and 12pm to 12am on the weekends.

OOTORO JAPANESE SUSHI

On the corner of 2nd and San Pedro stands Ootoro Japanese Sushi restaurant a popular go-to for appetites looking to indulge in the freshest sushi and sashimi around town.

Little Tokyo is home to the first sushi bars in America with newly opened Ootoro expanding Little Tokyo’s dining experience with an emphasis on taste and visual presentation that goes unmatched in the District.

Best friends and lifelong Sushi Chefs Kun-Wu San and Okabe San head the establishment, both working meticulously to prepare each dish with utmost precision, giving every sliver the greatest attention to the slightest detail.

Today, sushi is considered an art in Japan. However, few know the origins of sushi date back to the Han Dynasty in China around the second century A.D. Flash forward a thousand years later with sushi making its way to Japan and quickly rising in popularity.

This creation and evolution of sushi thanks to two separate nations parallel the origin of Ootoro and the lives of its head chefs; Kim-Wu San who began his formal sushi education in Taiwan 19 years ago and Okabe San of Japan who has been working on his craft since the earliest days he can remember, being the small son of a sushi Chef in Tokyo, Japan. Respectfully, this union of like hearts and minds allows the doors to swing open for a diverse crowd of sushi lovers worldwide, night after night at Ootoro Japanese Sushi Restaurant.

Currently, Ootoro is offering Omakase and Wine Pairing Dining experiences to launch its new bar program. The new menu items include Kusshi Oysters, nigiri sushi, unique appetizers paired with select wines, and signature cocktails.

Omakase at Ootoro is remarkable not only for the veteran sushi connoisseur finally reaching the zenith of all Sushi

experiences, but for the beginning palate, indulging in the selections of two of our city’s most talented, experienced, and dedicated sushi Chefs is priceless. “Dishes and fishes” change seasonally, meaning many times guests will experience sensations they’ve never tried before at the mercy of the Chef’s content, and that’s Ooootoro?

Yes, Ooootoro!

TORO means tuna in Japanese. The O in Otoro takes this a cut further referring to the most seductive fatty underbelly slices of the tuna, Otoro, known to melt in your mouth. Encircle Otoro with an extra O in the logo, add a bit of Japanese stress accent, and discover the real feeling behind the Otoro Japanese Sushi experience… OOOOTORO.

OOOOTORO

for timeless sashimi selects of thinly sliced Yellow Tail, Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp, Squid, Eel, Octopus, Scallops, and Sea Urchin served by a friendly and knowledgeable staff.

OOOOTORO

for extravagant Bento boxes, hand-rolls, stir-fried side dishes and crispy tempuras perfect for take-out and delivery or outside seating.

OOOOTORO

– for the new cocktail program featuring the Architect of Bartenders, Mr. Erik J. Lund alongside a new menu of tempuras and fried tapas.

As if partaking in the primal pleasures of consuming dishes so fresh sometimes they’re still moving isn’t the end all, presented delightfully before you at Ootoro, each sogigiri or hirazukuri slice is crowned with a hint of real Wasabi placed within handcrafted ceramics. Adorned with tiny flowers and other gifts of nature, some plates port the shells of the delicious bites that used to inhabit them.

Yet, it’s never enough to gauge the enormity of pleasure great sushi can bring by looks alone. Nor is it proper to give all the accolades to the chefs, however talented and experienced they may be.

The true measure of enchantment can only be found by the look of happiness on the face of each diner.

Looking around each of the Ootoro seating areas, including the restaurant’s

long, spot-lit sushi bar, private party rooms, and intimate dining tables, expect to see plenty of wide eyes, nodding heads in approval, and closedlip smiles so as not to let the sushi escape. There may even be one or two faces of disbelief and a few diners standing, taking a breath between bites as the realization sinks in, Ootoro Japanese Restaurant takes pleasure seriously.

Ootoro Japanese Sushi is located at 232 E. 2nd Street #E, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Ootoro open 11:30 to 2pm, 5pm to 9:30-10pm most days with exception of Sunday and Monday. @ootorola

Electrified at REDCAT – Octavio Solis’

“Scene with Cranes” Reviewed by Renowned Playwright Luis Alfaro

In other worlds, we are legends, avant gardists, multilanguage poets and experimental playwrights who write to the moment.

But, in this world, we remind ourselves that the way cultural genocide works is by making our erasure justifiable.

Oh, this world.

We are not only the majority population (half of L.A. is Latinx; 5 million people) and even though we are touted as; its future; its dollar; its cultural expression; we rarely are its arts leadership or collaborator.

Yesterday, there was a report on NPR that said, ‘About 30% of the New York City Police Department are U.S. Latinos, but “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” on NBC has only one Latino co-lead.’

When NPR host, Scott Simon, queried guest, Ana Valdez, about it, she believed that among the many reasons for this is, ‘people are comfortable.’

Perhaps, it is left to those who make us uncomfortable, to imagine worlds where we not only see ourselves; our existence; our complexity; our difficult stories, but are also given caution to survive our murders in this time of forced absence.

Yes, the Yin-yang exists for us in extremes.

Last night, I was lucky to livestream the final show of a brief sold out run at REDCAT, of an electrifying new work, ‘Scene with Cranes,’ by one of our country’s essential playwrights, Octavio Solis.

Essential.

Solis, a member of a generation of Latino writers mentored by Maria Irene Fornes, Eduardo Machado and Luis Valdez,

belongs to a community that include veteran artists like Migdalia Cruz, Cherrie Moraga, Nilo Cruz, Jose Rivera, among many others.

Solis is a writer who cut his teeth in the American regional theatre writing into the complexity of the Chicano experience, in both story, and approach. His other new piece, ‘Nuevo Quixote,’ could not be more different.

This bold departure, an East L.A. tale of grief and loss, is told in a relentless series of tense heartbreaking extremely emotion al scenes.

From the first moment, a synchronized entrance of actors who will assume their position in a state of grief manifesting into tears and wailing, this piece digs in and selfishly refuses to let go of its some times-unbearable sadness, rage, and despair.

Every actor is doing great work, but no one is astonishingly channeling the pow er of this moment like the veteran actor, Marissa Chibas, playing the mother of a young man killed in an accident, who wrestles between forgiveness and mur derous revenge. It is a performance that almost unbalances the play.

The last ten virtuoso silent minutes are gut wrenching, deliberate and full of such pain.

At another point in the play, Chibas, does a magic trick. The play seems to lift off its East L.A. axis and into epic Greek theatre, and Chibas digs into the language with such elevated ferocity, while shifting her body into a realm bigger than the allow able environment. A performance for the ages.

They are unpacked in beautiful meticu lous precision by the wonderful director Chi-wang Yang, and a design team that include Efren Delgadillo Jr’s realistic, but sharp-edged set, Chris Akerlind’s tense lighting, and a sound score by Cristian Amigo that was sub textually digging into me so hard, I was wishing I had an Ambi en prescription.

In other words, the excellent effectiveness of tone and shift lived in such precision that the messy emotional state of the play was allowed to bounce violently in the ar chitectural parameters.

What a beautiful example of that gorgeous place where community expression meets formal experiment, which, surely, has as much to do with Solis, and Duende Ca lArts, the initiative that brings Latinx art ists together to expand aesthetic boundar ies.

There is a lot to wrestle with here, its formalism can chill, but then an actor like Tony Sancho walks in and warms up the space in naturalism.

This project began before the pandemic and then came of age in isolation and is finally manifesting itself at the thaw of our current Covid period.

It seems the first in a series of entries that will attempt to answer who we were and what we became. And for this extraordi nary writer, what is next possible. Bravo Octavio, your contribution to the canon continues.

I decided to write this today after I realized that no one might.

Our erasure continues, but so does our work.

To the uncomfortable!

Octavio and Yang Photo Courtesy Cal Arts REDCAT

Superfine Art Fair Returns To Downtown LA, Better and Bigger Than Ever

independent artists at annual fairs in cities across the U.S. since launching at Art Basel in 2015.

Highlighting the Work of Women Artists, LGBTQ Artists, and Artists of Color, Superfine Will Take Over The Magic Box Downtown For 4 Days In October.

The contemporary art fair highlighting the work of women artists, LGBTQ+ artists, and artists of color is returning to Los Angeles this month. Coined the ‘worlds most inclusive art fair,’ Superfine will take over the Magic Box Downtown October 13- 16th, featuring more than 80 handpicked artists.

In addition to inclusivity, Superfine also prides itself on accessible pricing. With most of the art falling into the $75-$2500 price range, and no commission taken from the artists, Superfine has generated over $10 million in sales on behalf of

Superfine founders ALEX MITOW & JAMES MIILLE set out to change people’s perception of the world by forgoing the stuffiness found at most fairs. “When we looked at the art world as gay men in our 20s and 30s, we felt excluded. We built Superfine to be a welcoming space where people who love art could collect it without the ‘red velvet rope’ vibes they’re used to,” adds Mitow. www.superineartfair.com

Go Ahead, Risk It All – Jaywalking in DTLA is No Longer Illegal, But…

Thanks

to a new bill signed October 1st by Governor Gavin Newsom; on January 1, 2023, pedestrians may no longer be issued Jaywalking tickets for crossing the street outside of an intersection.

Interpreting The Freedom To Walk Act (AB 2147) now signed into law, ”No longer will law enforcement be able to stop people who are safely crossing the street and burden them with citations and heaps of debt”, proclaimed Zal Shroff, Senior Staff Attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Jaywalking has been enforced in California since the 1930s, making the act of Jaywalking a life long taboo for many. When the new law goes into effect on January 1, 2023, anyone with sound mind and a bit of cau tion may step out and share the road with oncoming traffic without a care in the world, right? Wrong.

Understanding jaywalking in the suburbs versus jaywalking in the big city.

In the suburbs, basking in the rays of peace and tranquility, one might not see a car for over 20 minutes, making most jaywalking experiences a walk in the park. However, in the big city, anytime between the hours of 8am and 3am, there’s going to be cars whizzing by, making sharp turns and just doing what cars do, which sometimes ends in tragedy. In September 2022, DTLA set a new record for number of hit and runs, the most recent involving the death of a pedes trian and his three dogs in the Historic Core. Each hit and run happened while the pe destrians were either crossing or waiting patiently at a cross walk.

Point being, if drivers have trouble seeing pedestrians at the cross walk, imagine how hard its going to be for drivers to get used to the sleepy turned sly, pedestrian soon to be en titled to any parts of the road, day or night.

When driving in the more con gested areas of DTLA, motorist already have to deal with nu merous mentally ill standing their ground in the middle of the street. Just one wandering lane-walker can back up traffic for blocks.

Was Jaywalking Racist?

Not the act itself, however data released by California Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) showed Black Californians ticketed up to four-and-a-half times more than their White counterparts.

“Jaywalking laws do more than turn an ordinary and logical behavior into a crime; they also create opportunities for police to racially profile. A jaywalking ticket can turn into a poten tially life-threatening police encounter, especially for Black people, who are disproportion ately targeted and suffer the most severe consequences of inequitable law enforcement,” said Jared Sanchez, Senior Pol icy Advocate for CalBike.

To be honest, one less restric tion with chains to our wallets sounds like a good thing as long as pedestrians remem ber the age old adage, ”Look both ways when you cross the street.” Throw in, “Stay alert when standing at the corners waiting for the lights to change, and stay alert while crossing, please and thank you”. AB 2147, first introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), passed thanks to years of relentless

efforts pooling support from fellow lawmakers who argued too many cases where ticketing jaywalkers resulting in unfa vorable outcomes including heavy fines, escalation, false arrest, and even death.

“It should not be a criminal offense to safely cross the street. When expensive tickets and unnecessary confronta tions with police impact only certain communities, it’s time to reconsider how we use our law enforcement resources and whether our jaywalking laws really do protect pedestrians,” said Ting. “Plus, we should be encouraging people to get out of their cars and walk for health and environmental rea sons.”

Regardless of how many peo ple are marked safe from Jay walking, pedestrians of all ethnicities should use extreme caution while using the city streets.

For drivers, always remember the pedestrians have the right of way even when it comes to the lane walkers, sleepy pedes trians, and soon the infamous, DTLA Jaywalker.

#SurvivingDTLA