Border Grill is one of the newest downtown Los Angeles restaurants, recently opened on the site of the former Ciudad. Celebrity chefs Mary Sue Milikin and Susan Feniger expand Mexican food culture for urban palates tired of uninspired combo platters and generic burritos. Focused on cooking from Oaxaca and Yucatan, the Border Grill has been with us since the mid-Eighties and is still going strong. Check their website for occasional cooking classes. They offer free shuttles to downtown attractions, including L.A. Live venues, the Music Center and Disney Concert Hall. www.bordergrill.com

Hours: Lunch: Mon- Fri 11:30am to 3pm; Dinner: Sun, Mon, Tues - 5pm to 9 pm; Wed, Thurs - 5pm to 10pm; Fri and Sat - 5 pm to 11 pm

With the loft revitalization came several new downtown Los Angeles restaurants, taking advantage of the wide open spaces of former werehouses and department stores. Bottega Louie offers classic Italian cucina in a spacious, bustling former Brooks Brothers store. The super high ceilings, tall windows and open kitchen give Bottega Louie a marketplace feeling that's best enjoyed as part of a night on the town. Great meatballs and steaks as well as pizza and pasta. An intriguing selection of Scotches and whiskeys, instead of the standard Chianti-heavy wine list make this one of the most unique Italian restaurants in Los Angeles. www.bottegalouie.com

Hours: Mon-Fri. 10:30am-11pm; Sat & Sun 9am-11pm Check website for specifics.

Restaurant critics label it Asian Fusion, but does that definition really stretch to include lobster ravioli and rib eye steaks? Which is to say, Chaya serves LA eclectic food in a sleek, architectural environment presided over by a rainbow colored chandelier made of found objects like plastic forks, cups and knives. [Here at L.A. Electric Travel, we appreciate the recycling]. Deep below the restaurant lies what may be the city's most expensive garage, so take the Red Line and order a nice bottle of Sonoma Cabernet. Better yet, go on Sunday when all wine bottles are half price. Their Sunday prix fixe menu makes Chaya one of the most reasonably priced of our high end downtown Los Angeles restaurants. www.thechaya.com

Hours: Mon-Fri, 11am-2pm, lunch, 5:30-10pm, dinner. Sat, 5-10pm, dinner, Sun, 5-9pm, dinner.

Chef Celestino Drago, a long time star of the LA dining world, brings his Sicilian-bred cooking talents to the downtown Los Angeles restaurant scene. Housed in the same bank building as Chaya Downtown, Drago offers creative and authentic regional Italian cooking (like oxtail ravioli) plus a few unexpected segondo piattti, like rib eye steak, in a Euro-modernist setting that some find cool and others cold. Speaking of chill, try the almond semi-freddo for dessert. Drago offers complementary shuttle service to Staples Center, the Nokia Theater and the Music Center, so yet another reason to ditch the car and try out one of the newer downtown Los Angeles restaurants. www.dragocentro.com

Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-2:30pm, lunch, Mon-Sat 5:30-10:30pm, dinner.

One of the oldest downtown Los Angeles restaurants. Cole's claims they originated the French Dip sandwich in LA. Philippe's says they did. At L.A. Electric Travel, we're neutral in this culinary spitting contest. For us, Cole's is a temple of Los Angles transit history, housed in the building that was once the downtown street car station, boarding thousands of travelers a day onto trains that ran from Riverside to Redondo Beach. The walls are lined with vintage photos of Pacific Electric cars, including shots of the subway that originated just below the bar. That's right, LA had a short stretch of subway as far back as 1925.

www.colesfrenchdip.com

Hours: Sun, Mon-Wed, 11:30am-10pm; Thurs, 11:30am-11:00pm; Fri, Sat, 11:30am-1:30am.

The ageless godfather of downtown Los Angeles restaurants. American food, American portions in a joint that has never closed since 1924. You may share counter space with a USC football star working his way through two orders of pot roast, cops, Times reporters and other folks who keep downtown humming. It's not on the menu, but order their fresh salsa with breakfast. The Pantry is cash only. www.pantrycafe.com

Hours: Always, we mean always open.

One of the priciest but worth it downtown Los Angeles restaurants. Run by chef and culinary empire builder Joachim Splichal, Patina is known for its seasonal, French-influenced tasting menus -- multi-course, Michelin-starred indulgences that start in the low three figures. They have a vegetarian tasting menu as well, that opens up with biodynamic herbal mesclun, moves through a wild mushroom cassolette and finishes with applewood smoked bourbon ice cream. Patina is not a multi-cultural, whatever works kind of place; it is unapologetically serious dining. Once you see their 50 page wine list, you'll be glad you're going Metro. Here's a thought; download the wine list as a PDF and study it while riding the Red Line. www.patinarestaurant.com

Hours: Tues-Sat 5-9:30pm; Sun 4-9pm

They also serve post-concert dinner after every LA Philharmonic performance.