Message: | Traxx is a very pleasant, somewhat upscale restaurant in,of all places, the old train station ! That would be Union Station which is historically very notable and an easy cab ride from where you will be. There will be people there pre-theatre (the Music Center is nearby) but once the Super Chief leaves (about 7:30 or 8:30 p.m.) there will only be four to six tables occupied, generally singles who live downtown and work in the law firms/banks that make up the downtown businesses. (Pacific Stock Exchange floor is now in San Francisco). If you are trying to imagine the station's ambience, recall the Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor movie, SILVER STREAK. Restaurant itself is glass/poured concrete off to one side of the main waiting room. The station is clean and architecturally interesting. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating (an enclosed courtyard).
Menu is contemporary/California; wine list is quite good. It is not inexpensive but it is not priced like Spago/Patina etc, the very best of L.A.'s restaurants.
The mention below of Engine Co 28 is a good one, particularly for comfort food.
The Pantry should be seen/tried for what it is (historically) not for exceptional food and certainly NOT for a romantic meal. Pacific Dining Car is good (and "notable" too culturally speaking) but there are many as good or better steak houses around town. I've always felt that their prices (for what is served) were way high but I am a solitary voice. On the other hand, note that the Pacific Dining Car is open twenty-four hours a day. Should I have a 3 A.M. craving for a huge piece of beef etc, I know exactly where I would go. |