Los Angeles Restaurants
Ciudad
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The latest L.A. venture of celebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken is this intriguing restaurant in the heart of Downtown. Ciudad means "city" in Spanish and is a nod to the partners' long-ago venture City Restaurant. Here, amid juicy sherbet pastel walls and Miró-esque abstract designs, exuberant crowds gather to revel in a menu that brings together cuisines from the world's great Latin urban centers: Havana, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, and so on. Standout dishes include the tortilla soup, Peruvian seviche (presented in a martini glass), Argentine empanadas, Swiss chard with tomatillo sauce, citrus-roasted Cuban-style chicken (served with Puerto Rican rice and fried plantains), and a Brazilian moqueca -- shrimp, mussels, and other seafood in a coconut-lime broth over coconut rice. Between 4 and 9pm on Sundays, Ciudad presents happy hour tapas served at the bar; it's easy to make a meal of several, choosing from carnitas tacos, goat cheese fritters with sherry-soaked cherries, lamb meatballs with chimichurri, and more. As with the pair's superb Border Grill, desserts are worth saving room for and are large enough to share. Tip: From Tuesday through Saturday Ciudad provides free shuttle service to the Music Center, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and select STAPLES Center events.
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