Last night, I met some people for a birthday dinner at the Panini Cafe in downtown Los Angeles. I couldn't tell you how long this branch of the Mediterranean chain has been open on 9th street, across from the downtown Ralph's, but I can tell you that it's not Italian like Yelp suggests. Rather, it is a well-balanced fusion of panini (an extensive list of choices) and Mediterranean choices like a hummus plate, a falafel platter and stuffed peppers. I had a chicken and Brie panini and though it didn't change my world view or anything, it was definitely good. There was lots of Brie and crispy, toasted bread. The chicken was a little on the weird side, covered in some kind of orange (in color, not flavor) seasonings that didn't give it much flavor -- but, how can you really go wrong with toasted bread and Brie? The Mediterranean dishes that were ordered around me were wholly praised and devoured.
For its location in the burgeoning downtown dining sector, Panini Grill doesn't offer much in the way of atmosphere. At dinner time on a Friday night there were only 3 tables of people and the lighting was bright with ceiling fans going overhead even though it was a chilly 50some degrees outside. The service was -- passable but far from spectacular especially considering that there must have been at least one server per table. Getting water glasses refilled was basically impossible.
The value of my panini was also a little bit questionable. Though it did include a lot of Brie, for ten bucks I would have liked something besides a tiny cup of pasta salad on the side and the orangey dry chicken was just weird. If my food is overpriced, I at least want to see some interesting people which also did not seem to be an option. I don't think I'll be going back to the Panini Cafe. I'd rather have a grilled cheese, I think.
Huh. This post is kind of terrible. I'm going to have to come up with some kind of gimmick.
600 W 9th St
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 489-4200
