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Daily Dish

Three bars -- the Mixing Room, Glance and Ion -- open at the JW Marriott/Ritz-Carlton downtown, along with L.A. Market

By Betty HallockDeputy Food Editor 
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Add a hotel restaurant and three bars to the list of downtown openings. The JW Marriott debuts today at L.A. Live and in it are: L.A. Market, the restaurant helmed by consulting chef Kerry Simon; lobby lounge Glance; poolside bar Ion; and the hotel’s cocktail central, the Mixing Room. (The Ritz-Carlton portion of the building is set to open in March.)

Amid the drilling and hammering and the test runs over the weekend, Simon was overseeing last-minute details in the dining room, and Francesco Lafranconi, director of mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits, was finishing up training the bartending staff in the Mixing Room.

Simon, in town from Las Vegas, described L.A. Market as follows: ‘The thing about being in California is using what’s fresh at the market as much as possible. There are classic dishes, focusing on ingredients. Plus a rock ‘n’ roll kind of thing that attracts these audiences ... something for everybody.’ On the menu: There’s Harris Ranch sirloin with yukon potatoes au gratin, lobster bucatini primavera, and Simon’s special recipe for meatloaf, for example.

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The cocktail lists at each of the bars have been prepared by Lafranconi, also in from Vegas. ‘I developed the drinks based on contemporary trends: aromatics such as thyme, basil, verbena; aperitifs and amari such as Aperol and Averna; liqueurs such as Maraschino; Latin trends such as Pisco; and classic flavors such as Lillet or gin. A full palate of flavors catered to an international clientele.’ Cocktails ($10) might be described as of the ‘bar chef’ variety, made with fresh fruit and juices. The Cuban Society, for example, includes rum, Galliano and raspberries, and the Fizz mixes gin with pineapple and ginger. ‘The aim is for the customer to leave with a liquid memory,’ Lafranconi says.

L.A. Live, 900 W. Olympic Blvd. (at Figueroa), Los Angeles, 213 765-8600, www.lalivemarriott.com.

-- Betty Hallock

Daily Dish
Betty Hallock

Betty Hallock is deputy Food editor at the Los Angeles Times. She has co-written four cookbooks, including “Bäco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles,” “Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen” and “Baking at République.” She started her journalism career at the Wall Street Journal and Scientific American in New York, worked on the L.A. Times’ Business desk, and was interim food editor at Los Angeles Magazine. Hallock also helped launch a food and nutrition vertical for wellness app RoundGlass. She’s a graduate of UCLA and New York University.

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