FIRST IMPRESSIONS : A Deli With an Uptown Atmosphere

Don’t be fooled by the ads for Lindsey’s (112 West 9th St., Los Angeles, (213) 624-6684). With all that talk of oyster bars and wines by the glass and afternoon tea, you’re likely to be quite disappointed when you get there and discover that it most resembles a deli. An uptown deli, to be sure, but a deli nonetheless.

This is not particularly surprising; the restaurant is owned by the people who own Bagel Nosh. They do rather well with things like bagels and sandwiches and smoked fish. Order, however, something more exotic--say linguine with clams or even barbecued chicken--and they come out looking the way they would look if made by your average Jewish mother. They are very, very cooked.

Lindsey’s, the newest addition to the downtown scene, is right across the street from the California Mart. With its large loftlike windows, it’s Los Angeles’ most urban restaurant; it looks as if it belongs in New York’s SoHo. The scene is very urban, too; you can sit and watch fashion designers embrace one another while just outside police cars go shrieking down the street.