International Artisan Dining at the New Spring Arcade Building Space

(Gerry Furth-Sides, photos courtesy of SAKURA agency) Each new eatery in the  The Spring Arcade Building, in the sunlit covered outdoor space is making the historic landmark into  a diverse dining destination.   Diners can sit and take in the beautiful Spanish Renaissance and Beaux Arts details of their surroundings in the revitalized Historic Core District of Los Angeles.  Home to a variety of privately owned, artisan businesses.

The Spring Arcade, built in 1924,  is a unique two-tower building, which spans the length of Spring Street to Broadway. Once the location of Mercantile Place, a small alley lined with independent retail shops that opened in 1904, the Arcade was designed by architects Kenneth McDonald and Maurice Couchot.  Their intent was to maintain the Mercantile alley’s storefronts and ambiance. These two, back-to-back towers, are connected by a three level arcade covered by a glass-roofed skylight dome, fashioned after the grand 19th century shopping arcades of Paris and London. In particular, the glass-roof skylight was designed to imitate the Burlington Arcade in London.

The downtown building is also notable for having the landmark KRKD radio towers on the rooftop. The station was purchased in 1960 by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, founded by the world-famous Aimee Semple McPherson (whose church remains in Silverlake), for broadcasting weekly sermons, along with an alternate music program.

The new Spring Arcade space offers a mix of residential, retail and dining. For example, Garçons de Café is both a wine bar and retail store with carefully curated authentic wares from France.  Guests can choose from a selection of gourmet wares, most of them organic, including French tea and coffee, typical Parisian bistro finger food such as charcuterie and cheese, toasts and desserts, and a brunch on weekends.

Gelateria Uli is the perfect example of the immigrant cuisine that makes Los Angeles the most culturally diverse in the world.  An Azerbaijan native who immigrated to the U.S. to attend college, Uli Nasibova left her investment banking career to study food science, take master classes, and create her own gelato recipes from scratch. Nasibova opened her first Gelateria Uli in Los Angeles in 2014, the second in 2017.       With a focus on local ingredients and unexpected flavors inspired by L.A.’s many immigrant communities, Nasibova is passionate about flavor experimentation, working savory ingredients like beets, tarragon and sweet corn into the traditional Italian dessert.

A third feature of the Spring Arcade is that it has pulled restaurants from ethnic food communities to make their first-time appearance in DTLA.  Rice Box, previously located only in the San Gabriel Valley, is one of the best, and it is known for its quality ingredients.  Featuring Cantonese-style barbecue, Rice Box focuses on ‘rice boxes’ on the go and delivery, with some seating.  Custom rice boxes include choices from the signature char siu (barbecued pork), black soy-poached chicken, crispy seven spice pork belly, or a vegan special.  Rice Box uses only organic produce, as well as ethically-sourced, sustainable, and hormone-free meat. Chef and co-owner Leo Lee makes sauces and seasonings on location without any MSG.