Newsletter: Counter: A week of openings and closings

It's been a long week for some local restaurants and for those of us who love them, as one highly anticipated downtown institution finally opened, and two more announced that they were closing. And it's never been more apparent how hard it is to keep a restaurant going these days — it's an incredibly difficult job being a chef and trying to keep alive both your business and your vision.

We stand in line at Clifton's cafeteria, and talk to chefs Ari Taymor and Sal Marino, both of whom will shutter their restaurants in the coming weeks or months. We also check out the new poke trend, as well as a new bike-friendly restaurant and butcher shop, and a food truck serving some seriously hot fried chicken. Because even amid great change, this is still — and will probably always be — a marvelous town in which to have lunch. 

And be on the lookout for Wednesday's In the Kitchen newsletter, with cooking tips and news, including new recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen.

—Amy Scattergood

Clifton's finally reopens

After five years of remodeling, Clifton's cafeteria finally opened in downtown L.A. The original Clifton's dates to 1935 — the cafeteria was a mainstay for decades — and crowds lined Broadway for its long-awaited reopening. We checked it out on opening day, and cataloged 10 things to keep in mind for when you get downtown and grab yourself a tray. (Giant faux redwood, Ray Bradbury's booth, lots of taxidermy, Jell-O.)

Alma is shutting down

After months of trying to keep the restaurant open (a wrenching lawsuit, an Indegogo campaign), Ari Taymor and Ashleigh Parsons announced that they were closing Alma. We consider that, as well as why we may have all loved Taymor's tiny, ambitious restaurant just a little too much. (Want a last, great, vegetable-driven tasting menu? You have until Oct 24.)

Il Grano closes after 18 years

It's been a bad week for longtime L.A. restaurants too, as Sal Marino called it quits on his two Santa Monica restaurants, Il Grano and La Bottega Marino. Marino's lease was up on the two restaurants, which share a kitchen, and so he'll be closing at the end of the year. Time to go have a last few of Marino's magnificent crudo dinners while we still can. 

Howlin' hot fried chicken

In happier news, Jenn Harris feels the heat at Howlin' Ray's, a new food truck that serves, among other things, "howlin' hot" fried chicken. Johnny Zone, who owns and runs the truck with his wife, Amanda Chapman, likens the howlin' hot level to hot sauce-competition heat. Thank you, Mr. Zone.

Where to find poke in L.A.

Like raw fish? Like customizing your own meals (see: Subway, Chipotle)? Then you might want to check out a few of the many poke restaurants that have been opening lately around town. Jenn Harris visits nine of them, where you can get your chopped, seasoned Hawaiian-style raw fish tricked out with edamame, kale, mango or furikake. 

Food for cyclists

Just because you like to spend your weekend either on your bike or watching "Breaking Away" for the hundredth time doesn't mean you don't care about food, sometimes a lot. Which is why you may need to bike over to Culver City later this fall, when Cannibal Culver City opens. It's a restaurant and butcher shop owned by serious cyclists, and it'll have a bike valet, musette bags, and free beer for those wearing their full kits. 

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