Eat Out

Moving on Up

March 29, 2008

Ara Shanlian Jr.

We love the latest downtown nightlife boom, but it’s still pretty hard to find a decent view in this town other than the Rooftop Bar at The Standard Hotel. Looking for a new view of the Los Angeles skyline? Maybe some sushi? Welcome to the Elevate Lounge, open alongside Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant.

The two spots are 21 floors up, and their panorama wraparound balconies are big enough for a crowd, so you won’t have to worry about getting a peek at the city lights. Now if you could just get rid of that smog…

Better yet, retreat into Elevate’s open-air lounge, where you can check out the view in more comfortable surroundings. The oversized ottomans include trays for stabilizing cocktails during heavy lounging. The place even stays open for an hour after the 2 a.m. booze cutoff, giving you time to work off that Jager-Redbull and plan your next move.

At Takami, diners can sit at candlelit booths inside or out, or pull up a stool at the Italian leather and sandstone sushi bar. The Japanese influenced menu includes inspired twists like a Miso Caesar Salad and Baby Lamp Chops with soy truffle sauce. Their suggestion is the Rose Tea Martini—the ingredients of its house made rose liqueur are so secret the bottle gets locked up each night. (As long as there’s no urine in it, we’re fine.)

We won’t be looking too hard at the drink list anyway. We just spotted our cousin’s house in Westwood.

Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant and Elevate Lounge, 811 Wilshire Blvd, 21st Floor (at Flower), Downtown, 213-236-9600