Providence's Michael Cimarusti Flips Ace Hotel's Restaurant Downtown

It’s been a busy week for chef Michael Cimarusti, after first debuting a new seafood stall inside the massive (and gorgeous) new Eataly in Century City. Now he’s turned his sights on Downtown with Best Girl, a sunny new spot taking over the LA Chapter restaurant at the Ace Hotel tomorrow. The news was first reported by the LA Times.

As of tomorrow night, Best Girl will turn on the lights at the ground floor of the Downtown Ace Hotel as LA Chapter fades away quietly. Whereas the latter was a casual catch-all for folks in the hotel and anyone who happened to need a bite near South Park, Best Girl aims to be a seasonal and chef-driven restaurant that goes well beyond just seafood. Reps for the project say that Cimarusti will push into more meat and vegetables, while his wife Crisi Echiverri will handle pastries and desserts. As this is still the primary dining spot for the Ace Hotel property, look for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and continuing coffee service throughout the day. The opening menus are below.

The quick expansions mark something of a watershed moment for Cimarusti, as he looks to expand beyond the Providence empire he has created. Connie & Ted’s remains enduringly popular as well, but it’s unusual to see the mostly reserved chef move, in a matter of days, into a stall at a Westfield mall marketplace and then a hotel in Downtown. The jump just goes to show the enduringly popular nature of casual dining in Los Angeles — no matter what Jonathan Gold thinks.

Best Girl opens tomorrow in Downtown, and will keep daily hours from breakfast through dinner.

• LA's Michael Cimarusti Launches Sustainable Dock-to-Dish Seafood Purveyor [ELA]