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It’s been a long and winding road for Caldo Verde and Cara Cara, the dual restaurant and lounge properties at the Downtown LA Proper Hotel, but now the end — or, rather, the beginning — is here. The two highly anticipated projects from Los Angeles restaurant veterans Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne will open for service next week, capping off a tumultuous series of turns that have taken years to navigate. Thankfully, two of LA’s best and most celebrated operators never gave up.
At Caldo Verde, which should open by October 15, Downtown diners will get a taste of chef Goin’s love of Portuguese and Spanish flavors, spread across breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There will be chorizo and eggs with sofrito to start the morning, plus horchata egg tart pastries and sticky buns for those on the go. Salads, market fish with chickpeas and peppers, and sandwiches feature for lunch. And robust dinner entrees include blood sausage-stuffed rabbit, hanger steak, and more. Decadent options like a chocolate ganache torte with spiced fig-port compote will be available as a sweeter nightcap, while Styne will oversee the drinks side of things, particularly leaning into boutique wines from Portugal, Spain, and California.
Caldo Verde will be front and center at the lobby level of the 148-room Downtown LA Proper Hotel at 1100 S. Broadway in the South Park neighborhood, spread across nearly 2,500 feet of space and with room for banquette dining, date night tables, or elbows-in eating at the bar. The famed Kelly Wearstler, who also designed the Proper Hotel in Santa Monica, is behind Caldo Verde’s design.
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Upstairs at Cara Cara, expect views, a pool, and plenty of more stackable fare like piri piri fried chicken, tacos, and seasonal focaccia. Given that Styne and Goin (AOC, Lucques, Larder Baking Company) have partnered with the Proper here, seasonal produce — be it as vegan antipasto or other larger meat-free dishes — will also be on full display across the 5,000 square foot rooftop.
The Caldo Verde menu will also be available for in-room dining at the hotel. And still to come is Dalia, a ground floor cocktail lounge and bar that will offer its own menu. Opening menus for Cara Cara and Caldo Verde are below.
Caldo Verde is expected to open Friday, October 15, keeping hours from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. for breakfast, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch, and 5 to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday) for dinner, with Saturday and Sunday brunch running 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The upstairs Cara Cara will unveil its rooftop views some time next week with its own hours from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday (extended to midnight Thursday through Saturday). Both locations will be available for reservations on OpenTable.
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