Atmosphere, not food, shines at Bottega Louie

At around 10:15 Saturday night, I walked into Bottega Louie. This chic downtown eatery, located on Grand Avenue, is absolutely stunning. The ceilings are high, the restaurant incredibly spacious and the décor elegant.

The front is dedicated to the bakery, where colorful layers of macarons lay stacked upon each other. For just a moment, you might feel as if you have been transported somewhere far from Los Angeles; I feel it most resembles the Louvre. The place was packed, and although the hostess said my party would have to wait half an hour, we were seated in half that time.

The waiters were attentive and immediately asked us what we’d like to drink. I ordered ‘the east end,’ a cocktail composed of gin, st. germain liquor, lime, simple syrup and blackberries ($12). For appetizers, we ordered the Portobello fries and the arancini, both $9.

Though I appreciated the idea, the Portobello fries were greasy and not properly seasoned. The arancini, fried rice balls with cheese and ham, were much better. They were served on a bed of tomato sauce, and the filling had a nice smoky flavor.

For my main course, I ordered the Napoli pizza, which was topped with red onions, mushrooms, black olives, tomato sauce and mozzarella. The ingredients complemented each other nicely and the dough was perfect — not too crisp, not too chewy. It was also surprisingly light. For $18, this pizza is perfect for two when paired with some appetizers.

For dessert, I shared the chocolate soufflé, which had to be ordered 20 minutes in advance. Though beautiful, the flavor was disappointing. It was not rich or chocolaty enough, and the taste of flour lingered. Better stick with the macaroons.

Bottega Louie is definitely a restaurant worth trying. Though the restaurant’s beauty is more consistent than the food, the aesthetics alone make up for it.