Downtown: Open for the first time this morning—at 6:30am, to be precise—was Bottega Louie. To refresh your memory, it's a cafe, restaurant, retail shop and gourmet market all rolled up in one ginormous open space. On the dining side of things, the cafe has over 40 prepared items and fresh pastry overseen by head pastry chef/chocolatier Tamara Draper, formerly of Boule, while the 220-seat restaurant serves Italian fare including pizza cooked in an 800-degree brick oven. But enough from us, take a look around above at the pre-opening calm before the storm. 700 S. Grand Street, at Seventh; (866) 418-9162; website
—Harlow Quinn
