Grand Avenue Festival Reveals a Hidden Gem: Colburn Cafe

By Eric Richardson
Published: Monday, October 01, 2007, at 01:01PM

Eric Richardson

Eric Richardson

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES —

Yesterday's Grand Avenue Festival seems to have largely been a success, though perhaps the change in day left crowds a bit smaller than last year. The Disney Hall garden seemed to be a hit, as the greenery provided a nice respite from the mid-day sun. The Urban Design Studio's streetscape exhibit was also a very cool touch, and was more intricate than I would have expected.

On a day when the aforementioned sun made for a hot time on the pavement, I'd say the day's real winner was the Colburn School's new cafe, open to the public for lunch and dinner through the week, and for lunch on Saturdays.

At left, festival goers make their way into Disney Hall for a free performance. At right, LADOT proves why spellcheck is an important part of the sign-making process.

The Colburn Cafe opened a few months ago as part of the school's large new addition. Aside from serving the live-in student population, it's also open to the public. It's air-conditioned space provided a great break on a sun-filled day, and the food prices were impressive. Ed ordered a personal pizza for just $2, and found it quite good.

Definitely worth checking out is the way the Colburn plaza space flows into the garden walkway behind MOCA and connecting into the Watercourt. The three combined now create a very serene pedestrian linkage atop the hill.

Short cut to make note of: you can connect onto the Colburn courtyard via the unfinished extension of upper Second street, going west from Olive.

Above: Colburn Cafe's seating area, from an August tour. Below: The tree-lined walkway between Colburn and the Watercourt.

Comments

Rico A writes:

I noted this opening as well. The space looks great -- light and airy and clean.

Jake and I were going to eat here, except there was a bit of a scattered line (more like a conglomeration of people in the general area a line should be in) and I couldn't tell just what the heck they were serving. I didn't catch any sign stating what the food was, so I just assumed it was cafeteria food ("leaning tower of pizza") and moved on to KooKooRoo.

I'll have to check it out when things are less hectic.

# on Oct.01.2007 AT 02:55 PM

David Kennedy writes:

I'd second this observation about the Colbourne Cafe. It is a wonderful addition to the area architecturally and as a practical matter. It will certainly give parents taking children to class on Saturdays somewhere pleasant to hang out. I look forward to having a meal there when it is raining. All that glass.

I also echo Rico's comments about the KooKoo Roo. For downtowners who don't know, this location is superb. I've never been a big fan of the chain. But, there is something very good going on in the kitchen at this location. It merits a semi-regular stop heading home from daycare for a quick dinner. If anyone is deterred by the parking situation, don't be. Just park in the building's lot and get validation. Piece of cake to get in and out quickly.

# on Oct.01.2007 AT 03:21 PM

AJ writes:

I loved the African drums they had going.

# on Oct.01.2007 AT 03:24 PM