Towne Debuts Downtown This Summer

By Lesley Balla

Soon the newish WaterMarke Tower Downtown will have a restaurant and bar to call its own: Towne Food & Drink is set to open on the ground floor this summer. It has quite the team behind it, both in front and back of the house. It's owned by Armen Shirvanian, whose Mi Piace is still wildly popular in Old Town Pasadena, and designed by Mark Zeff, who did Mercato di Vetri for SBE; and staffed with chefs and mixologists from Scarpetta, New York's davidburke & donatella, Bottega Louie and the Roger Room.

Expect "whimsical" New American cuisine - pastrami pork belly sliders, flatbreads from a wood-burning oven and rum praline ice cream sandwiches - inventive cocktails, and breakfast, lunch and dinner all under one roof. The 7,000-sq.-ft. space is separated into several different areas splashed with an "urban-chic" vibe, including the outdoor terrace, main dining room, coffee bar and a boozy bar and lounge. Reps expect it to open sometime this summer, meaning July or August. Towne is located at 705 West Ninth Street (at Flower).