Chef Juan Pablo Torre to open downtown Dart Hotel & Restaurant

Juan Pablo Torre, a chef, restaurateur and partner of hospitality group Tuck Ventures, is planning to open the Dart Hotel & Restaurant downtown by the end of this year.

The tiny 14-room boutique hotel and restaurant is under construction in what was once a brothel, located where Spring and Main streets converge in the Fashion District. It’s next door to the former Parish restaurant, and down the street from the newly opened Ace Hotel.

Torre, who moved to Los Angeles from Madrid three years ago, consulted on the menu of Eat Drink Americano in the Arts District. He also has helped establish hotels and restaurants in Europe -- including Pasada de Dragon and Posada de Leon in Madrid, Principe Forte di Marmi in Italy and establishments in Russia and Germany -- and plans to launch more projects in Southern California.

“Living in downtown Los Angeles has been so inspiring for me,” Torre said in a statement. “I’m excited to be a part of such a dynamic and evolving community.”

Dart Hotel & Restaurant is to include the hotel, restaurant and a bar, fusing aspects of each. The hotel will feature a unique registration system with which guests can check in with their smartphones.

Torre said the restaurant will be designed with outdoor areas that extend onto the sidewalk and with an open kitchen offering an “upscale casual and affordable” menu.

“I am a chef that considers the entire project, not just food and beverage,” he said. “My new venture is really about creating a casual but authentic space for entertaining. From the ambiance and music, to lighting and service, and of course the overnight experience of the hotel.”

Torre also said he plans to cook through the spring and summer at a series of downtown pop-ups and private dining events.

820 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, www.tuckventures.com and www.juanpablotorre.com.

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