Pete's Cafe & Bar. Meh.

Okay. I understand that the Historic Bank District in downtown Los Angeles is all about Pete's Cafe & Bar...as are all the downtown boosters like the Downtown News. So I had to take a bite out of the hype myself.

I went with a dining buddy for lunch. The place was crowded but I made reservations anyway cuz I plan like that. We were seated promptly at a table that was literally abutting another two people's table...ergh...too intimate with the strangers. So we requested another place. (strike one)

Service overall was friendly though.

Now on to the food. I thought I'd try their "famous" comfort food staple, their cheesy mac and cheese. Well. Too cheesy and too salty. I mean I like my cheese but it just turned kinda goopy and gross. To add insult to injury, the side salad was overdressed a little wilted by the time I got my food. Ack. You see that little rammekin in the picture? Not so big but I could only bear to eat a fourth of it. (that also is gonna set you back more than 10 or 15 bucks...I forgot the price...apologies)

Then I thought to myself. Okay. Maybe I can save this meal by mooching off of my dining buddy's blue cheese fries (specialty of the house they say). That TOO was too salty and cheesy. What's the deal, you might ask? Well. Perhaps it was poor menu choice you might say.

I say, NO. A mark of good grub is that nearly anything on the menu should hit its mark, especially if it's supposedly a specialty of the house.

Pete's on 4th and Main. I'm unimpressed. I'd go to Good Microbrew & Grill in Silverlake or Baccali Restaurant in Alhambra ANYDAY for some better-than-Meh comfort food at comparable prices.