Deme - Review - Downtown LA - Los Angeles - The Infatuation
"Deme serves one of the better meals we’ve eaten next to a hotel pool. This chic Eastern Mediterranean dinner spot inside DTLA’s Hotel Figueroa doubles as a lounge for suited business guests who need a drink and some mezze after a day of shmoozing. You can lounge in a red velvet booth with a fig leaf-infused cocktail, take in the skyline, and snack on Greek and Turkish dishes, like lamb manti in tangy sheep’s yogurt and taramasalata with a basket of warm pita. If you’re looking for a laidback corner of Downtown to have a professional lunch or a catch-up over duck shawarma, Deme delivers. Food Rundown photo credit: Sylvio Martins Three Dips Why order one $10 dip when you get order three for $28. That’s what we call a deal. Deme’s hummus is tahini-rich and nutty, the lightly blended banaganoush has tender chunks of smoky eggplant, and the taramasalata is bracingly briny (just how we like it). Ask for extra pita because the two-pieces-per-basket that comes standard isn’t enough. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Imam Bayildi A simple, homey dish. The soft eggplant is perfectly roasted and stuffed with lots of sweet caramelized onions. Be sure to scoop up some of the tahini at the bottom with more pita. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Blue Fin Tuna “Dolmades” This finger-food mezze gets points for creativity, but it’s difficult to eat and too salty. Turkish Manti These tiny diamond-shaped dumplings have a lovely snappy wrapper, but their bed of sheep's yogurt needs a pinch or two of seasoning. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Duck Shawarma As a whole, this shawarma spread is great. The pickles and spicy zhoug mixed with the duck make for a delicious bite—the only issue is the meat itself is slightly dry." - Sylvio Martins
