Kerry Simon will be hopping across town when his new restaurant, LA Market, opens February 15th at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.

That's not too far from his other place, Simon L.A., in the Sofitel at the corner of Beverly and La Cienega. But it's a long way from home base in Las Vegas, where he has two more places, Simon Restaurant and Lounge in Palms Place and the CatHouse, an ultra-lounge and restaurant at Luxor Hotel and Casino.

The new venue won't be like any of these. “Downtown is its own little world. There's a whole different vibe there,” Simon says. He plans to make LA Market “really approachable and work the market into it,” that is, the Santa Monica Farmers Market, which is one of his haunts.

The design includes a wine bar and a communal table with a wood plank top. The main dining room will have a mirrored mosaic wall with an abstract ribbon pattern surrounding a pass-through to the kitchen so that diners feel part of what is going on there. The look will feature wood paneling, an earthy concrete floor and shades of taupe, deep brown and amber. The restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The menu, still in development, will show off Simon's skill with American comfort food. His signature bacon-topped meatloaf will be on hand, as will his truffle oil-scented mac and cheese and his junk food platter, which is piled with Hostess Cup Cakes, Sno Balls, caramel corn, a bowl of cotton candy and a bag of peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, plus new items he's creating just for LA Market.

“I try to keep my food so that anyone can eat it,” he says. “I like things I remember from my childhood, and I try to get those memories rolling for other people.”

LA Market: in the JW Marriott at LA Live, 900 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles; (213) 765-8930.

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