The Downtown Los Angeles Arts District is continuing to bloom into somewhat of a walkable neighborhood with restaurants and cafes popping up on several corners. However, as the area's lofts were becoming impacted, locals needed nearby neighborhood essentials. After all, this was strictly an industrial part of town before it's recent revival. Urban Radish opened in the summer of 2013 in an old glass factory and currently caters to the growing neighborhood.

The market is far from ordinary. It's as unique as can be. Where else can you eat a freshly grilled steak outdoors, listen to a jazz band play a bluesy jam in front of you, grab some beer, wine, what-have-you and then finish it all off with a grocery run? That's right. It was designed to be a community hub that offers several reasons to stop for eggs, milk etc and stay for a drink. As far as quality goes, this place is outstanding. Produce is picked up directly from local organic farmers in and just outside of LA County. You'll find sweet oranges from Ojai, bell peppers from Goleta, tomatoes from San Diego, and so on. All from farmers with real faces, families and values. It gives the customer a deep connection to the food they eat every day, especially when seasonal produce is constantly rotated.

It can be overwhelming on the first visit to the market due to the variety of what they have to offer. It isn't a large place but they use their space wisely. It has everything one would need and then some: butcher, produce, dairy, grains, bread, and even a wine and cheese counter to order cheese platters. All of their departments feature high quality versions of what one would expect. Raw milk, craft beer, grass-fed beef, Urban Radish's own roasted coffee, minimally processed grains and vegan/vegetarian options. Even alternative cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products with no harmful chemicals. Big box items are nowhere to be found at Urban Radish, as it should be. Organic, wholesome, and local foods are of utmost importance in this store. An incredibly convenient part of the Urban Radish experience is their kitchen. They carefully design lunch and dinner menus to suit all flavor pallettes. One could walk in and have, for example, oven roasted salmon, complete with a variety of sides, and a drink. Every night, the grill is fired up outside to extend the menu with more choices. The market also benefits the community through employment opportunities with the LA-based Homeboy Industries, which was founded in 1992 to offer help for ex-criminals and\or gang members. The partnership between Homeboy and Urban Radish is evident upon every visit and customer service is always exceptional.

Special events are the norm at the market. Their social media pages and website are extremely active as far as announcements go. Sometimes it's jazz night, craft beer tasting night, wine tasting night, oyster night, cheese tasting night, food truck visits. All it takes is keeping in touch with their online pages. It will definitely make people experience food differently, just as it did for me. You'll begin to look forward to shopping for food, and conjure up creative ideas to make at home. City commutes can take a toll on our enthusiasm and determination to walk into a market and cook at home but our health will thank us after dinner.

Urban Radish is in Downtown Los Angeles at 661 Imperial St.