WHY Crisp, puffy-edged pizzas, delicious salads and seemingly hundreds of fun small plates.

WHAT In a vast, open space with white marble floors, white walls and a white ceiling way up high, an army of well-trained staff serve solidly satisfying trattoria fare to a constant crowd. At this writing this is one of Downtown’s hottest hot spots, roiling with noise and conviviality. Weekend breakfast is both quieter and very good, and Downtown dwellers frequent the long, gleaming deli for prepared dishes, sandwiches and cookies to take home or back to the office.

WHO After-work professionals and Hancock Parkers meeting their Pasadena friends before a show at the Music Center or Club Nokia, even though none of them can hear each other talk.