Thursday, July 03, 2008
Everything In Its Rightful Place
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Prince O Whales
This will be tough advice for some, but I urge you: Leave the newly gentrified, hip Culver City and the rest of the overly-populated, ever-changing Westside behind. Go to the beach and have a drink, but don't go to the yuppie-filled South Bay or BoBo Venice; instead go somewhere that sits between the two, Prince O Whales. P.O.W.s, as it is called by its frequenters, is a low key bar for fringe Angelenos wanting a drink and decent company. Chat with the bartenders who always make a strong drink or sit in the half-indoor middle room with a cigarette (the bartenders are more than willing to bum you one if you don’t have one on you). Yes, believe it or not, there is a bar in L.A. where you are not cast away like a leper if you want a cigarette with your drink. No promotions. No "divey but trendy" status. No over-priced drinks. No borderline celebrities. Just a bar where locals will talk with you, watch a sporting event (one can request any game they want and will never get an argument), and on occasion listen to a local band. Sit with a drink and enjoy how bars on the coast were meant to be before Los Angeles sprawled its way to the ocean. |
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Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Just Like Your Momma Made
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Home
I'll just come right out and admit that I've eaten at Home (restaurant) a lot, and it has more than a little bit to do with the fact that they have a full bar. Sunday brunches are rough. Shaking off my Saturday nights requires a stiff, spicy bloody mary and something that's been deep-fried. The Eggwich on croissant with swiss cheese and home fries never disappoints. If it's not from the breakfast side of the menu, a good friend introduced me to combo of waffle fries and mac and cheese (homemade, very cheesy, and a little bit soupy). Basically, you dip the fries. It's maybe the most indulgent thing on the planet. And it's all patio seating, something that is surprisingly rare in a city that's sunny all year round. |
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Tuesday, July 01, 2008
A Kitchen There's No Glitch In
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Colori Kitchen
What's the old adage: don't judge a book by its cover? Well don't judge Colori Kitchen by the 2 Sisters Beauty Salon to the left and the boarded up Bristol Hotel on the right. Step inside to find a cozy, laid back atmosphere set amongst exposed brick, ambient lighting and original black and white framed photography on the wall. This hidden gem is within walking distance of the Orpheum Theater and the downtown core. What sets Colori apart from most other establishments in the area is the balance between quality and price. The food is terrific--fresh, homemade Italian fare created in the open kitchen just feet from where you are sitting. The menu is not expansive but there is something for everyone including traditional pasta dishes, soups, salads, sandwiches, and skewers. The prices for such a great meal are unheard of in downtown LA. Lunch can be had for less than $10 while dinner for two will run you around $30. Colori is a BYOB establishment and does not charge a corkage fee. The combination of atmosphere, food and price may leave you feeling guilty when the check comes because you would gladly pay more for your experience. |
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Monday, June 30, 2008
Don't Judge It By Its Signage
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Le Oriental Bistro
I have avoided places before, but rarely like I avoided this Hollywood dive. The outside was so rundown and the menu tacked to the window so sun-dried and unappealing in its presentation that I spent two years deliberately walking past it in search of other places more pleasing to my eyes. Then, one day, when good fortune shone my way, I decided to try this restaurant. Not because I was being brave, but because I wanted calamari and the few places that served it in this area were far from perfect. To my complete surprise this restaurant houses the best calamari in Hollywood. Fresh and breaded, served with jalapenos and green onions, this dish is worth a trip to Hollywood on its own. The other dishes on the menu utilize fresh ingredients and there are healthy options as well as traditional oily fare. The interior decor is clean and modern. Everything the outside is not. Go here, eat, spend money, and hopefully if enough of us do, they can afford to paint the front. That's all I want to change about this modern oasis of fried octopus. |
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Friday, June 27, 2008
Market-Savvy Little Deers
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Young and Jelinek
It's getting harder and harder to walk down the street anywhere on the east side of Los Angeles without running into a store that sells overpriced t-shirts to disco-rhapsodic hipsters. Up at the top of Hillhurst in Los Feliz you'll find the Evil Genius storefront/gallery Young and Jelinek. They've got the full line of EG wear as well as limited editions and pieces from local designers. The clothes are cool. I mean, everything in there would fit very comfortably on the backs of anyone who's ever been photographed by the Cobrasnake. So, whatever, I don't know if I really need another place to drop $100 on a t-shirt with like huge gold foil letters on top of some kind of all-over print of pink and green lightening bolts, but the store is really cool looking. They've got a DJ booth that looks like an old-school boombox, a dressing room plastered with pin-ups and a TV playing a video loop of a cute girl trying on clothes and dancing around in her underwear. Evil? Maybe. Genius? For sure. |
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