Updated calendar ===>

It's the holidays!  blech....

But the holidays also mean lots of free parties and boozing and merriment.  I've posted a few events that I think sound cool in the calendar section on the right panel.  Check it out!

My "to try" list for right now:
Sunny Spot - Venice
Oldfield's Liquor Room - Culver City
Smithouse Top and Grill - Century City

Prince tickets for $25

Prince, the raspberry beret wearing purple rain maker is doing shows at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood.  Apparently, he wants to make these shows affordable to his fans so 85% of tickets will be sold for $25, inclusive of all fees!  I just bought my tickets to see his show tomorrow.  Can't wait!!!

He's doing 21 shows in LA in this format and it started on April 14th, so you know there aren't many of these shows left.

Buy your tickets here now.  DO IT!!

http://www.ticketmaster.com/Prince-tickets/artist/735895

Shout out to the lovely Ms Jean Rhee for this tip.

Tramps like us, baby we were born to run...

I can't believe it's been 1.5 years.

Medical school is a selfish mistress.  So many times, I wanted to leave the confines of the desk or library, but she says "sure you can go to that awesome sounding party.... if you wanna be the idiot who flunks out of med school." Hence my absence from blogging for 1.5 years.  But now that I'm nearing the end of my first year, I think I'm finally getting the hang of it.  At least enough to have a small life outside of school.  I will be ringing in Block 5, the last block of my first year with a 10K run sponsored by Nike called She Runs LA.

It's a digital run which means that you don't have to battle traffic and crowds and the crazy parking that characterizes LA.  Just run between 4pm on Wed Apr 27 and 4pm Thurs Apr 28.    If you have a Nike Plus device, make sure you run with that and sync your run which makes you eligible to win prizes like new sneakers and stuff.  And instead of the usual post-run street fair atmosphere of energy drink samples and sweaty crowds, you get a cool concert at the Nokia Theater which Nike is calling the "ultimate girls night out."  This run is catered towards women, but the boys are not only welcome to run, but also go to the post-run festivies on Thursday night!

Registration is normally $40, but if you leave me a comment here, I can even give you a code so you can register for FREE!  Just remember to tweet me or leave me your email address :)

Here are some more details from the run's facebook page
• Live music performance by MIKE POSNER
• America's Best Dance Crew winners WE ARE HEROES
• Nike athlete appearances, including GOLD MEDALIST Dawn Harper
• 3 floors of pampering and fun, with experiences by BLISS DAY SPA, PAUL MITCHELL, POP CHIPS, LUNA BAR and POWERADE ZERO.

SHE RUNS LA benefits STUDENTS RUN LA, which provides access to the sport of running to at-risk youth in the Los Angeles community.

SHE RUNS LA DETAILS:
THE RUN:
• EVERYONE: Take on your 10K anytime between 4PM on April 27th – 4PM on April 28th.
• NIKE+ USERS: Upload your run to the She Runs LA Nike+ Challenge at bit.ly/sherunslachallenge by 4PM on April 28th for a chance to win Nike shoes, apparel, and more.

THE FUN:
• Scene: An exclusive night of music, fun, and celebrities, available only to participants of She Runs LA
• Time: April 28th from 7:00pm – 10:00pm
• Place: Nokia Theatre at L.A. LIVE in downtown LA

REGISTER FOR SHE RUNS LA:
Register at www.SheRunsLA.com. Your registration fee includes your exclusive She Runs LA Dri-FIT tank and entry into the post-run celebration at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE


See you there! :)

Angel's Piano Bar: an undiscovered gem in Santa Monica East

Last night I was invited to my first ever tweetup (meeting of people completely organized via twitter) by my buddy Andy. Being the grinch I am, I was eager to leave my mom's house in the suburbs and rejoin civilization. The #xmasmeetup was organzied by Mike of Kogi PR and set to take place at Angel's Piano Bar in Santa Monica on the corner of Wilshire and 25th. I had read a few press bits about this place, but it seemed to be operating mostly under the radar so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But once inside, I was so pleasantly surprised!

It was pretty empty when we arrived, as would be expected on Christmas night around 10pm. But the atmosphere felt warm and inviting without that awkward feeling you sometimes get when stepping into a not-too-crowded bar. There is the main lounge area off to the right that has several small tables illuminated by candles and a leather bench along the wall. The baby grand piano and a retro style mic is within eyeshot of about 80% of the bar. Further back, there is a larger area that can probably fit around 20 people in comfortable elegance. Much of the decor was trimmed in white leather or floral gold leaf creating a vibe that reminded me of part Moulin Rouge, part rich uncle, and part boudoir. Or maybe even a smaller westside version of Edison Lounge in Downtown LA.

After a nice conversation with their super cool and friendly bartender guy (forgot to get his name), I decided to try their absinthe. It's presented using a fancy looking carafe and a special slotted spoon to hold the sugar. I learned several things about absinthe by chatting with the bartender:

1. Angel's only carries Lucid absinthe which is 125 proof (good times, indeed)
2. Lucid has a full serving/dose(?) of wormwood which people often consider the measure of "real" absinthe
3. Absinthe's original hallucinogenic property is attributed to their aging in lead barrels (no illegal) which essentially poisoned you into seeing dancing mushrooms.

It's a bit pricey yes ($15), but WHEW it packed a punch! After one drink, Andy and I were both feeling pretty toasty. We were also able to convince a few others to try this magical potion :)

Their other cocktails range from $11-15 and the Angel's Lemon Verbena I tried was a nice balance of crisp, sweet, and tart with the rosemary garnish. Apparently they have food too until 11pm.

I'd definitely recommend this place as an intimate date spot or as a fun pub crawl away from the noisy overgrown frat boys at V Lounge and the Gas Lite down the street. This place is within walking distance of The Wilshire and South which would make a nice pub crawl trifecta with Angel's.

Other notes:

• Plenty of parking in front thanks to meters which end at 6pm
• No beers on tap (boo) but they do have bottles
• Happy hour is 6-8p and all night long on Tuesdays!!

Angel's Piano Bar and Supper Club
2460 Wilshire Boulevard
(cross street: 25th)
Santa Monica, CA 90403
info@angelssantamonica.com
(310) 828-2115

Product Review: Newcastle DraughtKeg - The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems

I'm not afraid to admit that I *heart* Newcastle Brown Ale. Ever since I was a wee college student doing my summer abroad in London, I fell in love with its maltiness and earthy aroma. Stateside, it's been my go-to and favorite commercial (non-micro) brew and if I find it on tap, odds are very good that I will order it. So imagine my pleasant (ok, not pleasant, more like ecstatic) surprise when I was offered to try out their latest product, the Newcastle DraughtKeg.

Here are some specs according to the folks at Newcastle:

• Holds 10 pints of beer
• Recyclable steel packaging (yay, earth!)
  
• Patented CO2 system keeps beer fresh up to 30 days after opening

I wanted to make sure to give this cute little minikeg a proper debut, so I saved it for our snowboard waxing party at my friend Dave's apt where we inaugurated the LA snow season. When you bust out a minikeg, you are sure to get some attention, especially from the boys, and this one was no exception. People kept touching it and commenting on how cool looking it was. As Dave melted wax over our snowboards, we eagerly opened the keg which reminded a lot of people of the Heineken minikeg that's been on the market for a while. However, as we attempted to tap the keg, we had some hardware difficulties attaching the spigot to tap the keg and some of the beer was seeping out of its top as it was being released from its intended spout.

And so we resorted to tapping off what beer we could, and whatever collected at the top we poured off into another glass. Unfortunately, the simple instructions didn't provide much guidance into how to manage this type of situation. Maybe it was because we were all minikeg tapping virgins, but despite following the instructions, it took a bit of creative finagling to finally get the minikeg to pour properly.

The taste was still the Newcastle I knew and loved. We were expecting restaurant quality draft beer, but felt the flavor was more similar to the cans and bottles you buy at your local store. Nonetheless, this product definitely scores points in coolness, portability (weighs around 15lbs I think - easy enough for my skinny arms to carry) and really, can there ever be too much beer in your life??

Newcastle DraughtKeg
Available for $22.99 at BevMo, Albertsons, and select retailers

Bonus points to peeps who can guess from where I derived this blogpost title :)