Hipster's Escape from Douchebag Central aka Hollywood Blvd

I was invited to a birthday dinner at Beso in Hollywood last week. But no way was I gonna drop $100 at a restaurant that was co-owned by a celebrity (Eva Longoria in this case) unless the executive chef was Thomas Keller of French Laundry and the much anticipated Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills (which it obviously wasn't). So I just said that I would meet up for drinks after their dinner. I arrived a bit early and as I was standing around Beso's front bar surrounded by douchebags and a cocktail list averaging $15, I knew I needed to escape until I can be fashionably late to my party. The Cahuenga corridor (Cahuenga Blvd between Hollywood and Selma) has several options for those who wanna get away from the touristy douchey crowd so typical of Hollywood. After passing many clubby places along this strip that I couldn't bring myself to walk into alone (Velvet Margarita, Beauty Bar, etc) I found Capitol City. I remembered reading about Capitol City being an "upscale sports lounge" in the heart of Hollywood. To me, it was a relaxed reprieve from the adrenaline pumped playground surrounding most of Hollywood on a Friday night.

It felt kinda dead considering it was a Friday night at 10:30pm aside from a few small groups of diners and a couple canoodling in the corner, but it had exactly what I needed: an open and inviting atmosphere, a readily accessible bar, lots of TV screens for distraction, and a reasonably priced menu. I ended up ordering a Purple Haze draft ($7) and a Spicy Tuna with Crispy Rice ($8). The beer was so cold it almost felt like there were ice chips in it...mmmm..... and the tuna/rice combination was also quite tasty and I liked the little disc of serrano chile they donned on top. They had nearly 20 beers on tap in addition to their full bar and a variety of menu options including fancy burgers and fancy pizzas.

The servers and staff were all very friendly as well. Oh and I REALLY liked their retractable purse hooks that are under the bar! At first I couldnt locate them so my initial thought was "Figures, of course a sports bar geared towards men wouldn't be equipped with purse hooks" but boy was I wrong! It's just that they're the retractable folding kind so no one can bump their knees into it ;) So ladies, you too can feel safe hanging out here!

This place is the perfect getaway if you're looking for a more chill way to hang out in Hollywood with its reasonable prices, yummy food, great draft beer selection, and huge glass panels facing Cahuenga Blvd. My friend Carleen who met up with me here before we returned to Beso to join our party also said that she would like to come back here again.

I'll see you again, Capitol City!

Capitol City Hollywood
1615 N Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-465-1750
http://www.capcitysports.com/main.html

If it's good enough for fauxlahipster's birthday party, it's good enough for you

I get asked all the time for bar and restaurant recommendations. But when it came time to figure out my own birthday party, I really wanted a home run in terms of location, ambiance, food, drinks and service for my 25+ guests with ages ranging from mid 20s to late 30s.

After reading countless Yelp reviews and talking to friends, many of whom are well informed bloggers like The Delicious Life and Caroline on Crack, and even fishing on twitter, I had narrowed it down to a few options. The rooftop lounge at Bond St, Trader Vics in Beverly Hills, and Medusa Lounge in Silver Lake.

Here's what I was looking for:

• Somewhat nice and upscale lounge atmosphere without being overly douchey
  
• Drinks that averaged under $12
• No velvet rope nonsense all night long
• Location near Koreatown since many of my lame friends hate to leave a 5 mile radius of it
  
• Easy parking - via inexpensive valet/lot or ample on street
• Nice to have's: outdoor area, rooftop views

My birthday buddy Raymond (his bday is a few days before mine so we decided to enter a joint bday venture) and I did a few drive by's of potential options near downtown LA and when we stopped to check out Medusa, we were like Goldilocks when she found her bed - it was just right. They fulfilled every one of my key criteria in terms of location, ambience, and cost. They have a nify page on their website where you fill in a few blanks and the manager Yosh will email you the next day with reservation details. Quick and efficient, especially for people who are afraid to talk on the phone like me - let's not get into the part when I was a kid and my mom would have to feed me a script so I could tell the gas station attendant how much money to apply to our pump.

The ambiance: Medusa is in the former Lowenbrau Keller space which I've never been to. But I was told it was a former German pub/brewery type place. Many "old" details remain at Medusa including the exposed brick walls and vaulted ceilings. It definitely had that goth-like design which I thought was a perfect prelude to Halloween coming up. The lounge portion is an L-shaped space with the walls lined in tufted sofas and a large bar in the middle. So no matter where you're sitting, you have visual access to the bar. The back room is a bit darker and louder allowing you to get your groove on after downing the many shots that bday revelers usually do.

Food/Drink: Birthday buddy, Caroline on Crack, her boyfriend Jay, and I were the first to arrive and none of us had eaten dinner, so we decided to order up some grub. Think of the food as fancified pub grub. I had fried ravioli (2 huge raviolis) served on a bed of rich marinara and topped with a light truffle cream. CoC had what appeared to be an asian spiced sauteed shrimp with bruschetta. Birthday buddy ordered a calamari salad - which he didn't even offer to share, that bastard. Can't remember what Jay ordered. It wasn't exactly Michelin star haute cuisine, but it sure beat bucket-o-wings and greasy fries!

If you opt for bottle service, they offer several specials including a free appetizer platter with the first bottle and 20%(?) off of the second bottle. We ended up ordering one bottle which came with every type of mixer imaginable including Red Bull.

As we entered, the door guy Rob gave each of my guests a little card that entitled us to a flavored shot served in a test tube for $1. It tasted pretty nasty, but everyone seemed to dig the $1 shot served in a test tube concept.

The service: I really think Medusa's service was what really set them apart in excellence. Many bars and lounges in LA can boast a luxe or interesting interior and reasonably priced cocktails. But few can couple these qualities with a friendliness and hospitality that really made me and all my guests feel so welcome. It started off with Yosh accommodating my one bazillion requests and even offering to let us bring our own mixed CD to play in the lounge - which I didn't do out of sheer laziness, much to my dismay. The door guy Rob is mad cool and a total sweetheart. He's a big and hulky in appearance, but he does his job so well, with a finesse that I wish he could teach to other door guys. Our cocktail waitress Irina (sp?) was so friendly and even though a lot of my friends were ordering drinks from the bar instead of from her, thereby reducing her tip, she was still cool about it saying "the girls at the bar need the tips too." Aw, what a team player!

The night was wearing on and it was time to leave. As our car began to pull out of the valet lot (which is only $5 by the way), Yosh stopped us to give each of the birthday babies a gift - a bottle of champagne! I've never heard of a bar gifting regular old joe's like us, but I thought that was the nicest most thoughtful thing any bar staff or restaurateur has done for me. And I have been to A LOT of bars and restaurants.

So I wanted to write this post to give Medusa the just credit it deserves. If you're looking for a elegant yet laid back space to hold your event, birthday party, or filming your teen angst vampire movie, you definitely won't be disappointed here.

Medusa Lounge
http://medusaloungela.com/
8pm-2am Wed-Sat
3211 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90057
213-382-5723
Neighborhood: Silver Lake

Thanks to Caroline on Crack for the food and drink pictures

Good places to host birthday parties

For some reason, I feel like everyone has a birthday in January or February. So I've been getting lots of inquiries from friends on what would be a good spot to host a casual yet upscale and FUN birthday party for groups of 6-20. These are some not-so-mainstream restaurants and bars that have little rooms in which you could host events whose prices won't blow a hole through your wallet. Because obviously, a hipster would never dream of hosting anything at Dave n Busters or Buca di Beppo.

See links for venue details. Listed in order from lowbrow (ain't nothing wrong with lowbrow) to highbrow (you gots some money to burn baby):

Papa Cristos
Boy oh boy, do I freakin love this place!! It's an awesomely authentic Greek restaurant just south of Koreatown serving gyros, lamb, spanikopita (did I spell that right?), and all other things deliciously Greek. It's definitely more on the casual side with the blue and white tablecloths and paper napkins. But that's part of the charm of this place. They have an outdoor patio that's probably good in the warmer months for events, but the indoor restaurant also would be good for a casual sit-down group dinner. Thursday nights offer a prix fixe special and "live entertainment" whatever that means ;) You can always finish off the night with a nightcap at one of the many ktown watering holes...hehe

Location: Koreatown adjacent


Cafe Surfas
Surfas the store claims to be "Chef's Paradise" as it's a chef and restaurant supply store. So judging by that and the constant crowds eating here, you know the food at it's adjoining restaurant is going to be chef-quality good. It's only open during the daytime, so it would have to be a brunch/lunch type party. But on a warm day, surrounded by good food and kitchen stuff is definitely my idea of a fun time :)

Location: Culver City


Royal/T
I've loved this place since my first visit when Caroline on Crack and I decided to pop in on a warm fall afternoon. It's a cross between a casual tea parlor, Giant Robot (the little shop on Sawtelle selling random cutesy Japanese tchotchkes), an anime art gallery, and restaurant. And it was deemed cool enough to host Yelp's 2008 Elite Holiday Party. But what makes it a great spot to host a party is that there's a couple of different rooms. The one in the middle can probably fit 5-10 comfortably and has a projection screen and neato funky furniture to lounge on. The rear area can probably accommodate a lot of people... like 50+. The first time I went, Mercedes Benz was doing some Fashion Week after party there. As an added bonus, the lady who owns this place is super sweet. Not sure how the food is , but the ambiance is pretty awesome.

Location: Culver City


The Abbey
For girls that wanna ogle at hot guys, but feel guilty about doing so because you're married, have a bf, etc, then the Abbey is perfect. It's a West Hollywood gay institution filled with an eclectic mix of people from all walks of life, ethnicity, and ages. I always have a great time here whether I go with my gay friends or not and even had a celeb sighting (Perez Hilton) on one random Sunday night. The atmosphere is non-pretentious and friendly which is a commodity in Hollywood. Food and drinks are both quite yummy and they have lots of little random rooms, so it could easily be turned into a bday party spot.

Location: West Hollywood


Casa Cocina Y Cantina
This is a brand new upscale-ish Mexican-Latin restaurant that opened last week in downtown LA. The thing that really appeals to me are the little "casitas" which look like little pods so you can get some privacy for your group, but also enjoy the larger restaurant should you choose. I haven't been here yet, but if you have, let me know what you think of it :)

Location: Downtown LA


The Edison
Although this place is pretty mainstream and often becomes a B&T destination on weekends, I still do appreciate it because of the beautifully designed interior and innovative drink selections. For people who have never been, it definitely will leave a lasting impression. It's in an old electricity factory so the motif is depression-era industrial chic. There are lots of little rooms of varying sizes that can host events. And if you go a bit earlier (like before midnight I think), they have a kitchen churning out some yummy food as well.

Location: Downtown LA


Cafe Was
Stones throw from the Arclight Cinemas on Sunset and Vine is this little semi-hidden restaurant. Inside is what I can only call "neo-classical-French" with lots of red lighting and ornate furniture and that rotating piano in the center of the restaurant. Upstairs has a little bar that's perfect for hosting a "non-dinner hangout and drink" type party. It'll probably hold 20+ people and when I accidentally stumbled up there once, everyone looked to be having a great time. If you want it to be a dinner thing, this place has some yummy albeit a bit pricey French-European inspired fare.

Location: Hollywood proper

I actually have more ideas that I didn't include on this list. So if you're still at a loss, just hit me up and let me know :)

Me encanta El Carmen

She drew me in with her seductive perfume.

well, not really....

But after nearly missing, but passing by many times, I finally got a chance to check out El Carmen.

I love how LA has such a large variety of Mexican eating/drinking joints. You get your ghetto yet delicious taco trucks, your highbrow cantinas (like Ciudad or Casa). Then you have these nifty little bar/restaurants like El Carmen.

Walking in, it's like you've stepped into a world of mariachis mashed up with your favorite luchadores mashed up with your favorite tequila library. It's lit up in multi-reddish christmas lights, but it's not in a tacky way. The walls are adorned with portraits of mexican masked wrestlers (luchadores), but it's not brusque or intimidating.

After seeing the big old jar at the bar filled with pineapple chunks and finding out from the bartenderess that this was indeed pineapple-infused tequila, it's flavor quite surprised me. It wasn't sweet like I expected. Rather, it had the pungent tequila aroma I expected, laced with a hint of the pineapply spice. It's hard to explain, you'll just have to order it yourself ($8) :P Add a dash of salt to your hand before gulping that tequila and it'll enhace everything even more...

This place is literally a tequila library - there were pages upon pages of tequilas on the menu. I wouldn't be surprised if it numbered over 100! So if you want to graduate from "let's get drunk with tequila shots!" and elevate yourself to a true tequila connoisseur, this just might be your place.

They also have a yummy sounding food menu with the standard taco/enchilada/tamale fare for under $10. I also recall a tomatillo glazed rib entree that sounded interesting.

I came to this place on a Wednesday night and it wasn't too crazy, but I've been told it can be a real clusterf*ck on weekends. But then again, if you wanted to be in an empty room with a bunch of booze, why would you even leave your house in the first place, right?

El Carmen
8138 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 852-1552

Why LA is better than SF - Father's Office v. The Toronado

The whole "which city in Cali is better - LA v SF" is a topic that all Californians (and some non-Californians) have probably treaded more than they'd like. Yeah, I'll admit it, I think the Angelenos do a lot of things better. In fact, I think LA is waaay better than SF. At least in the things that matter to me :)

Aside from the 10 months a year of awesome weather, I've discovered yet another reason why LA is awesome (at least compared to SF)... the better beer pub.

Monday night, the last night of my epic SF visit, I was fortunate enough to visit the Toronado. Apparently this place is an SF institution in the lower Haight for beer and truckers and a kitschy cool that can never be replicated by high-powered chain restaurants. Everyone was raving about this place - my friends, the people I met up with inside, everyone. Indeed, it is a sight to behold and the crowd flowing through the night varied from local yuppies, guys finishing their shifts at the auto body shop, and later - the underage hipsters who probably used fake ids to get in.

The locals who brought me here were raving about the historic significance of this place and how it had "so many" different types of beer on tap. But I still think that at the end of the day, Father's Office (FO) is simply the superior brew pub. I certainly enjoyed my time at the Toronado, but here's a head-to-head comparison

1. The Beer - obviously the most important part of a beer pub. Toronado certainly had a respectful and carefully selected variety. But in terms of quantity, FO definitely wins. There may be 100s of different tap-pulls on the walls, but the actual beers you can order are only listed on the far wall and number about 20 on any given night. FO has closer to 50 different just as carefully selected beers. Though I did have a glass of hot spiced meade which I quite enjoyed at Toronado...

Winner - FO

2. The Food - Toronado doesn't sell food, but they let you bring your own or order from the sausage joint next door. Which is all cool and dandy. But really, can anything compare to the FO burger?! I think not!

Winner - FO

3. The Atmosphere - Toronado is this weird cross section of blue collar joes, urban hipsters, and just plain freaky weirdos off the street. FO Santa Monica is a casual woodsy neighborhood pub whose popularity outgrew its physical size. FO Culver City is a sleek bar/lounge that still retains the casual feel of the SM location with a mix of locals stopping for dinner, groups of friends, and random couples on dates, and the occasional celebrity sighting (I saw Evan Handler aka Harry Rosenblatt of SATC fame here once).

Winner - tie

Overall score: FO 2, Toronado 0.

You do the math.

"Secret" upstairs lounge in Koreatown

Despite the fact that I thought I was so done and over with Koreatown or "ktown" as the locals like to call it, sometimes it shows me a side of itself that gives me hope once again that reinvention is possible at any age.

Last night, my homegirl Cat invited me to a night out with one of her older guy friends and his buddies. We ended up going to a place called Gaam inside the Chapman Plaza in ktown. Apparently it used to be a pool hall called Renaissance back in the days (I'm guessing the 90s). I've been to this place in its previous incarnation last year when it was a fancy schmancy coffeeshop/cafe by the same name. But last night I was almost blown away.

First of all, you can't see this place from the outside. It's a place you only go to if someone takes you there, or if you read about it somehow. It's entrance is right next door to the entrance of Bohemian Cafe which is readily visible from the northwest corner of 6th and Alexandria. Once you get there, you ascend these steps and arrive at a huge space with 20ft vaulted ceilings and a yakitori/sushi station. Behind some bamboo trees that double as a room divider is the main seating area where lots of little groups of people can get together to enjoy themselves.

A projection tv plays music videos that match the music being played inside which was really cool. I hate when places show music videos, but the music itself is something else. So lame... I was mesermized by this tv. I'm not sure if it was because I found it so entertaining or because I thought the guys we were with were a bunch of yucky skeezebags. But I was glad to have it regardless. It was playing mostly 80s hits and a lot of Britney Spears' new stuff. As well as some kpop videos.

The food and drink selections were standard ktown fare: soju, beer, roast chicken, assorted yakitoris. Cat ordered what she called a "japanese style pancake" which was a chewy mass of imitation crab meat and batter topped with a generous amount of bonito flakes and squirts of mayo. This was strangely delicious! It was a great balance of chewy yet crunchy (it's served on a hot skillet), oceany (from the crab meat and bonito flakes) and creamy (from the mayo). This one's a keeper.

They're currently running a happy hour promotion Mon-Thur from 5-8:30pm where for $19.99, you can get a bottle of soju and lots of yummy little food items that would be more than enough to comprise dinner for 2 (or 3 if you're light eaters).

I really liked the fact that this place feels hidden and off the beaten track, even though it's right inside the wildly popular Chapman Plaza. I like the fact that it's got these super tall ceilings that create the dramatic effect. And there are windows overlooking 6th St . I'll have to come back here someday with people I actually like next time (except for Cat, she's cool... ;P )

Gaam Yakidori & Sake Bar
3465 W6th St Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 388 8850

the holy trifecta of free parties

Last night Sarah and I went to the Daily Candy Holiday Fete at decadestwo on Melrose, sponsored by Disaronno. This party had what I affectionately call the "holy trifecta" of free parties.

Element 1 - free booze. Lots of parties have this. This one was no exception. The disaronno was definitely flowing

Element 2 - free food, ideally in the form of something created by a fancy catering company. This is a bit rarer than free booze and sometimes isn't even announced, but if it happens and you can get to it without competing with ravenous vultures and shameless old people, it's pretty awesome.

This place had passed hors d'oeuvres of: steak on potato cakes, tomato/mozzarella/basil on skewers, chicken salad sandwich on almond bread, whipped blue cheese on frisee with fig jelly, salmon with creme fraiche with fennel on lavosh, and an amazing cheesecake thingie for dessert :d

Element 3 - the goodie bag. A really good party will have elements 1 and 2, and as you leave, one of the workers should hand you a goodie bag. It's contents can often be dubious or even lame, but it's always nice to walk out of a party carrying a little paper bag and feeling cooler than all the plebians walking around empty handed.

The contents of this goodie bag last night were: book of Daily Candy Lexicon (MSRP ~$15), a set of disaronno refrigerator magnets made of little tiles with cocktail recipes printed on them (tres chic!), lip plumper gloss, a sample of pantene blonde expressions shampoo/conditioner, and some marketing materials (aka throw away cards). Not bad! :D

Decasdes two is a cute little store with super expensivo second hand stuff by all the big names: Prada, LV, Chanel, Christian Louboutain (sp?) discounted from their retail price of $1000+ to around $200-500. It was like being in a fancy clothes/shoes/bag museum.

But after about an hour of all this eating/boozing/shopping, we were ready to bounce out. Ambling along a rather dead Melrose ave at around 8pm, we saw a neat looking store/event space. Turned out that it was the highbrow lingerie/sex toy store Kiki de Montparnasse. We were greeted by a super friendly awesome gal who worked there (wish I got her name) and she was showing us all kinds of neat fancy lingerie and "classy" sex toys. I liked how these toys had a multi-functional element to them. Jewelry/art by day, naught toys by night... haha.

We made a quick pitstop at Winchells Donuts on Melrose. This place is ghetto fabulous! A dingy little donut shop sandwiched between hoity toity stores and restaurants. As Sarah and I walked out, the creepy old guy eating at the table waved at us to say "hi". What are creepy old guys thinking when they wave to hot girls like us? Do they expect us to stop and say hi and flirt with them at Winchells? I don't get people sometimes....


Our next stop was to meet up with Caroline at Cafe Wa s. I normally don't like places with gimmicky names like this, but that's another story.... I always thought this place would be a dingy little diner next to the Arclight, but turned out to be a beautiful French Renaissance-style restaurant with a rotating piano platform at its center. There were lots of cute little rooms to eat, hang, or have a little party. Considering how nice this place looked on the inside, I thought the food prices were pretty reasonable. Oh, and the staff here (mostly male) are all so cute and nice, both gay and straight! I was majorly crushing on our waiter. Oh what's his name.... carlos? He was just so friendly and adorable. ;)

Finally, we hopped over to the Hungry Cat next door. I love how this place does such a great job at incorporating seasonal ingredients into both their food and cocktail menu. I had a persimmon margarita (reposado tequila, persimmon juice, lime with a cinnamon sugar rim $13). I loved that rimmer!! Cinnamon on the nose, salt on the tongue, my senses were in a state of confused bliss.

All that activity and I was still home before 1am. Not bad :) I hope some more crazy adventures unfold this weekend! :D

Just what this world needs - another blog

Last night, myself, Caroline and Dre hit up Rush Street where I was served mediocre tuna tartare "nachos" by a waiter that my companions considered a royal douchebag. I really didn't think he was so bad. At times, there was a line to get upstairs to the bar area with the stripper pole. WTF?

This was followed up by a visit to Backstage Bar whose existence I just found out about, and so close to my hood! A rather neighborhoody dive bar replete with a karaoke stage. Good place to have deep conversations on a date though, cuz the other patrons are not too pretty, so your date won't be distracted by the eye candy. And they have my favorite - Newcastle Brown Ale - on tap! woohoo!!