Thursday, April 30, 2009

NYC's Human Petting Zoo??? hmmm....

MAN AND BEAST
Human Petting Zoo at Brouwerij Lane

Why bother with the zoo when you can hang out with a wild-eyed, furry-minded arts collective? This Saturday, a group known as the Club Animals is taking over a Greenpoint beer hall for a night of live music, anthropomorphic revelry and, of course, heavy petting.

411:
1-4pm, May 2, at Brouwerij Lane, 78 Greenpoint Ave (W. of Franklin), Brooklyn

New Speak Easy (ish) in La La Land


The Varnish

118 East Sixth StreetLos Angeles, CA 90014

213.622.9999


A tiny, clandestine joint in the heart of downtown LA is finally bringing the worth of a drink up to its value. The Varnish is ruthlessly fighting the war against the plain and simple, turning a classic cocktail into a customizable piece of artwork. Who wouldn't want to have their drink made to order, with hordes of fresh ingredients laid out in front of them.


Walking into Cole's French Dip, the classic diner in which Varnish resides, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. A step past the hidden door (a martini glass picture is the only sign of life behind the mysterious entryway), and you are suddenly transported into a hush-hush wonderland. A few booths and a bar was all it took. Grab a spot and ask the mad scientist to work his magic. Glass beakers filled with liquor, juices, and even rosewater were being measured and poured left and right, like a science class experiment.

DOWNTOWN LA HOT PLACES TO EAT-Who knew?

The hot new downtown L.A. restaurant scene
By S. IRENE VIRBILA, Restaurant Critic

Downtown? Until very recently, if you asked someone to meet you for dinner there, it was roughly the equivalent of asking them to join you on the moon. I've met people who have never been within shouting distance of the area, even though they've lived in L.A. practically all their lives. Time to get over it, because downtown L.A. has blossomed into a bona fide destination with a growing roster of intriguing dining possibilities.So much, in fact, is happening downtown, restaurant-wise, that it's difficult for a hardworking critic to keep up. For the first time in decades, the city's center offers a full array of places to eat at all price levels, with more opening all the time.

Sibling to Chaya Brasserie Beverly Hills (and Chaya Venice, as well as a San Francisco outpost), the new Chaya Downtown showcases chef Shigefumi Tachibe's East-West cooking in a restaurant with a grand outdoor terrace, a full sushi bar and a handsomely appointed dining room. The menu is very appealing, because it's so different from the other high-end restaurants in this part of town. Tachibe's got some delicious crudo (raw fish), a blood orange and beet salad with chèvre and dried figs, fresh grilled sardines with pearl barley and spring vegetables, miso-marinated white sea bass with rice galette and braised Kobe beef short ribs. The sommelier is on the case, and it all feels very sophisticated. By the library

Practically next door, in the same complex on Flower Street across from the Central Library, is Celestino Drago's most ambitious restaurant yet, Drago Centro. His first restaurant downtown, it's quite the glamour queen, with an expansive bar, an outdoor terrace and a dining room with vaulted ceilings and black Venetian glass chandeliers. The view of the library and its garden is thrilling too.Drago and chef Ian Gresik's cooking does the space proud, with beguiling pasta dishes, such as oxtail ravioli with celery root, paccheri with spot prawns and puttanesca, or pizzoccheri made with buckwheat flour. Main courses, which include an excellent bisteccaPiemontese for two, are well-executed but can't compete with the pasta. A bar menu offers salumi, baccalà mantecato (salt cod purée), chickpea fritters and other stuzzichini (little bites) to go with a glass of Prosecco or aperitivo.

A slew of Latin-themed restaurants have opened downtown, but the best of the bunch is John Sedlar's Rivera, where the chef is making an overdue comeback with his refined and inventive cooking. A long, narrow space with a communal table, banquettes and a smaller dining room with walls lined in custom tequila bottlings, Rivera is a short stroll from L.A. Live. Stop in for some stellar tequila and tortillas florales (freshly made tortillas with flowers and herbs pressed into their surface) and avocado butter, maybe a short rib tamale or duck confit in a beautifully poised Rioja sauce.For thin-crusted Roman-style pizzas, head to Bottega Louie at 7th and Grand, a combination restaurant-bar-gourmet grocery and takeout with breathtakingly high ceilings and gilt-encrusted appointments. No reservations -- the place is huge -- for those pizzas, pasta, of course, and moderately priced entrees. Three thin Kurobuta pork chops with house-made chunky applesauce are just $14, sautéed chicken with artichokes and capers, $15. Dried pastas fare better than the clunky, too-rich ravioli. On the way out, you can pick up some Straus Family milk or cream, maybe a chocolate bar too.

Former Bastide chef Walter Manzke has gotten into French bistro food in a big way at Church & State in the former loading dock of the 1925 National Biscuit Co. Building. The place, backed by Cobras & Matadors' Stephen Arroyo, can feel like one night-long party, with piazza lights strung across the high ceilings, red leather bistro chairs and a bar serving trendy absinthe. And the food is terrific: Manzke makes his own charcuterie and changes the menu frequently to present his take on bistro classics such as escargots (each snail in its own porcelain dish topped with a flirty puff pastry crown), cassoulet (a different one each day), marinated herring and potato salad, house-cured salmon tart, and mussels steamed in white wine and served with a heap of pommes frites fried in lard for extra flavor. With most of the main courses less than $20, including a fine duck confit, small wonder the place is packed every night.

Wurst and friesThe quirky Wurstküche is a sausage lover's dream. The concept is simple: more than 20 different sausages (alligator and pork smoked andouille or duck and bacon with jalapeño, anyone?) on a soft bun with your choice of accompaniments (caramelized onions, sweet peppers and sauerkraut, for example), a bevy of mustards, a side of stubby Belgian fries. Now you've got your choice of two dozen or so draft beers, an additional dozen in bottles -- and, if one of the young owners is around, a built-in beer sommelier. Once you've got your brew -- and your sausage (in theory, eight minutes from the time it goes on the fire), head for the festive back room, which is outfitted with a long communal table, mismatched chairs and, when you're ready for another beer, a bar. It's open all through the afternoon and late into the night for a quick pick-me-up.What downtown doesn't have its classic diners?

DINER
Now we have the charming Nickel Diner in a properly funky neighborhood, a sweet update on a classic with period light fixtures, red Naugahyde seating and retro comfort food from chef Monica May.Though it draws a crowd at breakfast (maple-glazed bacon doughnuts) and lunch (BLTs and pulled pork sandwiches), it's just opened for dinner. Get your bowl of chicken pozole garnished with tortilla strips and avocado, an order of crunchy onion rings, a gooey patty melt or a Nickel burger with brilliant skinny fries. But I'm for the pure comfort of a roast chicken stuffed with mushroom duxelles and perched on a classic bread stuffing with pan gravy. For dessert? Try pastry chef Charlena Fong's red velvet layer cake, "salt peanuts" cake or an haute version of the Hostess Ding Dong.

Wine bars don't come any sleeker than Corkbar at 12th and Grand. In a space with soaring ceilings, wine storage that reaches for the heights and a nifty, wraparound bar, tall tables, rock-hard stools and benches and a spacious outdoor terrace, Corkbar focuses on California wines. Not all of the staff is wine-savvy, so you're basically on your own, though the list does offer descriptions. It's also pricey: Only two of the wines by the glass cost less than $10.The food is mostly snacks and sandwiches -- farmhouse Cheddar gougères (cheese puffs), mac 'n' cheese revved up with Pasilla chiles, grilled cheese or farmers market veggie sandwiches. Still, it's a nice place to hang, and it's open -- as they say -- "from 11:30 a.m." (That seems to translate to until midnight most weeknights and later on the weekends).

Seafood in styleSushi Gen is still the best spot for sushi downtown, but there's almost always a wait. If you want to eat Japanese in a stylish setting, there's R23,which is holding its own after 16 years. But sushi is not the best item on the menu. Instead, go with the reliable crab salad, made with lump crab meat, or the delicious salmon skin salad, both in a perky dressing. Try the crunchy hot wasabi greens too, or the miso soup with clams. The grilled yellowtail collar is a must. Take your chopsticks and dig into the rich, moist flesh, caramelized at the edges -- it's a real treat. The loft-like setting, with its bare brick walls, Gauguin-esque paintings and Frank Gehry's cardboard chairs, is a plus too.

And last but not least, Water Grill is still the place downtown for impeccable chilled shellfish -- fresh Dungeness crab, Long Island cherrystone clams, oysters from all over, Mexican white shrimp. But also, be sure to take advantage of chef David LeFevre's thoughtful seafood cooking with global accents. Blue and Dungeness crab cake is almost as big as a baseball: Inside, pure lump crabmeat is dressed up with yogurt sauce and harissa. Bigeye tuna tartare comes with green papaya and a thrilling Thai heat.Surf and turf is Santa Barbara spot prawn with lacquered pork cheek, while Maine diver scallops are paired with braised pork jowl embellished with cinnamon oil. Wild, but it works. Plus, the wine list is filled with labels that complement the seafood, and the service from white-jacketed waiters is among the best in town.

TAVERN-NOW OPEN in BRENTWOOD

Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne
are pleased to announce the opening of
tavern
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Bar and Dinner from 5:00
For reservations please call:
310 806 6464

Breakfast and Lunch coming soon!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

It's NYC's Time- TRIBECA

Downtown’s New Cheese Mecca (and French Bistro)

They say, when the going gets tough, the tough eat cheese.So thankfully, there’s a new cheese temple in town…Say bonjour to Bar Artisanal, opening soon in Tribeca. The latest in fromage offerings comes to you from Terrance Brennan, New York’s cheese kingpin, and chef/owner of Artisanal and Picholine. At Bar Artisanal, which takes over an enormous spectacular space with a soaring ceiling and a whole wall of iron-framed windows, expect frugal versions of Brennan’s beautifully cheesy Francophile comforts. Along with the usual bespoke roster of gourmet gooey mac ‘n cheeses, Comte beignets, and look for savory pies (croustades) and blistered French onion pizzas (pissaladieres) cooked in a wood-burning oven. Also an impressive list of artisanal beers, wines by the glass, and and even a mixologist to help keep things interesting.Bar Artisanal268 West Broadway (at Sixth Avenue), Tribeca

High-Tech Wine Tasting by the Beach




Pourtal
104 Santa Monica Blvd(between Ocean and 2nd)
Santa Monica, CA
90401310-393-7693
website

A gleaming little oceanside wine bar called Pourtal opens tomorrow to take the oenophile in you into the future. Stepping in from the salty air, you'll be greeted by a small space lined with bottles in electronic dispensers—brandish your punch card (preloaded with money) and tell the machine what to pour you. You can proceed according to your whims…or according to the tasting cards, which offer you a museumlike guided tour based on revolving themes: "Pinot Envy," maybe, or "Three's Company," a leisurely tour through bottles of tri-grape blends. (And if you need to fuel up along the way, there are a handful of tasty crostini options, and mozzarella from Andrew's Cheese Shop.) Sure, you might think you've seen this kind of thing before—but at Pourtal your card will be personalized, so your tastings and favorites will be accessible online when you're at the store and really need that unforgettable Syrah you've nonetheless forgotten.Another innovation: happy hour. The prices stay the same (stay with us here), but all profits during that time will go to a different nonprofit organization each month—first up in June is Heal the Bay.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Silver Lake Wine-Got to love it

The best deal!!!!
sundays at three 3pm
This is the most structured of the three tastings. We require a reservation for the Sunday tasting as we cap it at 50 people. There are four featured wines plus one aperitif. Each wine is paired with an hors d'oeuvre that will complement the wine and/or represent the region that is featured. The Sunday tasting also includes an informative presentation and an opportunity to ask questions. $20 per person
2395 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90039
323-662-9024

Blue Monday 5pm-9pm
Blatant Low Key Relaxation. We open three distinctly different wines and serve cheese from the Cheese Store of Silverlake (Sunset Junction). Come and go as you please, no reservation required. $12 per person

Wednesday-The Standard Downtown-Silvelake Wine Hosts
5 to 8 PM
3 Glass flight and snacks $20.00 per person
Live DJ 21+
550 South Flower Street, Los Angeles

Thursday night flights 5pm-9pm
A flight consists of a sampling of three wines of a particular category (it may be a grape, a wine maker or a region) to compare and contrast. We offer both red and white flights. $12 per flight, per person. Single glasses or a supplemental glass are also available for $4. Come and go as you please, no reservation required.

DEAL-Ways to spend your week for less $$

Please call ahead to make sure the deals are still ongoing!


Mondays
In Los Feliz, Little Dom's is featuring a $15 prix-fixe supper on Monday nights featuring seasonal dishes like fried green tomatoes with sun dried tomato pesto, white corn polenta with wild mushrooms, and Mexican chocolate budino. Bottles of Dago Red or White are $10, and Peroni beer is $2. Little Dom's, 2128 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027, 323-661-0055.

Ongoing
Given the state of the economy, it’s great to find a good value for one of the city’s most legendary frou-frou cocktail bars. Lola's, the West Hollywood hot spot, offers the "Hard Times Happy Hour," which is available seven days a week from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., featuring its famous martinis for $5, and appetizer specials for $5.50. Known for its signature apple martini and a list of 79 other varieties---the largest in town---Lola's spotlights several renditions during the happy hour, including apple, raspberry, Cosmo, dirty, dry, peach and grapefruit. Each martini is made with the "vodka of the month." Featured $5.50 appetizers include short rib tacos, chicken spring rolls, sweet potato fries, and spinach-artichoke dip. Lola's, 945 N. Fairfax Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90046, 323-654-5652.

Ongoing
Executive chef Kenny Yamada of Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant + Elevate Lounge offers a lounge menu featuring items like calamari served with cilantro aioli, a chicken robata trio, Japanese fries flavored with seaweed flakes, and tempura shishito peppers stuffed with spicy tuna. During the weekday happy hour (Mon.-Fri.) from 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., all bar food items are half off, and diners can sip regularly priced wines from the "WINE-ding Down" list for $5 a glass. Happy hour prices are valid only for diners seated in the bar area. Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant + Elevate Lounge, 811 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017, 213-236-9600.

Mondays
Hollywood's Citizen Smith is featuring a "friends and family" special on Mondays, with 50 percent off all food all day long. Jazz Tuesday offers half-off bottles of wine and live music through the evening. Citizen Smith, 1600 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028, 323-461-5001.

Monday through Friday
Apparently, even Katsuya is noticing the recession and is offering a new happy hour Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with select specialty cocktails and menu items priced at $9 each. Drinks include the sugarsnap (sweet pea-infused vodka and citrus) and the watermelon cucumber mojito, as well as hot sake carafes and all well drinks. Pair them with Katsuya staples like crispy rice, baked hand crab roll and rock shrimp tempura. Each of the SBE-owned Katsuya locations, Brentwood, Hollywood and Glendale, will be offering the specials.

Mondays
Xiomara on Melrose introduces Cubano Mondays featuring a three-course dinner menu. The family-style meal offers a mojito and a weekly changing main course, including Bistec Empanizado, thinly sliced breaded top sirloin; Pierna de Lechón Asasda, roasted leg of pork marinated Cuban-style; Bacalao a la Vizcaina, salted cod fish Vizcaya Style; and Rabo Encendido, oxtail stew in traditional Cuban sofrito. Dinners include a greens and watercress salad with green peas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and radish in lime dressing, plus a classic flan for dessert. The Cubano Mondays menu costs $25 per person. Xiomara on Melrose, 6101 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038, 323-461-0601.

Monday through Thursday
For the value-oriented diner, Cézanne's executive chef Desi Szonntagh now offers daily-changing prix-fixe meals for lunch and dinner Mon.-Thurs. The three-course lunch is priced at $25 and may include items like a Cobb salad; a New York steak sandwich on baguette with Maui onion crisps, arugula salad and french fries; and a daily dessert special. For the three-course dinner, priced at $35, the menu may feature dishes such as shrimp and wild mushroom spring roll; organic salmon served with cilantro pesto, fresh egg noodles and a hoisin glaze; and a chocolate mocha torte. Cézanne, Le Merigot a JW Marriott Beach Hotel & Spa, Santa Monica, 1740 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401, 310-395-9700, 800-323-7500.

Monday through Thursday
Whiskey Blue at the W Los Angeles Westwood offers the "Whiskey After Work" happy hour from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. The gourmet sliders and other appetizers are priced at $7, and the selection of $9 specialty cocktails includes the strawberry mojito, pomegranate margarita, and grapefruit basil martini. Valet parking is also discounted to $5. Whiskey Blue, W Los Angeles Westwood, 930 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024, 310-443-8211.

Mondays
Enjoy a sweet (and gratis) ending to a meal at The Bistro Garden at Coldwater. On Mondays, diners receive a complimentary chocolate soufflé with each entrée ordered. The Bistro Garden at Coldwater, 12950 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604, 818-501-0202.

Monday through Friday
Weekdays from 4:30 p.m.-7 p.m., NeoMezē now hosts Happy Hour, with 50% off cocktails, beer and wine, plus $5 meze. Dishes include tempura onion rings with blue cheese dressing, smoked pork ribs with jicama mango salad and Boddington's beer-battered fish & chips. Complimentary marinated olives and house-made potato chips are available at the bar. NeoMezē, 20 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91105, 626-793-3010.

Mondays
Start off the week right at Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante in West Hollywood, where every Monday you'll save 50% on your food bill. Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante, 8284 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90046, 323-852-7174.

Mondays
Amaranta Cocina Mexicana, Eduardo and Sylvia Rallo’s contemporary Mexican restaurant in Westfield Topanga Mall, is hosting educational tequila tastings on the last Monday of every month, allowing guests to sample up to six two-ounce pours of premium tequila. Executive Chef Sarah Rocio Gomez prepares tapas to complement each tequila, pairings like ceviche with the lighter blanco style, or a traditional Mexican dessert that can hold up against the more full-bodied añejos. Ambassadors from each featured tequila brand are available to field questions and provide tasting notes. The event runs from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. and costs $35 per person. Amaranta Cocina Mexicana, 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Ste. 1029, Canoga Park, CA 91303, 818-610-3599.

Monday through Friday
blue on blue at the Avalon Hotel is offering a new “kick the blues” poolside happy hour Monday through Friday from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Diners are invited to sample tapas-style specials available for $6 each or three items for $15, as well as a selection of $8 drink specials. Executive chef Scott Garrett’s happy hour menu includes Asian beef bowls with sesame dressing and noodles; tuna and mango crudo with cilantro cream, wontons and ginger syrup; mushroom risotto arancini with mascarpone, black trumpets and panko; and turkey albondigas with jalapeño and avocado. blue on blue, Avalon Hotel, 9400 W. Olympic Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212, 310-277-5221.

Wednesdays and Thursdays
Cézanne at Le Merigot a JW Marriott Beach Hotel & Spa, Santa Monica, offers "Comfort Food Nights" on Wednesdays and Thursdays featuring weekly rotating specials created by chef Desi Szonntagh. Dishes may include veal chops stuffed with Fontina and Porcini; Provençal lamb stew with carrots, turnips and red wine; and roast chicken with truffles under the skin. Cézanne, Le Merigot a JW Marriott Beach Hotel & Spa, Santa Monica, 1740 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401, 310-395-9700, 800-323-7500.

Wednesdays
Upstairs 2, located above West L.A.’s massive Wine House, offers a four-course dinner prepared by chef Todd Barrie every Wednesday, paired with four wines from around the world selected by sommelier Marilyn Snee. Each week will showcase a different wine region, and there will be a brief discussion of each wine and its pairing. The cost is $55 per person. Upstairs 2, 2311 Cotner Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064, 310-231-0316.

Wednesdays
On the heels of the cupcake craze comes another cute confection trend: doughnuts. Every Wednesday night, Grace restaurant switches out its usual dessert menu for a menu of gourmet doughnuts. Unlike the average doughnut, these are not meant to be eaten out of hand. Instead, you’ll find before you an elaborate concoction, such as chocolate hazelnut beignets with bananas Foster or brown sugar doughnuts accompanied by blackberry preserves, beurre noissette and fresh berry salad. Grace, 7360 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, 323-934-4400.

Fridays
In a concession to the financial times, the historic Edison is introducing its "Soup Kitchen" on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., featuring complimentary grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, plus a Depression Era cocktail at Depression Era prices---only 35 cents. Twenty-five percent of the net proceeds will go to local food banks and charities. The Edison, Higgins Building, 108 W. Second St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, 213-613-0000.

Fridays and Saturdays
The Beverly Hills location of Kate Mantilini has launched a late-night menu, available on Friday and Saturday nights, beginning at 10 p.m. Selections include sautéed sand dabs with lemon caper sauce, a blue-cheese bacon burger with beer-battered fries, frogs' legs with "plenty of garlic," and meatloaf with mashed potatoes, gravy and "the almighty kale." If you prefer breakfast, there are pancakes and smoked salmon Benedict. The restaurant also features a live DJ. Kate Mantilini, 9101 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210, 310-278-3699.

Fridays
On Friday evenings, Hampton's in the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village presents a seafood buffet featuring lobster, chef's action stations, chilled crab claws, shrimp and more. The cost is $59 per adult and $29.50 per child (ages five to 12), exclusive of tax, gratuities and beverages. The buffet is available from 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Hampton's, Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, Two Dole Dr., Westlake Village, CA 91362, 818-575-3000.

Sunday through Thursday
At Nobu Los Angeles, specials on cocktails and a large assortment of cold and hot tapas are discounted Sunday through Thursday all night in the bar and lounge only. Most dishes average around $8, including scallop with jalapeno salsa, king crab ceviche with truffled kabocha, and Nobu's sashimi tacos. Nobu Los Angeles, 903 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069, 310-657-5711.

Sundays
On Sunday nights, The Bistro Garden at Coldwater offers a three-course prix-fixe supper (valued at $64) for the price of $39. The offer is available from 5:30 p.m. on. For the menu, please visit bistrogarden.com. The Bistro Garden at Coldwater, 12950 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604, 818-501

Los Angeles Best Kept Secret

The Association

ONE: The atmosphere. Smart-looking leather, old Vegas-inspired chandeliers, mirrored walls lit by candlelight all nestled within the Historic District’s hottest addition. The Association gives downtown dwellers a ‘locale’ to finally call home.
TWO: The discretion. The only sign that may indicate its existence on this evolutionary stretch of concrete near Sixth and Main is an austere black door, an exact replica of the 10 Downing door, the official residence of the British Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street in London, complete with a brass lion head door knocker.
THREE: The vibe. Opposite, expect a warm, inviting and chill interior while bartenders hand-squeeze fresh fruit juices custom to each cocktail.
FOUR: The proprietor. Ashley Joyce, the London-born 44-year-old behind the Room in Hollywood & Santa Monica and now the Association, says, “The goal of the Association is to become part of the downtown community by being inclusive and not exclusive. A proper bar that serves a quality cocktail in an intimate, comfortable environment.”
110 E. Sixth Street, Los Angeles 323.627.7385

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Gjelina on Abbot Kinney






Dinner Saturday night....no reservations but plenty to look at while we waited. Went out with a friend on Saturday night with no real plan in mind. We ended up at Gjelina. A very earthy vibe with a hint of trendy. Great space with natural textures, lots of wood. I felt like I'd stepped into a really cool place up north. I didn't feel like I was in Los Angeles except for the fact that Blythe Danner was at one table and that Anna Paquin was at another. But really the wait was a bit long but I think it was worth it. We had cheap Tecate beer and a great mushroom, goat cheese and truffle oil pizza o n super thin crust. We sat at the communal table and had a great view of the charcuterie station and the whole restaurant. Service was good. Employees were young and hip but still attentive. Down side..it was fairly early and they were already out of two things I tried to order on the menu. They have a great outdoor area and a kitchen that you can look into. Nice menu with organic and seasonal items. Small plates and pizzas. I will go back and hope that they are ready for the weekend crowd.

Friday, April 24, 2009

My East Coast Friends (Washington DC) Baby!

A cool new bar to try: THE GIBSON
2009 14th St. NWWashington, DC 20009202-232-2156
Neighborhood: U Street/Cardozo
hours:6 p.m. - 1 a.m. Sun-Thu ,
6 p.m. - 2 a.m. Fri-Sat
A cocktail-focused pseudo-speakeasy from the owners of the neighboring Marvin offers some of the most interesting drinks in D.C. Reservations are suggested, but not required.

TGIF Peeps!

A great place to try this weekend if the sun and sand permits:
The good bartenders at Mucho Ultima Mexicana know how to help you take the edge off… Cotton Candy Margaritas! (Are you kidding me! YUM!) Drop by Manhattan Beach’s favorite Mexican restaurant and knock back a couple. Then soak it all up with perfect Fajitas.Mucho Ultima Mexicana, 903 Manhattan Avenue, (310) 374-4422, muchomb.com

Adios!