mashti's! who doesn't love this place?
.. not quite sure why this spot was chosen over the many other fan-tab ktown bbq joints (hello, unlimited meat @ manna, anyone?), but headed here this weekend with a friend and while i thoroughly enjoyed it, i honestly thought the gal-bi style meat was seasoned better and, since they were thicker cuts, didn't burn as easily.
not gonna lie, i'm not quite sure why everyone loves this place.
because let's be honest: we're in a tight spot right now
41. totoraku (as much as i love you and am still convinced i will see behind your paper'd facade one day) will be replaced by champagne + oysters at malibu seafood fresh fish market
as put by n, "especially if i have to go to silverlake for this thing you can go to the bu 1 day."
62. urasawa (i am totes still doing this, but for the sake of this list) will be replaced by bacon waffles + bacon ice cream at fig
66. goddess spa treatment @ olympic spa (naked much?) will be replaced by mini-massage + simple soak @ olympic spa
74. the bungalow will be replaced by tbd: either damn good burger @ chateau marmont, or umami burger
80. courtside @ lakers game will be replaced by box seats @ staples center
84. goodyear blimp (i'm still keeping my eyes open for an invite to this, bthedubs) will be replaced by a scavenger hunt around los angeles
n let me pick 1 spot on our list this weekend, and thought it would be useful to knock 2 birds w/one stone @ hungry cat. sadly, they stop serving hot food @ 11p. (who knew??)
will have to return to try the burger, but their cocktails were certainly decadent. i rarely emoticon over a drink, but i think this place deserves one.
:)
whoop! there it is
having never done this sober, idk what it really tastes like. but i can tell you @ 2am after waiting for 45mins, this sh*t is bananas.
oh, kogi. similar to that dude you had a crush on that one time:
infatuated to the point of twitterstalking. willing to wait for hours for a taste. told all my friends how wonderful you were.
then i met someone new and we stopped seeing each other except for the occasional drink here + there.
thnx 4 th3 mmrs. <3
in my mind, david lynch propelled this street to stardom and having just watched it prior to spending the summer in LA, i immediately had to test it in my sister's convertible.
i think i could've been a race car driver in a past life. imean, minus all the accidents and stuff.
you can read my other blog if you really want to know what i think about the father's office BURGER, but i will say the rest of the food + beer @ the 'office are worth a happy hour hike.
working for a hot second in samo, some old co-workers + i decided to hit up the counter after work one day. eggs + burger. and that's all i remember about that. heyo!
pizzeria mozza. you overrated bastard, you.
yeah, you're yummy and you know it. yeah, the love of my life sat right behind me once. yeah, you might have the best damn meats money can buy.
but seriously. let's be clear: my feelings toward you are lukewarm at best. now tell osteria to answer my damn phone calls. thanks.
being a fatty from hawaii, i absolutely HAD to try the loco moco from animal. deliciously decadent, the addition of foie gras to any meal immediately makes my heart flutter. at the opposite end of the spectrum, spam always brings back fond childhood memories of going on field trips with a spam musubi in my backpack.
i have to admit tho, while uptown/downtown mix of "classing up" a blue-collar staple was a worthy attempt, my heart remains true to rainbows.
living on the westside, working on the eastside, and dealing with LA traffic in between, i have become v familiar with this "sunset boulevard" and i must admit, it is a rather fun drive.
add the warmth of summer and a cool convertible, and you have me s.o.l.d.
some fun spots along the way to check out (in no particular order):
- local
- cliff's edge
- sunset junction
- toi on sunset
- $1 chinese food
- sunset strip - including: tv dinner @ the den of hollywood, brunch @ the sunset tower hotel, & burgers @ chateau marmont
- playboy mansion west + bel air (tho not really on sunset)
*also, stalking celebrities
one of the perks of working on the eastside: lunches in downtown/eagle rock/silverlake (bc otherwise i would never make it out to this part of town)
i am still partial to cole's, but philippe's is certainly worth a trip out.
sheepishly admitting to being a film student (and not a v good one at that), i do vaguely remember falling asleep in class during a screening of kenneth anger's "scorpio rising". thinking that i had grown up since then, i agreed to attend a selection of anger shorts as part of cinespia's annual summer screenings.
the company was awesome. the food+drinks were splendid. the nap - just as i remembered it.
as a kid, i used to watch "california dreams" on saturday mornings which put this idealistic image in my head that living in socal meant hanging out with my friends after a surf-sesh, getting into zany adventures, and jamming.
so obvi when invited to a sweet summer bbq bonfire @ dockweiler (a few blocks from the ol' 'hood), how could i resist? .. let me just grab my pacsun hoodie and some bacon+hotdogs ..
my first memories after moving to the city of angels include stumbling around east and west la with my sister chasing after the perfect cocktail. while i've now realized it can only be found in chicago ("two saints walk into a bar", anyone?) la does provide quite a number of creative concoctions and some of the *best* bartenders in the country.
that being said, i'm taking the liberty of tweaking/generalizing the list of libations and crossing off the below:
1. cocktail punch @ the radio room in the edison
found this gem of a joint after marcos tipped us off to their sweet speakeasy nights.
13. classic martini at musso & frank grill
blast from the past! the oldest drink in the book by the oldest resto on the block. def stumbled home from this one, but it was worth it
19. medicina latina at malo
been meaning to try this place since i learned christine from 7grand moved over, but alas by the time i made it there she was long gone .. still, they do tequila like nobody's business
25. magic mojito at bar centro at the bazaar by jose andres
some of my fave ingredients together at last: alcohol, liquid nitrogen, and magic.
43. bartender's choice at comme ca
michel dozois. 'nuff said.
73. ninotchka at bar lubitsch
очень вкусный !
79. cadillac margarita at el cholo
hit this spot soon after i moved to la, and apparently my sister's friend spotted me but didn't approach because he wasn't sure if i remembered him and was scared if, as a large black man, he suddenly tapped me on the shoulder and i didn't recognize him, i would freak out.
.. now lean like a cholo ..
85. sip mojitos poolside at the hotel roosevelt's tropicana bar
after jami(son) night, m + i ended the night here on the recommendation of some dude we had met @ 25degrees. bought him a birthday shot + woke up hungover as hell
91. apricot & honey 75 at the penthouse during sunset
full of suits post-pm. you have been warned.
97. yee-mee-lu "blue drink" at good luck bar
aka. the opium den. i will always remember this place bc the first time i went was right before a flight back to the city and i drank SO MUCH i blacked out and fainted on the plane and had to tell the flight attendant it was the first time i had been on a plane and the altitude was too much for me just so she wouldn't judge me. true story.
- copa d'oro, bar nineteen12, hungry cat, tiki ti, hop louie, varnish, nic's martini lounge -
see you soon.
because i'm a list-whore and like to consider myself somewhat of a gal-about-town, i couldn't resist the challenge of completing this:
Listed in no particular order. Cocktails are in red. Bolded items are things I still must try. And if you’re so inclined, you can either print the list here, see a map here or even start checking off the list in Facebook here.
need i say game on?
1) Cocktail punch at the Radio Room in the Edison
2) Chili dog from Pink’s
3) Rattlesnake and rabbit with jalapeno at Wurstkuche
4) Korean short ribs taco from Kogi BBQ taco truck
6) Ajo Garlic Ramen at Ramenya
7) Sour Kraut Cocktail from Copa d’Oro
8) Red velvet cupcake from Sprinkles
9) Singing Elvis at Palms Thai
10) Churro from churro cart at Disneyland
11) Junk food dessert platter at Simon LA
12) Dessert tasting menu at Providence
13) Classic martini at Musso & Frank Grill
14) Roasted bone marrow at Church & State
15) Pedal boat at Echo Park Lake
16) Bowling and $4 cocktails at Shatto 39 Lanes
17) Kobe-style beef at Park’s BBQ
18) Mulholland Drive from 405 to 101
19) Medicina Latina at Malo
20) Father’s Office burger
21) Maple bacon doughnut at Nickel Diner
22) Mashti Malone’s lavender ice cream
24) Live music at Spaceland
25) Magic Mojito at Bar Centro at the Bazaar by Jose Andres
26) Wine tour through San Antonio Winery
27) Sample everything at Scoops ice cream
28) Bike from Santa Monica to Hermosa Beach and back
29) Mochi from Mikawaya Little Tokyo
30) Broiled San Francisco stuffed French toast at Starling Diner
31) Mojito sampler jelly shots at Bar Nineteen12
32) High Tea at Royal/T
33) Pimp your own burger at the Counter in Santa Monica
34) Carne asada burrito from Tacos Tumbras A Tomas at Grand Central Market
35) Diddy Riese Chocolate Chip Cookies
36) Ride the mechanical bull at Saddle Ranch and have a premium SR AMF
37) Greyhound Proper at Hungry Cat
38) Blue cheese fries at Pete’s Cafe and Bar
39) L.A. Conservancy’s Historic Core walking tour
40) 21+ screenings at the ArcLight
41) Secret beef feast at Totoraku
43) Bartender’s Choice at Comme Ca
44) Tomato, mozzarella, sausage, salami, bacon & guanciale pizza at Pizzeria Mozza
45) Ride the Pacific Ferris Wheel at Santa Monica Pier
47) Bet on a horse at Santa Anita racetrack
48) Loco Moco (foie gras loco moco, quail egg, spam, hamburger) at Animal
49) Blood & Sand cocktail at Tiki Ti
50) Tea and a stroll through Huntington Gardens
51) Drive Sunset Boulevard from Echo Park to PCH in a convertible
52) Double chocolate croissant pudding with Jack Daniels sauce at Milk
53) Hike from Fern Dell Drive to Mt. Hollywood, stopping at Griffith Observatory
54) Meatball sandwich from Bay Cities Deli
55) Scorpion cocktail at Hop Louie
56) Magic Castle
57) Scoe’s No. 2 at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles
58) L.A. Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats
59) Philippe’s French Dip with hot mustard
60) Dim sum at Empress Pavilion in Chinatown
61) Remember the Maine at the Varnish
62) Omakase dinner at Urasawa
63) LA Phil concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall
64) Pool party at Standard Rooftop Bar
65) Quarter chicken with side of garlic sauce at Zankou Chicken
66) Goddess spa treatment at Olympic Spa
67) Vodbox at Nic’s Martini Lounge
68) Turkey dinner at Clifton’s Cafeteria, don’t forget the green jello
70) Marty & Elayne at Dresden Room
71) Coleslaw and sourdough toast at Original Pantry
72) Real Black Dahlia Tour by Esotouric
73) Ninotchka at Bar Lubitsch
74) Stay in a bungalow at Chateau Marmont
76) Sunday wine tastings at Silverlake Wine
77) Grilled cheese night at Campanile
78) Power lunch at the Polo Lounge
79) Cadillac Margarita at El Cholo
80) Courtside at a Lakers game
81) Angel City Derby Girls Tournament
82) Box seats at Hollywood Bowl summer concert
83) Dodger Dog at Dodger Stadium
84) Ride the Good Year blimp
85) Sip mojitos poolside at the Hotel Roosevelt’s Tropicana Bar
86) Ringside at Lucha VaVoom
87) Summer movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
88) History Walk from Mission San Gabriel to Olvera Street
89) Taro ice cream at Fosselman’s
91) Apricot & Honey 75 at the Penthouse during sunset
94) Bonfire at Dockweiler Beach
95) Bingo at Hamburger Mary’s
96) Karaoke at Brass Monkey
97) Yee-Mee-Lu “blue drink” at Good Luck Bar
98) Sunset dinner and horseback riding with Sunset Ranch
99) American Food & Wine Festival
100) Hike to the top of Sandstone Peak and sign the register