2940 lines
455 KiB
HTML
2940 lines
455 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE HTML><html><head>
|
||
<title>Best of L.A. 2014 - Google Fusion Tables</title>
|
||
<style type="text/css">
|
||
html, body {
|
||
margin: 0;
|
||
padding: 0;
|
||
height: 100%;
|
||
}
|
||
</style></head>
|
||
<body><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Beach Yoga<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The same folks who decided that people should be able to ride a Ferris wheel where they fish have come up with, arguably, an even better combination. The Santa Monica Pier offers <b>ROGA</b> — running plus yoga — workouts on Saturday mornings for free at various times throughout the spring, summer and fall. Come at 8 a.m. to warm up with a two- or five-mile run and stay for yoga at 9 a.m. Yoga is led by a rotating list of Santa Monica's best yoga instructors. Friendly volunteers will hold onto your yoga mat and cheer you on while you run, then offer you refreshments from sponsors such as Clif Bar or Honest Tea when you need a boost of energy. Check the Santa Monica Pier website, sign up for the email list or \"like\" the Facebook page to make sure you're in the know. It's always nice to wake up to the waves, but having your workout done before brunch is another kind of heaven. —Eve Weston</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>200 Santa Monica Pier, Suite A, Santa Monica, 90401. (310) 458-8901, <a href="javascript:void(0);">santamonicapier.org/roga</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Santa Monica Pier<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 200 Santa Monica Pier<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90401<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 200 Santa Monica Pier 90401
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Healing Encounter With Animals<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If you're feeling a bit blue, sometimes a nice animal cuddle is the best way to get your sense of hope back in order. Go hug a sheep, a cow, a goat or even a turkey at <b>the Gentle Barn</b>, a 6-acre rescue sanctuary that's home to more than 160 farm animals recovering from abuse or neglect. The mission of this special facility is to bring people and animals together to provide spiritual healing for all. Each animal at this rehabilitation center has lived through a sad hardship story, which is posted near its pen to create an even deeper bonding experience when you stop by. Visitors are encouraged to give love, hugs and attention to the animals. It's a wonderful feeling to sense their reciprocity. Seeing these formerly abused animals learn to trust the world again makes it possible to put your own worries into perspective. —Nikki Kreuzer</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>15825 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita, 91390. (661) 252-2440, <a href="javascript:void(0);">gentlebarn.org</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Gentle Barn<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 15825 Sierra Highway<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91390<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 15825 Sierra Highway 91390
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Dance Lessons<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Admit it, after watching old movies featuring Shirley Temple and Bojangles or Fred and Ginger, you've had a secret yearning to learn to tap dance. Luckily, fun and friendly <b>Evolution Studios</b> in the San Fernando Valley focuses purely on the art of tap dancing. Its Tap-a-holic class helps even those of you with two left feet learn to step, heel, toe and shuffle in easy-to-follow, Broadway-style beginning classes, and eventually work your way up to advanced workshops. You learn this vintage dance style with a group that's at your level, making it both nonintimidating and enjoyable. For those with a fitness goal in mind, this studio offers TAProbics, a cardio class that uses tap dance as its basis. This being Hollywood, if you continue your tap lessons, you may choose to be part of the school's semi-annual performance recital. —Nikki Kreuzer</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>4200 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hlywd., 91602. (818) 472-6088, <a href="javascript:void(0);">tapaholictapclasses.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Evolution Studios<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4200 Lankershim Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91602<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4200 Lankershim Blvd. 91602
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Table Tennis<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>It doesn't look like much, with its off-putting, covered-over front door on Sherman Way between a busy cake-decorating supply store and a check-cashing outfit. But step inside <b>Allen & Sons Table Tennis Club</b> in Canoga Park and you'll find the air filled with the tang of competition. At eight Butterfly ping-pong tables arranged on a large, Olympic-style rubber floor, people flash \"drop dead, pal\" stares and smirks as they zap the ball across the net. Beginners, pros, individuals or groups — everyone is welcome. A day pass is $12, a monthly membership $70. Think of it this way: You can lose fat and get your cardio going for about the price of cable TV, which has the opposite effect. If you're too embarrassed to subject anyone to your ping-pong \"skills,\" private coaching is $60 per hour — or try your reaction times and aim against the Newgy robot for $10 an hour. —Jill Stewart</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>21915 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, 91303. (818) 330-5756, <a href="javascript:void(0);">mypingpongclub.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Allen & Sons Table Tennis Club<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 21915 Sherman Way<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91303<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 21915 Sherman Way 91303
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bingo With Balls<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Uniquely combining pinball with bingo, <b>Looff's Lite-a-Line</b> has bounced silver balls since 1941, when it first opened at the Pike, the long-gone amusement park in Long Beach. Inside, you're immediately hit by buzzes, bells, plinking and clacking. Before you sit down, you'll notice it's a mini-museum as well — thanks to the Looffs, a family who designed carousels across the United States. You can see their first carousel horse and bizarre funhouse figures, photos and paraphernalia — even the lead car from Cyclone Racer, the Pike's famed wooden roller coaster, which was set on a pier. Because this is gambling, the game is 21-and-over only, with photo ID required. You get a free trial run, then load up your game card with $10 or so (each game costs $1.20). Pick a seat at one of the 64 pinball-like machines, then try to line up five balls in a line to win. —James Bartlett</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>2500 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, 90806. (562) 436-2978, <a href="javascript:void(0);">looffs.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Looff's Lite A Line<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2500 Long Beach Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90806<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2500 Long Beach Blvd 90806
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Labyrinth<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Ancients knew the power of a meandering labyrinth (different from a maze, which has dead ends). The compressed journey to the center and back out again mimics a spiritual quest to a shrine or mountaintop. <b>Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens</b>, L.A.'s best labyrinth, tucked off Adams Boulevard in densely urban Jefferson Park, is maintained by the Church of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness and Peace Theological Seminary & College of Philosophy. Beyond the looping path of the travertine outdoor labyrinth, you'll find a tiered garden with ponds and shady alcoves — a perfect place for more than 150 visitors each month to get in touch with their inner spirit. The Beaux-Arts mansion and gardens were completed in 1913 by Italian wine baron Secundo Guasti. The house changed hands multiple times — famed director-choreographer Busby Berkeley added some flair in the 1930s, and a hippie commune occupied it for a few swingin' years in the 1970s. —Wendy Gilmartin</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>3500 W. Adams Blvd., Jefferson Park, 90018. (323) 737-4055, <a href="javascript:void(0);">peacelabyrinth.org</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3500 W. Adams Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90018<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3500 W. Adams Blvd. 90018
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Way to Do Good and Not Know What You're Doing<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The concept of the <b>Do Good Bus</b> is simple: You sign up, you get on the bus, and you have no idea where you're going. Founded in August 2010 by Rebecca Pontius, the Do Good Bus has taken trusting volunteers to work with organizations including MEND Poverty, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Social Justice Learning Institute and Enrich L.A. The organizers don't go so far as to drape a black bag over your head and drive you around in circles, but you never know where you'll wind up, and that's the magic. No matter where the road takes you, you're pretty much guaranteed to feel good afterward, and that's not just because the last stop might be a bar. Have a drink. You deserve it. —Keith Plocek</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i><a href="javascript:void(0);">dogoodbus.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Do Good Bus<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2554 Lincoln Blvd. Suite 402<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90291<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2554 Lincoln Blvd. Suite 402 90291
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Irreverent Shabbat<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>When the sun sets on Friday nights, Jews all over the world light candles, drink wine and break challah bread — ancient rituals honoring Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest. Many go to synagogue, or spread out their finest lace tablecloth on the dining room table for an elegant meal. But in Silver Lake, the <b>East Side Jews</b> opt for quirky alternatives: a picnic at Grand Park; beer tasting at Golden Road Brewery; gatherings at Vietnamese restaurants, karaoke joints and comedy clubs. Launched in 2010 and run by the Silver Lake Independent Jewish Community Center, East Side Jews hosts monthly Shabbat dinners (called \"the Last Sabbath\") and other celebrations at unlikely venues for \"Jews with confused identities,\" aiming to bring an irreverent, DIY vibe to generations-old customs. More than 1,000 have participated in ESJ, which welcomes Angelenos of all faiths interested in exploring their spirituality in fun and unconventional ways. —Daina Beth Solomon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1110 Bates Ave., Silver Lake, 90029. (323) 663-2255, <a href="javascript:void(0);">eastsidejews.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1110 Bates Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90029<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1110 Bates Ave. 90029
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Composting Class<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Compost can be made up of almost everything you throw away in your kitchen: fruit scraps, vegetable waste, paper napkins, newspaper, even coffee grounds. But what is composting? It's a magic trick by which you turn trash into nutrient-rich soil (and help save the Earth). If you want to start composting, or just learn more, <b>Los Angeles County's Smart Gardening</b> workshops will teach you, for free, how to improve your lawn or garden while cutting waste. No reservation needed. Workshops are about 90 minutes, held at various learning centers, libraries, parks and schools around the county. After the workshop, you'll receive some seeds and mulch for your garden just for attending, and you can purchase composting bins at a discount — $40 for regular composting bins and $65 for \"worm\" composting bins, which include one-half pound of worms. At some workshops, they raffle a free composting bin. —Eve Weston</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>900 S. Fremont Ave., Alhambra, 91803. (626) 458-5100, <a href="javascript:void(0);">dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/sg/wk_scheds.cfm</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> L.A. County Department of Public Works<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 900 S. Fremont Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91803<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 900 S. Fremont Ave. 91803
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Martial Arts Instruction<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Don't confuse Muay Thai, the Thai kickboxing discipline, with <i>muy</i> Thai, which is Spanish for very Thai. Such cross-cultural hybridization, however, is what you're likely to find at <b>the Yard Muay Thai</b>, a spacious, inviting martial arts emporium offering highly accomplished fighters/teachers, a family environment and open scheduling where instruction takes place anytime enrolled students drop by. Airplane hangar–like doors let in light and air, and an enormous, blue-matted floor allows for plenty of workout space as well as a tidy roped-in ring. \"We don't separate people by experience,\" says Lee Garcia, a head trainer along with Joe Schilling and Mark Komuro. The more experienced work with the less experienced — unless a bout is coming up. Garcia says 80 percent of students aren't hoping to fight competitively, one reason they try to keep it light. —Adam Gropman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>241 W. Avenue 26, Lincoln Heights, 90031. (213) 706-6827, <a href="javascript:void(0);">theyardmuaythai.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Yard Muay Thai<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 241 W Ave. 26<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90031<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 241 W Ave. 26 90031
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Nine-Hole Golf Course<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Throw on that polo shirt, grab your clubs and call your caddy, because we've got the best nine-hole golf course that won't swallow your wallet. Open sunup to sundown, 365 days a year (including holidays), <b>Altadena Golf Course</b> is the perfect place to enjoy the green without the unwanted company of snobby country club golfers who judge you based on the clubs you're packing. On weekdays you can walk nine holes from dawn to 3 p.m. for just $16.50; twilight hours are $12.25 and super-twilight hours are $7.50 (weekends and holidays cost a bit more). At any hour of the day, seniors can walk nine holes for $10.50 and juniors for $3.75. One of the biggest draws is Altadena's driving range, which is entirely constructed on real grass, giving golfers a more realistic practice setting. And although it's an easy course to walk, you and your caddy can get fancy, cruising in a golf cart for a bargain $16 — or $11 solo. —Ani Ucar</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1456 E. Mendocino St., Altadena, 91001. (626) 797-3821, <a href="javascript:void(0);">parks.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dpr/ThingsToDo/Golf/Altadena_Golf_Course</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Altadena Golf Course<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1456 E. Mendocino St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91001<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1456 E. Mendocino St. 91001
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Spin Class<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Joe Wolf, a massage therapist and nursing student by day, fills the <b>Hollywood Wilshire YMCA</b>'s spin studio Tuesday through Thursday evenings with a crowd ready for a fast, fun and absolutely grueling workout. When he's not making the rounds to personally pump up participants, he seems to channel Andre the Giant's Dread Pirate Roberts from his bike, tracing his finger around the room and challenging the class to \"Add more!\" in a deep bellow (more resistance, that is). The workout is simple, no gimmicks and little chatter, just steady climbing or quick pedaling to an eclectic playlist — epic heartland rock, swampy industrial trip-hop, classic soul and funk, Top 40 R&B and electro-pop. Even gritty grunge ballads. Whether it's Joan Jett's \"Bad Reputation\" or Journey's \"Don't Stop Believing,\" the right song always hits the speakers just as the crowd is wilting, and the hour simply speeds by. —Jessica Langlois</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1553 Schrader Blvd., Hlywd., 90028. (323) 467-4161, <a href="javascript:void(0);">ymcala.org/hollywood</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Hollywood Wilshire YMCA<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1553 Schrader Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90028<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1553 Schrader Blvd 90028
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Public Pool<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Set among nine acres of grass and sandy beach, <b>Hansen Dam Aquatic Center</b> is L.A.'s largest public pool, but it looks like a resort you'd see in Palm Springs, complete with cabana rentals and two impressive water slides. The modern, 1.5-acre walk-in pool overlooks the vast Hansen Dam Recreation Area and has an impressive view of the San Gabriel Mountain foothills, which makes it seem more like a vacation destination than just a day at the community pool. Over the last few years, Hansen Dam has become popular with large picnic groups, and the line to get in can take 40 minutes or more. It's best to arrive at least an hour after opening. The facility bans glass, knives, charcoal or improper swimwear, so it pays to read the rules before heading out. A swimsuit vendor and food truck are on-site and admission is $1 to $3.50. —Suzy Beal</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>11798 Foothill Blvd., Lake View Terrace, 91342. (818) 899-3779. <a href="javascript:void(0);">laparks.org/dos/aquatic</a> /facility/hansendamAQ.htm.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Hansen Dam Aquatic Center<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 11798 Foothill Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91342<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 11798 Foothill Blvd. 91342
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Urban Cave<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Most people who live in L.A. have never visited Hollywood's <b>Bronson Canyon</b> <b>cave</b>, originally built as a granite quarry in 1903. Yet millions have seen it in TV shows such as <i>Batman</i> (yes, the Bat Cave), <i>Bonanza</i> and <i>Gunsmoke</i> — and in films including <i>Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country</i>, <i>Army of Darkness</i>, <i>Lost Horizon</i>, <i>The Scorpion King</i> and <i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i>. To get to the cave, beginning at Franklin Avenue, drive or walk north along Canyon Drive for one mile to the southwestern entrance to Griffith Park. From the park entrance, continue about a quarter-mile to the \"red bridge\" (red-painted curbs) on your right. Follow the trail over the bridge. In about 15 minutes you'll see a big cave mouth, with three exit openings on the other side. Even on a hot day, it's cool inside. Touch the granite walls and think of all the otherworldly places this Hollywood cave has portrayed. —Michael Goldstein</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>3200 Canyon Drive, Los Angeles, 90068. <a href="javascript:void(0);">laparks.org/dos/parks/facility/bronsoncanyongp.htm</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bronson Canyon<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3200 Canyon Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90068<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3200 Canyon Drive 90068
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Wine Country That's Closer Than Napa<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Sure, there are lots of regions of California where you can give wine tasting a go. But the crowds, extreme expense and layer of snobbery in places such as Napa and Sonoma are enough to turn you off to the hobby altogether. In Baja California, there's a burgeoning wine scene that's free of all that, and it's quickly becoming one of the more desirable places near L.A. to take your wine weekend. <b>Valle de Guadalupe</b>, about an hour and a half southeast of Tijuana, is home to more than 70 wineries that dot the <i>Ruta del Vino</i>. The wines are decent, but the scenery, which has been compared to Tuscany by Anthony Bourdain, makes up for whatever notes of gooseberry you might be missing. Nearby you'll find luxury hotels (La Villa del Valle and Adobe Guadalupe are recommended) and fine dining (Corazón de Tierra is fantastic) for a fraction of what you'd pay in NorCal. Simply put, grab your passport and go. —Ali Trachta</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i><a href="javascript:void(0);">discoverbajacalifornia.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Baja California
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Beach<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>When Angelenos want to hit a beach, many of us think we have to choose between a spot that's close but gross, or a clean spot that requires an hour's drive. Not so with Playa del Rey Beach, which is right here within the L.A. city limits and absolutely sparkling. The amenities are top-notch: Volleyball courts, a great running path and first-rate restaurants, coffee shops and bars are all within walking distance. But the best part is that it's not usually crowded, and you often can find free parking. If it's a gorgeous day and all the spots along the beach are filled, use our secret spot: South Vista del Mar Lane, just south of Culver Boulevard and up the hill from Tanner's Coffee. That stretch almost always has spots, especially as you head up the hill a ways; just promise us you won't tell anyone! —Ben Westhoff</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>Culver Boulevard and Pacific Avenue, Playa del Rey, 90293.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Playa Del Rey Beach<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Culver Blvd & Pacific Ave<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90293<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Culver Blvd & Pacific Ave 90293
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Small Park<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Averill Park is a small, dense, unexpectedly enchanting pocket park in San Pedro, which will take you back to the Los Angeles of yesteryear. Named for Averill Weymouth, the land-development company that donated it in 1920, the park has been lovingly maintained. The meandering walkways with heavy chain handrails have a Victorian feel but were actually restored in the 1970s. Ditto the original rockwork, which dates to Roosevelt's New Deal–era Civilian Conservation Corps. Here, time seems to stand still. Squirrels lurk in jacaranda trees. Wild ducks, geese and turtles swim in the man-made pond and waterfall, over which spans a cobblestone bridge that looks like the proper shelter for a troll. On rainy days, teenagers slip and slide down the gentle hills. Elderly locals who grew up in the neighborhood will tell you that they used to catch crayfish here when they were kids. It is a lovely place in which to slip away and forget the modern world. —Gendy Alimurung</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1300 Dodson Ave., San Pedro, 90732. (310) 548-7675, <a href="javascript:void(0);">laparks.org/dos/parks/facility/averillpk.htm</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Averill Park<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1300 Dodson Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90732<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1300 Dodson Ave. 90732
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Garden Tour<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Are you a plant nut? Take the Getty Villa Garden Tour. Perhaps you already guessed that the herbs, trees, bushes and flowers in these gardens are approximately what would have been planted at an ancient Roman villa, since the building is a re-creation of the Villa Papyri, buried when Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79. It may, however, surprise you to learn that each plant had a specific medicinal, culinary or mythological use. The plants were so highly functional, in fact, that citizens could live a capsule existence within the villa if need be. If you get docent Donald Peterson as your tour guide, he'll regale you with tales of Mithridates, the Poison King, Rome's public enemy No. 1, a genius with natural toxins — and antidotes. Peterson is full of fascinating lore. Did you know that Roman soldiers drank catnip tea as a stimulant before battle? Or that water lilies, bay laurel and hellebore are all narcotics? Or that pomegranate bark has antibacterial properties? After this tour, you may never look at a tree the same way again. —Gendy Alimurung</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades, 90272. (310) 440-7300, <a href="javascript:void(0);">getty.edu</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Getty Villa<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 17985 Pacific Coast Highway<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90265<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 17985 Pacific Coast Highway 90265
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Lawn Bowling<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Lawn bowling may not be the most strenuous sport but it is perhaps the most elegant. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., the members of the <b>Holmby Park Lawn Bowling Club</b> can be found on the exquisitely maintained greens at their home base, tony Holmby Park. The club has been around since 1927, and its roster consists of ex-professors, philanthropists and former captains of industry. President Tom Seres and the other 150 or so members — who range in age from 30 to 100 — are devoted to their sport and are happy to provide free lessons. On the lawn, surrounded by some of the most expensive real estate in Southern California, the atmosphere is decidedly friendly. Everybody wears white. Everybody wears flat-soled rubber shoes (to preserve the grass). Between and even during games, everybody partakes of the complimentary light snack of coffee, fruit and pastries. All sports should be this genteel. —Gendy Alimurung</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>646 Comstock Ave., Holmby Hills, 90024. (310) 550-6116, <a href="javascript:void(0);">losangeleslawnbowling.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 646 Comstock Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90024<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 646 Comstock Ave., Holmby Hills, CA 90024
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Makeup Lessons<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The <b>Donna Mee Agency</b>'s private makeup application lessons go way beyond the usual \"what foundation goes with my skin tone\" advice you'll get at the mall. Mee and her army of artists specialize in corrective techniques and contouring (in the industry, Mee is known as \"the makeup guru\"). This means: how to create the illusion of better bone structure, how to make a round face look more oval, how to reduce a strong jaw line or double chin, and when to use a natural bristle brush versus synthetic. The lessons ($145 for 1½ hours or three hours for $250) focus on applying makeup strategically. Bring whatever cosmetics and tools you've already got, and they'll teach you how to use them properly and/or suggest better ones. For an additional fee, Mee's artists will even go makeup shopping with you. —Gendy Alimurung</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>270 E. Baker St., Suite 300, Costa Mesa, 92626. (714) 438-2436, <a href="javascript:void(0);">donnameeinc.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Donna Mee Inc.<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 270 E. Baker St. Suite 300<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 92626<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 270 E. Baker St. Suite 300 92626
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Canyon Hike<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The hike through <b>Los Liones Canyon to Parker Mesa Overlook</b> is no secret to outdoors enthusiasts in Los Angeles. On weekends, the trailhead parking lots at the top of Los Liones Drive in Pacific Palisades fill quickly. But don't let the crowds deter you — they're there for a reason. The views along the trail are some of the best in Los Angeles. As you undertake the moderately steep, 3.5-mile hike to the overlook at Parker Mesa, you'll pass through lush patches of wildflowers and ivy. There are rest stops along the way, and you're rewarded at the top with a stunning, panoramic view of the entire Santa Monica coastline. In one sweep, hikers can see Catalina Island, Palos Verdes and the downtown skyline. Casual hikers should allow about 3½ to four hours to complete the 7-mile round trip. Bring plenty of water and a camera. —Chris Walker</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>580 Los Liones Drive, Pacific Palisades, 90272. Trailhead coordinates: 34.047263, -118.560098 (34° 02' 50.14"N 118° 33' 36.35"W).</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Los Liones Canyon<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> W Sunset Blvd & Los Liones Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90272<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> W Sunset Blvd & Los Liones Drive 90272
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Jogging Trail<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Yes, you are permitted to run on <b>Ballona Creek Bike Path</b>, which stretches from Syd Kronenthal Park in Culver City all the way to Playa del Rey Beach. There will be cyclists whizzing past you, homeless dudes slouched over on the shoulder, and occasional taggers beautifying bridge underpasses. But this path is a Los Angeles urban wonder, an opportunity to escape the traffic, smog and crowded sidewalks and run your heart out alongside a pretty creek. You'll see egrets, herons and, um, a lot of other birds we can't identify, while jogging on asphalt. (Though not as good as dirt, it's easier on your knees than concrete.) The best part is that at the trail's end awaits the ocean. We're not saying you'd be wise to strip off your sweaty clothes and dive in — it's not a nude beach, after all. But we won't call the cops. —Ben Westhoff</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>Syd Kronenthal Park, 3459 McManus Ave., Culver City, 90232, stretching to the Pacific Ocean. <a href="javascript:void(0);">ballonacreek.org/index.php/bike-path-info/</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Syd Kronenthal Park<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3459 McManus Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90232<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3459 McManus Ave. 90232
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Curling<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Given the Kings' big win this past season, more L.A. denizens ought to take to the ice. The best place to get all frosty this fall and winter without leaving town is L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center in Panorama City, where <b>Hollywood Curling</b> offers classes and friendly amateur games in the strangely addictive sport of curling. Wear ear muffs in the Valley! Learn to brush the ice like a madman! Laugh at your friends as they slip and belly-flop on the ice only to be harmlessly dragged off by the \"stone,\" which weighs 40 pounds. It's really fun — so fun that you should book well ahead to reserve spots. The ice rink crew trains you in curling for about an hour, then lets you make an ass of yourself. During late spring and summer, the Hollywood Curling organization moves its roving program to Valencia's beautiful Ice Station Valencia rink, where you'll enjoy the same blend of humiliation and revelry. —Jill Stewart</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>8750 Van Nuys Blvd., Panorama City 91402. (818) 893-1784, <a href="javascript:void(0);">lakingsvalleyicecenter.com</a>, <a href="javascript:void(0);">hollywoodcurling.org</a>. 27745 N. Smyth Drive, Valencia, 91355.(661) 775-8686, <a href="javascript:void(0);">icestation.net</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Ice Station<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 27745 N. Smyth Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91355<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 27745 N. Smyth Drive 91355
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Curling<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Given the Kings' big win this past season, more L.A. denizens ought to take to the ice. The best place to get all frosty this fall and winter without leaving town is L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center in Panorama City, where <b>Hollywood Curling</b> offers classes and friendly amateur games in the strangely addictive sport of curling. Wear ear muffs in the Valley! Learn to brush the ice like a madman! Laugh at your friends as they slip and belly-flop on the ice only to be harmlessly dragged off by the \"stone,\" which weighs 40 pounds. It's really fun — so fun that you should book well ahead to reserve spots. The ice rink crew trains you in curling for about an hour, then lets you make an ass of yourself. During late spring and summer, the Hollywood Curling organization moves its roving program to Valencia's beautiful Ice Station Valencia rink, where you'll enjoy the same blend of humiliation and revelry. —Jill Stewart</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>8750 Van Nuys Blvd., Panorama City 91402. (818) 893-1784, <a href="javascript:void(0);">lakingsvalleyicecenter.com</a>, <a href="javascript:void(0);">hollywoodcurling.org</a>. 27745 N. Smyth Drive, Valencia, 91355.(661) 775-8686, <a href="javascript:void(0);">icestation.net</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8750 Van Nuys Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91402<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8750 Van Nuys Blvd. 91402
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Gym<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Before there were paved roads in Los Angeles, before there were streetcars or even railroads, and before Hollywood arose from a bunch of fig trees, there was the <b>Los Angeles Athletic Club</b>. Founded in 1880 as a place for gentlemen to box, lift kettlebells and fly on a trapeze, much has changed for the gym/social club in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Its current location, which is more than 100 years old, boasts 12 floors and 80,000 feet of space, and membership runs $172 a month. But that gives you access to its private social club, bar, restaurant, juice bar, meeting rooms, spa, gym, yoga room, kickboxing room, racquetball and squash courts — and a gorgeous, 25-yard-long art deco pool that has been featured on <i>Mad Men</i>. Oh, and three of those floors are a boutique hotel. The club even has its own monthly magazine and hardcover book about its famed history. —Hillel Aron</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>431 W. Seventh St., dwntwn., 90014. (213) 625-2211, <a href="javascript:void(0);">laac.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Los Angeles Athletic Club<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 431 W. Seventh St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90014<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 431 W. Seventh St. 90014
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Old-Fashioned Petting Zoo and Pony Ride<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A zoo for the rest of us — or at least those who can't get it together to visit the pricey Los Angeles Zoo — the <b>Montebello Barnyard Zoo</b> offers pony rides, trackless train rides, a small petting zoo and a modest carousel that looks like something out of the Great Depression. Those who grew up in L.A. and miss Beverly Park will enjoy the old-timey atmosphere of rustic pleasures here; little kids will just love running around on a sunny day. The site is located behind a community park, so parking can be tricky on weekends, but the park is also a nice spot to picnic and continue the fun when you're finished with the zoo. As the animal-zoned spaces of L.A. County slowly fall to developers, it seems like a good idea to head out and savor these relics of amusement parks past while they still remain. —Suzy Beal</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>600 Rea Drive, Montebello, 90640. (213) 718-5442, <a href="javascript:void(0);">montebellobarnyardzoo.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Montebello Barnyard Zoo<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 600 Rea Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90640<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 600 Rea Drive 90640
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Craft Classes for Adults<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>While it's best known for exquisite shows of folk art, longtime Miracle Mile cultural outpost the <b>Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum</b> is also the best place to take inexpensive craft classes. Workshops range from learning to create musical instruments and knit sculpture to printmaking — there are antique letterpress machines on-site on which people can print their own cards for about $6 a session. CAFAM has truly risen to the mandate of making art accessible to the public, and every month it continues to surprise and delight with new things to learn. Recent workshops showed participants how to create a radio show, mix cocktails, carve chopsticks and write poetry, not to mention the startling Yarn Bombing event at which visitors helped cover CAFAM's entire two-story façade with giant knit granny squares. CAFAM deserves high marks for taking the museum concept into the 21st century. —Suzy Beal</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>5814 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile, 90036. (323) 937-4230, <a href="javascript:void(0);">cafam.org</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Craft & Folk Art Museum<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5814 Wilshire Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90036<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5814 Wilshire Blvd. 90036
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Music Lessons<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Channel your inner rock deity even if finances have left you feeling decidedly un-godlike. <b>Eagle Rock Music Studio</b>, opened in 2007, provides low-cost group or private music classes and takes a hands-on approach to help students of all ages and all experience levels reach their musical goals. Whether your instrument is the ordinary bass guitar, violin or drums, or more exotic instruments such as the flugelhorn, dulcimer, lap steel or euphonium, the studio pairs students with the proper instructor to guide them. Beginning group lessons are $62.50 for five classes and are limited to three or four students per class, depending on the instrument. One-on-one lessons cost slightly more but are still priced below the going rate. Teachers are experienced, patient and flexible, providing the perfect Petri dish for learning, experimenting and tailoring your classes to get what you need. —Nikki Kreuzer</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>4870 Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock, 90041. (323) 309-8467, <a href="javascript:void(0);">eaglerockmusicstudio.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Eagle Rock Music Studio<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4870 Eagle Rock Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90041<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4870 Eagle Rock Blvd. 90041
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Sea Life Rescue/Education<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Feel your heart expand while learning a little bit about local sea life at the <b>Marine Mammal Care Center</b>. Visit this outdoor facility to watch the rehabilitation of seals and sea lions recovering from injuries, and see abandoned pups that were brought here as orphans. MMCC's mission is to nurse these wounded and sometimes helpless animals back to health while maintaining their wild and undomesticated natures. The goal is to release them back into their ocean habitat as soon as they're strong enough. Arrive at one of the scheduled feeding times to watch the animals at their cutest and most active. They swim, cuddle, eat and slide playfully across the wet pavement of their enclosures. Keep an eye on this facility's website to find out when you might witness an ocean release of healed animals ready to rejoin life in the wild. —Nikki Kreuzer</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>3601 S Gaffey St., San Pedro, 90731. (310) 548-5677, <a href="javascript:void(0);">marinemammalcare.org</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Marine Mammal Care Center<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3601 S. Gaffey St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90731<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3601 S. Gaffey St. 90731
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Surfing Lessons<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>You might not recognize <b>John Philbin</b>'s name, but his face is familiar to any fan of surf movies. He played Turtle in the cheesy classic <i>North Shore</i>; and in <i>Point Break</i>, alongside Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves, he robbed banks, shredded waves, played beach football and skydived into a lake — yes, that movie had a lot going on. Philbin doesn't have a bad résumé for a surfing actor, but his real skill lies in teaching others how to paddle out. He was Kate Bosworth's instructor for <i>Blue Crush</i> and he can be yours, too, at a surprisingly reasonable price. Just be sure to heed his advice or he might have to repeat <i>North Shore</i>'s oft-quoted line: \"Nobody listens to Turtle, man.\" —Keith Plocek</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>By appointment only. Malibu, 90265. (310) 502-0356, <a href="javascript:void(0);">prosurfinstruction.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Malibu<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90265<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Malibu, CA 90265
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Skateboard<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>San Pedro Shred</b> has been in existence for a mere two years, but the skateboard festival is already the coolest reason to visit the harbor area. The summer event, which this year went down on June 14, features a half-pipe, a street course, the Freeride Hill — where skaters descend the back of Gaffey Street toward Point Fermin — and the Downhill Slide Jam, where professional skaters bomb the hill before launching off various obstacles such as a landing ramp built onto a beat-up Volvo station wagon. All areas except the Downhill Slide Jam are open to the public, and admission is free. If an all-day skateboard festival overlooking the harbor isn't enough, the event comes with live music, food trucks and vendors. This year's Shred included performances by local acts such as Mike Watt + the Missingmen, Toys That Kill and Fartbarf, a lineup worth much more than the free admission. —Ryan Ritchie</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>Gaffey Street lookout point, between 32nd street and Paseo del Mar, San Pedro, 90731. <a href="javascript:void(0);">sanpedroshred.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Gaffey Street, San Pedro<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90731<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Gaffey Street, San Pedro, CA 90731
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Ocean Swim Workout<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>What if you want to go for a real, long swim? Say, a few miles? <b>Lifeguard Tower 26</b> in Santa Monica is an unassuming lifeguard tower, next to large parking lots and a bathroom/shower facility, which acts as home base for both official and unofficial ocean swim groups. Among the official groups — which operate May through November — a membership fee–based training program, aptly named Tower 26, hosts Wednesday and Friday swims at 6 a.m. with the motto \"Be race ready.\" Pur Pak and TriFit co-host free coached swims on Fridays at 6:30 a.m., and Southern California Aquatics (SCAQ) and California Triathlon host free coached swims Thursdays at 6 a.m. —Eve Weston</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>Lifeguard Tower 26, Barnard Way and Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, 90405. Pur Pak/TriFit, (310) 829-2227, <a href="javascript:void(0);">latriclub.com/resources/event_detail.php?id=7041</a>. SCAQ/California Triathlon, (310) 390-5700, <a href="javascript:void(0);">californiatriathlon.org/ocean-swim-series.html</a>. Tower 26 Swim Program, (310) 432-3683, <a href="javascript:void(0);">tower26.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Lifeguard Tower 26<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Barnard Way and Ocean Park Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90405<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Barnard Way and Ocean Park Blvd 90405
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Public Gardens You're Not Visiting but Should<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Transport yourself to the indulgent 1920s with a trip to this National Historic Landmark in the heart of Beverly Hills. Enjoy the view and vintage architecture while strolling the luxurious 18-acre estate of the <b>Greystone Mansion and Park</b>. Throughout the gardens surrounding the 46,000-square-foot mansion. you'll find quiet terraces where you can relax and imagine you're at a party thrown by Jay Gatsby. Courtyards with lavish water features, a pond with turtles and panoramic vistas to the sea are among the attractions at this magnificent park, which is open 365 days a year — with free parking. This enchanting place calls out to picnickers, historians and bachelors looking for the perfect spot to propose marriage. The Friends of Greystone hosts an annual Concours d'Elegance, a fabulous antique car show, which raises funds for ongoing restoration of the mansion. —Jacky Surber</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, 90210. (310) 285-6830, <a href="javascript:void(0);">beverlyhills.org/attractions/Greystone</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Greystone Mansion and Park<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 905 Loma Vista Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90210<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 905 Loma Vista Drive 90210
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Day Trip<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Wanna get away? <b>Catalina Island</b> is closer to L.A. than Ventura or San Diego, and getting there is much more pleasant. Just head to the port at Long Beach or San Pedro and board the Catalina Express, and you'll disembark in our local island paradise about 75 minutes later, feeling relaxed rather than filled with road rage. (Big spenders can travel by helicopter or private plane, landing at the historic Airport in the Sky, 1,602 feet above the Pacific Ocean.) Many make a weekend of it, but you can enjoy much of this compact isle in a day. History buffs can tour the Avalon Casino (no gambling, but there is a first-run movie theater and ballroom); outdoorsy types can indulge in all manner of water sports plus hiking and biking; thrill seekers can try the zip line; relaxers can zone out at the refurbished Descanso Beach Club; shoppers can wander Avalon's touristy boutiques; and nature lovers can tour the rugged interior by Hummer or in a 1950s refurbished Flxible bus, from which you might see the famed bison or a bald eagle. Throw in a tropical drink at Luau Larry's as you meander back to the dock for your ride home and your day is complete. —Lisa Horowitz</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i><a href="javascript:void(0);">catalinachamber.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Catalina Island<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90704<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Catalina Island
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Ice Rink<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The closure of the Westside's venerable Culver Ice Arena earlier this year left only a handful of year-round ice skating rinks in the L.A. area, including the Pasadena Ice Skating Center and the L.A. Kings' Valley Ice Center in Panorama City. Located by the northeastern edge of Griffith Park in Burbank, <b>Pickwick Ice</b> is part of Pickwick Gardens, which includes a bowling alley and is across the street from the country and rock music emporium Viva Cantina, run by the same owners. Although the building is a little rundown, the large, expansive ice surface at Pickwick Ice usually is in great condition, with the in-house Zamboni smoothing the ice before public skating sessions. Figure skaters, hockey players and even broomball enthusiasts share time on the ice, giving way for occasional regional figure-skating competitions and exhibitions. Pickwick's skating coaches and the staff at its pro shop are unusually helpful and intuitive. —Falling James</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1001 W. Riverside Drive, Burbank, 91506. (818) 845-5300, <a href="javascript:void(0);">pickwickgardens.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Pickwick Gardens<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1001 W. Riverside Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91506<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1001 W. Riverside Drive 91506
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Lake in Los Angeles County<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Technically a reservoir formed by the Pyramid Dam, <b>Pyramid Lake</b>'s bright blue waters fill a picturesque valley in the San Emigdio Mountains. It looks more like Switzerland than Southern California, and even though it's only about an hour north of the city next to the I-5 Grapevine, it's unknown to many Angelenos. An $11 parking fee gets you full access to the beach, and it's perfect for barbecuing, personal watercrafting, boating, sunning and swimming in the cold, fresh water. The area includes top-notch Los Alamos Campground, with a spectacular view of the lake. Water-use rules enforced by on-site authorities can be pretty strict, and sometimes swimming isn't allowed (make sure you call before you go). But if you show up late in the day, the rangers may be gone and you can park for free and swim all you want. —Isaac Simpson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>43100 Pyramid Lake Road, Lebec, 93243. (877) 444-6777, <a href="javascript:void(0);">water.ca.gov/recreation/locations/pyramid</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 93243<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 43100 Pyramid Lake Road, Lebec, CA 93243
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Park for a BBQ<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The site of one of the worst fires in Los Angeles history is now its best place to have an outdoor BBQ. The art deco Pan-Pacific Auditorium was a Fairfax District landmark until it was destroyed by a spectacular fire in 1989. Instead of rebuilding the structure, city fathers turned the site into <b>Pan-Pacific Park</b>, with basketball courts, baseball diamonds, jungle gyms and rolling green hills great for running or walking your dog. Parking is super-easy in a big lot off Beverly Boulevard. Permanent charcoal grills dot the landscape, each with a picnic table and usually a shade tree or two. It's hardly ever overcrowded — so spread out, bring some red cups and maybe a piñata. If the weather is bad or you need more shade, there's a covered canopy area with several grills of its own. —Isaac Simpson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>7600 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax District, 90036. (323) 939-8874, <a href="javascript:void(0);">laparks.org/dos/reccenter/facility/panPacificRC.htm</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Pan Pacific Park<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7600 Beverly Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90036<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7600 Beverly Blvd. 90036
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Dog Park<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Grassy dog parks in Los Angeles are hard to come by, let alone one in the shadow of our most iconic landmark. Yet <b>Lake Hollywood Park</b>, tucked away in the hills just below the Hollywood Sign, is just that. Technically it's not an off-leash dog park, just another on-leash park (which means it's irrigated, unlike most dog parks). But it has been appropriated by Hollywood dog owners whose pups need to let loose. There's no fence, but there is a concrete gutter running along the street side of the park, which works almost as well as a fence. It's right next to the Google Maps destination for \"Hollywood Sign,\" so an ice cream truck parks at the top of the hill to cater to tourists. If you don't have a dog, it's a lovely spot for a picnic. —Isaac Simpson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>3160 Canyon Drive, Hollywood Hills, 90068. (323) 666-5046, <a href="javascript:void(0);">laparks.org/dos/parks/facility/lakehollywoodpk.htm</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3160 Canyon Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90068<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3160 Canyon Drive, Hollywood, CA 90068
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Disc Golf<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Like regular golf, disc golf is more about enjoying the outdoors than the game itself. In 2006, the <b>Chavez Ridge Disc Golf Club</b> (CRDGC), a scruffy group of Echo Parkians, founded a world-class disc golf course in the forest hills of Elysian Park. One of the steepest DG courses in Southern California, it's known for its fantastic views of Dodger Stadium along the 18th hole. Members of the CRDGC, who daily haunt the gorgeous course, have been called the \"sherpas\" of L.A. disc golf. If you need a start-up kit, they'll hook you up. Need a group to play with? They're happy to show you the ropes. \"It's a great sport for finding community,\" says George Harding, a tournament director. \"It's free, friendly and accessible.\" It's also surprisingly popular: On Saturdays the course is usually full of happy disc golfers. —Isaac Simpson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>835 Academy Road, Elysian Park, 90012. <a href="javascript:void(0);">facebook.com/ChavezRidgeDGC</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Chavez Ridge Disc Golf Course<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Solano Canyon Dr. and Park Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Solano Canyon Dr. and Park Road 90012
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Clown Around<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>David Bridel studied under French master clown Philippe Gaulier, who also counts Sacha Baron Cohen as a former student. Bridel holds numerous titles at USC and now, thanks to <b>the Clown School</b>, he's sharing his knowledge with L.A.'s burgeoning buffoons. The school has separate classes for adults (seven Sundays, 5 to 9 p.m., for $525, with discounts for returning customers) and for kids (two hours apiece on Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons; $250 for five sessions). It also can act as therapy for those looking to bridge any weird gaps in their personalities. The dominant principle is that clowns should be able to celebrate their mistakes in public — willing to expose fears, biases, revelatory instincts and general idiosyncrasies to audiences, which is no easy task. Clowning helps those wishing to examine intimate and often guarded aspects of their personalities so they can acknowledge, integrate and celebrate their physical, psychological and emotional imperfections. Nobody's perfect, so why not just try to make 'em laugh? —Tanja M. Laden</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>Live Arts L.A., 4210 Panamint St., Glassell Park, 90065. (323) 791-6495, <a href="javascript:void(0);">theclownschool.com/category/classes</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Live Arts Los Angeles<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4210 Panamint St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90065<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4210 Panamint St. 90065
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best High<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>One of the quickest and most exhilarating highs in L.A. is also one of its most literal. At 7,903 feet, the stretch of Angeles Crest Highway that crests at <b>Dawson Saddle</b> is the highest road in the county. It's also one of the most enchanting. Within moments of taking Highway 2 north from La Cañada Flintridge and disappearing into the folds of the San Gabriel Mountains, you're in a rocky-desert lunar landscape, which eventually gives way to towering pine trees. Less than 45 minutes after leaving downtown or Silver Lake, you're higher than the Mile-High City and, in winter, seeing pockets of snow blooming like fields of vibrant white flowers against shady hillsides. There's a whole lot of nothing up at Dawson Saddle — nothing man-made, that is. There are wide-open skies, intensely detailed stars, football-size pine cones, little gray foxes, howling winds and steep, rocky cliffs dragging ancient trees down in majestic, slow-motion landslides. —Falling James</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>Angeles Crest Highway, between Islip Saddle and Vincent Gap, Angeles National Forest, $5 daily parking pass. (818) 899-1900, <a href="javascript:void(0);">fs.usda.gov/angeles</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Angeles National Forest<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91006<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Angeles National Forest, 91006
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Hidden Park on an Old Oil Field<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Hidden behind a high school, a soccer field and hilly streets of cracked pavement and aging homes, the 10.5-acre <b>Vista Hermosa Natural Park</b> is an oasis of grassy meadows, winding dirt paths, gurgling streams, picnic tables, dozens of oaks and native plants, such as white sage and coyote bush. Downtown's skyscrapers present a stunning backdrop but seem worlds away. The morning glories smell so lovely, you'd never guess Vista Hermosa sits atop a former oil field. Edward Doheny discovered oil nearby in the late 1800s and turned the land into California's largest oil producer. A hundred years later, L.A. Unified School District discovered toxic gasses underground at the very spot where it planned to build a school. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy offered a solution: Build a park. Vista Hermosa has pumps that safely release methane into the atmosphere, preventing an underground buildup that could cause an explosion. The kids racing through the grass would never know it. —Daina Beth Solomon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>100 N. Toluca St., Echo Park, 90026. (213) 250-1100, <a href="javascript:void(0);">lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=672</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Vista Hermosa Natural Park<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 100 N. Toluca St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90026<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 100 N. Toluca St. 90026
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Call Me Ishmael<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Herman Melville's <i>Moby Dick</i> can be a bear to read, with chapter after chapter of nautical terms and incorrect biology. (Sorry, Herm, but whales aren't fish.) But the beast of a novel is a joy to hear out loud, and there's no better place in town to do that than on the sand of Venice Beach. Every year since 1995, Tim Rudnick and the Venice Beach Oceanarium have hosted a two-day <b><i>Moby Dick</i></b> <b>reading marathon</b>, complete with thick blankets and warm seafood stews. The story of Ishmael, Queequeg, Starbuck and Ahab floats past your ears as your eyes watch surfers braving the cold water. You can drop by for an hour or stay for the whole thing — this year, it's the weekend before Thanksgiving. Just be prepared to read when it's your turn, matey. —Keith Plocek</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>Venice Breakwater, Venice, 90291. <a href="javascript:void(0);">veniceoceanarium.org</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Venice<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90291<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Vencie, CA 90291
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Antique Oil Boom Town<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>An underappreciated historic site just off the Golden State Freeway in Newhall, <b>Mentryville</b> is a gorgeous place to hike that also offers some pretty cool old stuff to look at. Located at the entrance of scenic Pico Canyon, Mentryville was a 19th-century oil boom town built around its famous oil well, Pico No. 4. Antique oil drilling rigs and other artifacts line the canyon road, and you can tour the preserved buildings of Mentryville on alternate weekends. It's sort of reminiscent of Pioneertown (and has served as a movie location, natch), with the added bonus of hiking trails that are mostly flat, mostly shaded, bikeable and family-friendly. Recent upgrades include pleasant little bridges, benches and picnic tables to enjoy, plus there's plenty of parking ($5 fee). But Mentryville manages to hang onto its Old West flavor, despite being just a couple miles away from busy Santa Clarita. —Suzy Beal</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>27201 Pico Canyon Road, Newhall, 91381. (661) 251-8820, <a href="javascript:void(0);">scvhistory.com/mentryville</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Mentryville<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 27201 Pico Canyon Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91381<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 27201 Pico Canyon Road 91381
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Alien-Themed Day Trip<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Beaches, vineyards, mountain towns — there's lots to explore within a day's drive of L.A. But there's only one place where you can rejuvenate your cells using extraterrestrial science. The <b>Integratron</b> is a small, domed structure in the desert, designed by aircraft engineer George Van Tassel based on instructions he received from a Venusian who visited him in 1953. Built from Douglas fir without using nails or screws, the Integratron was to be a machine \"for basic research on rejuvenation, anti-gravity and time travel.\" It was never finished, but many visitors claim to feel its beneficial effects. The current owners offer public and private \"sound baths,\" with quartz bowls played in the second-floor chamber. The site's proximity to Joshua Tree National Park, its near-perfect acoustics and its weird history appeal to nature lovers, musicians, UFO fans and others. It is open by appointment only and advance ticket purchase is required. —Sara Rashkin</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>2477 Belfield Blvd., Landers, 92285. (760) 364-3126, <a href="javascript:void(0);">integratron.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Integratron<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2477 Belfield Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 92285<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2477 Belfield Blvd. 92285
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Event for Cyclists<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>With more than 4,000 cyclists participating monthly, <b>L.A. Critical Mass</b> claims to be the nation's largest community bike ride. On the last Friday of each month, cyclists of all stripes — from serious riders to families with kids — gather at Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue (last stop of the Purple Line subway) and roll out at 7:29 p.m. sharp for a casually paced ride through the streets of L.A. The event is intended for people of all ages with any type of bike. You arrive at 6:30 p.m. to get set, and the ride organizers provide support vehicles placed ahead of and behind the pack. These rides are a great excuse to explore different areas and meet bicyclists. It's also probably the only time you'll ride through a red light in front of a police officer without worrying about a ticket. Bike lights and helmets are recommended. —Chris Walker</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>Corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue, Koreatown, 90010. <a href="javascript:void(0);">lacriticalmass.org</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue, <br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90010<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90010
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Illegal Hike<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In 1929 an oceanview cliffside neighborhood in San Pedro began sinking swiftly into the sea, leaving behind only the homes' enormous, eerie concrete foundations. Two homes were destroyed and the rest were quickly relocated, while the earth continued slipping until the mid-1930s. Now colloquially known as <b>Sunken City</b>, the broken shards of concrete have been covered and recovered with colorful graffiti, creating the impression of a post-apocalyptic graveyard, which contrasts interestingly with the infinity of the clear blue Pacific. Although \"No Trespassing\" signs abound, that doesn't dissuade urban explorers from sliding under the fence to inspect the picturesque and brightly colored ruins, just as area teenagers have for decades. While hiking the fractured cliff is certainly dangerous, it's also romantic. Artistic photo opportunities are as limitless here as are chances for secluded rendezvous. Explore at your own risk. —Nikki Kreuzer</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>500 W. Paseo del Mar, San Pedro, 90731.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Sunken City<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 447 W. Sixth St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90731<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 447 W. Sixth St. 90731
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Beer-Fueled Yoga<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Whether you're choosing to fuel your practice with the promise of a cold pint at the hour's end or would rather down a draft before class to loosen up your sun salutations, no one's judging. <b>Bends & Booze</b>, a free class every Sunday morning from 11 a.m. to noon at Golden Road Brewing, is about not taking life too seriously. Sponsored by Jewel City Yoga, the all-levels vinyasa flow class stretches out on a shady square of Astroturf just past the giant Jenga in the patio of family-friendly Golden Road Brewing. The crowd is small and congenial — more yoga-curious newcomers than limber handstand impresarios. Instructor Cassie Cherney keeps it light, cracking hangover jokes while demonstrating variations on challenging poses and sticking around to hang out after class. There's no better reward for that chaturanga than sharing a pitcher of Kolsch and a serving of sweet potato tater tots post-savasana. —Jessica Langlois</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>5410 W. San Fernando Road, Atwater Village, 90039. (213) 373-4677, <a href="javascript:void(0);">goldenroad.la</a>, <a href="javascript:void(0);">jewelcityyoga.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Golden Road Brewing<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5410 W. San Fernando Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90039<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5410 W. San Fernando Road 90039
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Cliff Jumping<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A mile's hike into Malibu Creek State Park is an old-fashioned water hole called <b>Rock Pool</b>. A ring of cliffs ranging from 20 to 50 feet high surrounds the deep, green water. On the weekends, the cliffs serve as a launching pad for brave cliff jumpers who practice their sport in front of crowds of wallowing onlookers. Other cliff-jumping spots might have higher cliffs or clearer water, but none match the lazy-day party vibe and jovial jungle atmosphere of Rock Pool. It's so deep in the woods that the park rules prohibiting cliff jumping (and public drinking) are ignored. The result is a sunny circus that you can join as an applauding audience member or, if you're fearless enough, as a high-flying performer. No pressure, though — you can always lie out on a rock and sun yourself like a happy seal. —Isaac Simpson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, 91302. (818) 880-0367, <a href="javascript:void(0);">malibucreekstatepark.org</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Malibu Creek State Park<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1925 Las Virgenes Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91302<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1925 Las Virgenes Road 91302
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to See Wildflowers<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In the high desert of L.A. County, a number of wildlife sanctuaries and open lands let you walk undisturbed, gaze at desert plants and animals, or just enjoy the silence. <b>Butte Valley Wildflower Sanctuary</b> is one of the prettiest of these open spaces. Perched on a plateau above Saddleback Butte State Park, this 350-acre parcel is surrounded by a lush forest of Joshua trees, with trails that lead more or less nowhere. In springtime you can see a wide array of colorful California wildflowers. Travel a little further north, and you'll come to a cliff with views of Edwards Air Force Base; drive along nearby avenues to find two widely used professional movie sets decorated as vintage roadside stopovers, Club Ed (on 150th Street East) and the Four Aces (14999 E. Avenue Q in Lake Los Angeles). —Suzy Beal</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>Avenue J between 190th and 200th streets East, Lancaster, 93534. (661) 944-6881, <a href="javascript:void(0);">parks.lacounty.gov</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Butte Valley Wildflower Sanctuary<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Ave. J between 190th & 200th Streets East<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 93534<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Ave. J between 190th & 200th Streets East 93534
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Four-Story Golf Range<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Koreatown may not have a proper golf course, but that doesn't mean K-town residents have to leave the neighborhood to practice their swing. The <b>Aroma Golf Range</b> is a full-service, 150-yard enclosed driving range in the heart of the district on Wilshire Boulevard. The range features four stories from which to whack balls, with 15 teeing stations on each floor. The highest floors are the cheapest, but all are affordable, ranging from 8 cents to 10 cents per golf ball, $12 for a bucket of 111 balls or, for the truly devoted, $18 for 180. A fully automated system returns balls hit down-range through pneumatic tubes and mechanically tees up a new ball for you each time one is hit from your station. Whether you're looking to perfect your drive or need an idea for a cheap date, Aroma Golf Range makes for a fun outing. —Chris Walker</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>3680 Wilshire Blvd., Koreatown, 90010. (213) 387-2111, <a href="javascript:void(0);">aromaresort.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Aroma Golf Range<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3680 Wilshire Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90010<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3680 Wilshire Blvd 90010
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Secret Hike<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Way up in the foothills of far-flung La Cañada Flintridge, you'll find the <b>Cross Town Trail</b> hike, whose prize attraction is a 20-foot-tall teepee erected amidst a tangle of public and private lands and trails. The quickest route to the teepee is from the end of Harter Lane, where a steep trail will take you about two hours round-trip. Proceed with caution, as the lines between public trails and private are quite blurred. Technically, the land beneath the teepee is privately owned, and there's a single, easy-to-miss sign pointing out the dividing line. Even so, once at the teepee, hikers nab a quick picture and take in the breathtaking views, which stretch as far as Palos Verdes Peninsula, downtown and the Hollywood Hills. But if you want to sit in the teepee — bad idea. There's a \"KEEP OUT\" sign at the front entrance, so don't even try. —Ani Ucar</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>End of Harter Lane, La Cañada Flintridge, 91011. <a href="javascript:void(0);">lcftrails.org/?page_id=118</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Harter Lane, La Cañada Flintridge, <br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91011<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Harter Lane, La Cañada Flintridge, 91011
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Pizza<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Don't let Nancy Silverton's puffy-edged pies at Mozza sway you: The city's best wood-fired pizza may well be across town at <b>Mother Dough</b> in Los Feliz. At the least, the tiny brick storefront space along Hollywood Boulevard has more soul than perhaps any other pizza place in Los Angeles, thanks to Bez Compani, the Naples-trained, Iranian-born <i>pizzaiolo</i> who's been running Mother Dough with a quick wrist and quiet focus since 2011. There's little time to breeze through niceties when the sidewalk out front is packed with patient diners, the <i>mozzarella di bufala</i> is getting low and the oven's pulsing heat must be managed and maintained. Each night, Compani sweats to make sure that his pies arrive springy but with a crisp, slightly scorched crust that isn't overpowered by endless toppings. Don't bother making eye contact with the man to offer a silent nod of pure pizza bliss; he's too busy. -- Farley Elliott
|
||
|
||
</p><p>4648 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz, 90027. (323) 644-2885, <a href="javascript:void(0);">motherdoughpizza.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Mother Dough<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4648 Hollywood Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90027<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4648 Hollywood Blvd. 90027
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best New Sichuan Restaurant<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Alhambra city planners probably should think about installing a trolley route along the western section of Valley Boulevard, just for all the people waiting in restaurant lines. First, last summer, came the justly lauded Chengdu Taste, possibly the best Sichuan restaurant to open in the San Gabriel Valley in years — and certainly its most popular. (Now there's even a second location, also on Valley. Of course there is.) In August, <b>Szechuan Impression</b> opened and immediately started drawing similar lines, for similar reasons: Like Chengdu, it's a moderately upscale restaurant, with excellent iterations of Sichuan home-style food, executed with beauty and polish. The dishes may not be as dangerously spicy as at other Sichuan restaurants — the chef, who hails from a five-star restaurant in Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan province, seems to appreciate restraint — but you'll get enough spice to keep you happy, even as you're able to taste the nuances of the cooking. There are endearingly homey dishes, including one of blanched potatoes, which are like un-fried french fries; an instantly addictive dish of sliced chicken sauced with chiles and peanuts; and a beautiful communal bowl of beef and vegetable soup, the lotus root floating like flowers. Arrive hungry and patient, because the lines won't be abating anytime soon. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1900 W. Valley Blvd., Alhambra, 91803. (626) 283-4622, no website.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Szechuan Impression<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1900 W. Valley Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91803<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1900 W. Valley Blvd. 91803
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Restaurant Design<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Having the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop is almost cheating when it comes to building a beautiful restaurant. The folks who designed <b>Malibu Pier Restaurant and Bar</b> had an even bigger advantage: The raw material they were working with was the gorgeous, vintage building that sits on the 109-year-old Malibu Pier. The design is still incredibly impressive. It's nautical chic at its best, a whitewashed dream of a beachfront restaurant. The main dining room's tiled floors and wooden walls are offset by subtle modern touches: Some light fixtures are made of rope and filament bulbs, while others have shades that look enamel but are made of pottery. There are Dennis Hopper photos of Jane Fonda while she was shooting <i>Barbarella</i> in the '60s, and a bar that looks like a cozy nook on a ship, except for the rainbow-colored Richard Phillips surfboard behind it adorned with a sultry California girl. The look of the restaurant honors every part of Malibu's charm, from 109 years ago to the present day. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>23000 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, 90265. (310) 456-8820, <a href="javascript:void(0);">malibupierrestaurant.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Malibu Pier Restaurant & Bar<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 23000 Pacific Coast Highway<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90265<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 23000 Pacific Coast Highway 90265
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Jamon Beurre<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A timeless combination of good bread, good ham and good butter, jamon beurre is cropping up in more and more versions in L.A. these days. The classic French sandwich is hard to mess up — it's as if anyone smart enough to want to serve the thing must also be smart enough to do it right. So what makes the version at <b>Petit Trois</b> superior? Bread that's soft inside, crackly outside. Ham, cured in salt and boiled, Parisian-style. The addition of shaved radishes and puckery cornichons. But mainly it's the butter: Despite those other elements, this is primarily a butter sandwich, and butter (French, demi-sel beurre baratte, to which chef Ludo Lefebvre adds a touch of buckwheat honey) is mainly what you taste while chowing down. All the other components are merely a conveyance method for that delicious butter. Mmmmm, butter. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>718 N Highland Ave., Hlywd. (323) 468-8916, <a href="javascript:void(0);">petittrois.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Petit Trois<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 718 N. Highland Ave<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90038<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 718 N. Highland Ave 90038
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Breakfast<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>For those of us who spend our lives seeking out fabulous meals, the unremarkable roster of $14 egg dishes that many restaurants call a breakfast menu can get incredibly tiresome. But with chef Felix Barron's masterful, creative breakfast and brunch dishes, <b>KTCHN</b> offers a welcome respite from egg fatigue. The concept began as a culinary-class space and downtown pop-up, and Barron still operates the weekend brunch pop-up at Ebanos Crossing. But he's also found a more permanent space in Old Town Pasadena, adjacent to Eddie Ruiz's Picnik. There, KTCHN is open on weekends for breakfast and brunch, serving produce-driven, gorgeous plates of food such as a late summer squash scramble with sautéed squash, onions, chipotle tomato butter, mozzarella and potatoes with brioche toast. French toast is made with coconut flan batter, and the apple fritters are some of the best fried dough around. Barron pays as much attention to creative plating as any dinner chef, and the pretty results make shelling out for breakfast seem all the more worthwhile. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>166 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, 91105. (626) 577-0661, <a href="javascript:void(0);">ktchnla.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Ktchn<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 168 W Colorado Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91105<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 168 W Colorado Blvd. 91105
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Wine Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A wine bar, at its best, is buoyed by the quality of its conversation as much as its wine selection. That's part of what we love about <b>Bar Covell</b>, the Los Feliz wine bar run by Dustin Lancaster and Matthew Kaner. There's no menu — when you belly up, the bartender will gauge your tastes and mood and drinking proclivities, and suggest a few wines you might enjoy. This sets the tone for Covell in general, a place where you might strike up a conversation with your neighbors, or be invited to partake in someone else's bottle and banter. The selection is always appropriate for wine nerds and casual drinkers alike. There is also the small fact of Los Angeles' dearth of proper wine bars — a niche Covell pretty much has locked down. We hope it gets more competition in the coming years, but it will almost certainly still be the best. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4628 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz, 90027. (323) 660-4400, <a href="javascript:void(0);">barcovell.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bar Covell<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4628 Hollywood Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90027<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4628 Hollywood Blvd. 90027
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Cookie<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Located in the trendy Line Hotel, <b>POT</b> and its many components can be a little overwhelming. There's the restaurant, with its hot pots and flowery aprons (in lieu of napkins) and chef Roy Choi's take on Korean food. There's the bar in the lobby, with its fuzzy navels and white Russians and flavored soju and hibiscus-and-celery cocktails. And then there's the cafe, which is also in the lobby, and which sells all kinds of baked goods, including the best cookies in town. All the cookies are damn tasty, but the one we tend to swoon over is the mocha chip cookie, a rich chocolate fudge-y wonder with the bitter edge of dark coffee and an assertive kick of salt. Pastry chef Marian Mar, who used to work at New York's Momofuku Milk Bar, turns out all manner of delicious sweet treats, and she proves that you can get pretty wild and still retain a heavy dose of pure, childish glee. That's certainly what her cookies deliver, sea salt and all. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3515 Wilshire Blvd., Koreatown, 90010. (213) 368-3030, <a href="javascript:void(0);">eatatpot.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> POT<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3515 Wilshire Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90010<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3515 Wilshire Blvd. 90010
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Chef<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Over the last seven years, <b>Suzanne Goin</b> has been nominated six times as an outstanding chef in the national James Beard Awards. She has yet to win — usually the award goes to someone a little flashier, a little more of the moment. But that's what we love about Goin, her restaurants and her food. They are not of the moment, and they don't represent the trends we're all following right this second. Instead, they're timeless, showcasing what is constant and beautiful about Euro-California cooking. Which isn't to say they feel dated in any way — there is perhaps no place in town more vibrant and exciting to eat than A.O.C., where the merriment spills out onto the leafy patio, and groups of happy diners chow down on focaccia with house-made lamb bacon and platters of wood oven–roasted lobster with cornbread pudding. And there's definitely no place more cozy and romantic than Lucques, where the roaring fireplace is upstaged only by the elegant, thoughtful food. There are certainly flashier meals to be had in L.A., ones that might wow in a more in-your-face way. But for consistency, excellence and a true picture of what's outstanding about eating in Los Angeles, Goin's our gal. —Besha Rodell</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Lucques<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8474 Melrose Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90069<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8474 Melrose Ave. 90069
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Late-Night Dining<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Los Angeles is famously not a late-night town. Restaurants clear out incredibly early; true late-night options are scarce. Which is why it's extra exciting that <b>Red Medicine</b> serves its full menu until 2 a.m. every night. Not only can you satiate your late-night hunger pangs, you can satiate them with chef Jordan Kahn's hypermodern food. As a matter of fact, if you'd like a six-course tasting menu at midnight consisting of trout roe with lemon custard, lamb shoulder with redwood shoots, and fresh cream with anthocyanin roots and roasted walnut marzipan, Kahn has you covered. Or you could just have some snacks in the bar, though we should warn you that Kahn's snacks are more along the lines of giant beets with salted yogurt and blackberries than the usual fries or sliders. The sad news is that Red Medicine is closing its doors on Oct. 31, so you have only a few weeks left to get your late-night feast on. Better hurry. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>8400 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 90211. (323) 651-5500, <a href="javascript:void(0);">redmedicinela.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Red Medicine<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8400 Wilshire Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90211<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8400 Wilshire Blvd. 90211
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Oyster Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Michael Cimarusti's sprawling seafood restaurant <b>Connie & Ted's</b> sates all kinds of oceanic cravings: Lobster rolls, chowders, steamers and beautifully grilled fish all hit exactly the right pleasure and nostalgia receptors in our seafood-loving brains. But the reason we most often find ourselves stopping by the huge swoosh of a building in West Hollywood is to sit at the bar, catch a game on the televisions behind it and indulge in Connie & Ted's amazing selection of raw oysters. The selection rotates daily but always includes plenty of choices from both the West and East Coast. It's not uncommon to find as many as 20 varieties to choose from, and each oyster is shucked and served with expert care. Apart from all that, Connie & Ted's is high-energy and incredibly well-run, making it an exceedingly fun place to sit and slurp. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>8171 Santa Monica Blvd., W. Hlywd. (323) 848-2722, <a href="javascript:void(0);">connieandteds.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Connie & Ted's<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8171 Santa Monica Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90046<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8171 Santa Monica Blvd. 90046
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Afternoon Tea<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The tea service at the <b>Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens</b> in San Marino has always beat out all others because of one key factor: an all-you-can-eat buffet. However, they've really stepped up their game recently, with the addition of several new salads to the classic finger sandwiches (seven varieties) and pastries (10 varieties, plus scones). There's also a selection of cheeses, caviar, olive tapenade and hummus (?!), as well as fresh fruit. Skip the caviar (it's more for show) and stick with the scones, the sandwiches (we like the classic cucumber and the smoked salmon with fresh dill), the salads and the desserts. You can return to the buffet as many times as you want, and you also get a bottomless pot of tea. Any leftover scones in the basket on your table will be wrapped up for you to take home. And where else can you get tea made with the addition of petals from the rose garden outside? (Reservations are required.) —Samantha Bonar</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, 91108. (626) 683-8131, <a href="javascript:void(0);">huntington.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1151 Oxford Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91108<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1151 Oxford Road 91108
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Vegan Milkshakes<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Vegan milkshakes can be difficult to find, particularly 100 percent raw vegan milkshakes. But <b>the Punchbowl</b> in Los Feliz has 10 of them. If you like date shakes (a regional favorite), there's one made with not only dates but bananas, house-made cashew milk and vanilla beans, plus a pinch of cinnamon. The Power Mint shake is made from more of that cashew milk, plus young Thai coconut, banana, vanilla beans, E3 Live, coconut nectar, cacao nibs and mint leaves — a reminder that mint can be a lot more revelatory than what you find in toothpaste. And if you want a caffeinated kick, there's the Turkish coffee shake, made with 40-hour cold-steep coffee from Rocchio Family Roasters, house-made Italian almond milk, cardamom, figs, Medjool dates, South American cacao powder, cacao nibs, banana and a pinch of sea salt. Whatever you choose, you'll get something that may be harder to find than a vegan milkshake: a healthful milkshake. —Ryan Ritchie</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4645 Melbourne Ave., Los Feliz, 90027. (323) 666-1123, <a href="javascript:void(0);">lapunchbowl.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Punchbowl<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4645 Melbourne Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90027<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4645 Melbourne Ave. 90027
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Affogato<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Among the many excellent mash-ups in the food world, one of the simplest and most blissful is the affogato, the marriage of two of Italy's finest exports, espresso and gelato. The word comes from the Italian <i>affogare</i>, meaning \"to drown,\" and it's a pretty accurate summation of the dish, in which a scoop of ice cream is submerged, or close to it, in a shot or double shot of espresso. At <b>Bucato</b> in Culver City, chef Evan Funke feels very strongly about how things are made, particularly Italian things. Get the Spago-trained, L.A.-bred, Italy-obsessed chef on the subject of properly orchestrated pasta or porchetta and you'll be at his restaurant all day. Just imagine the thoughts he has about gelato and espresso. (An imperfectly made affogato, after all, can seem like a crappy milkshake instead of a blissful union of two art forms.) Thus Funke's affogato is a work of art: a demitasse filled with a single scoop of Nocino gelato, made in-house on Funke's PacoJet with Nocino, a walnut liqueur from Emilia-Romagna. At table, Funke will gently pour the espresso, pulled from the espresso maker he inherited from Kazuto Matsusaka's Beacon, the beans roasted up the street at the Conservatory for Coffee, Tea & Cocoa. You'll be given a spoon and maybe a moment of silence, well-deserved. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3280 Helms Ave., Culver City, 90232. (310) 876-0286, <a href="javascript:void(0);">bucato.la</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bucato<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3280 Helms Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90232<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3280 Helms Ave. 90232
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Pastry Chef<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There are myriad things to adore about République, the soaring, ambitious restaurant in the old Campanile space from Bill Chait and chef/couple Walter and Margarita Manzke. The space, the sommelier and the food all excel. But what we love most at République are the offerings of <b>Margarita Manzke</b> in her role as pastry chef. Start first thing in the morning at the bakery, with an utterly brilliant black sesame croissant, or a dense but somehow light lemon poppyseed cake. In the middle of the day, perhaps you'd like to indulge in the strawberry jam–filled bombolini. And at night, after dinner, there's much joy to be had in Manzke's sage panna cotta, or her sweet and tart and utterly alluring passionfruit tart. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>624 S. La Brea Ave., Hancock Park, 90036. (310) 361-6115, <a href="javascript:void(0);">republiquela.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Republique<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 624 S. La Brea Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90036<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 624 S. La Brea Ave. 90036
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best New Restaurant<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Who'd have thought that the best new restaurant of the year would come from a TV personality who makes most of his money as the face of a supermarket chain in his home country of Australia? Yet that's what Curtis Stone has delivered in <b>Maude</b>, his tiny Beverly Hills restaurant, which feels intensely personal — the very opposite of what we've come to expect from our celebrity chefs. Each month, Stone focuses on one seasonal ingredient and creates a nine-course menu around it. Over the summer months, corn, tomatoes and berries got their time in the spotlight; moving into fall and winter, we'll see pears, truffles (in November) and winter squash. A monthly ingredient of honor might become burdensome and repetitive in a lesser chef's hands, but Stone understands balance. Throughout the meal, the flavor is amplified and then subdued, in places used as the main attraction and in others as a subtle garnish. The result is always a lovely meditation on the season, a subtly thrilling meal that feels special in all the right ways. —Besha Rodell
|
||
|
||
</p><p>212 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 90212. (310) 859-3418, <a href="javascript:void(0);">mauderestaurant.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Maude<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 212 S. Beverly Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90212<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 212 S. Beverly Drive 90212
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Self-Churned Ice Cream<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The grassroots, Kickstarter-funded operation <b>Peddler's Creamery</b> may have started as just a boy and his bike — but it's now a DTLA neighborhood favorite. Owner Edward Belden fused his passions for sustainability, cycling and ice cream into a one-of-a-kind business that celebrates the creative, community-minded foodie culture of L.A. There's artwork and hand-knit tapestries by local artists for sale on the walls, 5 percent of profits going to environmental causes and a free-for-all pedaling policy. Customers can choose to climb on the bike up front and pedal (for 15 to 20 minutes at 15 mph) to churn their own bucket of organic, artisanal ice cream. Each batch churned gets you a free scoop from the daily selection of impossibly creamy dairy and vegan flavors, which range from childhood classics (mint chip, chocolate peanut butter) to exotic (cardamom, chile mango) and seasonal (sweet potato pie). The added bonus? You've just pedaled away the calories from your ice cream. —Bianca Douglas</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>458 S. Main St., dwntwn., 90013. (213) 537-0257, <a href="javascript:void(0);">peddlerscreamery.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Peddler's Creamery<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 458 S. Main St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90013<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 458 S. Main St. 90013
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Deer Noodle Soup<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If you love Vietnamese cuisine but want to go beyond <i>pho</i> and <i>bánh mì</i>, you might want to try a bowl of deer noodle soup. And for this terrific dish, you'll have to go to a small San Gabriel plaza. At <b>Ha Tien Quan</b>, the regional cuisine comes from Ha Tien, a small city in southwest Vietnam's Mekong Delta. One of the restaurant's signature items is <i>hu tieu sate nai</i>, which is similar to <i>pho</i> and is usually made with pork. Instead of pork, Ha Tien Quan uses slices of lean, slightly gamey deer meat (<i>nai</i>) with its rice noodles. The soup is served in a red chili– and lemongrass-infused broth brimming with both green and white onions. The chile gives it a kick, the lemongrass a strong seasoning and the venison provides a distinct yet perfect flavor note. —Jim Thurman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>529 E. Valley Blvd., Ste. 178A, San Gabriel, 91776. (626) 288-1896.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Ha Tien Quan<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 529 E. Valley Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91776<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 529 E. Valley Blvd. 91776
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Taco<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Every single day of the year, including holidays, you can find <b>Mariscos Jalisco</b> parked on the eastern stretch of Olympic Boulevard; thus every day of the year, especially holidays, you'll find folks from as far away as San Diego in line for the truck's near-legendary <i>taco dorados de camaron</i>. This would be a taco the size of a small clutch bag, stuffed until plump with a creamy mixture of shrimp and various secret ingredients, then deep-fried wholesale to a most satisfying crunch, with the charred edges being the most prized bites. Finished with thin slices of avocado and a bit of salsa, two or three of these, plus a bottle of Coke or Jarritos, inhaled while sitting on a nearby brick ledge alongside everyone else, is lunch. As these tacos have a way of inspiring cravings, this might be lunch tomorrow, too. And every day thereafter. —Tien Nguyen
|
||
|
||
</p><p>3040 E. Olympic Blvd., Boyle Heights. (323) 528-6701. Additional location at 10th Street and Towne Avenue, dwntwn. (323) 309-1622.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Mariscos Jalisco<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3040 E. Olympic Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90023<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3040 E. Olympic Blvd. 90023
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Amuses<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Although <b>Providence</b>, Michael Cimarusti's opulent ode to seafood, recently underwent a redesign, the soul of the place remains the same. There's some new art on the walls, and some of the walls are now art installations themselves, with clusters of shells scattered across the surface looking like drifts of flowers. There are some new dishes on the pricey tasting menus as well, but what struck us the most was the glorious amuses, those wee bites of food presented before the meal. At Providence, those offerings are especially generous, and especially delicious. If you've dined here before, you'll recognize the tiny taco made of raw scallops, sushi rice and a nasturtium leaf. A littleneck clam gets chopped and set back in its shell in a chorizo consommé with flecks of bell pepper. Chorizo also shows up in lollipop form, on the end of a stick along with a piece of squid, wrapped in a sunburst pinwheel. Presentation is always as fun as the food itself — one recent amuse came in a Cuban cigar box. They're a fitting and beautiful foreshadowing of the meal ahead, but also worth recognizing in their own right. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>5955 Melrose Ave., Hlywd., 90038. (323) 460-4170, <a href="javascript:void(0);">providencela.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Providence<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5955 Melrose Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90038<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5955 Melrose Ave. 90038
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Sushi<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>You can tell a lot about <b>Shunji</b>, the Westside fish palace, from the vantage of its parking lot. There are no shiny valet stands, just a small, grungy lot next to the edifice that houses this phenomenal 2-year-old sushi restaurant — which itself is shaped like a chili bowl, thanks to its previous incarnation as a Chili Bowl restaurant. All of this is to say that Shunji is not your average sushi place. Sushi chef and owner Nakao Shunji has a pedigree (an original chef at Matsuhisa, co-founder with his brother of Asanebo) that might warrant something more hushed and formal, but instead you get exactly the kind of happy atmosphere you want from a sushi joint, especially one inside a chili bowl. The <i>omakase</i> is perfectly executed but also great fun, the specials on roving chalkboards. You might find yourself savoring uni wrapped in <i>nori</i> like a debutante's sash, or local raw shrimp that still move, if you're lucky, before they're fried into beautiful artwork. You might also get a dish in which a tomato is somehow magically transformed to resemble a dish of <i>agadashi</i> tofu. Or a tiny dish of squid ink and squid and black truffles, topped with a raw quail egg. All this in a place where you can dress as you like, get yelled at as if you're in a ramen shop and find cheap specials at both lunch and dinnertime. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>12244 W. Pico Blvd., Sawtelle, 90064. (310) 826-4737, <a href="javascript:void(0);">shunji-ns.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Shunji Japanese Restaurant<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 12244 W. Pico Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90064<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 12244 W. Pico Blvd. 90064
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Classic Cocktail Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If the rich mahogany bar and somewhat dour, jacketed bartenders (who have a collective 90-plus years of experience) weren't enough of a tell, then the classic martinis delivered with aplomb would cue you in to the fact that <b>Musso & Frank</b> is a Los Angeles booze landmark. A dining landmark, too. While you can order plenty of other drinks, why drink anything but a martini in this restaurant that's been serving tourists and locals alike — and, famously, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Chandler and William Faulkner — for almost a century. Take that martini dry, with two or more olives, poured expertly from a silver shaker, the liquid coursing into the glass the same way it has for decades. One can only wonder how many script deals were made over a lubricating mix of gin and vermouth. —Lesley Jacobs Solmonson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>6667 Hollywood Blvd. , Hlywd., 90028. (323) 467-7788, <a href="javascript:void(0);">mussoandfrank.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Musso & Frank Grill<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 6667 Hollywood Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90028<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 6667 Hollywood Blvd. 90028
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Extravagant Tasting Menu<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If José Andrés is the Willy Wonka of molecular gastronomists — and any man who freezes popcorn with liquid nitrogen and calls it Dragon's Breath is worthy of the title — then the opulent tasting menu at <b>Saam</b> is his Everlasting Gobstopper. The menu varies but typically features at least 20 courses and a rotating cast of Andrés' signatures: his Wagyu-and-air-bread play on a Philly cheesesteak, or \"liquid olives,\" spheres of olive juice and alginate that burst in your mouth, transporting you to a Barcelona tapas bar. The trickery is served up in a serene, semisecret dining room, tucked away inside the otherwise bustling Bazaar at the SLS Hotel — which allows you to give the complex, whimsical bites the undivided attention they deserve. At $150 a head (or a whopping $350 for the seasonal white truffle tasting, which starts Oct. 23 and is offered for about a month), it's a splurge, to put it mildly. But a dining experience this unusual probably is worth every penny. —Andy Hermann
|
||
|
||
</p><p>465 S. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Grove, 90048. (310) 246-5545, <a href="javascript:void(0);">sbe.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Saam at The Bazaar By José Andrés<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 465 S. La Cienega Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90048<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 465 S. La Cienega Blvd. 90048
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Seven-Course Beef Dinner<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Vietnam probably is best known in the world's culinary sphere for its street food: simple in its preparation, stellar in its use of fresh ingredients. Less well known is Vietnam's haute cuisine, which is at times appropriately extravagant and served at weddings or banquets. One of the most common wedding preparations is <i>bò bay món</i>, a varied seven-course beef dinner, which includes a light beef salad, ground beef steamed in lolot leaves, and the clear beef soup that functions as Vietnam's version of congee (the popular rice porridge). There are also those utterly delicious, lemongrass-infused beef patties, <i>bò nuong mo chài</i>, which are good enough to make you question everything you've ever thought about a meatball. When Vietnamese choose to dine in style in L.A., they head to <b>Thien An Bo 7 Mon</b>, a place renowned for both its <i>bò bay món</i> and its giant, gorgeously ornate baked catfish. —James Gordon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>8837 Valley Blvd., Rosemead, 91770. (626) 286-6697.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Thien An<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8837 Valley Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91770-1713<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8837 Valley Blvd. 91770-1713
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Menu<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>No, we're not talking about the best selection of dishes; it's the actual physical menu at <b>Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village</b> that impresses. The spot's food list is pretty much a coffee-table book: a massive, glossy tome with huge, gorgeous photos of each dish that wouldn't be out of place in <i>Saveur</i>, along with articles (in Chinese only, unfortunately) about the restaurant's namesake city. As befits its San Gabriel Valley location (and its status as the first American location of a Shanghai-based chain), you can expect rigorously authentic Chinese dishes, including crab prepared in myriad ways, braised mutton, jellyfish salad and many, many more. At night, there are banquet-style entrees; during the day, there's a great selection of dim sum. Don't miss the <i>sheng jian bao</i>, rich, broth-filled pork buns that are steamed and then dipped halfway in hot oil, making for a half-crunchy, half-chewy, fully delicious experience. Try not to get the sauce on that menu. —Jason Horn</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>250 W. Valley Blvd., Ste., M, San Gabriel, 91776. (626) 282-1777.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 250 W. Valley Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91801<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 250 W. Valley Blvd. 91801
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Upscale Lunch<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Honestly, we're more $3 lunch types (tacos, anyone?), but on the occasions where a nicer midday meal is called for, there's no better place in L.A. to plunk down your cash than chef Sang Yoon's <b>Lukshon</b>. The patio is gorgeous and comfortable, the drinks are fantastic — we especially appreciate the selection of rieslings by the glass — and the food is perfect for lunchtime grazing. The hardest part is figuring out what to get. The slippery-fresh pop of Hawaiian butterfish? The spicy-sweet shmoosh of Chinese eggplant with raita and tomato sambal? The vinegar-tinged Chinese ramen? You should get all of these things, as well as the lobster roll with pig-ear terrine, which is tiny but perfect, the lobster meat singing with ginger and lemongrass. We love this food any time of day, but there's a particular luxury to taking a leisurely lunch and indulging whole-heartedly. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3239 Helms Ave., Culver City, 90232. (310) 202-6808, <a href="javascript:void(0);">lukshon.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Lukshon<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3239 Helms Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90232<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3239 Helms Ave. 90232
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Ice Cream Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>When Leo Bulgarini opened <b>Bulgarini Gelato</b> in the spring of 2007, in the back of an enormous parking lot in the upper atmosphere of Altadena, the little gelateria felt like a secret-handshake society. For Westsiders, it may as well have been on Mars; even for locals, it was hard to find, hidden behind all that concrete. The hours were inconstant, the flavors erratic, and Bulgarini would sometimes close his shop to go on beautiful pistachio hunts — in his native Italy. Seven years later, although there's a second outpost in Culver City, little has changed in the original shop — which is why we still love it so much. There are movie nights on summer Saturday evenings, when often-obscure foreign films are projected onto more concrete, this time vertical walls. During World Cup season, the place opens for certain Italian soccer matches. A few years ago, Bulgarini fashioned a marble altar to his Rome-made copper Elektra espresso machine. And, of course, there's Leo's always spectacular gelato: the near-legendary pistachio (the nuts carried home in his suitcase), goat's milk-cacao nib, blood orange, yogurt and olive oil, chocolate and salt. One could go on. Maybe just point your car north and upward. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>749 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena, 91001. (626) 791-6174, <a href="javascript:void(0);">bulgarinigelato.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bulgarini Gelato<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 749 E. Altadena Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91001<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 749 E. Altadena Drive 91001
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Free Greens<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>\"Free kale.\" If those two words don't get you to <b>Amy's Farm</b>, you must be one of those people who still thinks kale is so yucky they can't give it away — or someone who has been living hipster-free for the last year. Obviously they can give it away, because at Amy's Farm that's exactly what they do. As much as you can pick is yours to take (they give you bags), but try to buy some beets or cucumbers or something while you're there. The folks at the farm grow them as well, organic and everything, and all you have to do is make the drive. Free food, people! And get this: You pay by the honor system (suggestions are posted on how much cash to drop in the box). Amy's Farm also schedules weekday tours for students, elementary through college, if you want to see how the magic happens. —Derek Thomas</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>7698 Eucalyptus Ave., Ontario, 91762. (909) 393-2936, <a href="javascript:void(0);">amysfarm.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Amy's Farm<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7698 Eucalyptus Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91762<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7698 Eucalyptus Ave. 91762
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Salad<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A trip to <b>Jitlada</b> is for many Angelenos a kind of pilgrimage. If you love Thai food, particularly Southern Thai in its many degrees of spiciness, from pleasant to outrageous, you come for the curries that Suthiporn (Tui) Sungkamee makes from scratch in the back, curries that date from when he was about 13 and started cooking at home (he's never cooked at a restaurant not his own). If you love <i>The Simpsons</i>, you come to eat your green curry mussels under one of the many drawings that longtime regular Matt Groening has given to the restaurant. If you love danger, you come for the Dynamite Challenge, an absurdly spicy dish that Sungkamee put on the menu about four years ago, for fun or maybe just to hear people scream. If you love burgers, you come to persuade Sungkamee's sister Sarintip (Jazz) Singsanong to make you one of her special Thai hamburgers. But if you love everything here, as many of us do, you seem to come most often for the Morning Glory salad, a soothing plate of tempura-fried greens combined with onions and shrimp and fresh herbs in a syrupy tart sauce. It's neither as intricate nor as dangerous as the two or three hundred other things Sungkamee might conceivably make for you, but it's a fantastic dish that may well be the most addictive thing in the restaurant. Well, other than Ryan Gosling. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>5233½ Sunset Blvd., Hlywd., 90027. (323) 667-9809, <a href="javascript:void(0);">jitladala.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Jitlada Thai Restaurant<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5233-1/2 Sunset Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90027<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5233-1/2 Sunset Blvd. 90027
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Old-School Chili Dog Stand<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>No doubt the first place that comes to mind when you think of longtime L.A. chili dog stands is Pink's, the permanently crowded stand on La Brea. Perfectly understandable. But <b>Art's Chili Dog Stand</b> should come to mind almost as quickly. Opened by ex–New Yorker Art Elkind in the late 1940s, the tiny stand near the corner of Florence and Normandie was visited by food writers David Shaw and Ruth Reichl, who praised both the dogs and Art himself. Art died in 1990, but the chili dogs he named remain the same: casing-free, all-meat dogs (made specially for Art's by nearby Meadow Farms) that are loaded with chili and served on a steamed bun. The late, great Art believed in keeping it simple — a tradition that, thankfully, continues. —Jim Thurman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1410 W. Florence Ave., Manchester Square, 90047. (323) 750-1313.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Art's Chili Dog Stand<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1410 W. Florence Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90047-2209<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1410 W. Florence Ave. 90047-2209
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Vegan Pizza<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There aren't many places to sit at <b>Cruzer Pizza</b>, which might be a good thing, because the longer you stay at the all-vegan Los Feliz restaurant, the more you want to order. Should you get the Philly cheese steak or the spicy Indian Kima with herbs and jalapeños? What's better — thick or whole wheat crust? Should you get both, just to compare? And what about appetizers? The potato wedges, french fries seasoned with garlic and Daiya cheese with a side of ranch dressing, sound far too good to pass up. In a perfect world, of course, the solution would be to order everything. But the world isn't perfect and probably neither is your waistline. This is a bummer, because it's not every day you come across vegan pizzerias serving calzones, meatball subs, eggplant parmigiana and chicken pesto pasta (Cruzer claims it's L.A.'s only vegan pizzeria). Regardless of how much you order, you'll need to save room for a gluten-free cupcake. Sigh. —Ryan Ritchie</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4449 Prospect Ave., Los Feliz, 90027. (323) 666-0600, <a href="javascript:void(0);">cruzerpizza.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Cruzer Pizza<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4449 Prospect Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90027<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4449 Prospect Ave. 90027
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best South L.A. Cafe<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>3 Worlds Cafe</b> originated at South L.A.'s Jefferson High School as a way for teens to learn healthful eating habits while concocting fruit smoothies sweetened with agave and coconut milk. Soon enough, they were selling up to 200 smoothies a day under the guidance of chef Roy Choi (Kogi, POT, the world). So, in the summer of 2013, Choi, a local nonprofit and the Dole Food Company teamed up to launch the cafe, hiring students to serve mango and strawberry banana smoothies along with coffees, teas, fruits and baked goods. The name pays tribute to the Latinos, Asians and African-Americans who have lived in the neighborhood for generations, attesting to 3 Worlds' commitment to community. Located among mom-and-pop shops and fast-food joints on a strip that was home to jazz clubs a century ago, 3 Worlds is a homey place, with comfy recliners, vivid murals, free Wi-Fi and cheery baristas. Local organizations often host meetings there, and an open-mic night takes over on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. —Daina Beth Solomon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3310 S. Central Ave., Central-Alameda, 90011. (323) 235-5494, <a href="javascript:void(0);">facebook.com/3worldscafe</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> 3 Worlds Cafe<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3310 S. Central Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90011<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3310 S. Central Ave. 90011
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Sri Lankan Food<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Considering that the number of restaurants serving Sri Lankan curries can be counted on one hand, it would be fair to assume that L.A.'s Best Sri Lankan is a pretty empty title. You would be wrong. Because <b>Apey Kade</b>, a small Muslim Sri Lankan joint located in a tiny strip mall in Tarzana, is a legitimately excellent place to eat, a restaurant good enough that it hardly matters whether it has any competition. Never mind that the food may be unfamiliar and the setting is a simple as it gets in this city, the string hoppers — little mats of rice noodles — and accompanying curries will still be delicious, and the <i>kottu roti</i>, a pan-fried flatbread smashed into bits and tossed with meat and onions, will likely be a revelation. There's also the immensely spicy deviled chicken, which is as dangerous as it sounds. —James Gordon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>19662 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, 91356. (818) 609-7683.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Apey Kade<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 19662 Ventura Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91356<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 19662 Ventura Blvd. 91356
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Russian Food<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>How did an international chain restaurant make it onto this list? By being so much damn fun. Because whatever you say about <b>Mari Vanna</b>, the outrageous Russian restaurant in the Beverly Hills house that once was Bastide, you'd have to be a Scrooge of epic bitterness to miss the fun of this place. There's the zillion birdhouses on the patio, the squillion florid teapots and doodads crowding the walls inside, the mantelpieces dripping with the wax of a thousand candles, the waitresses in flowered dresses with thick Russian accents, the copious amounts of flavored vodkas in every possible iteration. Exaggeration? Perhaps. But it's a place that inspires hyperbole. After all this, it's almost a surprise to find that the food is quite delightful as well: Russian dumplings, beef stroganoff, aspic-topped salads, even Herring Under a Fur Coat, a layered molded salad of herring, grated beets and potatoes. Yes, this is an international chain, with outposts in London, New York, Moscow and Washington, D.C. But to say this is unlike any other chain would be the understatement of the century. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>8475 Melrose Place, Beverly Hills. (323) 655-1977, <a href="javascript:void(0);">marivanna.ru/la</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Mari Vanna<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8475 Melrose Place<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90069<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8475 Melrose Place 90069
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Restaurant Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The word oasis comes to mind when contemplating the back room at <b>Eveleigh</b>, with its barnlike, open-air patio, pillowed booths and soft breezes. The fact that there is a bar — and a superb one at that — is almost a side note, except, of course, that it's the reason many people end up here in the first place. Under the guidance of bartender Dave Kupchinsky, Eveleigh's Back Bar has emerged as one of the most sophisticated spots to enjoy thoroughly modern cocktails with classic underpinnings. From tiki and juleps to most anything brown, bitter and stirred, Kupchinsky and his staff mix up the best. As yet another bonus, guest bartending stints on Monday nights offer a showcase for major talent from across the country. —Lesley Jacobs Solmonson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>8752 Sunset Blvd., W. Hlywd., 90069. (424) 239-1630, <a href="javascript:void(0);">theeveleigh.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Eveleigh<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8752 Sunset Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90069<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8752 Sunset Blvd. 90069
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Cutest Espresso Shot<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>You may be forgiven for having missed the opening, one year ago, of <b>Zia Valentina</b>, a tiny granita bar in the Original Farmers Market. So many other food stalls crowd the venerable 80-year-old market that it's easy to overlook the small counter, even with its pretty vegan pastries and back wall, which churns out granita from cute nozzles. Go find it, ideally in the company of some undercaffeinated teenage girls. Because owner Naomi Kashi — who named the shop after her Sicilian great-aunt — has created a tiny paradise for those who love sweets and coffee but have certain dietary restrictions or preferences. Nealry everything is vegan and sweetened with stevia instead of sugar. This includes the shot of espresso, which is served not in a ceramic demitasse or even a properly recyclable cup but in perhaps the best vehicle for espresso we've ever seen: a tiny ice cream cone, which has first been hand-dipped in dark chocolate. Thus, after you swig your shot, you can happily crunch the cup itself, rather as you would the tiny cookie often served with an actual cup of espresso. The best form of cleanup possible. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>6333 W. Third St., Stall #530, Fairfax District, 90036. (323) 934-3660, <a href="javascript:void(0);">ziavalentina.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Zia Valentina<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 6333 W 3rd St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90036<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 6333 W 3rd St. 90036
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Coffee Shop in the SFV<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Compañía de Café</b> is a sprawling specialty coffee shop quite unlike any other. Surely the colors tell you as much: The wall behind the register is a shade of pink that would not be out of place in an episode of <i>Jem</i>; the butter cookies and other house-made pastries are raucous pops of blues, yellows and hot pinks; and there's a beautiful blue tiled wall behind the coffee counter. It's from here that baristas pull terrific shots of espresso and make single-origin pour-overs, all with beans from the likes of George Howell Coffee. In a welcome departure from most specialty coffee shop menus, there are drinks here that smartly combine this excellent coffee with fun ingredients: a carbonated cold-brew with <i>agua de jamaica</i>, say, or a mocha spiked with Mexican dried chiles. The future of specialty coffee? Might be right here in the Valley. —Tien Nguyen
|
||
|
||
</p><p>110 N. Maclay Ave., San Fernando, 91340. (747) 500-7102, <a href="javascript:void(0);">companiadecafe.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Compañía de Café<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 110 N. Maclay Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91340<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 110 N. Maclay Ave. 91340
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Taco Truck<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Slap the title of Best Taco Truck on a <i>lonchero</i> helmed by a former Alain Ducasse disciple who slings upscale tacos from the sidewalk of a third-wave coffee shop in the Arts District, and you can hear the pitchforks being sharpened. Those naysayers simply haven't had the pleasure of dining on tacos from Wes Avila's <b>Guerrilla Tacos</b> truck. His constantly rotating menu of inventive fare plays more like a sub-$20 tasting menu than a workaday <i>taqueria</i>, and it has earned the former chef de cuisine of Le Comptoir endless fans as a result. Ever-changing options might lean toward wild boar one day and uni the next, with Avila himself as the unifying theme. Carrying effortless style and endless creativity, the fine-dining chef turned street-food impresario mirrors his tacos in colorfulness and quality, while constantly changing the battle lines of what it means to serve street food in L.A. Guerrilla tacos, indeed. —Farley Elliott</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i><a href="javascript:void(0);">guerrillatacos.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Guerrilla Tacos<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 582 Mateo St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90013<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 582 Mateo St. 90013
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Moroccan Restaurant in the Valley<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Chef Simon Elmaleh learned to cook at his mother's knee in Morocco, honed his skills alongside a French chef at Club Med in Israel and then, for almost two decades, ran Japan's only Moroccan restaurant. He settled in L.A. a dozen years ago, bringing his mixed cooking heritage into a cozy, bright restaurant called Simon's Café. Step inside and you'll forget the place sits in the shadow of the 405/101 intersection. Tapestries with camels adorn the tangerine-hued walls alongside framed images of Marrakesh and a Jewish <i>hamsa</i> design. Elmaleh dons a maroon fez to greet customers and whispers with his wife as they prepare hummus, grilled eggplant, house-made merguez sausage, couscous and the specialty — a lamb tagine cooked with dry fruits, fresh apples and cinnamon. Order Bosch pears soaked in white wine and vanilla to end your meal, or figs stewed in Cointreau, and you'll be feasting as Elmaleh's family once did in Morocco. —Daina Beth Solomon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>4515 Sepulveda Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 91403. (818) 783-6698, <a href="javascript:void(0);">simonscafe.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Simon's Cafe<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4515 Sepulveda Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91403-4047<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4515 Sepulveda Blvd. 91403-4047
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Brunch<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>What do we want from brunch? We don't want to wait on the sidewalk for a table forever. Rather, we want comfort food that's slightly more complex or elevated than what we'd make for ourselves at home. We want something that might tame a hangover — maybe served with something that might give us a brand new hangover. We also want something that's friendly, laid-back, relaxed and convivial. We get all of these things from <b>Cooks County</b>, the Beverly Boulevard restaurant from chefs Daniel Mattern and Roxana Jullapat, which excels in many things but brunch above all. Sip a sweet and tart rhubarb prosecco while chomping on fried eggs with chickpeas and harissa, served with yogurt and grilled olive bread. Or go the bagel route — they're chewy, made in-house and served with a generous heaping of cedar-smoked trout, capers and red onion. We've yet to have a dud on this menu. Plus, the wait is never too long. —Besha Rodell
|
||
|
||
</p><p>8009 Beverly Blvd., Beverly Grove. (323) 653-8009, <a href="javascript:void(0);">cookscountyrestaurant.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Cooks County<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8009 Beverly Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90048<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8009 Beverly Blvd 90048
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Toast<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>\"Artisan toast\" is the stuff of parody, the punchline to a plethora of jokes about foodies and their ridiculous proclivities. But if it's the thing that gave us <b>Sqirl</b>, we're all for it. When chef-owner Jessica Koslow opened this small cafe on Virgil Avenue, it was at first a way to showcase her extraordinary jams. How do you showcase jam? Toast. Thick, buttery, amazing toast. Since then, the space has morphed, the menu has expanded and Sqirl is so much more than its toast. But even when you're ordering \"squid in its ink with charred peppers, cranberry beans and salsa verde,\" it will come with that toast, and be all the better for it. There are even dishes here built on a foundation of burnt toast. And the original, served with chocolate ganache, nut butter and fleur de sel? Still delicious. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>720 N. Virgil Ave., E. Hlywd., 90029. (323) 284-8147, <a href="javascript:void(0);">sqirlla.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Sqirl<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 720 N. Virgil Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90029<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 720 N. Virgil Ave. 90029
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Prettiest Restaurant<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>When Walter and Margarita Manzke and business partner Bill Chait took over the Campanile space to open <b>République</b>, it seemed that all of L.A. held its breath to see what would happen. Would the food be as good as it was in Campanile's heyday? And would the gorgeous building (interior courtyard, vaulted ceilings, tiled fountain, clocktower) still be as breathtakingly pretty? Two years and lots of sandblasting, painting, repiping and retiling later, the answer is yes and YES. Originally a faux-Andalusian brick complex commissioned by Charlie Chaplin as office space, the building was bought by Larry Silverton (Nancy's father) in 1987, at which point it became Campanile and the original home of La Brea Bakery. Chait hired architect Osvaldo Maiozzi, but Manzke did much of the work himself, shipping materials from his wife's native Philippines, enlisting family members to help and recycling stuff from Campanile. The results are stunning. Filament lights drop down from the reworked ceiling like hung stars. The fountain (now outside) churns water easily visible from the glassed-in, opened-up main dining room. Wooden communal tables stretch lengthwise under the skylights — the open kitchen on one side and on the other, an open bakery near hanging, house-made charcuterie in cases and a wine room — as if you're in the best farmhouse kitchen in the world. Maybe you are. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>624 S. La Brea Ave., Hancock Park, 90036. (310) 362-6115, <a href="javascript:void(0);">republiquela.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Republique<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 624 S. La Brea Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90036<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 624 S. La Brea Ave. 90036
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Farmers Market<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Decades before farmers markets were held every day, and in practically every neighborhood in Los Angeles, before they became as hip and ubiquitous (and necessary) as iPhones, the <b>Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers Market</b> was quietly setting up produce stalls. The market started in 1981, before you could even get fresh herbs in grocery stores (gasp!), and in the years since, it has matured into what many would agree is this city's flagship market. Managed for almost all of that time by Laura Avery, now white-haired but showing little sign of slowing down, the market has neither stagnated nor declined. Instead it's operated as a kind of incubator, showcasing start-up bakeries (Red Bread, Roan Mills) and heirloom fruit farmers (Andy's Farm), as it hosts food trucks (Border Grill is a regular) and radio shows (KCRW's <i>Good Food</i>), while locals buy dinner, chefs pick out what to put on the night's menu and sometimes politicians — or Mario Batali — make Instagram-worthy pit stops, trailing ripe tomatoes and TV camera crews. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>Arizona Avenue and Second Street, Santa Monica, 90401. (310) 458-8712, <a href="javascript:void(0);">smgov.net/portals/farmersmarket/</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Santa Monica Wednesday Certified Farmers Market<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Arizona and 2nd Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90401<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Arizona and 2nd Ave. 90401
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Working Breakfast<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In any city, certain local bakeries and coffee shops operate as a network of anti-Starbucks places where people hook up to Wi-Fi and order a coffee and a pastry and literally plug in. In Los Angeles, a city that runs on freelancers and writers (your screenplay, my food blog), there are plenty of these waystations but fewer top-notch restaurants where this is possible than you'd perhaps expect. This has changed recently, and most happily so on the Westside, with the opening of <b>Superba Food + Bread</b>. It's a terrific jigsaw of a restaurant, with a bakery, a coffee shop and an all-day restaurant fitted seamlessly into a former garage. When it opens at 7 a.m., the parking lot is mostly empty, the pastries and breads are still warm, and the Wi-Fi is running as smoothly as the La Marzocco. Order a Gibraltar from the barista, a smoked duck croissant from the pastry chef, and get an hour's work done before the full breakfast starts, at which point chef Jason Travi may bring you your plate of Moroccan eggs himself. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1900 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, 90291. (310) 907-5075, <a href="javascript:void(0);">superbafoodandbread.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Superba Food + Bread<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1900 Lincoln Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90291<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1900 Lincoln Blvd. 90291
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Brownie<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Zoe Nathan and her crew at <b>Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe</b> in Santa Monica make so many amazing things — green eggs & ham, raw kale salad, ratatouille tartine, blueberry-cornmeal cake, all those stunning pastries — that you'll be forgiven for ignoring something as basic and, well, boring as the chocolate brownie. But this is not a boring brownie; rather, it's an exercise in chocolate. The recipe uses no leavening and an \"insanely small amount\" of flour but happily large amounts of butter and eggs — and 66 percent Valrhona chocolate. Like many of the other desserts here, and at the other restaurants Nathan runs with husband Josh Loeb (Milo & Olive, Rustic Canyon), the brownies strike the perfect balance between comfort food and pastry-chef dessert. Almost always in the bakery case, topped with sliced almonds or sometimes other nuts or sometimes plain, these are uber-brownies, your mom's after-school snack reworked as a chocoholic's Platonic idea. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1014 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 90401. (310) 451- 2311, <a href="javascript:void(0);">huckleberrycafe.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Huckleberry<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1014 Wilshire Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90404<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1014 Wilshire Blvd. 90404
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Barbacoa<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There are many reasons to trek to <b>Gish Bac</b>, the Oaxacan restaurant David Padilla and Maria Ramos opened in 2010 in Arlington Heights. It's a modest and cheery place, with big tables and great service, and the owners probably will serve you themselves, chatting as if you were in their home, which is what the place feels like (and kind of is). The Oaxacan food — chicken and <i>mole negro</i> tamales served in the banana leaves they were cooked in, <i>clayudas</i> the size of frying pans — is wonderful. But you're here for the barbacoa, which means that you're here on the weekends, when the couple makes the long-cooked goat dish that's the reason they went into business in the first place. Although there's also lamb barbacoa, order the goat, or barbacoa enchilada, which will come to you pull-apart tender, having been cooked for five hours in the rich scarlet guajillo chile broth that also comes with the dish, in a separate bowl. There is a cabbage and cilantro slaw, wedges of lime, a bowl of house-made tortillas, and a plate of <i>pancita</i>, the blood sausage–like offal dish. Are there better iterations of barbacoa in this town? Maybe, but they're not in actual restaurants. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4163 W. Washington Blvd., Arlington Heights, 90018. (323) 737-5050, <a href="javascript:void(0);">gishbac.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Gish Bac<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4163 W. Washington Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90016<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4163 W. Washington Blvd. 90016
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Duck on a Grill<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A daunting number of Korean barbecue restaurants exist in L.A.'s Koreatown, from which you can order ribs and slabs of beef and all manner of pork belly, cooked to smoky, Hite-fueled perfection at your table. But if that seems passé by now, you might try the duck palace on Olympic that is <b>Sun Ha Jang</b>. The little shop has been open for 20 or so years, but seven years ago duck was added to the menu, and folks have been flocking to the place ever since. Thin slices of young duckling (from Pitman Family Farms) is lovely stuff to throw on a grill, particularly one set into the middle of your table. The waterfowl is mildly funky and thick with fat, and thus pairs exceedingly well with the plates of lettuces and leeks and assorted <i>banchan</i> that fill your table. If this seems somewhat light fare, it's on purpose, as the duck is the appetizer: The real show is what comes after, when the copious duck fat is used to fry up a bowl of rice and the remains of whatever's left on your table into perhaps the best fried rice you've had in your life. Close your eyes and imagine your favorite takeout, as orchestrated by Paula Wolfert over a fire in southwest France. OK, maybe just head to Koreatown. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4032 W. Olympic Blvd., Koreatown, 90019. (323) 634-9292, no website.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Sun Ha Jang Restaurant<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4032 W. Olympic Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90019<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4032 W. Olympic Blvd. 90019
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Ramen<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Since <b>Tsujita L.A.</b> opened, in the summer of 2011, seemingly permanent lines have formed outside the little shop on Sawtelle Boulevard, and for very good reason. The Tokyo-based company makes what most people consider L.A.'s best ramen, purist iterations of Hakata-style noodles that have engendered not only crowds and accolades but also appearances in ramen festivals and, last year, an annex across the street. There are also bowls of superior <i>tsukemen</i>, or dip noodles, as well as other non-noodle dishes (although who would order those here?). In this age of ramen, L.A. has been blessed with very good bowls of the stuff, crazy odes to pig in the form of <i>tonkotsu</i>, Chinese-inspired bowls of spicy black ramen, Italian-inspired bowls with tomato and cheese, even ramen burgers. But for a beautifully orchestrated bowl filled with chewy noodles, complex broth, the option of a perfectly cooked egg and classic condiments, best get in line at Tsujita. Thankfully the shop now serves ramen at both lunch and dinner — and it's open until 2 a.m. Bring the latest Murakami, or maybe make some new friends. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>2057 Sawtelle Blvd., Sawtelle, 90025. (310) 231-7373, <a href="javascript:void(0);">tsujita-la.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Tsujita LA<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2057 Sawtelle Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90025<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2057 Sawtelle Blvd. 90025
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Old-School Doughnuts<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>With all the buzz about the return of Dunkin' Donuts to Los Angeles, it's easy to forget that the first national doughnut chain actually survives, scattered around Greater Los Angeles. Dating to the 1940s, <b>Spudnuts</b> uses a potato flour blend for some of its doughnuts — hence the name. Fans of Spudnuts extol the doughnuts as lighter, fluffier and moister than their counterparts. While Spudnuts doughnuts aren't likely to make aficionados forget Stan's or Donut Man, let alone dissuade transplants from their Dunkin' Donuts nostalgia, there's a reason Spudnuts is still around, even after all these years. Be sure to ask the folks behind the counter which types of doughnuts use the potato flour, to ensure you're getting a true Spudnut. Or just order the apple fritters, which usually are made with the potato blend. —Jim Thurman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3001 S. Figueroa St., University Park, 90007. Additional locations around Los Angeles County. (213) 749-0678, <a href="javascript:void(0);">spudnutinfo.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Spudnuts Donuts<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 12775 Van Nuys Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91331<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 12775 Van Nuys Blvd. 91331
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best British-Style Fish and Chips<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>While fish and chips are served at many places around Los Angeles, there hasn't been a true British-style chip shop until the 2012 opening of <b>Hot Red Bus</b> in downtown Alhambra. Billing itself as L.A.'s first British Indian chip shop, it's run by an expat Brit of Indian descent who brought the flavors of England to his menu. You can choose either swai or the traditional cod for your fish, which is dipped in a secret-recipe batter, fried and served atop perfectly fried Kennebec chips. Since the recent acquisition of a liquor license, you also can swig British beers with your meal. Assorted Brit pop is also available. No, not Blur or Oasis but rather ginger beer or currant-flavored Vimto. —Jim Thurman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>31 E. Main St., Alhambra, 91801. (626) 576-2877, <a href="javascript:void(0);">hotredbus.com</a>. </p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Hot Red Bus<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 31 E. Main St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91801<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 31 E. Main St. 91801
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Organic Gluten-Free Bakery in the Valley<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Who says you can't please everyone all the time? <b>Buttercelli's Bakeshop</b> describes itself as \"a small-batch, classic Americana bakery\" — which these days means being a one-stop treat shop with something for everyone in the growing population of food sensitivities. Co-owner Val Whalin started out selling her organic baked goods online and at farmers markets before putting down roots in her current jewel-box shop on Ventura Boulevard. Buttercelli offers a comprehensive selection of W&D (wheat & dairy), Paleo, vegan and gluten-free sweets and savories. Custom cakes, muffins, doughnuts, scones, gorgeous cupcakes, old-school hand pies, salted caramel bars — you name it, it's probably here. Everything is baked daily without corn syrup, preservatives, GMOs or anything artificial. Even the food coloring is vegetable-based. —Bianca Douglas</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>13722 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 91423. (818) 387-8538, <a href="javascript:void(0);">buttercelli.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Buttercelli Bakeshop<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 13722 Ventura Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91423<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 13722 Ventura Blvd. 91423
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Sour Beers<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Sour beers are hard to make, especially since you're basically infecting your beer with normally no-no bacteria until you get to a tartness that's so bad it's good again. Not unlike firefighters working on a controlled burn, many of the world's best sour brewers know how to balance the base flavor with the tongue-buckling infection, using various barrels, inoculation methods and starter styles to mix up this traditional Belgian beverage. Some of L.A.'s younger breweries — notably Eagle Rock and Smog City — are already experimenting with occasional sour releases. But it's worth recognizing that <b>Craftsman Brewing Company</b> has been seasonally releasing quality sours for years. From its frequently released traditional Flanders red (Ursa Minor) to weird, one-off, herb-infused wild ales (Bay Laurel with bay leaves), Craftsman does sour beer right, including sour strong ales (Cave Art), sour fruit beers (Stonefruit Sour) and a sour black ale (El Prieto), all occasionally available at your favorite Craftsman-pouring establishment. —Sarah Bennett</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1260 Lincoln Ave. (no tasting room), Pasadena, 91103. <a href="javascript:void(0);">craftsmanbrewing.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Craftsman Brewing Company<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1260 Lincoln Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91103<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1260 Lincoln Ave. 91103
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Gluten-Free Potstickers<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>For those who can no longer enjoy the gluten-full <i>xiao long bao</i> at Din Tai Fung — or anywhere else, for that matter — <b>Peking Tavern</b> is here to help.. The hip, underground, Beijing-style gastropub boasts a jovial vibe, exotic cocktails, hearty Chinese street food and the best gluten-free potstickers around. When owners Andrew Chiu and Andrew Wong were developing their menu, they didn't want to exclude their gluten-free friends, so you'll find G-F glass noodles and G-F beef noodle soup on offer, alongside the G-F beef potstickers. The dough combines millet, tapioca and sweet rice flour to produce the soft, chewy texture that makes XLB so addictive.. The beef filling is fragrant and satisfying, and with the traditional dressing of vinegar and G-F soy sauce, they taste surprisingly like the real thing. End on a sweet note with the off-menu <i>tang yuan</i> dessert of G-F black sesame dumplings in a warm, syrupy ginger-chrysanthemum broth. So much for feeling deprived. —Bianca Douglas</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>806 S. Spring St., dwntwn., 90014. (213) 988-8308, <a href="javascript:void(0);">pekingtavern.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Peking Tavern<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 810 S. Spring St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90015<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 810 S. Spring St. 90015
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Reason to Head to Upland<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If you were to drive far enough along the 10 East, toward the edges of the Los Angeles sprawl, eventually you would reach Upland. It's an area perhaps best known for the Claremont Colleges, where 19-year-olds are aggressively being taught to interpret Kant, but it's also where you'll find <b>Ashirwad the Blessings</b>, a Gujarati restaurant that specializes in the Indian snack foods called <i>chaat</i>. There's no meat in sight. In addition to the various snack foods — crackers garnished with potato and spices, crunchy puffed dough layered with yogurt, samosas bathed in spicy gravy and chickpeas — almost everyone here gets <i>thali</i>, a kind of pre-assembled Gujarati meal plate, with enough different flavors to keep you occupied for several visits. As you spoon various curries and chutneys onto the slab of flatbread called <i>roti</i>, it will occur to you, maybe for the first time, that renouncing meat would not be particularly difficult. —James Gordon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>583 E. Foothill Blvd., Ste. 10, Upland, 91786. (909) 608-1313, <a href="javascript:void(0);">tiffinsbyashirwad.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Ashirwad The Blessings<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 583 E Foothill Blvd. Suite 10-11<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91786<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 583 E Foothill Blvd. Suite 10-11 91786
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Modern Cocktail Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>With its everything-old-is-new-again décor and drinks philosophy, <b>Melrose Umbrella Company</b> offers itself up as a quirky glimpse into a post-Prohibition bar — with a newfangled view of cocktail fun. The menu features a stable of classic drinks for those who like to swig it old-school. But it's with the modern riffs — on everything from tiki to the shandy to fruit- and vegetable-based drinks — that the bar's artistry really shines. The owners' intent seems to be to create an ever-evolving volume of drinks, which change both seasonally and thematically. The Fernet Branca on draft, served tongue-in-cheek in demitasse cups, brings in the bartending set and pretty much everyone else needing a digestif after downing a gluttonously glorious grilled cheese sandwich from Greenspan's, conveniently located next door. —Lesley Jacobs Solmonson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>7465 Melrose Ave., W. Hlywd., 90046. (323) 951-0709, <a href="javascript:void(0);">melroseumbrellaco.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Melrose Umbrella Co.<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7465 Melrose Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90046<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7465 Melrose Ave. 90046
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Free Kids' Meal<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>M Street Kitchen</b>, on Santa Monica's Main Street, makes it easy to eat out when you're dining with the short set. The free kids meal for those 8 and under — which is served from 4 to 6:30 p.m. — offers a choice of mac and cheese, quesadillas (with a house-made tortilla), grilled cheese or PB&J, which comes augmented with fresh fruit, french fries and milk or juice. This is even more fun when you coincide your kid's happy meal with a happy hour of your own, from 4-6 p.m. daily. The grown-up menu includes a California griddle burger (add chipotle mayo for a kick), a steal at $4.95. Other options are sushi or the pulled chicken nachitos (a serious mound of shredded chicken is involved). The bar serves a three-buck beer (try the Hoegaarden) or a fresh fruit–laden sangria in either red or white. All this means that a family of four can dine for about 20 bucks. It's enough to make you actually leave your house. —Angela Matano</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>2000 Main St., Santa Monica, 90405. (310) 396-9145, <a href="javascript:void(0);">mstreetkitchen.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> M Street Kitchen<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2000 Main St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90405<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2000 Main St. 90405
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Tequila Program<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Chef John Sedlar's love affair with tequila is on steroid-amped display at <b>Rivera</b>, his downtown pan-Latin restaurant. To allow his guests to savor their agave spirits in grand style, Sedlar had special Captain Kirk–esque leather chairs installed, replete with custom-built attached serving trays. To highlight the intricacies of tequila, he created an entire tasting menu whose flavors were paired with tequila and tequila-based cocktails. Bartender Julian Cox's Barbacoa cocktail, with its spicy muddle and jerky garnish, was one of the first attention-getting, original mezcal-based cocktails served in L.A. But the most dedicated expression of Sedlar's passion is the Sangre Room, where an exclusive tequila bottling, available only at Rivera, is on display in French crystal decanters topped with mahogany \"R\" logo stoppers. Diners can catch a glimpse of this liquid gold, which reflects the dim, glowing lights, but only members brandish the special keys that unlock the magical elixir. —Lesley Jacobs Solmonson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1050 S. Flower St., dwntwn., 90015. (213) 749-1460, <a href="javascript:void(0);">riverarestaurant.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Rivera<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1050 S. Flower St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90015<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1050 S. Flower St. 90015
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Butter Coffee<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Many Angelenos are adding butter to their coffee — the saturated fat is supposed to assist with everything from mental clarity to weight loss. This year <b>Erewhon Natural Foods Market</b>, one of L.A.'s oldest organic grocery stores, was the first place in the nation to offer the Bulletproof brand of the drink. Erewhon blends Bulletproof coffee beans and MCT oil (concentrated palm and coconut oil) with Ancient Organics ghee instead of plain butter. Between such Bulletproof fan terms as \"coffee upgrade\" and \"biohack,\" ghee that is chanted over during a full moon, and the drink's popularity among models and actors, this beverage can sound like a joke about L.A. stereotypes. But the nutty, caramel flavor from the ghee is decadent, and the oily drink can extend your caffeine high and eliminate the crash. So if you dislike hype, just ignore the buzz — and enjoy the buzz. —Sara Rashkin</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>7660 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax, 90036. (323) 937-0777, <a href="javascript:void(0);">erewhonmarket.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Erewhon Natural Food<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7660 Beverly Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90036<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7660 Beverly Blvd. 90036
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best New Production Brewery<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In the last year alone, Los Angeles County has become home to at least half a dozen new breweries, all trying to set themselves apart from those that came before in the hopes of earning a share of the region's increasing craft beer market. Of them, <b>MacLeod Ale Brewing Co.</b> in Van Nuys may be the most unlikely newcomer, which is exactly why its precision-brewed, British-style ales are such a welcome break from the IPAs and California saisons trying to push onto tap lists citywide. Not only is MacLeod the first production brewery to open a taproom in the brewery desert of the San Fernando Valley but it's also the first one in L.A. to focus exclusively on \"real ales,\" or unfiltered beers served from a cask without any forced carbonation. Taking on the challenge of education and the risk of alienating conventional beer drinkers (all pints are poured at a balmy 56 degrees), MacLeod sticks to its guns and provides quality brews — from the Yorkshire Pale to the 60 Shilling Scotch Ale — that are a great introduction to the real ales of the British Isles. —Sarah Bennett</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>14741 Calvert St., Van Nuys, 91411. (818) 631-1963, <a href="javascript:void(0);">macleodale.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> MacLeod Ale Brewing<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 14741 Calvert St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91411<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 14741 Calvert St. 91411
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Biryani<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Forget about paella and risotto. There's a much more exciting rice dish at <b>Bangla Bazar & Restaurant</b> on West Third Street in the strip known as Little Bangladesh. It's goat biryani, spicy rice studded with gamey-tasting, bony pieces of goat. The rice is like a spice market on a plate, studded with the heady aromatics you find in Indian-Bangladeshi food: whole cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and big, black cardamom pods. Spicy chile, too. And dribbles of yellow splotching the rice like sunshine. This in-your-face food commands attention. To do it justice, you should eat with your hands — right hand only, please — like the Bangladeshis around you, because the tactile sensation is as important to the flavor as the spices. All you need to turn this into a perfect meal is a bracing cup of chai, which the restaurant provides, and a hand rinse when you're done. —Barbara Hansen
|
||
|
||
</p><p>4205½ W. Third St., Koreatown, 90020. (213) 380-4070, <a href="javascript:void(0);">facebook.com/pages/Bangla-Bazar-Restaurant</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bangla Bazar & Restaurant<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4205 1/2 W 3rd St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90020<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4205 1/2 W 3rd St. 90020
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Highest Cafe<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>The Cosmic Cafe</b> sits more than 5,700 feet above sea level. Thus you can dine on sandwiches, chili dogs, salads, soups and bottled drinks as you enjoy the effects of slight oxygen deprivation. We're not talking about haute cuisine, of course, but this kind of comfort food tastes pretty heavenly when you've spent the morning traversing the woodsy wilderness — especially if you hiked up the Mount Wilson trail to get here. Best bets include the turkey sandwich, grilled chicken breast with pesto on naan bread, coleslaw, apple pie and ice cream sundaes. The cafe isn't open in the winter months. But on weekends from April through November, in addition to food, you can pick up observatory souvenirs there, as well as the Wilderness Pass you'll need in order to park in the National Forest (all proceeds support the observatory). And don't forget to visit the astronomical museum on the observatory grounds. —Suzy Beal</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>Mount Wilson Road, Angeles National Forest, 91023. (626)440-9016, <a href="javascript:void(0);">mtwilson.edu/cafe.php</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Cosmic Cafe at Mount Wilson Observatory<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Mt. Wilson Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91023<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Mt. Wilson Road 91023
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Cheap Indian Food<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>First let's talk about the mango souffle at <b>Streets of India</b> in Encino. Light as air, rich as cream, pure mango flavor from the pulverized fresh mango and coconut milk — for $2.75. During the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet ($8.75 on weekdays) or the insane early-bird special (11 a.m. to noon on weekdays for $6.75), eat as much souffle as you like. Or the soy chicken <i>tikka masala</i>, one of many tasty vegan choices here. Run by an Indian family, this welcoming cafe and outdoor patio on bustling Ventura Boulevard features a buffet that includes fish and chicken curries, tandoori chicken, <i>saag paneer</i> and other traditional dishes. The regular menu offers nearly a dozen curries — Kerala shrimp curry at $12 — and numerous delicious flatbreads, including three that are gluten-free. Start a new habit and try the baby corn fries for $4. —Jill Stewart</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>16260 Ventura Blvd., Encino, 91436. (818) 325-2500, <a href="javascript:void(0);">streetsofindiacafe.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Streets of India Café<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 16260 Ventura Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91436<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 16260 Ventura Blvd. 91436
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Tableside Dinner Preparation<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>West Hollywood's <b>RivaBella</b> has always been short on understatement. The restaurant makes a startling showcase of its impressive indoor-outdoor space, which is among the best in Los Angeles, but when the risotto cart emerges from the kitchen, it galvanizes the room. Entire tables crane their necks to get a look at the 80-pound wheel of two-year aged Parmigiano Reggiano with the hole carved into the center. That's where the risotto's aged organic Acquerello rice goes, still steaming from its slow cook in the kitchen. Worked tableside, the creamy rice gets imbued with all of that aged cheesy goodness, plus handfuls of mushrooms, direct from Italy. For a final decadent punch, funky black truffles can be shaved directly on top of the <i>risotto al funghi porcini finito al tavolo</i> — for an equally audacious price, of course. —Farley Elliott</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>9201 Sunset Blvd., W. Hlywd., 90069. (310) 278-2060, <a href="javascript:void(0);">innovativedining.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> RivaBella<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 9201 Sunset Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90069<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 9201 Sunset Blvd. 90069
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Surf Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>As the first surf shop to open up in Malibu, back in 1972, <b>Malibu Surf Shack</b> is a PCH mainstay. Owned by couple Sean and Leslie Weber, this shop is located right across from the Malibu Pier and overlooks Surfrider Beach, home to one of the most famous surf breaks in the world. The shop offers everything from surf, stand-up paddle and kayak lessons and rentals to tours and apparel. Malibu Surf Shack also offers group lessons and tours at great rates, catering to every level of experience. They've recently launched their own cut-and-sew collection of clothing, which is locally manufactured. With more than 30 years in business in one of the surf scene's capitals, it's no wonder that Malibu Surf Shack has a loyal customer following. —Elise Montecastro</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>22935 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, 90265. (310)456-8508, <a href="javascript:void(0);">malibusurfshack.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Malibu Surf Shack<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 22935 Pacific Coast Highway<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90265<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 22935 Pacific Coast Highway 90265
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Day-to-Night Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Zinque</b> is the Diane Von Fürstenberg wrap dress of restaurants. During the day, its airy interior resembles an Apple store, considering how many Mac laptops are in use. But at night it's a different story: Wine glasses, oysters and occasionally live music make you feel as if you're in a European bistro. (The din of customer conversation doesn't hurt the illusion, considering it often includes snippets of French and Italian.) Zinque offers bites for every hour of the day: pastries, breakfast sandwiches, paninis, healthy salads, happy-hour snacks, flatbreads and \"plates.\" With indoor and outdoor seating, outlets and Wi-Fi, there's not really an occasion or meeting that Zinque can't accommodate. It's tempting to arrive early for coffee and stay for wine, but if you'd rather change locations, Zinque now boasts two — one near Abbot Kinney, and one near the Pacific Design Center in WeHo. —Eve Weston</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>600 Venice Blvd., Venice, 90291. (310) 437-0970, <a href="javascript:void(0);">lezinque.com</a>. Also 8684 Melrose Ave., W. Hlywd., 90069. (424) 284-3930.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Zinque<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 600 Venice Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90291<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 600 Venice Blvd. 90291
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Buy Water-Wise Plants<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>You'll be greeted by a truly giant giant saguaro when you arrive at <b>California Cactus Center</b> in Pasadena. This is notable because the saguaro is mainly seen in Arizona; the fact that it's thriving here is indicative of the growers' abilities. Given California's ongoing drought, take the hint and plant things from the desert. The shop has more than just cactus: many types and styles of pots, garden statuary, accessories, even a few water plants. But the main products here are succulents, ranging in size from an inch or so to taller than your house. Many are rare species, plants that even the most experienced gardener might be surprised to see. And the staff is friendly and knowledgeable, too. Zhalermwudh Thongthiraj, a Thai farmer who came to the United States in the 1950s, started the business with his wife and (eventually) six daughters. Now they're happy to share their love of plants and expertise in cactus with you. —Lisa Horowitz</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>216 S. Rosemead Blvd., Pasadena, 91107. (626) 795-2788, <a href="javascript:void(0);">cactuscenter.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> California Cactus Center<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 216 S Rosemead Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91107<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 216 S Rosemead Blvd. 91107
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bornean Food<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In L.A,'s assuredly vast history of secret menus, it seems likely that none has been more interesting than the one that was available at the former Little London Fish & Chips, which, for a number of years, covertly served Bornean food. For perspective, the food being served was specifically Chinese-Indonesian, which is only a subset of the Indonesian food served in Borneo, an island split between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. A couple years ago, Little London Fish & Chips formally became <b>Borneo Kalimantan Cuisine</b>, expanding its menu to include about 50 options, including Borneo-style <i>laksa</i>; the buttery, pan-fried bread called <i>roti</i>, and such standard Indonesian favorites as the peanut salad called <i>gado-gado</i>. Despite the expansion, the requisite order is still <i>mi hokkian</i> (Hokkianese noodles), which are executed to perfection: curly, tensile and bouncy enough to remind you of a phone cord; chewy enough that each thread is savored rather than slurped. There may not be a better stir-fried noodle in Los Angeles right now, secret or otherwise. —James Gordon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>19 S. Garfield Ave., Unit A, Alhambra, 91801. (626) 282-4477, no website.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Borneo Kalimantan Cuisine<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 19 S. Garfield Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91801<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 19 S. Garfield Ave. 91801
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Boutique<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Looking to expand your shopping repertoire to include local boutiques that carry independent designers? Kelly Love and Fez Phez, owners of DTLA's <b>Haus of Love</b>, have you covered. Their shop is a platform for emerging design talent. It stocks mostly up-and-coming L.A. brands, as well as a few labels from London and Hong Kong. This boutique is not for the basics: You won't find plain T-shirts, jeans or fast fashion; rather, you'll discover and fall in love with a curated, unique selection of one-of-a-kind, quality, avant-garde clothing and accessories, most of which are produced here in L.A. Think chic mesh hoodies and tanks by Rojas, galactic-inspired laser-cut Plexiglas earrings by Marina Fini and organza-meets-denim-meets-plaid pieces by Rose La Grua. Haus of Love also hosts pop-up shops during downtown L.A.'s monthly Art Walk to showcase new artists and designers. —Elise Montecastro</p>
|
||
|
||
<i><p>600 S. Spring St., Unit 108, dwntwn., 90014. (323)420-3007, <a href="javascript:void(0);">shophausoflove.com</a>.</p></i><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Haus of Love<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 600 S. Spring St. #108<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90018<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 600 S. Spring St. #108 90018
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Stoner Pizza<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Is there any pizza that isn't, in some way, stoner pizza? Perhaps not. Yet <b>Pizza of Venice</b> has turned the stoner pie into particularly awesome art, beginning with free-form crust (\"Each pizza is like a snowflake\") and extending to the toppings, which range from \"expected\" to \"off-the-wall.\" Once you get off the wall, you'll find Korean fried chicken pizza, or braised lamb with rosemary pesto and grape leaves. It actually tastes great, whether you're under the influence or not. Add to that the soundtrack to the sunny, outsider art–adorned Altadena shop — generally reggae of some sort — and you'll see that Pizza of Venice has taken the promise of pot-inspired pizza to whole new heights. —Besha Rodell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>2545 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Altadena, 91001. (626) 765-9636, <a href="javascript:void(0);">pizzaofvenice.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Pizza of Venice<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2545 N. Fair Oaks Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91001<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2545 N. Fair Oaks Ave. 91001
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Music Venue<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>When it comes to outdoor amphitheaters around L.A., the Hollywood Bowl and the Greek Theatre get all the love. But the <b>John Anson Ford Amphitheatre</b> also has great music and natural beauty, with only a fraction of the hassle. It's shocking just how friendly the staff is, how easy the venue is to navigate and how quickly you can park. (It's stacked parking, so you can't leave until the show's over, but still.) The facility includes an 87-seat indoor stage, but even the main, 1,200-seat outdoor amphitheater feels intimate. The sound is first-rate, as is the stunning backdrop of trees and hillside, illuminated by colored lights. The performances tend toward world music, family-friendly festivals, and folk, with some rock and hip-hop thrown in. Good stuff but, to be honest, it doesn't really matter what's playing. The Ford is just that breathtaking. —Ben Westhoff</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood Hills, 90068, (323) 461-3673, <a href="javascript:void(0);">fordtheatres.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> John Anson Ford Amphitheatre<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90068<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East 90068
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Shoe Store<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>You can't quite see to the far end of the display tables at the Sherman Oaks <b>Macy's</b> — all those heels, sandals, boots and flats stretch out, by our reckoning, for a city block. According to a natty-looking salesman, the more than 2,000 pairs of shoes on display here are continually replenished via a hidden, two-story storeroom running the entire length of the shoe department. You can spend a four-hour afternoon trying on Badgley Mischka rhinestone stilettos and Sam Edelman ankle-wrap heels and still not exhaust the supply. You know you're in a great shoe store when your fellow customers congenially offer impromptu reviews as you size up your potential selections in the mirror. Bonus: The gigantic, free Westfield Fashion Square parking lot is just outside the door. You won't find that on the Westside. —Jill Stewart</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1400 Riverside Drive, Sherman Oaks, 91423. (818) 788-8350, <a href="javascript:void(0);">macys.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Macy's<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 14000 Riverside<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91423<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 14000 Riverside 91423
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Food in a Thrift Store<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The new Lincoln Heights Goodwill, near Atwater Village, is remarkable for a few reasons. It's huge, encompassing two stores and a community center. The walls are covered in murals by local artists, and the store itself is one of the cleanest, best organized thrift stores we've ever set foot in. But perhaps most remarkable is the fact that it also has a full-fledged, sit-down cafeteria. The <b>G Cafe</b> provides job training for aspiring cooks and servers, and everything is made in-house, including the results of an extensive bakery program. There are sandwiches, tacos, salads and daily specials, such as baked chicken with rice and beans. Best of all, the prices are in line with what you'd expect from a restaurant in a thrift store: perfect for bargain hunters. —Besha Rodell
|
||
|
||
</p><p>342 N. San Fernando Road, Lincoln Heights, 90031. (323) 223-1211, <a href="javascript:void(0);">goodwill.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Cafe G<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3150 N. San Fernando Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90065<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3150 N. San Fernando Road 90065
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Watch Ryu Pitch<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Koreatown signage can be confusing along Western Avenue, but you'll spot <b>Mok Maru Jong Sul Jip</b> immediately from the giant banner featuring Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu. If you can't make it to the stadium, rally here. But don't just do it for the obvious reasons, such as the cheap-enough pitchers of Hite on every table, next to a small, green bottle of soju, which is there in case you decide that you're not drunk enough. Don't even do it just for the Ryu Burger, a messy patty topped with kimchi, jalapeños and melted pepper jack. Come to Mok Maru Jong Sul Jip for the way the room erupts with applause every time Ryu strikes out a batter. And stay for the people-watching — old men, jocks and couples on dates clinking glasses — as well as the food, particularly the carne asada fries on the menu. Like Randy Newman, we love L.A. —Amy Nicholson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>222 N. Western Ave., Koreatown, 90004. (323) 465-6803, <a href="javascript:void(0);">facebook.com/MokMaruJongSulJip</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Mok Maru Jong Sul Jip<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 222 N. Western Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90004<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 222 N. Western Ave. 90004
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Store to Buy Stationery and Office Supplies<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Daiso</b> is a shop that quickly turns into an addiction. The Japanese chain store, with multiple locations across Los Angeles County, sells most of its stock for just $1.50 a pop, ensuring that it's almost impossible to leave with just one item. Venture into the stationery aisles and you may walk out with a shopping bag filled with everything from sleek business card cases to <i>kawaii</i> stationary. The best bargains are the \"multipurpose pens\" — four-colored pens with a mechanical pencil, sold in two-packs. They're the cheapest pens we've ever found that actually work, while the hardcover notebooks are just as durable, and almost as lovely, as the Moleskine clones they were selling last year. High-priced items include leatherlike iPad cases in stylish summer colors — for all of $4. The stock changes regularly, and many items sell out quickly, so you'll want to stop by Daiso often. —Liz Ohanesian</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>Multiple locations, including 621 S. Western Ave., Koreatown, 90005. (213) 637-0336, <a href="javascript:void(0);">daisojapan.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Daiso<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 621 S Western Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90005<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 621 S Western Ave. 90005
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Luggage Repair<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Since 1907, <b>Langer's Luggage Shop and Handbag Hospital</b> has specialized in restoring vintage leather and vinyl goods, no matter what their condition. Owner Raffi Aintablian is passionate about doing quality work. To him, each piece has its own story. Beautiful old briefcases, vintage Gucci bags and worn-in Western boots all receive special attention. The shop is especially skilled in zipper repair, with the special equipment necessary to handle any project. Bring in a bag or pair of shoes that need a little TLC and see for yourself. Aintablian promises, \"You won't be disappointed.\" —Jacky Surber</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>7561 Sunset Blvd., Hlywd., 90046. (323) 512-4710, <a href="javascript:void(0);">langersluggage1@gmail.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Langer's Luggage Repair<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7561 Sunset Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90046<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7561 Sunset Blvd. 90046
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Restaurant Near the Beach<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>So you're going to the beach for the day. And you want a fun meal after all that sand and sun. Sure, we know you probably have seafood in mind, another overpriced lobster roll perhaps? Let us steer you in a different direction, to <b>Little Sister</b> in Manhattan Beach. Chef Tin Vuong's ode to the foods of Southeast Asia might not be what you expect from a beach restaurant, but in many ways it's far better. You'll sit under the back-wall mural of a machine gun spewing vivid butterflies and eat Vietnamese crepes and Myanmar curries and Sichuan noodles and Balinese meatballs. This is not cute American food with Asian accents; there's a purity of intention that shines through. Dishes are boldly spicy where appropriate, unapologetically funky, and bursting with flavor. There's loud rap music on the sound system and waiters with plenty of requisite hipster attitude, but the food is the best kind of surprise. —Besha Rodell
|
||
|
||
</p><p>1131 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, 90266. (310) 545-2096, <a href="javascript:void(0);">littlesistermb.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Little Sister<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1131 Manhattan Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90254<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1131 Manhattan Ave. 90254
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Charge Your Electric Car<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In front of Arts District gourmet marketplace <b>Urban Radish</b>, you'll find an Electric Vehicle, or EV, oasis with 10 level-two Blink chargers and two level-three superchargers (super because they can take your battery from empty to 80 percent in 20 minutes). Installed three years ago by Linear City Development as part of its loft development, the chargers were meant \"to encourage the use of eclectic cars in the Arts District,\" according to company manager Yuval Bar-Zemer. Parking in the EV-reserved spots is free for anyone; charging is not — but it's still a heckofalot cheaper than gas. Grab some almond milk while you wait, and leave with both your body and your car fueled. —Sascha Bos</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>661 Imperial St., Arts District, 90021. (213) 892-1570, <a href="javascript:void(0);">urban-radish.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Urban Radish<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 661 Imperial St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90021<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 661 Imperial St. 90021
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Echo Park Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In a world where dive bars are under constant threat of going under (or worse, going <i>Bar Rescue</i>), <b>Gold Room</b> stands tall. It feels safe to say it will never lose the true spirit of itself and what a legit dive represents — a place to lube the workaday grind with cheap liquor and irreverent camaraderie. Even after a minor refurbish in 2009, it managed to spit-shine itself while remaining a space safe from fake bookshelves, craft cocktails and lip-pursing snots chasing manufactured hip. Most importantly, Gold Room kept its impossibly priced, 31-year-running, loss-leader: a shot of tequila and a beer for $4. No other transitional neighborhood's watering hole has hit all the right notes with both locals and scenesters, and you can see them all peacefully rubbing elbows any night of the week. It's a place that promises never to change in the philosophical sense, which is why it remains not only the best bar in Echo Park but one of the best in all of Southern California. —Paul T. Bradley</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1558 W. Sunset Blvd., Echo Park, 90026. (213) 482-5259, <a href="javascript:void(0);">facebook.com/pages/The-Gold-Room/204677952897397</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Gold Room<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1558 W. Sunset Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90026<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1558 W. Sunset Blvd. 90026
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Vegan Restaurant<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There aren't many vegan restaurants where you could take omnivores and reasonably hope that they won't notice the absence of meat and dairy, but <b>Crossroads</b> is just such a place. As swank as any other West Hollywood hot spot, its plush, red velvet booths and soft, yellow orb lighting betrays no hint of hippie undertones. The wine list is better than at most meat palaces in town. And the food is mainly creative small plates, which pack as much flavor as any kind of diner might want. The secret here is to rely on the vegetables themselves, and to put them in creative contrast with herbs, spices and nuts. Flatbreads come with smoked sweet corn, roasted okra and cherry tomatoes; kale spanakopita comes with tomato fondue and mint oil; and even the \"crabcakes\" made with hearts of palm have a light, delicious charm. If this is veganism, we're all for it. —Besha Rodell
|
||
|
||
</p><p>8284 Melrose Ave., W. Hlywd., 90046. (323) 782-9245, <a href="javascript:void(0);">crossroadskitchen.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Crossroads<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8284 Melrose Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90046<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8284 Melrose Ave. 90046
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bar on Abbot Kinney<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>So you managed to squeeze in at Gjelina, Tasting Kitchen, Salt Air, Axe or one of the other high-priced hot spots on Abbot Kinney for dinner. Bully for you! But $150 later, your meal is done, and you'd better believe they want that table back. So what's a thirsty couple to do? Head to <b>Willie Jane</b>, of course! One of the best restaurants on this hipper-than-thou block also has a surprisingly swell, and generously sized, bar to keep the party going. Darkly lit, romantic and lively all at once, it boasts a superb list of craft cocktails, genuinely nice barkeeps and surprisingly swift service. We're positively obsessed with the Smoke, which combines rye, Fernet Branca, lemon and smoked honey for $12. (They even burn some hickory and trap the smoke in the glass, which adds an extra note to the drink.) There's also a communal table — which makes much more sense in a bar than in the usual awkward dinner context — and a lounge area, so even on crowded nights, you can usually score a seat. That's more than we can say about most places in the neighborhood. —Sarah Fenske</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1031 Abbot Kinney, Venice, 90291. (310)392-2425, <a href="javascript:void(0);">williejane.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Willie Jane<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1031 Abbot Kinney Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90291<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1031 Abbot Kinney Blvd. 90291
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Burmese Food<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There are certain restaurants in L.A. that seem as if they were lifted from their country of origin and casually planted in a random Southern California suburb. <b>Yoma Myanmar</b> is one of them, as the restaurant could as soon be a neighborhood spot in Yangon as in Monterey Park. This means that the space is extremely simple — a few small tables in a small room with a low ceiling — but that seems appropriate when sampling Burmese curries rarely found outside of the streets of Southeast Asia. We're quite happy to eat in any setting where the tea-leaf salad is as pungent and garlicky as this one is, and where there are enough interesting noodle dishes that it's worth inventing excuses to go out to lunch. There are a few other excellent Burmese options in L.A. right now — including Daw Yee Myanmar around the corner — but Yoma's consistently stellar food and comprehensive menu make it our favorite. —James Gordon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>713 E. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park, 91755; (626) 280-8655, no website.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Yoma Myanmar<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 713 E. Garvey Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91755<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 713 E. Garvey Ave. 91755
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best All-Ages Club<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Some all-ages clubs are so loosely organized, it can feel like <i>Lord of the Flies</i> when there's an open-mic night or a battle of the bands. But <b>Pehrspace</b> creates a distinctively different atmosphere. Established by Adam Hervey and Darren King in 2006 and run by volunteers, the not-for-profit, garage-size space juxtaposes group art exhibitions with all manner of literal noise — hardcore, electronic, avant-garde, punk — as well as more melodious and typically arty strains of indie rock, new wave and lo-fi pop. Entry to most shows is just $5. As for the location, Pehrspace is hidden in a nondescript building behind a nondescript parking lot in a nondescript part of town that's variously described as Westlake, Filipinotown or southern Echo Park. Rest assured, it is worth tracking down. —Falling James</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>325 Glendale Blvd., Westlake, 90026. (213) 483-7347, <a href="javascript:void(0);">pehrspace.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Pehrspace<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 325 Glendale Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90026<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 325 Glendale Blvd. 90026
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Mechanic<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Here's the mathematical equation for a good mechanic: (honesty + skill)/cost. Tally it up and <b>Hana Auto Service</b>, a clean, well-tended shop on the north end of Koreatown, is a winner. Cars zip in and out of the wide lot all day, some coming from as far as Arizona and Nevada — K-town expats who wait until they drive back home to get their regular maintenance. An oil change is just $25 and fast, too; you'll barely piece together the plot of the Korean soap opera in the license plate–lined waiting room before you're handed your keys and given the thumbs-up. If it's your first visit, the manager will ceremoniously present you with a folder to hold your future service records — when you find a repair shop you trust, it's an automatic given you'll be coming back. On the front of the folder, you'll see the ultimate sign that the mechanic here trusts you, too: his emergency cellphone number. —Amy Nicholson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>4305 W. Beverly Blvd., Koreatown, 90004. (323) 674-0700.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Hana Auto Service<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4305 W Beverly Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90004<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4305 W Beverly Blvd. 90004
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Eat at LAX<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>LAX is fast becoming an actual dining destination, though you have to have a ticket to ride in order to dine. The swankest dining is at the newly renovated Tom Bradley International terminal, which offers everything from a Petrossian caviar and Champagne bar to Panda Express. There's a lot in between, too, but the spot that offers the best taste for the money is <b>ink.sack</b>. While many of the other outlets fall into the \"this still tastes like airport food\" trap, ink.sack delivers sandwiches that taste very much like the ones served at the first ink.sack in West Hollywood under the watchful eye of chef Michael Voltaggio; that is to say, creative, high-quality and delicious. Favorites include gravlax with pickled onion, capers and \"everything bagel spread,\" and an amazing ham, egg and cheese that features prosciutto, Camembert and arugula. —Besha Rodell
|
||
|
||
</p><p>380 World Way, LAX, 90045. (310) 258-9587, <a href="javascript:void(0);">mvink.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> ink.sack<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 380 World Way<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90045<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 380 World Way 90045
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best San Fernando Valley Burger Stand<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Burger stands abound in the San Fernando Valley, thanks to the simultaneous expansion of L.A.'s suburbs and its fast-casual hamburger culture in the 1950s. None, though, is as prolific as <b>Bill and Hiroko's</b> in Van Nuys, which has been griddling up cheeseburgers since the 1960s. While they're absolutely worth the drive, it's octogenarian Bill Elwell himself that is the biggest draw. Effortlessly working a grill that itself is pushing 100 years old, Elwell chats with entire generations of regulars and is quick to offer a snappy retort. The friendly curmudgeon is so beloved that his ex-wife still regularly runs the register. Truth be told, Elwell's fans may just be sticking around for the SoCal-style burgers, which arrive as perfectly salted thin beef patties, with plenty of spread and shredded lettuce. Most get American cheese, of course, which Elwell slings from chest-high onto each cooking burger — sometimes whether you asked for it or not. —Farley Elliott
|
||
|
||
</p><p>14742 Oxnard St., Van Nuys, 91411. (818) 785-4086.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bill & Hiroko's<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 14742 Oxnard St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91411<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 14742 Oxnard St. 91411
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Westlake Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Unless you got lost looking for the on-ramp to the 110 freeway downtown, you'd never stumble upon <b>the Monty</b> if you didn't already know about it. That's part of what makes this unassuming dive on the eastern fringes of Westlake so appealing. From the outside, the spot looks as unsavory as the former topless club it once was. But once you get past the burly security guards and the (hopefully) ironic \"please check your guns at the door\" sign, the place reveals itself as a gorgeously restored Western saloon, whose immaculate, mirror-paneled, dark wooden bar stretches from one end of the train car–shaped tavern to the other. The jukebox, $3 cans of Olympia and a mounted buffalo head are relics of a simpler time, but every night's a party at the Monty. DJs including former The Germs drummer Don Bolles and L.A. rockers Fidlar spin punk-rock jams on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. With weeknights like these, just imagine how crazy the weekends must be. —Jennifer Swann</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1222 W. Seventh St., Westlake, 90017. (213) 228-6000, <a href="javascript:void(0);">montybar.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Monty<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1222 W. Seventh St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90017<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1222 W. Seventh St. 90017
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bike Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Helmets, baskets, tires and lots of other bike stuff fill the friendly neighborhood bike shop <b>Spokes N Stuff</b>. The store is geared (pun intended) toward the average cyclist, with equipment for middle-of-the-road riders taking up most of the floor space. Under owner Joey Harris, Spokes N Stuff sells and repairs new and used bikes for humans of all heights, from itty-bitty rides for kids to hybrids for weekend warriors. The newly painted mural outside is a bike-friendly interpretation of the parting of the Red Sea, with cyclists cruising through the walls of water. Hey, who says bicycle enthusiasts aren't the chosen people of L.A.? Buy a new bike here and a lifetime free service plan is included. —Jacky Surber</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>7777 Melrose Ave., Fairfax, 90046. (888) 242-3971, <a href="javascript:void(0);">spokes-n-stuff.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Spokes 'N Stuff<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7777 Melrose Ave<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90046<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7777 Melrose Ave 90046
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Vape Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Smoke shops are ubiquitous in L.A. Historically, the big draw has been generic, \"roll your own\" cigarettes, but the e-cigarette revolution has opened up new doors for these businesses. <b>Cig Zone</b> in Westside Village has taken full advantage of the popularity of vaporizers, e-liquid (which contains nicotine) and accessories. It's something like an e-cigarette hobby shop. You could spend hours putting together a custom vape with different battery units, mouthpieces and reservoirs, not to mention the endless flavors of e-liquid you could choose. And that's where Cig Zone's service comes in: The store's friendly and knowledgeable employees will help you make the right choices, based on what you're in it for. If you whisper, they'll even help you find the right components for smoking marijuana bud, wax or hashish. It's a neighborhood hardware store for the sedentary set. —Dennis Romero</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3130 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Unit B, Palms, 90034. (310) 694-5373, <a href="javascript:void(0);">cigzoneculvercity.com</a>. Also at 13752 Foothill Blvd., Sylmar, 91342.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Cig Zone<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3130 S. Sepulveda Blvd Unit B.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90034<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3130 S. Sepulveda Blvd Unit B. 90034
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Secret Chorizo<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>This city consumes massive amounts of chorizo, in breakfast burritos and late-night tacos across the Southland. So why does so much of it suck? <b>Humberto Raygoza</b>, also known as the Choriman, is working to change that, slowly building accounts for his house-made chorizo via social media, word-of-mouth and this year's Tacolandia. Currently, Raygoza's chorizo can be found at both Federal Bar outposts in Long Beach and North Hollywood, though it first came into view at Del Rey Deli Co., where the perfectly realized Argentine, Spanish and Portuguese chorizo gussy up several dishes. Del Rey's breakfast menu acts as a calling card for the humble Raygoza, who cranks out pounds of his family-recipe chorizo, including a green Tolucan <i>verde</i> version, from his home in Culver City. (He's the fourth generation of his family to be a chorizo maker.) Between Instagram, Twitter and ordering over the counter direct from Del Rey Deli, Raygoza's one-man artisan empire is helping to un-suckify L.A.'s chorizo scene. —Farley Elliott
|
||
|
||
</p><p><a href="javascript:void(0);">instagram.com/thechoriman</a>, <a href="javascript:void(0);">raygozachorizo@gmail.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8501 Pershing Dr, Playa Del Rey<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90293<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8501 Pershing Dr, Playa Del Rey, CA 90293
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Unusual Pan Dulce<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A \"dirty face\" is a good thing if it's a <i>chorreada</i> from <b>La Mascota Bakery</b> in East Los Angeles. This slangy Spanish name describes a large, round, slightly sweet, whole wheat bun crusted with dark brown sugar so that it resembles a spotted face. The only clean-up is the money swept into the cash register, because La Mascota is virtually the only place in town where you can get <i>chorreadas</i>, and they sell out quickly. They're made from scratch from a recipe as old as the bakery, which opened in 1952. The formula blends whole wheat and all-purpose flours. The tricky part is getting the sugar to stick to the surface without falling off, because it isn't glued on with a sticky flour paste. Making breads such as these is a dying art, says Edward Salcedo, head baker along with his brother Ygnacio (it's a three-generation family operation). Go early to make sure you get one. The bakery opens at 5 a.m. —Barbara Hansen
|
||
|
||
</p><p>2715 Whittier Blvd., Boyle Heights, 90023. (323) 263-5513, <a href="javascript:void(0);">lamascotabakery.com</a></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> La Mascota<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2715 Whittier Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90023<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2715 Whittier Blvd. 90023
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Art Supply Store<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In an age of ever-larger art superstores, <b>Top's Art Supplies</b> still has human scale. The compact Koreatown store features the finest hand-picked, imported supplies — brushes and scissors from Japan, paper from India — along with neatly arranged collections of sketchpads, colored pencils, painting supplies and markers. Family-owned and operated since 1987, the store is a favorite with design students and proudly carries one of the finest collections of sewing notions anywhere, while a back room is dedicated entirely to supplies for children's science projects. Top's paint is always on 25 percent discount, while canvas is at 60 to 70 percent off — not to mention the twice-annual \"back-to-school\" sales. Equally impressive? The warm and attentive customer service, which Top's proprietors have down to an ... art. —Adam Gropman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>3447 W. Eighth St., Koreatown, 90005. (213) 382-8229, <a href="javascript:void(0);">topsartsupplies.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Top's Art Supplies<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3447 W.8th St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90005<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3447 W.8th St. 90005
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Acupuncture<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>You've been told by 20 people that acupuncture will cure what ails you, be it insomnia, acne or indigestion. Still, you're not sure if Eastern medicine is simply needles and hokum. Get over your hesitation at <b>Dongguk University</b>, where prices are so cheap, you can try acupuncture four times for the price of a single visit anywhere else. Let's be clear: Dongguk is a school, so you'll be getting stuck by interns and not wizened specialists. (Sometimes they even argue in the hallway, like extras on <i>Scrubs</i>.) If you're looking for scented candles, drapes and a relaxing waterfall soundtrack, this isn't the place. But if you want practical, clinical therapy for less than $30, this is your new favorite spot, and extras such as cupping and herbal consultations are just a few dollars more. Show up on first-come, first-serve Mondays with time to kill and you can score a session for only $10. —Amy Nicholson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>440 Shatto Place, Koreatown, 90020. (213) 487-0150, <a href="javascript:void(0);">dula.edu</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Dongguk University Los Angeles<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 440 Shatto Pl.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90020<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 440 Shatto Pl. 90020
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Cheap Beer on Draft<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Established in 1908, <b>Philippe the Original</b> is one of Los Angeles' oldest restaurants, made famous by the French-dipped sandwich it claims to have invented. The average tourist knows to order a juicy beef sandwich with a crisp pickle and a scoop of macaroni or potato salad, but the locals know that this cafeteria also serves some of the most inexpensive draft beer in town. At least half of Philippe's six taps feature local brews from the likes of San Diego's Karl Strauss Brewing Co., Santa Barbara's 805 and L.A.'s Angel City Brewery. At $3.90 for a 10-ounce glass and $5.95 for a pint, it's almost cheaper to drink an Angel City beer here than it is at the actual brewery, just a mile south on Alameda. If you want to order a beer whose brewery predates even Philippe, Bud Light is even easier on the wallet: For less than $4 a pint, you may still have cash left over for a slice of apple pie. —Jennifer Swann
|
||
|
||
</p><p>1001 N. Alameda St., Chinatown, 90012. (213) 628-3781, <a href="javascript:void(0);">philippes.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Philippe the Original<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1001 N. Alameda St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1001 N. Alameda St. 90012
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Craft Market<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The Port of L.A. is doing its best to turn old industrial areas into a tourist destination. While it's still a work in progress, <b>Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles</b> is a big step in that direction. Located in a WWII-era warehouse, the craft market (open Friday through Sunday) typically hosts about 100 vendors selling handmade clothing, jewelry, books and artwork. Customers can meet the artists in person and ask for custom orders. There's also a \"Creation Station,\" where kids do crafts while their parents shop. A restaurant and brewery are scheduled to open next spring in an adjacent warehouse. —Gene Maddaus</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>112 E. 22nd St., San Pedro, 90731. (310) 732-1270, <a href="javascript:void(0);">craftedportla.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 112 E. 22nd St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90731<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 112 E. 22nd St. 90731
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Diner With a Full Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>It's 1 a.m. and your crew can't decide between another bourbon or a stack of pancakes. <b>Conrad's</b> in Glendale will never force you into a Saturday night Sophie's Choice. Enter to the left, past the lineup of pies daring you to eat a slice, and you'll think you simply wandered into a Midwestern diner obsessed with sea-foam green. But walk to your right and you'll enter the dark lounge, lit up by a fully stocked bar and serviced not by snotty mixologists but by hyper-efficient waitresses who love to call you \"sweetie.\" Order up the fried chicken with a slug of whiskey, pair a BLT on rye with a dirty martini, or indulge in a wedge of cherry pie à la mode cut through by a straight-up Manhattan. No matter where you sit, it's the perfect place for your late-night contradictory cravings — and it's open 24/7. —Amy Nicholson
|
||
|
||
</p><p>820 Central Ave., Glendale, 91203. (818) 246-6547.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Conrad's Restaurant<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 820 N. Central Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91203<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 820 N. Central Ave. 91203
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bar With Live Music<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>The Observation Bar and Art Deco Lounge</b> at the Queen Mary is the coolest spot around to hear live music, no matter who's playing. Sure, the lineup of jazz, blues, Latin and Top 40 bands isn't bad, but it's hard to give your complete attention when you're enjoying drinks from the Queen Mary's 1951 cocktail menu and eating appetizers in a 1930s art deco setting. Formerly known as the First-Class Lounge, the Observation Bar includes original artwork, torchiere lamps, deco tables and chairs and a spectacular view of the Long Beach waterfront. With this amazing backdrop, it's no wonder the Observation Bar attracts a sophisticated crowd that keeps it all the way classy. —Ryan Ritchie</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, 90802. (877) 342-0738, <a href="javascript:void(0);">queenmary.com/dining-bars/observation-bar</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Observation Bar & Art Deco Lounge<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1126 Queens Highway<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90802<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1126 Queens Highway 90802
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Architectural Skateboards<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Loaded Boards</b> makes composite skateboard decks (primarily longboards) for the most discriminating skaters, which means each board is handcrafted with care, and carries bold graphics with ultra-slick finishing by a team of shop designers. Many are trained engineers and architects; all are supremely devoted to the sport. Whether during the design stage in the computer or in the production phase in the shop, subtle adjustments evolve the boards over time — fine tooling for wind resistance (like adding an aerodynamic tail) or the slightest cupped indentation for ergonomic foot positioning might get added along the way. Loaded's products develop from compound geometries that could only be produced via industrial design software, which translates the digital information to fabrication machines such as compression molders and superplastic formers — the same techniques the aerospace industry uses to achieve complex curves. Loaded's graphics are meticulous, too, such as eight-sided cubic prisms and kaleidoscopic fractals that are simultaneously subtle and stylish — they hint at the math-nerd side of the shop's skater-cool culture. —Wendy Gilmartin</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>10575 Virginia Ave., Culver City, 90232. (310) 839-1800, <a href="javascript:void(0);">loadedboards.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Loaded Boards<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 10575 Virginia Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90232<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 10575 Virginia Ave. 90232
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Arcade Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Unlike what you might imagine an adult arcade to be like, <b>EightyTwo</b> is not the sweaty domain of grown-up nerds. Rather, it's a video game paradise that's as sleek as it is chic. Housed in a metallic, 2,000-square-foot warehouse, this Arts District cocktail bar boasts 15 pinball machines — which date from 1977's Ed Krynski–designed Jungle Queen to last year's uber-badass Metallica pinball. It also has 25 video games, from Atari's 1978 classic Space Invaders to 1993's NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat II. Nightly DJ sets transform the game room into a late-night dance party, and a tree-lined courtyard with communal high-top tables offers sweet refuge from even the most grueling round of Pac-Man. There's nothing quite as electrifying as getting your game on at EightyTwo, even if much of its clientele isn't old enough to remember the year (an amazing one for video games) for which it's named. —Jennifer Swann</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>707 E. Fourth Place, Little Tokyo, 90013. (213) 626-8200, <a href="javascript:void(0);">eightytwo.la</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> EightyTwo<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 707 E. 4th Place<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90013<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 707 E. 4th Place 90013
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Storage Company<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The idea behind L.A.-based <b>Clutter</b> is so ingenious, we can't believe it took until 2013 for someone to make it happen. Simply put, it's a storage space where they pick up, and later retrieve, your crap for you. The idea is a storage unit that keeps a \"visual inventory\" of everything they're holding on your behalf, and quickly produces what you want when you want it — more along the lines of an archive than your usual sad rows of boxes of stuff. We will admit, though: We're still stuck on the part where they pick up your stuff. No hauling boxes, no renting trucks, no shlepping out to Timbuktu? It's enough to make you hold onto that 300-pound antique table from Granny, even if you're secretly convinced you'll never be rich enough to have room for it. Moving a bunch of clothes or books off-site? They'll even send over the boxes to hold them. Now that's genius. —Sarah Fenske</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>12400 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 400, Sawtelle, 90025. (800) 525-6219, <a href="javascript:void(0);">clutter.io</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Clutter<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 12400 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 400<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90025<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 12400 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 400 90025
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Outdoor Dining<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The fact that we have restaurants in Malibu that are perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean makes the competition for best view when dining outdoors a little unfair. If you want the most stunning view in town, go to Nobu Malibu. But if you want the best food in the most beautiful setting, head instead to <b>A.O.C.</b>, which has, in its transplanted location, a gorgeous garden patio. The space, which you get to through double French doors along the side of the restaurant, feels like dining at a Tuscan villa. A large brick fireplace heats the patio on colder nights, and the twinkle of lights and babble of conversation make it one of the most convivial spots to dine anywhere. Best of all, you get to eat Suzanne Goin's Euro-Californian cuisine and drink from the fantastic wine list, from Goin's business partner, Caroline Styne, and a terrific cocktail menu, too. This is, in fact, the best outdoor dining in L.A., as well as being one of the prettiest spaces. <i>8700 W. Third St., Beverly Grove, 90048. (310) 859-9859, <a href="javascript:void(0);">aocwinebar.com</a>.</i> —Besha Rodell</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> AOC Winebar<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8700 W. 3rd St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90048<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8700 W. 3rd St. 90048
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Toy Store<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Few things motivate consumers to seek out quality more than the desire to enrich and safeguard their children. <b>Kidsland</b> is dedicated to that ethos, from amazingly cutting-edge, nearly futuristic baby car seats and strollers to a comprehensive selection of baby toys, teething rings, pacifiers and feeding-related accessories. In this generous Koreatown space, you'll find top-shelf toy brands including Haba, Chicco and Playmobil, along with Matchbox cars, miniature figurines, booklets with brain-building games, baby video monitors and a line of simply and playfully designed remote control cars meant for very young children. Curious George books, a large clothing section, plenty of bedding and a line of kids' knapsacks take the adorable cake in a world rife with cuteness. —Adam Gropman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3807 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 100, Koreatown, 90010. (213) 487-9090, <a href="javascript:void(0);">kidslandusa.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Kidsland<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3807 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 100<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90010<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3807 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 100 90010
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Tuna Sandwich<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The humble tuna sandwich rarely gets its due. It's one of those foodstuffs we take for granted, in part because even the mediocre ones are pretty good. But what about a great tuna sandwich, one you might crave even in the dead of night? That's what they serve at <b>Sopressata at Black Hogg</b>, the daytime sandwich operation out of the Silver Lake restaurant Black Hogg. As the name suggests, there's an emphasis on Italian cold cuts. Those sandwiches are pretty great, but the thing that keeps us coming back is the tuna sandwich. Served on a super-crusty roll, the pole-caught, sustainable American tuna comes with arugula, a punch of sweet aged balsamic and extra virgin olive oil. The secret to the luxuriant nature of the sandwich is the soft-boiled eggs, which sit atop the tuna in generous halves, giving the whole thing a rich, creamy nature. It's not a reinvention of the tuna sandwich, but it is very good ingredients put together extremely well. —Besha Rodell
|
||
|
||
</p><p>2852 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake, 90026. (323) 953-2820, <a href="javascript:void(0);">blackhogg.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Black Hogg<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2852 W. Sunset Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90026<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2852 W. Sunset Blvd. 90026
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Buy a Powdered Deer Horn<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Why would you want to buy a powdered deer horn? Because, when they're steeped in tea, they boost energy and muscle growth—a health bonus that Major League Baseball takes seriously enough to ban them as performance-enhancing substances. (And they're not alone: Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis got in trouble for drinking deer horn tea to repair a torn triceps.) If you don't have a million-dollar salary on the line, step into the intoxicatingly herbal-scented <b>Harbin Deer Antlers Trading Co.</b> and ask owner Sheng Le Xu for advice. You'll want to listen. At 65, Xu looks decades younger and plays soccer against men in their 30s. The horns look like thin-sliced mushroom stems, and the lighter and smaller the circle, the more powerful — and more expensive — the dose. Round out your twice-daily brew by buying ginger, goji berries, licorice root or a cinnamon stick larger than a 98-lb. weakling's arm. —Amy Nicholson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>186 S. Western Ave., Koreatown, 90004. (323) 965-5528, <a href="javascript:void(0);">harbindeer.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Harbin Deer Antlers Trading Company<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 186 S Western Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90004<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 186 S Western Ave. 90004
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Breakfast Tacos<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If you're an Austin-area transplant looking to replicate the breakfasts of your stoner youth, look no further than <b>HomeState</b>, the Los Feliz storefront that does a bang-up job of the Texas breakfast taco. There's a handful of choices, from the spartan (beans, cheese) to the relatively complex (eggs, bacon, potatoes and cheese), but it's the texture that matters, the melding of the simple ingredients with the soft flour tortillas, which are made in-house. HomeState's zippy red salsa gives the bulk of the personality, as should be the case. The sunny, friendly spot serves other treats for homesick Texans, including a killer Frito pie in a bag, kolaches and even coffee from a famed Austin roaster. But it's the tacos that keep us coming back for more. —Besha Rodell
|
||
|
||
</p><p>4624 Hollywood Blvd., E. Hlywd., 90027. (323) 906-1122, <a href="javascript:void(0);">myhomestate.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> HomeState<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4624 Hollywood Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90027<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4624 Hollywood Blvd 90027
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bar With a View<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Don't wait in that long dinner line slowly snaking into <b>Moonshadows</b> in Malibu. Waltz right into this pretty shorefront restaurant and go for a seat in the Blue Lounge outdoor patio or the separate tiny, ocean-overlooking balcony bar. Here's your decision: Stretch out on one of the Blue Lounge's beach-y white Naugahyde daybeds (free of charge, but you must share if you've got room) and enjoy a kick-ass view of incoming ocean curls? Or perch on bar stools directly above the lapping waves in the cozy, seven-stooled open-air balcony? Once settled, enjoy a Brasserie du Bocq wheat beer and a bar appetizer such as Dungeness crabcake with saffron aioli. Some nights, an otter who plies this stretch of saltwater puts on a show, diving below the waves and then surfacing beneath Moonshadows' specially aimed floodlights to inspect what he's nabbed from the bottom — a small crab, perhaps. He balances his treasure on his stomach, then joins you, munching on an appetizer of his own. —Jill Stewart</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>20356 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, 90265. (310) 456-3010, <a href="javascript:void(0);">moonshadowsmalibu.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Moonshadows<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 20356 Pacific Coast Highway<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90265<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 20356 Pacific Coast Highway 90265
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Hunan Fish Head<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>You can order many glorious things at a good Hunan restaurant, but the sine qua non is doubtless the fish head. This is the signature Hunan dish, and it's big and shareable and insanely tasty. It's also both an Instagram favorite and an enjoyable way to unsettle any less-than-adventurous members of your dinner party. What you get is a fish head in a bowl — and what a fish head it is. At <b>Hunan Mao</b>, a bustling restaurant in yet another food-intensive strip mall in the San Gabriel Valley, the fish head will be presented to you as the gift that it is, in a very large and pretty bowl, covered with a collage of diced chiles, intensely fragrant with sesame oil and copious bits of peppermint. You'll need to deconstruct your fish head: Just stack the bits of bone on a plate and keep working. The bowl of rice and repeating pots of tea should tame the heat of the chiles, which isn't really fire as much as the happy Novocaine of Sichuan cooking. If you order the house-smoked ham, which you absolutely should, you can take a break from fish work. And even if you manage to consume the whole fish (eyeballs included, please), be sure to take the last ladlefuls of broth home. It makes a terrific sauce for noodles. —Amy Scattergood</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>8728 Valley Blvd., #101, Rosemead, 91770. (626) 280-0588, no website.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Hunan Mao<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8728 Valley Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91770<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8728 Valley Blvd. 91770
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Khao Soi<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In Chiang Mai, <i>khao soi</i> borders on being a religious symbol. There's a family there that has been making the stuff for more than 70 years, and, although their eatery could easily be described as a hole in the wall, they have served multiple members of the Thai royal family. There's a man who regularly vacations to Northern Thailand for the express purpose of trying a few bowls a day, and it's said that Andy Ricker's inspiration for his culinary empire was his first taste of <i>khao soi</i>. The source of all this devotion is a deceptively simple curry noodle soup comprised of fresh egg noodles, a marinated chicken leg, and spicy curry paste dissolved in coconut cream. In Los Angeles, no one executes a better bowl of <i>khao soi</i> than <b>Pailin</b>, the Thai Town restaurant that has been serving some of the city's best Northern Thai cuisine for about 20 years. —James Gordon
|
||
|
||
</p><p>5621 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd., 90028. (323) 467-7715.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Pailin Thai Cuisine<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5621 Hollywood Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90028-6809<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5621 Hollywood Blvd. 90028-6809
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bar Trivia<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>What's a good excuse to sit around a pool table drinking beer and not playing pool? If you answered, \"<b>Ken's World Famous Trivia Night!</b>\" at Q's Billiard Club in West L.A. on Wednesdays, you are correct. While it's questionable whether the night is world-famous, it is undoubtedly worlds of fun. That's in part because the top three teams of the night win prizes, ranging from a pitcher of beer to a $100 bar tab. Sure, the food isn't spectacular, but Q wins points because the sound levels are optimal (you can hear both the DJ and your trivia companions). Plus, the questions are posed in a wide variety of interesting ways, from video clips to handouts, from thematic rounds to picture rounds. As for the questions themselves, pretty much everything is fair game, from particularities of bodies of water to particularities of bodies of actresses. —Eve Weston</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>11835 Wilshire Blvd., West L.A., 90025. (310) 477-7550, <a href="javascript:void(0);">qsbilliardclub.com/events</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Q's Billiard Club<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 11835 Wilshire Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90025<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 11835 Wilshire Blvd. 90025
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Cigar Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There are cigar shops and then there are cigar emporia, the former being just a seller of cigars while the latter is really a clubhouse, a hangout, a man cave. <b>The Main Stogie</b>, on Alhambra's handsome, historic Main Street strip, offers the atmosphere you want in a smoking establishment. The rectangular space is spacious yet cozy. Large, brown leather stuffed chairs and couches are set off by deep red walls, punctuated by various masculine paintings. The nicely stocked humidor in the corner features such gems as San Cristobal, Alec Bradley Black Market, Ashton and Ecuador's Aurora Emerald Edition. Come around the place in the evening and you'll find San Gabriel Valley's cigar cognoscenti chatting, playing cards, watching sports or news on the big-screen TV and, most importantly, enjoying a very fine cigar at a more than reasonable price. —Adam Gropman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>419 W. Main St., Alhambra, 91801. (626) 457-5000.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Main Stogie<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 419 W Main St<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91801<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 419 W Main St 91801
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Food Court<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Little Tokyo may be more hip, but for total immersion in Japanese culture, there's no better spot than the <b>Mitsuwa Marketplace</b> food court in Torrance. All the Japanese foods you love — ramen, <i>onigiri</i>, curry rice — and even the ones you may not be as sure about — say, <i>takoyaki</i>, aka \"octopus balls\" — are here for your lunch or dinner, or anytime in between. Regular pop-ups of regional and seasonal specialties from throughout Japan, such as Hokkaido sweet pumpkin or Saga beef, make this place too legit to miss. Did we mention the <i>tatami</i> room right in the middle of the food court? Plus, you can shop at the Mitsuwa grocery for everyday essentials such as Kiss Me Heroine makeup and Meiji Karl. —Derek Thomas
|
||
|
||
</p><p>21515 S. Western Ave., Torrance, 90501. (310) 782-0335, <a href="javascript:void(0);">mitsuwa.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Mitsuwa Marketplace<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 21515 S. Western Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90501<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 21515 S. Western Ave. 90501
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bar in the Valley<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There's no sign heralding <b>the Local Peasant</b>, but ever since this \"eat pub\" opened last year in Woodland Hills, it has been jammed, and on weekend nights the roar can be heard well before you pull up to the valet. The interior is covered in raw materials and wormwood planking, and cooled with exposed industrial pipes. At the center is a 38-seat, U-shaped bar serving 23 beers on tap and 15 varieties of keg wine. There's a see-through cold-storage vault filled with kegs, and all kinds of seating arrangements, including a cozy back bar with mismatched wood tables good for groups of two or 20, and a big, appealing street-side patio on Ventura Boulevard. For weekend brunch, the Bloody Mary bar is set up, where you mix your own flavors from 25 hot sauces, various tomato juice mixes and garnishes including sauteed carrots and jumbo shrimp. Feel free to add whatever you can stuff into your handled glass jar. —N. Jenssen</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>22901 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, 91364. (818) 876-0105, <a href="javascript:void(0);">thelocalpeasant.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Local Peasant<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 14058 Ventura Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91423<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 14058 Ventura Blvd. 91423
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Grocery Delivery<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Grocery delivery has been gaining popularity in L.A., but no service is as good as <b>Good Eggs</b>, a San Francisco–based company that recently laid down roots in L.A. with a new \"food hub\" in the old Hostess factory in Elysian Valley near Glendale. The well-designed website lets you choose from a variety of local produce, meat and dairy, as well as goodies such as Sqirl jam and drinks from Almond Milk L.A. and Moon Juice. Directly under each item is the name of the farm or food maker — click on it for a detailed bio. Delivery to most of L.A. is free (for orders over $30), unless you need it at a specific time, in which case it's just $5. Otherwise you can pick it up at one of their hubs. And service is fantastic: Think handwritten notes and friendly text messages letting you know the status of your delivery. —Sascha Bos
|
||
|
||
</p><p>(213) 455-5340, <a href="javascript:void(0);">goodeggs.com/la</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Good Eggs<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2760 Clearwater St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90039<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2760 Clearwater St. 90039
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Burrito<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>FiveThirtyEight's search for the best burrito in America via a Burrito Bracket has a number of flaws, but it did, at least, get one thing right in ranking <b>Al & Bea's</b> burritos among the very best in the country. For the uninitiated, Al & Bea's, opened in 1966, is a Boyle Heights institution rightly famous for its fantastic bean and cheese burritos, with the green chile and cheese combination perhaps the most fantastic of them all. It's deceptively fragile, with refried beans, shredded cheese and green chile uneasily ebbing and flowing in a tightly wrapped tortilla. Indeed, if you poke it as you might a ball of dough, an impression remains. Yet it stays mostly intact from first bite to last, giving you ample time to admire how everything perfectly melds together and how, in a town full of burritos the size of rolled-up yoga mats, this ascetic burrito is the one you'll remember. —Tien Nguyen
|
||
|
||
</p><p>2025 E. First St., Boyle Heights. (323) 267-8810.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Al & Bea's Mexican Food<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2025 E. First St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90033<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2025 E. First St. 90033
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Danish Pastry Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Copenhagen Pastry</b>, in full disclosure, is walking distance from the <i>L.A. Weekly</i> offices, but its arrival in 2012 single-handedly made our location seem like a privileged one, rather than the highway-abutting, gourmet-deficient stretch it has historically been. Among the items in the pastry case, the Copenhagen is the show-off, wearing its strips of chocolate and yellow custard on the outside; even tastier is the Kringle, a wavy croissant-meets-strudel with almond paste and custard hidden in the middle and an exterior crusted with almond slices and sugar. Owner Karen Hansen and head baker Henrik Gram, both from Denmark, also offer a Danish rye bread, which is darker and more compact than the American kind. It's the perfect place to stop on the way to someone's house — your potluck contribution will manage to be both exotic and impossible not to like. —Zachary Pincus-Roth
|
||
|
||
</p><p>11113 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 90232. (310) 839-8900, <a href="javascript:void(0);">copenhagenpastry.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Copenhagen Pastry<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 11113 Washington Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90232<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 11113 Washington Blvd. 90232
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Burger<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>As hard as it is to believe, chef Ernesto Uchimura's burgers just keep getting better. After the initial media sonar wave surrounding his dehydrated ketchup leather at <b>Plan Check Kitchen & Bar</b> died down, Uchimura was forced back into doing what he does best: Cook comfort food with a serious passion and a touch of flair. The namesake PCB (Plan Check Burger) is laced with such upscale daily delicacies as schmaltz onions, house-made pickles and roughly cut slices of American <i>dashi</i> cheese, which Uchimura makes himself. Then there's the hefty, loosely ground beef patty and the addictive bun, which they slice and griddle with a bit of panko for extra crunch, to combat all of the juice and fat and schmaltz. Oh, and there's ketchup leather in there somewhere, too. —Farley Elliott
|
||
|
||
</p><p>1800 Sawtelle Blvd., Sawtelle. (310) 444-1411, <a href="javascript:void(0);">plancheck.com</a>. Also at 351 N. Fairfax Ave., Beverly Grove, 90036. (310) 288-6500. Also opening a downtown location soon.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Plan Check<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1800 Sawtelle Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90064<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1800 Sawtelle Blvd. 90064
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Dairy Queen Alternative<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Hand-churned ice cream made from organic dairy with fennel and bee pollen is all well and good, but the madeleine that takes us back to childhood bliss is a far less complicated proposition: a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Or at least it ought to be less complicated. While gourmet ice cream palaces are popping up on seemingly every corner in L.A., the city is bereft of the DQ chain, save one lone outlet at the Westfield Culver City mall. But don't despair: Home-grown <b>Foster's Freeze</b>, with 90 locations across California, turns out to be almost an exact copy of the ice cream chain that transplants remember from their elementary school days, down to the walk-up window and not-very-good chili cheeseburgers. The only difference is that here you order a Twister. Thicker than a McFlurry, studded with Reese's Peanut Cups, Butterfinger or something else equally horrible for you, Twisters are a reminder that sometimes the best things in life don't change — they just come under a different label. —Sarah Fenske
|
||
|
||
</p><p>Multiple locations across L.A., <a href="javascript:void(0);">fostersfreeze.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Foster's Freeze<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2760 Fletcher Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90039-2437<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2760 Fletcher Drive 90039-2437
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Fast-Casual Restaurant<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Cheerfully stylish, determinedly Californian in both ingredients and outlook, <b>Lemonade</b> has been taking the state by storm. From the original West Hollywood outpost, chef Alan Jackson has grown his empire to 17 outlets — with the chain's first international locations recently opening in Dubai. It's easy to see the appeal: The cafeteria-style setup means that you get your food even more quickly than at a place such as Panera, and the wonderful variety means that you could spend a month here and still not eat your way through all the possible combinations of seasonal salads, sandwiches and braised meats. (We're partial to the snow pea \"spaghetti,\" shaved and served with cotija, corn and creamy lemon, but the Moroccan chicken isn't bad either.) Beyond that, Lemonade's look is just so gosh-darn adorable, with cement block wells featuring acres of bright green blades of grass, clever lighting and yellow plastic chairs and booths. You can't help but feel a little happier just walking in the door. Or maybe you're just looking ahead to the moment you gobble down one of those to-die-for lemon bars.
|
||
|
||
</p><p>9001 Beverly Blvd., W. Hlywd., plus 14 other L.A. locations including LAX. (310) 247-2500, <a href="javascript:void(0);">lemonadela.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Lemonade<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 9001 Beverly Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90048<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 9001 Beverly Blvd. 90048
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Mar Vista Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Westside neighborhood Mar Vista is up and coming, but it has mostly resisted the thorough gentrification seen in Santa Monica, Venice and the hipster Eastside. Still, a number of new markets, bars, restaurants (even a record store) now dot the area, and many are excellent. Our favorite drinkery is <b>the Corner Door</b>, found at, yes, the corner of Wasatch and Washington Boulevard. The decor is understated but the food and drinks are elegant and, at least during happy hour, quite affordable. The martinis will knock you on your ass, and their choice of an American pale ale in a can — Dale's — can't be beat. For noshing there are well-prepared grilled cheese sandwiches, seafood and various fried bits. And let's not forget the desserts, which can include cookies, ice creams and eclairs, items that are highly underrated as bar food. —Ben Westhoff</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>12477 W. Washington Blvd., Mar Vista, 90066. (310) 313-5810, <a href="javascript:void(0);">thecornerdoorla.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Corner Door<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 12477 W. Washington Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90066<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 12477 W. Washington Blvd. 90066
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Highland Park Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Above the Hermosillo brewpub sits an illuminated sign depicting a Tinkerbell-esque blonde in an emerald bodysuit, a remnant from the escort club previously housed in the space. Inside, <b>the Hermosillo</b> combines old-school comforts (retro vinyl booths, shuffleboard and an overhead projector displaying daily beer lists) with of-the-moment dining trends, including beers so local they were brewed in the back room. All told, it makes for the neighborhood's most inviting hangout. Last year the homey spot, which serves beer and wine but no liquor, introduced a food menu that includes pork belly tacos and fried chicken sandwiches. Perhaps the most fun thing to do at the spot, after you've had a few beers anyway, is to play the incredibly simple but addicting ring-toss game mounted to the back wall. They may have a fancy new menus, but some things will never change. —Jennifer Swann</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>5125 York Blvd., Highland Park. (323) 739-6459, <a href="javascript:void(0);">thehermosillo.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Hermosillo<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5125 York Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90042<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5125 York Blvd. 90042
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Pasadena Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The word \"dive bar\" gets thrown around a lot, but to gaze upon the real deal, pull up a stool at Pasadena's <b>1881 Club</b>. What you'll find are pool tables, darts, stiff drinks, lots of bottled beer (though only Bud on tap) and witty slogans on the wall — our favorite is \"Hangovers Installed and Serviced.\" It's the perfect spot to tie one on with friends, and if you don't have friends, never fear! Colorful characters populate the place, and the crowd tends to be outgoing and unpretentious. (Considering it's a 'Niners bar, however, it helps if you're a San Francisco football fan.) A universal jukebox sets whatever mood you want without taking away from any of the delicious squalor. The bathrooms, meanwhile, offer a peek into the spot's architectural past — it doesn't appear that anything has been changed on them since the joint opened. Los Angeles proper wishes it had a bar this cool. —Nicholas Pell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1881 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, 91104. (626) 794-3068, <a href="javascript:void(0);">facebook.com/pages/1881-Club/127784844383</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> 1881 Club<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1881 E. Washington Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91104<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1881 E. Washington Blvd. 91104
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Offbeat Valley Concert Venue<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Elisabeth Waldo is one of L.A.'s multicultural treasures. She's a concert violinist and composer who is also a musical archeologist. First tapped by Leopold Stokowski for his youth orchestra, La Waldo went on to play violin for film soundtracks, record her own exotica albums and consort in Latin America with the likes of Diego Rivera and Yma Sumac. How can you get in on this action, you ask? Well, Waldo has a compound in Northridge, called <b>Rancho Cordillera del Norte</b>, which is not only a repository of her collection of Pre-Columbian instruments but also a showplace for a range of concerts in a Mission-style theater. All are either conducted by, or presided over by, the maestra. The featured music includes Mayan, Incan, Chinese, Vietnamese and Mexican, as well as other genres connected to California. The schedule can be unpredictable, however, so be sure to consult the website and plan ahead. The rancho also can be rented for weddings and other extravaganzas. —Jeffrey Burbank</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>9015 Wilbur Ave., Northridge, 91324. (818) 993-1669, <a href="javascript:void(0);">elisabethwaldomusic.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Rancho Cordillera del Norte<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 9015 Wilbur Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91324<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 9015 Wilbur Ave. 91324
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best North Hollywood Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Walking into <b>Tonga Hut</b> is like traveling back to 1958. The San Fernando Valley tiki bar looks on first glance as if it hasn't changed much since opening 56 years ago, though in reality a new owner restored it to its former midcentury glory in 2005. Tiki Ti may be L.A.'s most famous tropical-drink dispensary, but Tonga Hut is about three times the size, which means you actually might be able to get a table on the weekends. Choose from classics including the Zombie or a mai tai, or an original house creation, such as the habanero lime syrup–spiked Latin Liver. True tiki devotees will want to join the Loyal Order of the Drooling Bastard: Drink one of each of the 80 or so cocktails from the seminal tiki tome <i>Grog Log</i> in the space of a year, and you'll get a plaque on the wall, plus $1 off all future drinks. —Jason Horn</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>12808 Victory Blvd., N. Hlywd., 91606. (818)769-0708, <a href="javascript:void(0);">tongahut.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Tonga Hut<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 12808 Victory Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91606<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 12808 Victory Blvd. 91606
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Gay Dance Party<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In a town where gays tend to gravitate toward WeHo or Silver Lake, it may come as a surprise that L.A.'s premier gay dance party thrives in hetero-centric Hollywood. Founded in 2001 by DJ Ray Rhodes as an unapologetically pop music–focused night, <b>TigerHeat</b> experimented with various locations before settling in at the historic Avalon Theater, which has since showcased the music of queer icons ranging from Judy Garland to Lady Gaga. Avalon's layout provides for a unique party experience: Rhodes mans the turntables on one of the balconies, while go-go dancers of various colors, genders and Kinsey ratings shimmy on the proscenium stage. The oft-shirtless 18-and-up dancers gyrate against one another on the main floor, while the 21-and-older crowd on the VIP balconies survey the scene below. That sight alone is worth the Uber schlep from the gayborhoods to Hollywood. —Mike Ciriaco</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1735 Vine St., Hlywd., 90028. (323) 462-8900, <a href="javascript:void(0);">clubtigerheat.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Avalon<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1735 Vine St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90028<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1735 Vine St. 90028
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Cover Band<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>It's sometimes difficult for cover bands to transcend the cheesiness associated with their craft, but <b>The Goodtime Boys</b> make it look easy. That's particularly remarkable considering they're the house band for '70s-themed Hollywood bar Good Times at Davey Wayne's, which is dripping in kitsch. Every Friday and Saturday night at 11:30 p.m., the foursome of <i>Dazed and Confused</i> doppelgängers takes the tiny stage; from their first chord, they transport you back to a groovy basement listening session you're probably too young to have actually attended. In a nutshell, they play the hits from your parents' record collection: Nick Gilder's \"Hot Child in the City,\" Bob Seger's \"Hollywood Nights,\" KISS' \"I Was Made for Loving You\" and an unbearably sexy rendition of Alice Cooper's \"I'm Eighteen.\" Moments into their set, you will find your hand in the air. You will feel it making devil horns. You will curse the fact that you didn't wear bellbottoms. You will be unabashedly loving it. —Ali Trachta</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1611 N. El Centro Ave., Hlywd., 90028. (323) 962-3804, <a href="javascript:void(0);">goodtimesatdaveywaynes.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Good Times at Davey Wayne's<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1611 N. El Centro Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90028<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1611 N. El Centro Ave. 90028
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Revitalized Music Venue<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The fact that the Sunset Strip, mainly known for museum-piece metal bands, is relevant again is thanks almost entirely to the <b>Roxy</b>, where a new talent buyer has been on a roll. Since joining the Roxy in January, Goldenvoice's Chris Diaz regularly scoops Eastside competitors such as the Echo and the Satellite with a calendar that resembles an especially cool Coachella tent. In May alone, the club hosted Jenny Lewis, Lykke Li, Atmosphere and Against Me!, as well as newcomers Chet Faker and Parquet Courts. The Roxy has lured more established acts in part by booking them for multinight runs, allowing fans to see X, The Faint or Bob Mould in a more intimate setting. And it's been continuing to branch out adventurously into hip-hop and electronic music, with experimental artists Shabazz Palaces, Cage and Plaid. Credit Diaz and owner Nic Adler for honoring the Strip's past with a booking policy that looks to the future. —Andy Hermann</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>9009 W. Sunset Blvd., W. Hlywd., 90069. (310) 278-9457, <a href="javascript:void(0);">theroxy.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Roxy<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 9009 W. Sunset Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90069<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 9009 W. Sunset Blvd. 90069
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Retro Club<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Feeling forever young? Then take a trip back in time to the decade that Pac-Man made at <b>That '80s Bar</b>, a Montclair hangout for those of us who still want our MTV. Sure, they have tribute bands who impersonate Prince and Duran Duran, but this spot also hosts real bands, as in ones with the original members who actually played together in the 1980s. From Dramarama to Anything Box, these are the acts you'd mousse up your hair to dance to. Now you can do it all over again — provided you've still got the hair. It also hosts '80s karaoke every Wednesday night, making it the perfect hideaway if you can't wait to get back to the days of \"rad\" and \"bitchen.\" —Derek Thomas</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>10555 Mills Ave., Montclair, 91763. (909) 626-9091, <a href="javascript:void(0);">that80sbar.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> That 80's Bar<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 10555 Mills Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91763<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 10555 Mills Ave. 91763
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Whiskey Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A high-end whiskey tasting room with an old-school look and a welcoming attitude, <b>Bar Jackalope</b> is the bar-within-a bar at downtown's Seven Grand. The primo whiskies are hand-picked from Seven Grand's list of 200-plus bottles, not to mention only-at-this-bar bottles from distillers. Pick a flight served straight up (great for novices) or order a pour on the rocks. (And what rocks — the ice on hand includes hand-chiseled cubes and slow-to-melt spheres.) You can even have a Japanese-style highball with a dash of soda. Everything for a proper tasting is here: droppers for a dash of water to open up the taste, deeply knowledgeable whiskey connoisseurs behind the bar and fellow patrons who have great reverence for the distilled spirit. You may want to take a taste from the premises' prized bottles, including cult bourbons from Pappy Van Winkle, Irish-made 21-year Redbreast and the Balvenie's 14-year single malt. Customers can buy a bottle to keep on hand, and soon Bar Jackalope will serve liquid gold from its own copper pot still. —Kathy A. McDonald</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>515 W. Seventh St., #2, dwntwn., 90014. (213) 614-0736, <a href="javascript:void(0);">sevengrandbars.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Seven Grand<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 515 W. Seventh St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90014<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 515 W. Seventh St. 90014
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Silver Lake Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Tucked away along the leafy side of Hyperion Avenue and identified only by an old-school barber pole and a dark-as-your-drunk-soul exterior, <b>Hyperion Tavern</b> perfectly encapsulates its neighborhood. It manages to represent the tastes of both your freaky baroque pop aunt and your bibliophile uncle; lined with old tomes and punctuated with a giant chandelier, the spot is the perfect dive bar for drinkers who don't want a whole lot of bullshit. The fact that it lacks liquor is made up for by a killer selection of beer and wine, and great music as well. Sure, it tends to be a great spot for conversation, but Hyperion also regularly hosts local eclectic noise-makers, neo-drone stylists and freaky-deaky art happenings. For free. —Paul T. Bradley</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1941 Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake, 90027. (323) 665-1941, <a href="javascript:void(0);">facebook.com/pages/Hyperion-Tavern/179192012130291</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Hyperion Tavern<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1941 Hyperion Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90027<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1941 Hyperion Ave. 90027
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Happy Hour<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Bon Vivant</b> has a rustic industrial vibe that's classy yet laid-back, a perfect backdrop for chilling out and filling up after work or before a big night out. Which fits, considering that the bar's name means \"person living well,\" from the French. From 4 to 7 p.m., well drinks and beers are $1 off while premium pours and wines are $2 off. Those who indulge are welcome to free appetizers, which can include everything from Caprese salad on a stick to homemade potato chips and fresh fruit. There's also a special menu with great deals on appetizers including mac and cheese, hummus and sliders, and French baguettes with Himalayan salted butter. Bon Vivant's owner, Tricia La Belle, has a winning track record. She took Boardner's in Hollywood from a flailing old rocker bar to a groovy eatery and bustling dance club. The vibe La Belle is creating at Vivant has made it just as much of a destination, especially when it comes to happy hour. —Lina Lecaro</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3155 Glendale Blvd., Atwater Village, 90027. (323) 284-8013, <a href="javascript:void(0);">bonvivantmarketcafe.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bon Vivant<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3155 Glendale Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90039<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3155 Glendale Blvd. 90039
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best West Hollywood Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>When it comes to nightlife, West Hollywood has a swanky side (see: Sky Bar), a slutty side (see: Santa Monica Boulevard), a riotous side (see: the Roxy), and gay bars are their own animal. But if we're simply talking about booze and the best spot in which to pound it, you're not going to do better than <b>Rock & Reilly's Irish Pub</b>. The prices are fair, the room is cozy but rarely obnoxiously crowded, and the greasy-grub nightly specials — such as Taco Tuesdays and Slider Night Wednesdays — are great. Rock & Reilly's had a lot to live up to, considering it filled the shoes of the dearly departed Cat Club. Though the new watering hole is not the rocker hub of yesteryear, it nonetheless offers a no-nonsense destination for drinking and hanging out before and after music shows on the Strip. —Lina Lecaro</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>8911 W. Sunset Blvd., W. Hlywd., 90069. (310) 360-1400, <a href="javascript:void(0);">rnrpub.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Rock & Reilly's Irish Pub<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8911 W. Sunset Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90069<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8911 W. Sunset Blvd. 90069
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Busker<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Charlie Cox</b> has been busking at the La Brea Tar Pits park for so long that the city literally grew him a shade tree to stand under. The talented music man moved from North Florida to L.A. in 1975. \"I had a job lined up, but it didn't work out,\" Cox explains. \"Someone told me they had buskers over near the art museum, and I've been playing here ever since.\" Cox sings old folk songs, bluegrass and an occasional original, using a banjo, mandolin, guitar and pennywhistle. He doesn't take requests for contemporary hits (which he calls \"mindless\") but the museum still recognizes him as a valuable staple, even carrying his CD in the gift shop. \"It's an all-around love fest over here,\" he says. You can find Cox busking under his tree from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., every day except Mondays and Wednesdays. For a special treat, ask him to play \"The Original Tar Pit Waltz.\" —Isaac Simpson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>5801 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile, 90036.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> La Brea Tar Pits<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5801 Wilshire Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90036-4539<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5801 Wilshire Blvd. 90036-4539
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Eagle Rock Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Part neighborhood drinkery, part dive bar, <b>the Black Boar</b> is a dying breed, the type of place where the bartender will give you a proper glass from which to drink your Corralejo Blanco tequila, rather than a generic shot glass. More importantly, they won't measure out your shot and will instead free-pour it, which could well result in a very generous pour indeed. The Eagle Rock spot also boasts a craft beer tap list that isn't huge but will certainly satisfy your snobby friends. In terms of ambiance, imagine a cozy, dark hunters chalet, complete with prized game taxidermy and lots of booths. As for the music? Well, you probably can expect Black Flag bumping on the jukebox. All in all, it's something of a highbrow-meets-lowbrow bar, where pretty much everyone is likely to have fun. —Javier Cabral</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1630 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock, 90041. (323) 258-8800, <a href="javascript:void(0);">facebook.com/pages/Black-Boar-Bar/232677243413829</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Black Boar<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1630 Colorado Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90041<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1630 Colorado Blvd. 90041
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Long Beach Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Long Beach speakeasy <b>the Exhibition Room</b> opened last year. It's located inside a former storage unit for an upholstery company, and is connected to the neighboring Roxanne's Lounge only by a 1940s-era phone booth. It is not easy to gain entry, however. Keeping in mind that it's open only Thursday through Sunday nights starting at 8 pm, this is what you do: First, send a text to the number below, and you will receive a password. Then, go to Roxanne's and enter the phone booth, which is embedded in the wall by the back pool tables. Pick up the receiver and tell the voice on the other end the password. If you're on the list (and you're dressed appropriately), the other side of the box will swing open to reveal a musty-smelling, 40-seat bar, replete with vintage church pews for seats, boozy ephemera courtesy of the Long Beach Historical Society (thus, the \"exhibition\") and a house cocktail list featuring imaginative uses of everything from whiskey and gin to amaro and bitters. Complicated, yes, but well worth it. —Sarah Bennett</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1101 E. Wardlow Road, Long Beach, 90807. (562) 826-2940, <a href="javascript:void(0);">theexhibitionroom.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Exhibition Room<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1101 E Wardlow Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90807<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1101 E Wardlow Road 90807
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Drum Circle<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Every Sunday since 1997, Afrobeat musician Najite Agindotan has summoned his drummer friends — and anyone else who wants to show up and make some noise — to the <b>Leimert Park Drum Circle</b> for collective grooving. Founded in remembrance of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, the drum circle (or \"drum church,\" as some call it) has evolved into an L.A. tradition all its own, appropriately located in the city's historic hub for African-American arts and culture. Running from from 2 p.m. to sunset, it features professionals and amateurs alike jamming on instruments ranging from djembes and maracas to cowbells. Onlookers beat imaginary congas in the air, kids bounce their basketballs to the beat, and others dance joyously at the circle's center. The atmosphere is especially festive during the Leimert Park Art Walk on the last Sunday of every month, when vendors sell wares and crafts on the grass. —Daina Beth Solomon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>Leimert Plaza Park, 4395 S. Leimert Blvd., Leimert Park, 90008. (323) 472-0607.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Leimert Plaza Park<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4395 Leimert Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90008<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4395 Leimert Blvd. 90008
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bar in Playa del Rey<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Pleasantly scruffy and charmingly low-key, the <b>Prince o' Whales</b> is the kind of bar they just don't make in Los Angeles these days. This is not a place to see and be seen or, heaven forbid, sip the latest mixology trends. This is a place to drink and, if you're feeling ambitious, play a game of ping pong or pinball. There's kind of a half-hearted nautical motif going on — whale carved on the door, ship's mast suspended over the dark wooden bar — but the real appeal is the way such a large bar manages to feel cozy rather than cavernous. Perhaps it's because the place is broken up into three rooms, two with full bars, plus a patio. (We counted no fewer than 19 TVs.) The food on offer — potato skins, burgers, a $13.50 steak — is strictly to soak up the booze, not show off anyone's skill in the kitchen. That means that if you order the \"Calorie Counter,\" you won't get kale but rather a hamburger patty with cottage cheese on the side. It's hard to imagine anything has changed here since 1983. There are even ashtrays on the patio. That's something you <i>really</i> don't see every day. —Sarah Fenske</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>335 Culver Blvd., Playa del Rey, 90293. (310) 823-9826, <a href="javascript:void(0);">princeowhales.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Prince o' Whales<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 335 Culver Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90293<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 335 Culver Blvd. 90293
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Drink on the Sand<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Beaches are great, but the ones in L.A. are missing one big thing — and we're not talking about warm water. (That's for wusses.) No, the appalling lack of booze on our beaches is something a place like Miami would never put up with. In fact, to our knowledge, the only place in Los Angeles where you can drink with your feet in the sand is <b>Paradise Cove Beach Cafe</b>. Yes, when the wind is coming from the wrong direction, it smells a bit like a sewer. And yes, it is a bit of a shitshow; come too late in the day on a sunny weekend and even the valet is often all out of spaces. But if you manage to ditch your car and push through the mobs of tourists eating inside, you'll find a small bar outside where you can order from a limited menu and (here's the key) get a bottle of wine or beer to take with you to your beach towel. Forget the annoyance of trying to get here. Forget the fact you just used a valet at the beach. It really doesn't get any better than this. —Sarah Fenske</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>28128 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, 90265. (310)457-2503, <a href="javascript:void(0);">paradisecovemalibu.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Paradise Cove Beach Cafe<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 28128 Pacific Coast Highway<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90265<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 28128 Pacific Coast Highway 90265
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Piano Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Sure, you can get bratwurst and goulash while sucking back German pilsners and lagers. But what makes the <b>Red Lion Tavern</b> so great is its charming and cozy piano bar. Seven nights a week you're in luck if you fancy a sing-along, everything from Elton John's \"Tiny Dancer\" to New Orleans–style, blues-tinged rock & roll. Pianists Rick Solem, Doug Lacy (who played in Oingo Boingo) and Reseda Mickey, along with keyboardist Mate Carich, will keep you entertained with a wide range of their own selections while also taking your requests. And, heck, if you feel like giving an impromptu performance yourself, Mickey encourages vocalists to get up and sing right along with her. Friendly, laid-back and casual, with live music from 8:30 p.m. to 1:45 a.m., it's exactly the kind of neighborhood gem that can guarantee a fun night with friends. —Pamela Chelin</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>2366 Glendale Blvd., Silver Lake, 90039. (323) 662 5337, <a href="javascript:void(0);">redliontavern.net</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Red Lion Tavern<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2366 Glendale Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90039<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2366 Glendale Blvd. 90039
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Tequila Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>When beverage director Jason Eisner was asked to create an agave-only spirits program from the ground up at <b>Gracias Madre</b>, he jumped at the chance. The result is a bar, specifically a mezcaleria, that features more than 100 agave — and only agave — spirits, from tequila to mezcal to <i>sotol</i>. Rather than simply going the usual route of margaritas, palomas and spicy/muddled concoctions, the cocktails here range from serious to whimsical. The Build Your Own Old-Fashioned offers your choice of tequila or mezcal and house-made bitters; both La Quinceañera and the Blueberry Mezcal Mojito are served as snow cones. The term \"tequila bar\" may conjure up a dive-y hideaway or a bustling joint with blaring house music, but here the environment is mellow, whether at the cool-to-the-touch, wrap-around stone bar, the breezy, whitewashed dining room, or the tree-dotted patio. —Lesley Jacobs Solmonson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>8905 Melrose Ave., W. Hlywd., 90069. (323) 978-2170, <a href="javascript:void(0);">graciasmadreweho.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Gracias Madre<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8905 Melrose Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90069<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8905 Melrose Ave. 90069
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Dance Club<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>With all of the amazing talent hosted by Avalon, Create, Sound and King King, it's pretty clear Hollywood is at the top of the heap when it comes to booking the best electronic dance music DJs. But the rise of downtown Los Angeles nightlife, most notably in the realm of cocktail culture, means it was only a matter of time before DTLA gave Hollywood a run for its club money. <b>Exchange L.A.</b>, which has brought new life to its circa-1931 Pacific Stock Exchange building on Spring Street, opened in 2010 after spending millions to renovate the more than 25,000-square-foot space. It features a top-line Funktion-One sound system, 200 feet of LED displays and room for more than 1,000 of your bros. The place is properly cavernous and seriously booming. But the secret ingredient has been allowing high-powered promotions company Insomniac Events to take over Fridays and Saturdays, which has led to festival-size talent (such as John Digweed and ATB) in an rarefied environment. —Dennis Romero</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>618 S. Spring St., dwntwn., 90014. (213) 627-8070, <a href="javascript:void(0);">exchangela.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Exchange L.A.<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 618 S. Spring St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90014<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 618 S. Spring St. 90014
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Dance Club<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Though some see disco as a blight on American pop music that will hopefully not be resuscitated, others consider it our country's pinnacle of dance music. L.A. types who fall into the latter camp are likely to be seen at <b>Giorgio's</b>, a Saturday night party at the Hollywood Standard. Though only a year old, it has been attended by such stars as Mick Jagger, Diddy, Billy Idol and Leonardo DiCaprio. Named after famed Italian producer Giorgio Moroder — who basically invented disco — it was founded by longtime party promoter Bryan Rabin and Adam Bravin, who serves from time to time as President Obama's DJ. Oh, and as for the event itself? You enter through a kitchen. The room is dark and filled with smoke. And, most importantly, the dance floor stays packed until closing time. —Hillel Aron</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>Hollywood Standard Hotel, 8300 Sunset Blvd., W. Hlywd., 90069. (323) 650-9090, <a href="javascript:void(0);">facebook.com/giorgiosdisco</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Giorgio's<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8300 Sunset Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90069<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8300 Sunset Blvd. 90069
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best People-Watching Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Celebrity chef Roy Choi is among those behind the new Line Hotel, Koreatown's answer to boutique, hipster spots such as the Standard and the Ace. The hotel's watering hole, <b>Pot Lobby Bar</b>, is basically a super club masquerading as a cocktail spot. The hip-hop is loud, and the semicircular bar is swamped with thirsty night people. (You could wait as much as a half hour for a drink.) But the people-watching is uniquely Angeleno — a mix of K-town locals, Korean beauties, Mid-City hipsters and folks dressed for the red carpet. Despite all this, the place has no cover or bouncers, and it has a casual feel. Unless you reserve a party room, seating is first come, first served. Our advice on how to enjoy L.A.'s best eye candy while avoiding a crush of people? Go early, on an off-night, and find a good perch. —Dennis Romero</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3515 Wilshire Blvd., Koreatown, 90010. (213) 381-7411, <a href="javascript:void(0);">thelinehotel.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> POT<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3515 Wilshire Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90010<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3515 Wilshire Blvd. 90010
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Vape Lounge<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Move over, hookah lounges: The vape lounge could be the next big thing. If that happens, <b>VapeDay</b> in South Carthay will be king of them all. The 4,000-square-foot, bright-white store is a bespoke space for the e-cigarette revolution. The place just launched this year. It stays open until midnight and allows you to hang out and sample countless flavors and brands of e-liquid, the nicotine juice that goes into those batter- operated vaporizers. Getting your steam vape on is still legal here, too: The L.A. City Council's decision to treat vaporizers like cigarettes — banning them from bars, clubs and restaurants — doesn't apply to vape lounges. If sitting and puffing isn't your thing, though, you still might want to do a taste test. The number of e-cigarette products out there is staggering, and VapeDay will let you figure out what works for you. —Dennis Romero</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>6095 W. Pico Blvd., Carthay, 90035. (844) 954-6933, <a href="javascript:void(0);">vapeday.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> VapeDay<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 6095 Pico Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90035<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 6095 Pico Blvd. 90035
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Koreatown Lounge<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Koreatown <i>doumis</i> — karaoke-room party companions — and hostess-bar girls might be a dying breed. The last wave of South Korean immigrants in Los Angeles crested long ago, and young Korean-Americans appear to prefer the glamour of Hollywood dance clubs to the grit of K-town venues serving little more than Hite beer and Johnnie Walker Black. But that's not to say that some customs won't survive in a hybrid, Angeleno way. At Koreatown's <b>Cindy Club</b>, a new owner has cleaned up the place and revived the tradition of \"booking,\" which involves a man asking a woman to join him at his table to share some alcohol. Booking is not mandatory, however, and there's plenty of karaoke and revelry to be had for Silver Lake hipsters and anyone else who wants to show up. Basic beer, soju, sake and wine are available, as well as bar food. Getting a taste of Korean nightlife culture has never been as laid-back in L.A. as it is at Cindy Club. —Dennis Romero</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4273 Beverly Blvd., Koreatown, 90004. (323) 906-1640.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Cindy Club<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4273 Beverly Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90004<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4273 Beverly Blvd. 90004
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best New Live-Music Venue<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Despite its name, <b>Café Nela</b> isn't really a cafe so much as it is a beer bar for those 21 and older. However, the \"Nela\" part is accurate, as the spot is located in northeast L.A. Since Carnage Asada cellist Dave Travis opened the Cypress Park bar in October last year, it has quickly turned into one of the city's best live-music venues. The small, homey room has a dive-y ambiance, what with its low, white stucco ceiling offset by a scuffed checkerboard floor, strands of Christmas lights and posters of Big Boys and Meat Puppets. Travis books the type of adventurous punk, jazz, stoner rock, metal and improvisational bands that would have played at Raji's, Al's Bar, the Cathay de Grande or, going further back, the Hong Kong Café and the Starwood. The attitude at Café Nela is more free-spirited and experimental than mercenary, with admission usually around $5. —Falling James</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1906 Cypress Ave., Cypress Park, 90065. <a href="javascript:void(0);">cafenela.net</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Cafe Nela<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1906 Cypress Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90065<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1906 Cypress Ave. 90065
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bar to Stalk Celebrities<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Pop into the <b>Windows Lounge</b> at the Four Seasons Los Angeles for a cocktail and you might run into Mick Jagger, Kate Hudson or Peter Dinklage. This swank Beverly Hills hotel is where many celebrities stay when they're in town — particularly during Emmy, Golden Globe or Oscar week — and naturally, once they've checked in, they head to the bar. Starting at 4 p.m., Windows also offers tasty food on its appetizer menu, such as the Korean shortrib quesadilla and the crispy sushi rice, as well as burgers, fish and chips, pizza and the like. There is also live music on Friday and Saturday nights, and the barkeep makes a damn fine dirty martini. Who knows? Maybe you can get Colin Firth to buy one for you. —Samantha Bonar</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>300 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills, 90048. (310) 273-2222, <a href="javascript:void(0);">fourseasons.com/losangeles/dining/lounges/windows_lounge</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Windows Lounge<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 300 S. Doheny Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90211-3563<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 300 S. Doheny Drive 90211-3563
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Karaoke<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The bougiest (and best) karaoke bar in town is a bit complicated to find. Once you've arrived at West Sixth Street and Virgil Avenue, a sign that says \"Grand Spa\" indicates you're in the right place. Go past the makeshift night market — where you might find two older men selling fruit — and a stairwell will lead you underground. You've arrived at <b>Shrine</b>, whose Egyptian-themed interior makes for an exotic feel. Regulars are drawn to the wild atmosphere, eclectic song selection and tasty Korean dishes. It's a great venue for parties of up to 30 people, as customers get private rooms. It's not cheap — on Friday and Saturday nights, groups must order bottle service, along with food — but it's an absolutely stellar scenario in which to sing your heart out. —Ani Ucar</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>2999 W. Sixth St., Koreatown, 90020. (213) 738-7370 (before 6 p.m.); (213) 738-5034 (after 6 p.m.)</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Shrine<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2999 W. 6th St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90020-1233<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2999 W. 6th St. 90020-1233
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best South Bay Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In the South Bay, where new bars sprout up constantly, sometimes you just want to go to a place that had it right 30 years ago. Though it's within walking distance of several brighter, hipper operations, Redondo Beach's <b>Bull Pen</b> is a windowless wonder that still manages to make magic. Its classic 1970s wooden decor decorates what is essentially a giant dive bar, with a dining room of banquettes and affordable filet mignon. Multiple generations of South Bay locals convene here daily, making for a melting pot of personalities whose main commonality is that they enjoy the stiff drinks poured by vested bartenders. That and the live, smooth-rock covers, sometimes performed by wizard-looking men with flutes. —Sarah Bennett</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>314 Avenue I, Redondo Beach, 90277. (310) 375-7797, <a href="javascript:void(0);">thebullpenredondo.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bull Pen<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 314 Ave. I<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90277<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 314 Ave. I 90277
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Venice Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>For a neighborhood that's both a bit rough around the edges and positively loaded with the young and the rich, Venice really ought to have a better drinking scene. We blame the glorious scenery: Who wants to spend the night getting hammered when they know the surf will be calling in the morning? Still, there are a few good bars here, and the best of the lot may well be <b>Larry's</b>. Named for SoCal artist Larry Bell, a pioneer of minimalism, Larry isn't douchey, dirty, jam-packed with tech assholes or swollen with tourists. It's roomier, and a bit more civilized, than most of the bars within spitting distance of Ocean Front Walk, and it offers a full liquor menu to go along with the 26 beers on tap. The kitchen isn't always open as late as we'd like, but the lighting is divine and the bartenders are generous with their pours. And while Larry's doesn't have ocean views, the retractable glass doors are almost always open — meaning you'll definitely get a few ocean breezes. —Sarah Fenske</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>24 Windward Ave., Venice, 90291. (310)399-2700, <a href="javascript:void(0);">larrysvenice.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Larry's<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 24 Windward Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90291<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 24 Windward Ave. 90291
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Hollywood Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Lots of people can tell you that <b>the Three Clubs</b> has been featured in <i>Mad Men</i>, but it bears repeating, if only to give you a mental picture of what you can expect inside this Hollywood spot, especially on quieter days. You'll come in, sit down in a dark, quiet corner and order up a cocktail (we recommend the rye Manhattan) expertly made by a man who has never self-identified as a \"mixologist\" (although he possesses the skills of one). The appeal of the Three Clubs is in its refreshingly unpretentious take on the classic American cocktail bar, one that's equal parts 1964 and 2014. While we'd recommend trying out the spot during off-hours, there's certainly plenty going on in the evenings, most notably Monday Night Tease, one of the oldest and most venerated burlesque nights in all of L.A. County. All told, the Three Clubs is a great spot for a date, or just to drown your sorrows in the sweet, neon glow of Hollywood's past. —Nicholas Pell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1123 N. Vine St., Hlywd., 90038. (323) 462-6441, <a href="javascript:void(0);">threeclubs.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Three Clubs Cocktail Lounge<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1123 Vine St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90038<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1123 Vine St. 90038
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bar With Free Tacos<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>All of 1933 Group's concept-driven cocktail bars — including Thirsty Crow, Oldfield's and Bigfoot East and West — offer outstanding happy-hour specials. Mexican-inspired Highland Park tequila bar <b>La Cuevita</b> is no exception. This cave-themed tavern (La Cuevita means \"little cave,\" after all) is adorned with Mexican paper flags and drawings of bats and skeletons, which look like something out of Francisco Goya's notebook. Its $5 menu, offered daily from 5 to 9 p.m., features smoky mezcal margaritas, fruity Palomas and old-fashioneds made with Irish tequila. But the best deal of all is on Tuesday nights, when the bar offers free tacos after 10 p.m. Catered by the Silver Lake street vendor Last Call Tacos, its version of Taco Tuesdays is an eight-year tradition celebrated with '80s punk tunes by DJ Sweet Caroline and margarita specials, to wash down all that gratis <i>al pastor</i>. —Jennifer Swann</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>5922 N. Figueroa Blvd., Highland Park, 90042. (323) 255-6871, <a href="javascript:void(0);">lacuevitabar.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> La Cuevita<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5922 N. Figueroa St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90042<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5922 N. Figueroa St. 90042
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Santa Monica Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Santa Monica has a split personality. On the one hand, it's beachy and laid-back: No shirt? No shoes? No problem. On the other hand, it's tony: Montana Avenue boasts upscale shops and high-end restaurants. The best bar in Santa Monica should be a perfect melding of these two worlds, and that's the perfect way to describe <b>Bar Chloe</b>. Entering the bar — located a stone's throw from the beach and Third Street Promenade — you step into a low-lit room with chandeliers and candles. Inside the cozy interior, patrons in upscale casual attire mingle in parties and pairs. Bar Chloe, with its seat-yourself policy, is warmer and more welcoming than Santa Monica's \"exclusive\" hotel bars. Meanwhile, its well-mixed cocktail list, with a new special monthly, is to die for but with prices that won't make you keel over. —Eve Weston</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1449 Second St., Santa Monica, 90401. (310) 899-6999, <a href="javascript:void(0);">barchloe.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bar Chloe<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1449 Second St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90401<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1449 Second St. 90401
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Late-Night Destination<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There are many after-hours spots in L.A. — Sound Nightclub, Los Globos and Alvarado House for starters. Most feature relentless bass. Hey, if you're up for it, that's awesome. But after the bars close, many of us are looking for something a little more relaxing, and <b>Bamboo House</b> in Los Feliz just might be the best solution. The spot features small-stage karaoke; you can work off your buzz while torturing your fellow diners with your rendition of \"My Way.\" Or you can soak up your night with good Thai food and iced coffee. It's something of a scene as well. Bamboo has become an after-work hangout for night owls, and bar and restaurant employees of nearby mainstays including the Dresden Restaurant and the Drawing Room often show up. Bamboo House stays open until 4, but on some nights they'll keep the stove fired up even later if the crowd is still hopping. Remember: There's no dancing. But, frankly, that can be a good thing. —Dennis Romero</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4852 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd., 90027. (323) 668-2437, <a href="javascript:void(0);">bamboohouselosangeles.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bamboo House<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4852 Hollywood Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90027<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4852 Hollywood Blvd. 90027
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Gin Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Were <b>the Flintridge Proper</b> to have an official song, it might go something like this: \"220 bottles of gin on the wall, 220 bottles of gin. Take one down, pass it around. 219 bottles of gin on the wall.\" At this watering hole located in the northern suburb of La Cañada Flintridge, these numbers are no exaggeration. Calling itself \"the world's largest gin bar,\" this drinkery and restaurant features a vast collection of gin sourced from all around the world, and even some in-house varieties produced with locally grown ingredients, such as wild sage and rosemary. \"We have a gin for every taste,\" says Brady Caverly, who co-owns the Proper with his wife, Mary Elizabeth. Customers who would like to sample multiple kinds of gin can choose from the Proper's \"flights,\" which include three 0.75-ounce tastings. (The popular Bartenders' Favorite, for $15, includes choices picked by the staff.) Under chef Kevin Napier, the Proper also has an extensive food menu, highlighted by its popular chicken pot pies and burgers. —Chris Walker</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>464 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada Flintridge, 91011. (818) 790-4888, <a href="javascript:void(0);">theproper.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Flintridge Proper<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 464 Foothill Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91011<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 464 Foothill Blvd. 91011
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bar Game Night<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If you've ever played Cards Against Humanity, you know that the filthy, politically incorrect (yet hilarious) fill-in-the-blanks game is much better with alcohol. Which means there's nobody better to play against than an entire bar full of booze-fueled opponents. Stop by <b>Wolf & Crane</b> in Little Tokyo every Wednesday night from 9 to 11 to take part in L.A.'s best alternative to the pub quiz. Host Dan — also known as Hipster Satan — spins old-school tunes, delivers hilarious commentary and hands out prizes such as flavored condoms, 1990s one-hit-wonder cassettes and free drinks. It helps that the Little Tokyo watering hole has an amazing selection of Japanese whiskeys and other craft spirits, a long list of mostly California beers and some really tasty, highball-style cocktails. If you get hungry, you can snag a bag of Japanese potato chips for two bucks or order delivery from the Pitfire Pizza just up the street. —Jason Horn</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>336 E. Second St., Little Tokyo, 90012. (213) 935-8249, <a href="javascript:void(0);">wolfandcranebar.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Wolf & Crane<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 366 E. 2nd St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 366 E. 2nd St. 90012
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Boyle Heights Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The Boyle Heights nightlife scene has come a long way in the last decade, partly thanks to the Metro Gold Line, which runs right through one of the historic neighborhood's main corridors, First Street. There have always been local Mexican dive bars in the area but, until recently, not much that appealed to the young generation of Mexican-American. That's changing, however, and <b>M Bar</b> is a big reason why. Though it's not as hip as some spots in the area, its lack of pretentiousness helps drive its appeal. On any given night, M Bar features locally sourced entertainment, from live cumbia to comedy, all with no cover charge. When it comes to drinks, stick with the signature Michelada, a spicy Mexican beer cocktail that is proudly made to order. —Javier Cabral</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1846½ E. First St., Boyle Heights, 90063. <a href="javascript:void(0);">mbarbh.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> M Bar<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1846 1/2 E. First St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90033<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1846 1/2 E. First St. 90033
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Art Studio to Spend the Night<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Nomad</b> — a 6,000-square-foot art compound housing a printmaking studio, an indie book shop, a photo studio, a rehearsal space and a barber shop — has so many amenities that you may never want to leave. With its new Airbnb offerings, you may never have to. At $99 a night or $575 a week, you can take a creative staycation in one of Nomad's five guest rooms, each of which is decorated with a funky flair that owner Damon Robinson calls \"punk shui\": street art–inspired wall hangings, headboards made of salvaged wood, handmade pillows shaped like Mexican wrestling masks, bright pinstripe rugs and vintage chandeliers against the white cinderblock walls of the former industrial metal shop. Airbnb guests gain access to a full kitchen, two bathrooms, a swimming pool in the yard and, most remarkably, the on-site woodshop and printing studios. Tucked away on the banks of the L.A. River in Frogtown, Nomad's cozy artist residencies feel like an exotic, remote getaway — even though they're just a bike ride away from downtown L.A. —Jennifer Swann</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1993 Blake Ave., Elysian Valley, 90039. <a href="javascript:void(0);">nomadlosangeles.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Nomad Collective Art Compound<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1993 Blake Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90039<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1993 Blake Ave. 90039
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Plant Sale<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The twice-yearly plant sale at the <b>Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens</b> gives you the chance to own a little piece of California's growing history. In addition to the usual plant-sale finds, the Huntington offers cuttings from its own rare plants — everything from roses to strawberries to cacti — in a huge range of sizes. Some of these cultivars are not available commercially anywhere. People line up hours in advance, bringing wagons and carts to carry home their purchases. And it's open to all, not just members (although they get first crack at it). Many of the Huntington's knowledgeable volunteers are on hand to answer questions, whether about a specific purchase or more general topics such as dividing irises or pruning roses. —Lisa Horowitz</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, 91108. (626) 405-2100, <a href="javascript:void(0);">huntington.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1151 Oxford Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91108<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1151 Oxford Road 91108
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Airbrush Nails<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Your fingernails are 10 tiny canvases and it's time to put them on display. <b>CT Nails #9</b> owner David Huynh is the Warhol of the nail salon, and for a shockingly low $25, he'll put his skills to work airbrushing almost anything in the world on your fingertips. Whether you want palm trees, sailboats, watermelons, skulls, American flags, tropical fish, tulips, unicorns, anchors, comets, crosses or a kaleidoscope of trippy patterns, Huynh has an artist's attention to detail and an eager-to-please spontaneity. Detailing a fruit bowl on a ring finger, he adds a glint of white light to a peach. Later, asked if he could transform a Western scene with a bucking cowboy and two tiny cacti from a fiery sunset to a pastel dawn, he grins and gets to work. You'll smile, too, every time you look at your hands. —Amy Nicholson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>7854 Santa Monica Blvd., W. Hlywd., 90046. (323) 654-9385.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> CT Nails #9<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7854 Santa Monica Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90046<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7854 Santa Monica Blvd. 90046
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Record Store When You Have an Entire Day to Kill<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>L.A. has plenty of awesome record stores, so why make the trek to Long Beach? Because <b>Fingerprints</b> has everything: a great selection of new and used vinyl, CDs of all genres, DVDs, books, T-shirts, gifts and an awesome atmosphere to boot. The 22-year-old store moved to its new Fourth Street digs almost four years ago, gaining a larger, airier space and an adjoining cafe. At Berlin, an offshoot of the locally famous Portfolio Coffeehouse, you can sip espresso (or order a full meal) while contemplating your purchases. In-store performances from the likes of Rivers Cuomo and Foo Fighters are a regular occurrence — and they've got the walls of posters to prove it. Out-of-towners can spend all day at the Fingerprints/Berlin compound, while locals know it's one of the city's gems. —Sascha Bos</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>420 E. Fourth St., Long Beach, 90802. (562) 433-4996, <a href="javascript:void(0);">fingerprintsmusic.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Fingerprints<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 420 E. Fourth St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90802<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 420 E. Fourth St. 90802
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Record Store<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>With the recent resurgence of interest in vinyl, record stores are suddenly cool places again. The factory-size Amoeba Music certainly has a large selection, and smaller independent shops such as metal/punk haven Vacation Vinyl in Silver Lake, Permanent Records in Highland Park and Echo Park's Origami Vinyl are intuitively stocked and often feature in-store performances. But the coolest record store in town might still be <b>Record Surplus</b>. Based on the Westside since 1985, the expansive store (with more than 50,000 LPs) has never stopped selling vinyl, even during the years when most albums were considered virtually worthless. Owners Neil Canter and his wife, Cheryl Perkey, moved the business in 2011 from its longtime location on Pico Boulevard to its current setting on Santa Monica Boulevard, but Record Surplus still exudes the same inviting vibe. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, and the deals for used vinyl, CDs and DVDs are better than at other stores. —Falling James</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>12436 Santa Monica Blvd., Sawtelle, 90025. (310) 979-4577, <a href="javascript:void(0);">recordsurplusla.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Record Surplus<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 12436 Santa Monica Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90025<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 12436 Santa Monica Blvd. 90025
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Florist<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A fresh, well-arranged bouquet of flowers is more than just a gift. It's a vibrant, nearly living thing, offering color, scent and a graceful shape. The staff at <b>French Florist</b> understands this very well, and also understands the virtue of offering supremely fresh and well-chosen flowers at a reasonable price. This constantly buzzing Pico-Robertson institution offers beautiful orchids, the best roses from Ecuador and stately hydrangeas yet still offers crisp, attractive daisies at only 99 cents apiece. The shop is known for its delivery service covering all of greater L.A. Visitors may notice a perpetual flurry of activity — employees preparing elegant bouquets like an industrious pack of Christmas elves. —Adam Gropman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>8658 W. Pico Blvd., Pico-Robertson, 90035. (310) 659-7700, <a href="javascript:void(0);">frenchflorist.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> French Florist<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8658 W Pico Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90035<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8658 W Pico Blvd 90035
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Gift Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>On a shaded stretch of Mission Street about two miles south of Old Town Pasadena sits <b>Marz Boutique</b>, a singular gift emporium with a dazzling selection of knickknacks, tchotchkes and curios — many of which you've probably never seen anywhere else. One of the best (or worst) things about this distinctive shop is that you walk in planning to buy something for a friend or niece or co-worker but seldom leave before also purchasing something special for yourself. From unique imports, handmade crafts, vintage baubles and fun housewares to artisanal bath products and unusual books, the store's selection practically compels browsing. The stuff in Marz isn't just inventory: It becomes a thoughtfully curated display of rare and remarkable objects, which manage to make the store appear welcoming and organized despite the volume of articles within. Marz also sells handmade cards, exquisite wrapping paper and eye-catching gift bags — but chances are you won't need them: The store offers gift wrapping that's just as appealing as the presents themselves. —Tanja M. Laden</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1512 Mission St., South Pasadena, 91030. (626) 799-4032, <a href="javascript:void(0);">marzgifts.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Marz Boutique<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1512 Mission St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91030<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1512 Mission St. 91030
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Mall<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Don't let the Black Friday foolishness freak you out. The holiday season can be hell for many people, but outlet malls are heaven for bargain hunters. Located less than 15 minutes from downtown L.A., and the only one of its kind in Los Angeles County, <b>Citadel Outlets</b> has more than 130 stores that draw in customers looking for brand-name and manufacturer deals: Calvin Klein, the Gap, Banana Republic, Levi's, Coach, Michael Kors, DKNY, Kate Spade, Juicy Couture, Nike, Adidas, Disney and Toys \"R\" Us, to list a few. These days, cash-conscious consumers can't afford to pay the retail price of a designer handbag or the newest sneakers or children's gadgets. Here, expect to find them at half-price. And if you're brave enough to make the trip during a holiday weekend, expect additional mark-downs. So what if you have to spend a few more minutes finding a parking spot and possibly injure other shoppers? There's a discounted Coach crossbody at stake! —Siran Babayan</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>100 Citadel Drive, Commerce, 90040. (323) 888-1724, <a href="javascript:void(0);">citadeloutlets.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Citadel Outlets<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 100 Citadel Drive Suite 480<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90040<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 100 Citadel Drive Suite 480 90040
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Waxing Spot for Those Who Can't Commit to a Brazilian<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Brazilian waxes have become the industry standard, but they're not without their flaws. Not everyone wants to be a pelvic chrome-dome, after all. Plus, they're pricey. Isn't there a way to procure proper hair removal without being left bald and poor? Thank heaven for <b>Queen Bee</b>. The salon offers the \"In Bee-Tweenie,\" which is a slightly less severe, and cheaper, bikini wax option. It removes enough hair that there's no fear of a stray weaseling out of your swimsuit but not so much that you don't recognize yourself in the shower. The perfect happy medium between an old-school and a Brazilian, the In Bee-Tweenie is moderately priced at $40. Save some cash and maintain a little, um, mystery — it's a win-win. —Ali Trachta</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>2530-A San Vicente Blvd., Santa Monica, 90402; (310) 570-2282. 10182½ Culver Blvd., Culver City, 90232; (310) 204-2236. <a href="javascript:void(0);">queenbeesalonspa.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Queen Bee Salon & Spa<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2530-A San Vicente Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90402<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2530-A San Vicente Blvd. 90402
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Waxing Spot for Those Who Can't Commit to a Brazilian<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Brazilian waxes have become the industry standard, but they're not without their flaws. Not everyone wants to be a pelvic chrome-dome, after all. Plus, they're pricey. Isn't there a way to procure proper hair removal without being left bald and poor? Thank heaven for <b>Queen Bee</b>. The salon offers the \"In Bee-Tweenie,\" which is a slightly less severe, and cheaper, bikini wax option. It removes enough hair that there's no fear of a stray weaseling out of your swimsuit but not so much that you don't recognize yourself in the shower. The perfect happy medium between an old-school and a Brazilian, the In Bee-Tweenie is moderately priced at $40. Save some cash and maintain a little, um, mystery — it's a win-win. —Ali Trachta</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>2530-A San Vicente Blvd., Santa Monica, 90402; (310) 570-2282. 10182½ Culver Blvd., Culver City, 90232; (310) 204-2236. <a href="javascript:void(0);">queenbeesalonspa.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Queen Bee Salon & Spa<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 10182 1/2 Culver Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90232<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 10182 1/2 Culver Blvd. 90232
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Brazilian<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>It may be true that there's no good way to get your pubic hair ripped out by the roots. But there are better ways and there are worse ways, and the best way is to visit Burbank's little-known gem of a salon, <b>Krimson</b>, and get your lady- or man-parts sugared by Misty Gilman. A gentler form of waxing, sugaring uses all natural ingredients and leaves even the most sensitive skin smooth and soft. Krimson is one of the few salons in Los Angeles that offers sugaring, and it's well worth the haul up the 101 to treat your downtown area to a kinder, more humane depilation. —Jessica Ogilvie</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>Krimson Hair Studio, 3400 W. Burbank Blvd., Burbank, 91505. (818) 848-8557, <a href="javascript:void(0);">krimsonsalon.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Krimson Salon<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3400 W Burbank Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91505<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3400 W Burbank Blvd. 91505
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Metal Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>These guys aren't your average shop rats. The metal heads at <b>Breakform Design</b> are trained architects with the brains of engineers and the hands of expert artisans, who can figure out how to build anything in steel, bronze, brass or aluminum. Less a go-to shop for metalwork and more a collaborative workshop, Breakform allows other designers to realize the more technical aspects of a metal element in their projects — usually the ones that require super meticulous detailing and care. Breakform make custom furniture, shelving (such as the floor-to-ceiling wine racks at Tar & Roses restaurant in Santa Monica), sun screens, stair details, wall-sized synthesizer racks, oversized mechanized doors and windows, and decorative surfaces such as the eye-popping, perforated brass wall that will adorn a multimillion-dollar beachfront home in Malibu. Word-of-mouth and simple come-back business have kept Breakform very busy (it had to move to a larger shop this year). Their craft simply isn't matched anywhere else in the L.A. area. —Wendy Gilmartin</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>109 Eucalyptus Drive, El Segundo. (310) 322-3700, <a href="javascript:void(0);">breakformdesign.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Breakform Design<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 109 Eucalyptus Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90245<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 109 Eucalyptus Drive 90245
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best New Vintage and Artisan Marketplace<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>With the legendary Rose Bowl Flea Market, Unique L.A., Renegade Craft Fair and Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles, the alternative vintage and local maker–oriented retail scene in this city is robust. Now add to the mix <b>Artists & Fleas</b>, an import from New York City, which launched its first hybrid flea and craft market in Williamsburg in 2003 and quickly became a must-visit for a certain set of design- and style-savvy New Yorkers. Artists & Fleas has since expanded into Manhattan's Chelsea Market, as well as another 3,000 miles westward to L.A., where since May it's been setting up in the Arts District. Held the third weekend of every month on both Saturday and Sunday, approximately 40 vendors gather in a covered outdoor lot that's an indie jewelry maker stone's throw from the restaurant Church & State. Shoppers can pick up goods from a rotating roster of off-the-beaten-path peddlers selling vintage lighting fixtures, alpaca blankets, handmade leather items, handmade accessories and more, while putting back a cold one (coffee, that is) from local Outpost Cold Brew. Naturally, a live DJ and food trucks are on-site as well. —Jessica Ritz</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>647 Mateo St., dwntwn., 90021. (310) 900-9987, <a href="javascript:void(0);">artistsandfleas.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Artists & Fleas<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 647 Mateo St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90021<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 647 Mateo St. 90021
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Comic Book Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>To succeed in this digital era, comic book stores can't just sell comic books. They need to provide a sanctum for the unwashed nerdy masses. An L.A. institution since 1979, Hollywood's <b>Golden Apple Comics</b> excels in this area beyond all others. Long known for hosting book signings for the industry's top writers and artists, the shop took it a step farther this year: It invited patrons to participate in a monthly book club, where local comic creators discuss their work with readers. Think Oprah's Book Club, but with more flannel and snarkier T-shirts. Whether you like debating Marvel versus DC with an informed peer, or hunting for a hidden gem in the treasure trove of $1 bins, Golden Apple is your L.A. nerd Asgard. —Mike Ciriaco</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>7018 Melrose Ave., Hancock Park, 90038. (323) 658-6047, <a href="javascript:void(0);">goldenapplecomics.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Golden Apple Comics<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7018 Melrose Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90038<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7018 Melrose Ave. 90038
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Find Your Signature Scent<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Some people collect fragrances the way others collect art, and in L.A. those people go to <b>Scent Bar</b>. If you still think of department store cosmetic counters when you think of perfume, a visit to this shop is your wake-up call. The small boutique is lined with shelves of niche and hard-to-find fragrances, such as those from New York's CB I Hate Perfume or new Belgian brand L'Antichambre. Tester bottles are grouped near handwritten signs that indicate the dominant scent note, such as \"smoke,\" \"tea\" or \"cream.\" You can sniff and explore on your own, discovering stories in fragrances such as Paper Passion: Perfume for Booklovers, Gypsy Water and What I Did on My Holidays. But with friendly customer service and generous free samples, Scent Bar is beginner-friendly, too. The staff can help you learn that whiskey and peaches mix well with your skin — and that you like perfume after all. —Sara Rashkin</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>7405 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax District, 90036. (323) 782-8300, <a href="javascript:void(0);">luckyscent.com/scentbar</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Scent Bar<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7405 Beverly Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90036<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7405 Beverly Blvd. 90036
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Vintage Eyewear<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The first thing optician Van de la Plante asks customers when they walk into his tiny eyewear boutique in Echo Park isn't about their eyesight — it's whether they'd like a glass of Scotch and a seat on one of two tattered, turn-of-the-century armchairs. The Scotch, poured from a beveled glass decanter on a wooden side table displaying biographies of Houdini and Tesla, is all part of the macho, vintage Americana lifestyle peddled by <b>Gentlemen's Breakfast</b>. Housed in a one-car garage off Sunset Boulevard, the anachronistic hideout specializes in original, 1960s dead-stock frames from Europe and Japan, all of which can be custom-fitted with either prescription or sunglass lenses. The glasses range in price from about $150 — for thick, nylon \"prison glasses,\" which were distributed to prisoners in the 1960s because of their pliable and nearly indestructible frames — to upwards of $1,000 for 100-year-old Japanese welding glasses with rose-colored lenses. —Jennifer Swann</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1101 Mohawk St., Echo Park, 90026. (323) 306-6766, <a href="javascript:void(0);">gentsbreakfast.blogspot.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Gentlemen's Breakfast<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1101 Mohawk St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90026<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1101 Mohawk St. 90026
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Buy a Spell<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Farmacia y Botanica Million Dollar</b> looks more like a small-town drugstore than a den of magic. The walls are toothpaste-white, the shelves crammed with Tums next to bath powders that bring good luck, and the, er, pharmacists will answer your questions about black and white energy as calmly as if debating the difference between aspirin and ibuprofen. Plenty of shops sell <i>santería</i> candles — hell, you can buy one at Jons. Even the phalanx of 8-inch waxwork penises promising to fill your house with love and fidelity (plus a whiff of oily smoke) are identical to the ones you'll find everywhere else. What raises Farmacia y Botanica Million Dollar above the rest is that it's a one-stop shop: You can light up and leave your spell here to be tended to next to dozens of others, quickly pay respects to the Santa Muerte altar behind the register, and buy mouthwash, too. —Amy Nicholson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>301 S. Broadway, dwntwn., 90013. (213) 687-3688.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Farmacia y Botánica Million Dollar<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 301 S. Broadway<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90013<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 301 S. Broadway 90013
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Buy Collectibles<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Just half an hour east of downtown is a 65,000-square-foot collector's paradise. The <b>Frank & Son Collectible Show</b> opens to the public every Wednesday and Saturday, selling comics, trading cards, figurines, sports memorabilia, movies, video games and more things than you have the money to purchase. Fans of television shows old and new are sure to find something to love among the 200 vendor booths, which are reminiscent of a comic book convention. A central area in the warehouse serves as a battleground for Magic and Pokémon trading-card players. On-site memorabilia and autograph authentication is hosted on select days, while autograph signings with famous names from television and sports are held monthly. There's a taco truck out front and a snack bar inside, so you have no reason to leave before closing time. Parking and entry are free. Open Wednesdays, 3 to 9 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. —Calvin B. Alagot</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>19649 E. San Jose Ave., City of Industry, 91748. (909) 444-7955, <a href="javascript:void(0);">frankandsonshow.net</a>.</i> </p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Frank & Son<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 19649 E. San Jose Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91748<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 19649 E. San Jose Ave. 91748
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Nail Salon for Men<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>When Maston Kucheki found herself pondering what kinds of businesses catered to females but not to males, nail salons came to mind almost immediately. She took the opportunity to turn her unique idea into reality with the help of her partner and mother, Nana Kucheki, opening <b>Mr. Nail Lounge</b> in West Hollywood in April. The SoCal natives didn't want to open just another nail salon. Inspired by cigar lounges and high-end sports bars, they decided to create a place to relax and unwind, with espresso, beer, wine and whiskey on offer. The clients are a healthy mix of regulars and first-timers whose girlfriends and wives decided to treat them to a special experience, without subjecting them to the uneasy vibes and judgmental stares of female customers at traditional nail salons. When it comes to grooming, Mr. Nail Lounge not only helps diminish a reverse, sex-based double-standard, it does so with style. —Tanja M. Laden</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>9005 Melrose Ave., W. Hlywd., 90069. (424) 302-0070, <a href="javascript:void(0);">mrnaillounge.com</a></i>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Mr. Nail Lounge for Men<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 9005 Melrose Ave<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90069<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 9005 Melrose Ave 90069
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Nail Salon<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Leave it to a New Yorker to start L.A.'s best nail salon. The truth is, we Angelenos just don't care that much about our nails, which is why there aren't many options between the high-end spas and the cheapo spots. Enter <b>Olive & June</b>, where you can choose from the fanciest polishes (Deborah Lippmann, Butter London, Kure) without having to commit an entire afternoon (and paycheck) to your beauty routine. Service is primo: On your first visit, you'll fill out a survey regarding your nail-shape preferences, ticklishness and which magazines you'd like them to stock (your preferences are kept in the electronic database for your next visit). The beautiful interior of this new Beverly Hills spot, complete with leather chairs and fig trees, has garnered Instagram fame. And if Olive & June's 25,000-plus followers are any indication, nails could be catching on in L.A. —Sascha Bos</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>430 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, 90210. (310) 247-0500, <a href="javascript:void(0);">www.oliveandjune.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Olive & June<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 430 N. Canon Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90210<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 430 N. Canon Drive 90210
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Pet Store<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Big things come in small packages, and no store is more representative of that adage than <b>Pet Project</b>, a fun, colorful and compact seller of everything the urbane dog or cat could ever want or need. Situated in the heart of downtown's core, this place is jam-packed with premium quality brands of pet food, along with an array of pet treats, leashes, harnesses, collars, toys, bowls and more. The woman behind the counter is engaged and friendly, obviously a pet fanatic herself, and the neatly organized store is refreshingly easy to navigate compared with Petco or PetSmart, which can be overwhelming. With downtown's urban dwellers being an especially pet-friendly bunch, Pet Project is the perfect neighborhood proprietor to keep the hounds and kitties happy. —Adam Gropman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>548 S. Spring St., Ste. 107, dwntwn., 90013. (213) 688-7752, <a href="javascript:void(0);">petprojectla.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Pet Project<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 548 S Spring St #107<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90013<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 548 S Spring St #107 90013
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Fabric Boutique<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>\"This is a magical place, where magical things happen,\" says <b>Fabric Planet</b> owner Jack Jacob Sapar, who has transformed his functional, one-stop fabric shop into a fairyland where couture dreams come true. This warm, kaleidoscopic emporium in the heart of Venice has become a sanctuary for local designers and hobbyists seeking affordable retail and wholesale options without having to shlep through the labyrinth that is downtown's Fashion District. Inside is an endless supply of versatile fabrics, trims, yarns, appliques and seemingly every crafting accoutrement known to man. The staff's mission is to cultivate a creative community, welcoming local artists to use both the store's interior and exterior as their personal canvas, catering to established as well as up-and-coming designers, and supplying to production companies, including the one behind <i>RuPaul's</i> <i>Drag Race</i>. But you don't have to be a designer or TV diva to create a signature look. The staff is made up of talented outfitters who'll not only do the sewing for you but also help you find design inspiration for your wardrobe, home or lifestyle. Pay a visit and put in an order for that snazzy desert-rave tutu or burlap bed headboard you've always wanted. —Orly Minazad</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>423 Lincoln Blvd. Venice, 90291. (310) 310-3049, <a href="javascript:void(0);">myfabricplanet.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Fabric Planet<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 423 Lincoln Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90291<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 423 Lincoln Blvd. 90291
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Airport<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Everyone knows LAX is a nightmare, so where do you fly out of? Burbank? Ontario? How about <b>Long Beach Airport</b>'s newly revamped terminals? They feature modern, clean design and tiny outposts of local restaurants — Sweet Jill's for sticky buns on early-morning flights, and a classy wine bar with an outdoor fire pit for afternoon waits. Yes, you read that right: an outdoor fire pit, at the airport. As JetBlue's West Coast hub, LGB can fly you directly to San Francisco, New York, Boston and Austin, Texas, to name a few. It also boasts the lowest fares in California (second lowest in the nation) and was recently awarded \"Best Food and Beverage Program\" in North America by the Airports Council International. The best part? Zipping through security like a VIP. —Sascha Bos</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>4100 E. Donald Douglas Drive, Long Beach, 90808. (562) 570-2600, <a href="javascript:void(0);">lgb.org</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Long Beach Airport<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4100 E. Donald Douglas Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90808<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4100 E. Donald Douglas Drive 90808
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Jewelers<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Jenny & Jimbob</b> began with a line of matchbox necklaces, which the husband-and-wife designers sold wholesale to more than 1,000 stores worldwide. After observing how other store owners became stressed out during the buying process, Jennifer Hall Pellitteri and Jimbob Pellitteri swore they'd never open a shop of their own — that is, until they realized that making almost all of their own stuff would solve the problem. The shop, which opened in North Hollywood on Valentine's Day 2013, doesn't just sell jewelry. Jenny & Jimbob also teaches classes and hosts monthly art shows as well as free stand-up comedy nights, which is why the owners (she's an actress) consider it a community space for artists and others to come together creatively. The indie jewelry store also offers repair, including its signature \"lost earring cloning,\" as well as custom jewelry design. Given the Pellitteris' romantic entanglement, it should come as no surprise that their store's specialty is engagement rings. Awww! —Tanja M. Laden</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>11114 Magnolia Blvd., N. Hlywd., 91601. (323) 274-5684, <a href="javascript:void(0);">jennyandjimbob.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Jenny & Jimbob Jewelry<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 11114 Magnolia Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91601<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 11114 Magnolia Blvd 91601
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Vintage Store<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Shareen Mitchell's supersized store across from the Los Angeles State Historic Park, <b>Shareen</b>, is a must-stop for costume designers (<i>Mad Men</i>'s Janie Bryant most notably), actresses (Zooey Deschanel is a longtime customer) and fashionistas who come to peruse the affordable, expertly selected racks of vintage women's clothing dating from the 1930s to the 1990s. In addition to her vintage finds, owner and designer Mitchell is recognized for her ability to rework and update vintage garments, making them more relatable to today's fashions. Party and wedding dresses are her specialty. She has a few rules, too. She doesn't sell vintage accessories, as she believes they immediately date an outfit, and she recommends a hot heel to bump a pretty dress into the present. And no men allowed (except by appointment), as the wide-open space has no dressing rooms. —Kathy A. McDonald</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1721 N. Spring St., dwntwn., (323) 276-6226, <a href="javascript:void(0);">shareen.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Shareen Vintage<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1721 N. Spring St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1721 N. Spring St. 90012
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bookstore, Eastside<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Adam Bernales and Denice Diaz knew it would be difficult to open a bookstore in East L.A. When they launched <b>Seite Books</b> four years ago, the area had never had an independent, nonreligious bookstore. The closest chain store was a Borders in Pico Rivera. It started slowly but the inventory has since grown from a few hundred books to about 25,000. The selection is unapologetically highbrow — Gaddis, Duras, Genet — but it also has become a popular spot for zines and Spanish-language books. The building is in sharp contrast to the impressive titles: It's located in a former check-cashing business, with the office behind bulletproof glass. —Gene Maddaus</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>417 N. Rowan Ave., East L.A., 90063. (323) 526-1369, <a href="javascript:void(0);">seitebooks.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Seite Books<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 417 N. Rowan Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90063<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 417 N. Rowan Ave. 90063
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bookstore, Westside<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The paucity of bookstores on the Westside can be disheartening, but Santa Monica's <b>Angel City Books & Records</b> has been a sanctuary for book-buying locals since 1998. Though small and narrow, the store is easily navigable and feels more cozy than cramped. Filled with a meticulously curated selection of used books, the store's range and specificity are staggering. A trove of Beat literature is just steps from a section devoted to Santa Monica history. Turn from the long shelf of poetry and plays and find yourself faced with a superb reserve of pulp fiction paperbacks. If you're looking for signed and/or first editions, see the glass case behind the counter. Angel City sells an equally excellent, albeit occasionally pricey, selection of vinyl, and whether you're looking for tomes or tunes, amiable owner Rocco Ingala is here to help. Call and he'll check the shelves for whatever you're after. Better yet, swing by and browse as he plays records over the store speakers. You may find something you didn't know you needed. —Max Bell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>218 Pier Ave., Santa Monica, 90405. (310) 399-8767, <a href="javascript:void(0);">angelcitybooks.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Angel City Books & Records<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 218 Pier Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90405<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 218 Pier Ave. 90405
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Crash<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Some of the most inexpensive places to stay as a tourist in the city are still pretty overpriced (or just plain gross). But for anyone traveling solo or with a group of friends for a short period, hotel amenities aren't as important as a good access point for exploring the city — as long as the accommodations are cheap and clean. With an open floor plan, <b>PodShare Hollywood</b> is a hostel-style environment with 10 individual \"pods\" configured as two-story bunks, which facilitate socializing while traveling. Each pod features its own 22-inch TV, night light and power outlets. The well-maintained property near Hollywood and Vine also offers a shared bathroom and kitchen, along with a community computer station and free Wi-Fi, all for $50 for a single bed, $70 for a queen that sleeps two. The best part? At the end, \"podestrians\" receive customized online links with a photo and brief description of their stay to share with friends. —Tanja M. Laden</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1617 Cosmo St., Hlywd., 90028. (213) 973-7741, <a href="javascript:void(0);">thepodshare.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> PodShare<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1617 Cosmo St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90028<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1617 Cosmo St. 90028
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Spot a Celebrity<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Plenty of small, boutique markets around Malibu offer basic groceries or organic items. And lots of celebrities have mansions and getaways along \"the Bu's\" pristine coastline. But here's a question: Where do celebs shop if they want to stock their pads with something as basic as a 24-pack of Eggo waffles? The Malibu <b>Ralph's</b>, that's where. Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts are regulars. Halle Berry? \"Yeah, she was here just the other day,\" the guy in the meat department tells us. Stop by often enough and you're bound to rub elbows with the rich and famous. We're just wondering: Do the stars page through the tabloids in the checkout aisles? —Chris Walker</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>23841 W. Malibu Road, Malibu, 90265. (310) 456-2917.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Ralph's<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 23841 Malibu Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90265<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 23841 Malibu Road 90265
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Horror Prop Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>At <b>Dapper Cadaver Horror Props</b>, the stuff of nightmares awaits you — coagulated by type and made so well you'd never know it's merely a set of replicas. Located behind an unassuming storefront just off the 5 freeway, this den of dread carries everything from lab jars to a dozen distinct, live-cast human skulls. Need some life-sized dinosaur skeletons? An electric chair ... complete with victim? A giant hewn-stone head? Check, check and check. How about something custom-made? Pitch your Hieronymus Bosch–style fantasy, and their artisans can build it, on site. Thousands of television shows, films, toy companies and live-event venues around the world get their quality death and science decor from Dapper Cadaver, but anyone (living) can pop in to shop. Rent to trick out an event, or buy something for yourself or for that friend who has everything. Founder B.J. Winslow makes sure to stock something wonderfully awful to fit any budget. —Jody Lindke</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>7572 San Fernando Road, Sun Valley, 91352. (818) 771-0818, <a href="javascript:void(0);">dappercadaver.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Dapper Cadaver<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7572 San Fernando Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91352<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7572 San Fernando Road 91352
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place for Hostess Gifts<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>When you're invited to a dinner or party or backyard barbecue, you can show up with potluck. But to our mind, it's always more gracious to bring a hostess (or host) gift, and we think the best place to pick one up is <b>Heath Ceramics</b>. The only SoCal outpost of the celebrated Sausalito studio founded by Edith Heath is an emporium filled with stylish vases, items for the kitchen and other fanciful textiles and ceramics, plus jewelry and accessories for the bedroom and bath — all rendered with a tastefully understated, midcentury flair that will make any party host beam with gratitude. The matte-finished Heath ceramics — in a pleasing array of pastel colors — are well-priced for the quality and rarely fail to impress their recipient. —Jeffrey Burbank</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>7525 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax District, 90036. (323) 965-0800, <a href="javascript:void(0);">heathceramics.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Heath Ceramics<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7525 Beverly Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90036<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7525 Beverly Blvd. 90036
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Shoe Repair-Slash-Knishes<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Once a deli staple, the knish is enjoying a renaissance of late, with a new book out by Laura Silver on this iconic Jewish equivalent of the potato pie or empanada. Some of the best can be found at <b>Best Shoe Repair</b> in the Fairfax District. Each morning at 6 a.m., the proprietor, Dmitri, prepares four different types of knishes — mushroom, potato, meat and cabbage — and sells them at his shop, which in addition to fixing footwear offers watch-repair services and alterations. So when you drop off a pair of those pumps, take home some knishes — we recommend the mushroom. They may prove to be the Fairfax neighborhood's true sole food after all. —Jeffrey Burbank</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>6001 W. Olympic Blvd., Mid-Wilshire, 90036. (323) 857-0987.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Best Shoe Repair<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 6001 W. Olympic Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90036<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 6001 W. Olympic Blvd 90036
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Record Store-Slash-Hair Salon<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Music and hair have long been a sort of cultural peanut butter and jelly, but <b>the Artform Studio</b> might be the world's first business to recognize the entrepreneurial possibilities in their collision. Located in the Arts District since 2010, the Artform's vintage record collection is one of the best in the city, and haircuts also are on offer. \"Music is culture,\" co-owner Patrick Washington says, \"and within the subcultures of music, everyone wants to present themselves in their own individual way. That's where hair comes in.\" Rappers such as Rza and Blu dig for hidden treasure here, while co-owner and chief hairstylist Sherry Young slangs cuts on the salon side to the likes of Dam-Funk. The place is known as a haven for rap records, but Washington insists it's about much more than hip-hop: \"Nineties rap was in for a while, but it's our classic rock records that never go out of style.\" —Isaac Simpson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>701 E. Third St., #120, dwntwn., 90013. (213) 613-1050, <a href="javascript:void(0);">theartformstudio.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Artform Records<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 701 E 3rd St. #120<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90013<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 701 E 3rd St. #120 90013
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Discount Kitchen Supply<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Housed in the basement labyrinth beneath the massive Koreatown Galleria, <b>KitchenPlus</b> sells every type of kitchen gadget you could ever want — and hundreds of culinary novelties you never knew you needed. Owned by the Kim family since its 1992 inception, K-Plus, as it's known among fans, stocks roughly 15,000 cooking and serving items, most of which are imported directly from Korea. Each aisle is organized by material: cloth aprons, place mats and napkins; glassware suited to every kind of cocktail; clay dishes and cups; stone bowls designed to serve hot <i>bibimbap</i>; cast-iron pancake plates; stainless-steel pots the size of bathtubs; rubber barrels for making massive batches of kimchi. While K-Plus caters primarily to wholesale clientele, the sprawling warehouse is open to the public — which means amateur chefs can snag KitchenPlus brand porcelain serving dishes for as little as 29 cents each. That is, if you can find the place. —Jennifer Swann</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>3250 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 113, Koreatown, 90006. (323) 732-1160.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Kitchen Plus<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3250 W Olympic Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90006<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3250 W Olympic Blvd 90006
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Cabinet of Curiosities<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Inheritance</b> is a species of <i>wunderkammer</i> that seems to be presided over by a dream personal shopper: one who has scoured every flea market and estate sale in town and selected only the best objects to put on display, and who then throws in factory-new merchandise to complete the picture. According to proprietor Michael Andrews, the establishment is essentially a \"collection of collections\" — culled from a reliable stable of Andrews' design and antiques associates. Whether it's wood-grain dishware, vintage cufflinks, Edward Gorey–esque taxidermy under glass domes, salesmen's scale models, thrift-store landscapes, orreries or snow domes, Inheritance is an inspired bequest to the inveterate shopper or browser. —Jeffrey Burbank</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>8055 Beverly Blvd., Beverly Grove, 90048. (323) 658-6756, <a href="javascript:void(0);">inheritanceshop.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Inheritance<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8055 Beverly Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90048<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8055 Beverly Blvd. 90048
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Tattoo Shop With a View<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Not that he would ever engage in such ephemeral, trendy trifles, but if L.A.'s own (eternal) poet laureate Charles Bukowski were to get tattooed, he would do it at <b>Crimson Unicorn Tattoo Parlour</b>. For one, it's right across the street from the King Eddy Saloon, one of his favorite haunts. More than that, however, the location in the very heart of what remains of L.A.'s Skid Row allows you to watch a sort of living movie while you get inked. Bums stroll by, couples get into fights, cockroaches crawl along the sidewalk outside, winos stagger out of the bar and people wander in to ask a lot of damn fool questions. Bring the Club and exact change for parking and get yourself a high-quality tattoo alongside a streetscape that gentrification is bound to change — and probably sooner rather than later. —Nicholas Pell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>122 E. Fifth St., dwntwn., 90013. (213) 614-6836, <a href="javascript:void(0);">crimsonunicornparlour.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Crimson Unicorn Tattoo Parlour<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 122 E. 5th St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90013<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 122 E. 5th St. 90013
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Tattoo Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>What do you look for when you go to a tattoo shop? Good artwork. Attention not just to the drawing but to the craft of putting it into your skin. Professionalism. And, perhaps more important than any of these other qualities, you want to feel comfortable being there. You don't want to feel as if you're somehow inconveniencing people whose job it is to serve you — something you're made to feel in too many tattoo shops. Silver Lake's <b>Alchemy Tattoo</b> checks every box on the list. Owner Chris Breksa, a native of Southern California, has been tattooing for more than 15 years. His ever-changing collection of flash art, from some of the top names in traditional tattooing the world over, is easily the best in the city. —Nicholas Pell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>2854 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake, 90026. (323) 666-1313, <a href="javascript:void(0);">alchemytattoola.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Alchemy Tattoo<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2854 W. Sunset Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90026<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2854 W. Sunset Blvd 90026
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Barber Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Vinny's Barber Shop</b> has a sort of unofficial slogan: \"It's a haircut.\" And indeed, it is that. In a world where a million salons try to pose as the real McCoy, you need look no further than this East Hollywood spot for an old-school barber shop with a modern, contemporary vibe. At Vinny's, the five chairs are almost always full, with good tunes playing in the background. While you're encouraged to grab a beer while you wait, or have some coffee, beverages aren't a gimmick to cover up for substandard quality. Gents chew the fat about sports, work, dogs and cars — everything but politics and religion, which are expressly forbidden. Proprietor Omar Romero just happens to be the finest rockabilly recording engineer in the world. The tattooed gentlemen on his staff take the utmost pride in their work, doing everything they can to make customers look their absolute best. It's a haircut? Sure. And a '68 Chevelle is a car. —Nicholas Pell</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>852 N. Virgil Ave., E. Hlywd., 90029. (323) 426-9536.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Vinny's Barbershop<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 852 N. Virgil Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90029<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 852 N. Virgil Ave. 90029
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Designer Warehouse<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>dosa</b> just might be the coolest brand you've never heard of. The clothing company has been around for 30 years, hiding out for much of that time in a gorgeous building downtown. Three open levels house a showroom, an office space and a sewing/production area. In an age when most of our clothing is made on another continent, it's inspiring to buy clothes in the showroom and then visit the women who made them — many of whom are wearing dosa themselves. Designer Christina Kim produces pieces that are simple yet ornate — think cotton and silk pajama pants paired with flowing dresses and embroidered tunics. Despite celebrity clientele including Alice Waters (who collaborated with Kim on her own collection) and pop-ups at fine-arts institutions like the Santa Monica Museum of Art, dosa's high price point and lack of advertising keep it under the radar — which is where it likes to be (the brand is so exclusive, Kim declined to be interviewed by <i>L.A. Weekly</i>). Access to the downtown showroom is by appointment only, but big sales several times a year are typically announced on Facebook — once you're in, get on the mailing list to be invited to future sales. Just don't tell anyone we told you. —Sascha Bos</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>850 S. Broadway, 7th floor, dwntwn., 90014. (213) 627-3672, <a href="javascript:void(0);">dosainc.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> dosa<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 850 S Broadway #7<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90014<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 850 S Broadway #7 90014
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Antique Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Open just a few hours a week (Wednesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.), this dusty, signless storefront is easy to miss. But if you glance through the window, you'll see an ancient wheelchair and crutches, old cans and bottles, and a selection of shiny silver toasters and waffle makers. Inside <b>Metropolitan News</b>, the mix is even more eclectic: a rocking horse, old maps, pins, plates, photos, car manuals, typewriters, wall phones, sheet music, desks, coffee cans and Edison wax cylinders. There are mysterious personal effects, too. Who is Nana Sterling, \"the deep-breathing beauty\"? These retro relics came largely from a crowded, chaotic amateur museum based in tiny Aguilar, Colorado, obtained by shop owner and history conservationist Jo-Ann Grace, whose office is next door. Get down there and get hunting — before the Beverly Hills antique dealers beat you to it. —James Bartlett</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>214 S. Spring St., dwntwn., 90012. No phone, no website.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Metropolitan News<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 214 S. Spring St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 214 S. Spring St. 90012
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Yarn Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In the past few years, Atwater Village's stretch of Glendale Boulevard has become so hip that Mayor Eric Garcetti considers it a model for \"Great Streets\" around the city. Perhaps more importantly, the six-block strip east of the L.A. River boasts both a natural foods store and an accordion school. Try to top that, Abbot Kinney. Among the neighborhood's more established enterprises is <b>the Little Knittery</b>. A pleasant storefront lined with cubbie holes filled with skeins of yarn, it gives off a friendly vibe. The shop offers a selection of curated yarns, some made from hand-dyed wool, and knitting classes, which are held in a relaxed atmosphere. Beginners learn to make scarves before moving up to blankets, hats and sweaters. —Gene Maddaus</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3195 Glendale Blvd., Atwater Village, 90039. (323) 663-3838, <a href="javascript:void(0);">thelittleknittery.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Little Knittery<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3195 Glendale Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90039<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3195 Glendale Blvd. 90039
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Video Store<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Imagine yourself in a dusty world where VHS tapes inherit the earth, people punctuate phrases with \"you see?\" and geezers croon about Barbara Stanwyck and John Wayne to tunes churned out by an adenoidal Victrola — and you've just imagined yourself into <b>Eddie Brandt's Saturday Matinee</b> in North Hollywood. You see? Not just for the geriatric, Eddie Brandt's offers its expansive collection of rare, classic and out-of-print films (many only on VHS) to regulars including Quentin Tarantino, P.T. Anderson, Angelyne and seemingly every B-movie actor under the San Fernando Valley sun. Stick around long enough and you may get a chance to shake hands with Peter Bogdanovich or, more likely, hear the unofficial Eddie Brandt's anthem, \"I thought this place was closed!\" <i>The</i> Eddie Brandt, now deceased, co-opened the store in 1969, leaving his legacy to his wife, who still runs the shop with the help of her son and cantankerous but lovable clerks. No matter our post-VHS reality; Eddie Brandt's persists as a fedora-free, unpretentious cine-mecca and, above all, as a place to talk movies, often with snaggle-toothed cinephiles raised on the silver milk of Hollywood — and who are damn well going to tell you about it. —Lila Seidman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>5006 Vineland Ave., N. Hlywd., 91601. (818) 506-4242/506-7722, <a href="javascript:void(0);">ebsmvideo.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Eddie Brandt's Saturday Matinee<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5006 Vineland Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91601<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5006 Vineland Ave. 91601
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Head Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A San Fernando Valley institution, <b>Captain Ed's Shoppe</b> has served generations of smokers with the finest glass pipes and other accessories since 1967. With locations in Reseda and Van Nuys, this joint is so beloved that you would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the 818 area code with a penchant for the green stuff who wasn't already a fan. Back in the day, Captain Ed's primo stock was mixed with quirky posters, T-shirts and other oddball items. Now, at the Reseda location, those items are overshadowed by the wide array of smoking accessories — everything from the classic, pocket-sized pipe to Snoop Dogg's line of vape pens. There's also a case filled with high-end glass crafted by artists who turn pipes into ducks, robots and other colorful characters. These sculptural pieces can cost well over $1,000 and are almost too beautiful to use. Next door to the Reseda shop is the associated Heady Gallery, open for exhibitions by the best artists in the scene. Times have changed and pipes are now art, but Captain Ed's hippie spirit remains. Look for the \"Make Love, Not War\" mural on Reseda Boulevard. —Liz Ohanesian</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>7011 Reseda Blvd., Reseda, 91335. (818) 996-1222, <a href="javascript:void(0);">captainedsshoppe.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Captain Ed's Shoppe<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 7011 Reseda Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91335<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 7011 Reseda Blvd. 91335
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Surf Shop (Valley)<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>An outpost of beach culture in the heart of Woodland Hills, <b>Kennedy Surf Shop</b> has been a second home to San Fernando Valley surfers for decades. Since 1972, owner Glen Kennedy has supplied beginners and diehards alike with a wide range of hand-shaped surfboards. A dedicated surfer himself, he's spent time chasing waves abroad in Hawaii and Australia, and he has the knowledge and expertise to shape boards of all kinds, from classic longboards to high-performance shortboards. The cramped shop on Ventura Boulevard is jam-packed with skate and surf gear, and chatty locals swapping surf stories usually occupy what little space is left. But what makes the shop exceptional is the service — whether a customer is just learning to surf or preparing for an extended surfari to Indonesia, Kennedy offers honest, judgment-free advice and guidance. —Stefan A. Slater</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>22755 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, 91364. (818) 225-1999, <a href="javascript:void(0);">kennedysurfshop.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Kennedy Surf Shop<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 22755 Ventura Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91364<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 22755 Ventura Blvd. 91364
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Salon<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Beauty without toxicity is the mantra at <b>Primrose Organics Salon & Boutique</b>. \"When you enter, you don't smell chemicals,\" says owner Felicia Howe, who opened the full-service salon in 2009 to offer Angelenos a healthier way to color, highlight and style their hair. Housed in an early–20th century bungalow with robin's egg blue walls, the eco-friendly salon doesn't just boast certified organic hair dye, shampoo and styling products; it also uses energy-efficient lighting, green office supplies and recycled furnishings, including art deco vanities and hip vintage decor. Primrose has a newly launched (and soon to expand) line of hair products loaded with nourishing agents such as argan, lavender and rosemary oils. What you won't find is formaldehyde, sulfates and parabens, a few of the chemicals prevalent in the U.S. beauty industry that are known to cause cancer and other serious health issues. Other perks? No overprocessed, brittle hair. —Margot Gerber</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>4616 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd., 90027. (323) 664-5446, <a href="javascript:void(0);">primroseorganics.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Primrose Organics<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4616 Hollywood Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90027<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4616 Hollywood Blvd 90027
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Lumber Company<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If you wanted a hunky guy who could build anything and has the means to own a tricked-out, $30,000 pickup truck — not that we're looking or anything! — check out the crowd picking up goods each morning at <b>Far West Plywood</b> in Northridge. It's frequented by contractors, not average Joes puzzling over the power drills at Home Depot. Operated by the same family since 1960, Far West Plywood boasts the highest grades of hardwood, moldings and finished and unfinished paneling, not to mention melamine, particle board, laminates, flooring and siding. The huge, steel-walled warehouse looks like some kind of replacement structure erected after a hurricane. Don't be fooled: Although the address sounds like Parthenia near Reseda Boulevard, it's Parthenia Place — an obscure dead end next to the railroad tracks. It's the sort of secret, high-quality spot you have to live in L.A. for years to discover. —Jill Stewart</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>18450 Parthenia Place, Northridge, 91325. (818) 885-1511, <a href="javascript:void(0);">farwestplywood.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Far West Plywood<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 18450 Parthenia Pl.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91325<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 18450 Parthenia Pl. 91325
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Buy a Gift for the Man Who Has Everything<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Hidden among the oak-paneled law firms in the historic 1926 PacMutual Plaza tower, <b>Please Do Not Enter</b> shuns the drywall and dropped ceilings of its neighbors in exchange for an open, minimalist space. All polished concrete and exposed brick, the hybrid luxury boutique/gallery houses a meticulously curated collection of men's fashion, art, furniture and accessories. Open by appointment since April, it's owned by Nicolas Libert and Emmanuel Renoird, who choose items that are unique or produced in very small editions, sometimes collaborating directly with artists and designers. French expats who are romantic and business partners, Libert and Renoird have a background in interior design and high-end real estate. The two are voracious art and design collectors who bring their keen eye to a constantly rotating selection of high-quality goods. Pieces range from $15 \"archispecs\" — a playful paper take on Le Corbusier's famous eyeglasses — to a $200,000 metal sculpture by Arik Levy. \"We choose pieces that are a combination of novel materials and high craftsmanship,\" Libert says. —Marissa Gluck</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>523 W. Sixth St., Ste. 1229, dwntwn., 90014. <a href="javascript:void(0);">pleasedonotenter.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Please Do Not Enter<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 523 W. 6th St. Suite 1229<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90014<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 523 W. 6th St. Suite 1229 90014
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Zine Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A wonderland of eclectic print art, <b>Book Show</b> drew hard-core zine lovers and curious tourists alike to peruse its carefully curated collection, which runs from a table-sized dictionary to a zine all about potatoes. Owner Jen Hitchcock, a former <i>L.A. Weekly</i> writer, says her zines appeal to people who have no idea what a zine is — a parody of <i>True Detective</i> called \"Clown Detectives,\" or \"Lights on Sepulveda,\" a photo-zine of every intersection of Sepulveda by day and night. For the last year, the shop has been located inside Nomad Gallery, an \"art compound\" convenient to the L.A. River Bike Path. But Hitchcock recently announced she's giving up still-blossoming Frogtown for a more established neighborhood. \"I love where I am but just can't get the foot traffic to make it happen,\" she says. She plans to reopen by Oct. 11 at 55th Avenue and Figueroa — making Frogtown's loss a big gain for Highland Park. —Isaac Simpson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>5503 N. Figueroa, Highland Park, 90042. <a href="javascript:void(0);">bookshowla.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bookshow<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5503 N. Figueroa<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90042<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5503 N. Figueroa 90042
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Vintage Hardware Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Thanks to Shari and Rick Pistone, owners of <b>Rick's Hardware Co.</b> in North Hollywood, thousands of unique vintage doorknobs, drawer pulls and hinges have been saved from landfills. Their treasure chest of a store is lined with wooden cubbies filled with stunning hardware for doors and cabinets, with items of every style, finish and period. Antique and vintage pieces from as early as the 1800s are the shop's specialty, but new merchandise is available, too. If you're renovating a home, don't throw away the discarded fixtures; take them to Rick's and see if you can make a deal — buy or trade. You may even see your old hardware in a movie: The shop does a brisk business with the studios, renting out unique hardware for set decor. —Jacky Surber</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>4382 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hlywd., 91602. (818) 508-7948, <a href="javascript:void(0);">rickshardware@aol.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Rick's Hardware<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4382 Lankershim Blvd<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91602<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4382 Lankershim Blvd 91602
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bartender<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There's no shortage of bartenders who can whip up an elaborate cocktail at L.A.'s trendiest mixology bars. Of course, most of these suspender-wearing drink slingers take their craft so seriously that it could take all night before you ever get to taste their all-too-precious concoctions. That's simply not the case at Oldfield's Liquor Room, where veteran bartender <b>Robin Jackson</b> ensures there's never a line to order a drink — and it's not because her gorgeously garnished cocktails won't have you lusting for more. It's because she can expertly whip up retro classics — such as the $7 happy-hour special Amoxicillin (rum, lemon, honey and house-made ginger liqueur) — in seconds flat, and with a big smile on her face. A two-time winner of <i>L.A. Times</i>' Spirit of the <i>Times</i> punch competition, Jackson not only invents custom cocktails for her customers but does so with the charm and sophistication of a 1950s starlet and the skillful brevity of the most no-nonsense professional. It's the kind of old-fashioned customer service you simply won't find at those Hollywood cocktail lounges, despite what their lines at the bar might suggest. —Jennifer Swann</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>10899 Venice Blvd., Palms. (310) 842-8066, <a href="javascript:void(0);">oldfieldsliquorroom.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Oldfield's Liquor Room<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 10899 Venice Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90034<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 10899 Venice Blvd. 90034
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Eastside Yoga<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>A yoga studio for the <i>real</i> Eastside was embraced almost as the second coming. Finally, yoga for the people. And that's almost what Leah Gallegos and Lauren Quan-Madrid call their new space: <b>People's Yoga</b>. Bringing the chi to Chicanos means \"Yoga y Luz\" classes in Spanish, prenatal yoga, yoga for \"baby 'n' me\" and family yoga sessions, Gallegos says. For two years the pair traveled around the Eastside and other underserved neighborhoods to bring the practice to the working-class masses. Then, in June, $10,000 — raised in just 60 days with a crowd-funding campaign — allowed them to open the doors of a dedicated studio. So, uh, do Mexican-Americans do the downward dog? \"We're seeing new people every day,\" Gallegos says. \"It's going really good.\" —Dennis Romero</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>5161 Pomona Blvd., #209, E. Los Angeles, 90022. (323) 739-4018, <a href="javascript:void(0);">peoplesyoga.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> People's Yoga<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5161 Pomona Blvd. # 209<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90022<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5161 Pomona Blvd. # 209 90022
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Buy a Musical Instrument<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Timewarp Music</b> in Venice is known for its huge selection of vintage and oddball instruments: clavichords, harpsichords, bylophones, toy pianos, ukuleles, violins, mandolins, saxophones, Duran Duran–era keytars and analog synthesizers. The store has become a favorite with musicians in search of unique sounds. If you're looking for a hard-to-find retro effects pedal or some weird little part that no one else has, chances are good that owner Shane Gudlow has it here. In recent years, he's been giving music lessons and hosting in-store shows for local bands. And with the current resurgence of vinyl, he's even opened a Timewarp record shop nearby with some 80,000 records. Gudlow has an uncanny aptitude for guitar tech. Lately, he's been teaching young people how to fix their own equipment. \"We truly are a multigenerational store,\" he says. —Gendy Alimurung</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>12257 Venice Blvd., Mar Vista, 90066. (323) 600-5050, <a href="javascript:void(0);">timewarpmusic.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> TimeWarp Music<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 12257 Venice Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90066<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 12257 Venice Blvd. 90066
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Knife Shop<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In terms of both size and selection, <b>Ross Cutlery</b> is the biggest knife shop in the country — 6,000 square feet of kitchen knives and hunting knives and Swiss Army pocket utility knives and daggers and ninja swords. Which is to say, a lot of freaking knives. The place has been around since 1930, though brothers Allen and Richard Wattenberg didn't buy the shop from its original owners until 1962. Today barbers, chefs, seamstresses, hairstylists and the general public all buy knives here. O.J. allegedly did, too (though not the knife that killed Nicole). If you get overwhelmed by the manly tomahawks and meat cleavers, the brothers Wattenberg will show you something sweet and small, such as the world's best tweezers, which come from France. —Gendy Alimurung</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>324 S. Broadway, dwntwn., 90013. (213) 626-1897, <a href="javascript:void(0);">rosscutlery.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Ross Cutlery<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 324 S. Broadway<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90013<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 324 S. Broadway 90013
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bar with Comedy<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> If you’re looking for a spontaneous comedy night, <b>the Virgil </b>is an easy go-to spot. It’s not like, say, Upright Citizens Brigade, where you have to get tickets ahead of time. The schedule is anchored by weekly comedy show Hot Tub with Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal, but there are lots of oddball entries, such as the monthly variety show <i>Victory Lap</i> and the aptly titled <i>Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction</i>. The space used to be Little Temple but got a 2012 rebranding from Temple Bar Concepts, which also owns Townhouse and the Del Monte Speakeasy in Venice. The stage curtains and the curved banquettes give a classy, nostalgic vibe, but the space is loose enough that you can hover in the back (or sit at the bar) if you’re alone. Not a comedy fan? The Virgil often hosts live music and DJs. Or you can sit in the bar’s more intimate “B Side” and enjoy happy hour, with $8 craft cocktails, from 7 to 9 p.m. nightly and all night on Tuesdays. —Zachary Pincus-Roth
|
||
|
||
4519 Santa Monica Blvd., E. Hlywd., 90029. (323) 660-4540, <a href="javascript:void(0);">thevirgil.com</a>.<br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Virgil<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4519 Santa Monica Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90029<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4519 Santa Monica Blvd. 90029
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Cabaret Night<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> If you’re jealous of your New York friends for getting all the good new musical theater, you’ll feel at home at <b>A Little New Music</b>. The quarterly series is a cabaret show of new musical theater songs by everyone from up-and-comers to the Broadway songwriting team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and the performers have included Broadway vets Kevin Chamberlin and Daisy Eagan. The lineup is eclectic — one song may be more of an experiment, while another may have been part of a recent show at Center Theatre Group. It’s been presented at Rockwell Table & Stage, a low-lit restaurant that hosts cabaret-style entertainment seven nights a week (Jeff Goldblum sings every Wednesday). The space is comfortable and classy, though you’ll want to plan ahead and make a reservation to ensure you can sit with your friends. You’ll get a full evening that’s often more entertaining than seeing an actual musical — plus you can buy drinks and dinner. Interested in being part of A Little New Music? Feel free to submit your song or headshot via the website, though the producers receive way more than they can accept. —Zachary Pincus-Roth
|
||
1714 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz, 90027. <a href="javascript:void(0);">alittlenewmusic.org</a>.<br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Rockwell Table & Stage<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1714 N. Vermont Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90027<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1714 N. Vermont Ave. 90027
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Doggie Day Care<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Dog \"life coach\" Tamar Geller's kennel, <b>the Loved Dog</b>, isn't so much doggie daycare as an awesome house party that your dog wishes he could go to every day. Here, Geller separates dogs based on temperament — mellow dogs upstairs in the 1,800-square-foot \"lounge,\" hyper dogs downstairs in the 2,600-square-foot \"play park.\" Within each area, dogs sort themselves out based on a pack hierarchy, though handlers will intervene if anyone steps out of line. Geller does not believe in pain or punishment but rather in happy, loving positive reinforcement. A cage-free kennel was a revolutionary idea when Geller first came up with it, back in 1996. A former intelligence officer with Israel's elite Special Forces, she fought long and hard to get the city to approve the concept. Similar facilities now are everywhere, but the original is still the best. —Gendy Alimurung</p>
|
||
|
||
<i><p>2100 Pontius Ave., West L.A., 90025. (310) 914-3033, <a href="javascript:void(0);">theloveddog.com</a>.</p></i><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Loved Dog<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2100 Pontius Ave<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90025<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2100 Pontius Ave 90025
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Animal Hospital<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The <b>VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital</b> is the Cedars-Sinai of veterinary hospitals. The flagship of the national VCA chain and a teaching hospital to boot, this sparkling clean Sepulveda Boulevard location has animal dermatologists, endocrinologists, oncologists, dentists and acupuncturists. They've got underwater treadmills for fat cats and gimpy dogs. They do chemotherapy and behavioral therapy and stem cell therapy (yes, seriously). Here, it is not uncommon for a pet to have a team of health care professionals — a specialty orthopedic surgeon, a cardiologist and a physical therapist, say, might attend to a Pomeranian with a dislocated hip. You will marvel at the little yoga mats they pull out for your pet during exams, at the security keypads for each private exam room, at the ginormous parking structure. The place is proof that, in L.A., pampered pets get better healthcare than their humans. —Gendy Alimurung</p>
|
||
|
||
<i><p>1900 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A., 90025. (310) 473-2951, <a href="javascript:void(0);">vcahospitals.com/west-los-angeles</a>.</p></i><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1900 S. Sepulveda Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90025<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1900 S. Sepulveda Blvd. 90025
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bike Workshop for Women<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If you've ever dreamed of fixing your bicycle's flat tire, loose chain or squeaky brakes but don't have the slightest idea where to start, <b>Bicycle Kitchen</b> is here to help. The East Hollywood nonprofit offers full-service bike repair with a catch: You've got to do it yourself. For a suggested donation of $7 per hour, the \"cooks,\" aka volunteers, will equip you with all the tools and skills you'll need to jazz up your ride or even build a new one from used parts. Monday is ladies' night, which means the shop is open only to women and transgender cyclists. Known as Bicycle Bitchen, Monday's weekly three-hour workshop is the best place to get your hands dirty while learning bike maintenance and mechanics, without any men around. At the most bitchin' bike party in town, you can crank up the tunes, turn up the good vibes and put the pedal to the metal. —Jennifer Swann</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4429 Fountain Ave., E. Hlywd., 90029. (323) 662-2776, <a href="javascript:void(0);">bicyclekitchen.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bicycle Kitchen<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4429 Fountain Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90029<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4429 Fountain Ave. 90029
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Spa<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The Langham Huntington's new, 11,000-square-foot luxury spa, <b>Chuan Spa</b>, combines advanced skincare methods with Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, techniques — in fact, it's the only global spa brand based on TCM. That means a focus on yin and yang, the meridian system (<i>jing luo</i>) and the five elements (<i>wu xing</i>), plus more than 20 signature treatments with the guidance of an in-house TCM doctor. Try the Chuan Yu facial — meridian points on your face are stimulated with a massage featuring real jade, known for its healing qualities. Or how about the caviar and pearl facial, which incorporates protein-rich caviar and real pearl powder? The spa has a palate of soothing earth tones, incorporating wood, water and fresh flowers, with influences that include both the Chinese architectural and Pasadena's Arts & Crafts traditions. And did we mention the water beds? After your treatment, you are taken to the Dream Room, where you can melt into a heated water bed under a silk coverlet while you are brought a cup of tea that jibes with your constitutional type (wood, earth, metal, fire or water). Top that, anywhere. —Samantha Bonar</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena, 91106. (626) 585-6414, <a href="javascript:void(0);">chuanspa.com/en/Pasadena/index.html</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Chuan Spa<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91106<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave. 91106
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bouldering Gym<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Located in downtown's Arts District, just off the Sixth Street Bridge, <b>L.A. Boulders</b> has become a top destination for bouldering — otherwise known as rock-climbing without ropes. The gym opened in January in a vast warehouse next door to a shooting range in the up-and-coming neighborhood. Inside are three massive walls — \"the Barrel,\" \"the Alcove\" and \"the Wave Wall\" — which together offer more \"problems\" to solve than any other gym in the city. L.A. Boulders also has weights and exercise machines, a good enough assortment that some customers use it as their primary gym. Business is so brisk that the owners expect to open locations in Culver City, Pasadena and Hollywood next year. —Gene Maddaus</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1375 E. Sixth St., #8, dwntwn., 90021. (323) 406-9119, <a href="javascript:void(0);">touchstoneclimbing.com/la-boulders</a></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> L.A. Boulders<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1375 E 6th St #8<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90021<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1375 E 6th St #8 90021
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Kids Yoga<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>An entertainment producer and mother of three, Antonia King was startled to realize that L.A. had no yoga studios for children. So in 2012, she launched <b>Zooga Yoga</b>, a studio offering yoga classes to kids of all ages, from babies to teenagers. Naturally, the younger ones are not adept at concentration or mindfulness, so the instructors offer something they call \"playful yoga,\" which involves a lot of motion and activity. Before you know it, your toddler will be showing you how to do tree pose and downward dog. Zooga has been so successful that King plans to expand, with two new storefronts opening soon. —Gene Maddaus</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4311 Overland Ave., Culver City, 90230. (310) 839-6642, <a href="javascript:void(0);">zoogayoga.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Zooga Yoga<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4311 Overland Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90230<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4311 Overland Ave. 90230
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Kabobs<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Tucked in a strip mall in Woodland Hills, just before you make the trip through Topanga Canyon on your way to the ocean, sits <b>Bibi Sara</b>. The name means \"grandma's house\" in Farsi, and the warmth of chef-owner Mostafa Motlagh, who is there cooking every day, makes you feel like part of the family. Serving Persian and Mediterranean food, the cozy space seats only about a dozen, but the take-out orders are nonstop. Nicely seasoned, tender and full of flavor, the ground beef kabob and the boneless chicken kabob are the standouts. They're served with a salad (Persian cucumbers, tomato and feta cheese) and pita bread and come atop a bed of rice (white, brown, cherry or barberry), leaving you happily full — the way a trip to grandma's house should. —Jacy Wojcik</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4878 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills, 91364. (818) 914-5298, <a href="javascript:void(0);">bibisararestaurant.com</a></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bibi Sara<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4878 Topanga Canyon Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91364<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4878 Topanga Canyon Blvd. 91364
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Polo Fields<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If your life could use more interaction with horses, there’s no better place to go on a summer weekend than <b>Will Rogers State Historic Park</b>. For more than 60 years, the Will Rogers Polo Club has been playing games on a field first laid out by the famed humorist. Watching the games is free, though admission to the park costs $12 per car. There’s something soothing about watching teams of horses race back and forth, but keep alert — the ball doesn’t always stay on the field of play. Kids can pet the horses between games, which should keep them happy. For you, there’s another selling point: Booze is allowed. —Gene Maddaus </p>
|
||
|
||
|
||
<p><i>1501 Will Rogers State Park Road, Pacific Palisades, 90272. (818) 509-9965, <a href="javascript:void(0);">willrogerspolo.org</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Will Rogers State Historic Park<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1501 Will Rogers State Park Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90272<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1501 Will Rogers State Park Road 90272
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best New Comedy Club<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In just two years, Christian Chavez has created an oasis of chill under the Sunset Boulevard bridge in Echo Park. <b>Echoes Under Sunset</b> is nothing like the Laugh Factory or the Comedy Store. No comic's friends laughing too much at his lame jokes, no two-drink minimum, no limits on obscenity or political incorrectness. Instead you'll find free entry, cheap drinks and an ethereal decor that feels like a sort of voodoo taqueria. The space used to be a Korean clothing business until Chavez rented it in 2012 and converted it, almost entirely with his own hands, into an art space. He experimented with an open-mic night, and local comics loved the intimate vibe so much that they started hanging out there all the time. Now there's an open-mic every weekday, among other high-profile comedy acts. \"Comics like it because there's no rules,\" Chavez says. \"Do whatever you want, just don't light my place on fire.\" —Isaac Simpson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1310 Glendale Blvd., Echo Park, 90026. (213) 446-5466, <a href="javascript:void(0);">echoesundersunset.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Echoes Under Sunset<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1310 N. Glendale Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90026<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1310 N. Glendale Blvd. 90026
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best New Public Art<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>When you visit the <b>OOMO Cube</b> towering above the plaza in front of the Japanese American National Museum, push its steel-and-aluminum pieces as if you were spinning the sides of a giant Rubik's Cube. You'll see the faces of some 30 Angelenos twist through the air and fall into new patterns: Perhaps a wrinkly green eye here, a darkly freckled nose there and hot pink lips on the end. Nicole Maloney's photographs represent five facets of human diversity — race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status — and focus on eyes, noses and mouths in order to emphasize the basic similarities among all people. Maloney hopes to install similar cubes in cities worldwide, spreading a message of cross-cultural connection summed up in the phrase \"out of many, one,\" which gives the project its title. Before leaving, peer into the cube's mirrored bottom to see another piece of L.A.'s diversity: you. —Daina Beth Solomon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>100 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo, 90012. <a href="javascript:void(0);">oomola.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Oomo Cube<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1st and Central Ave<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1st and Central Ave 90012
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to See Murals<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If you virtually cruise down Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima on Google Maps, you'll see a few hand-painted storefronts but mostly blank façades. That was Pacoima back in 2011. Since then, the town's main drag has flowered with new fine-art murals, earning the moniker <b>\"Mural Mile\"</b> and attracting throngs of walking and biking tours. Artist Levi Ponce has mapped out the 20-plus old and new murals. They include his own <i>Born in East Valley</i>, featuring Cheech Marin against smokestacks and a 1959 Impala lowrider, and <i>Pacoima Art Revolution</i>, a stunning re-creation of the Mona Lisa as a Mexican warrior. Plus there's Rah Azul's <i>Mi Vida, Mi Cultura</i>, a brightly colored tableau of birds, bicyclists and books on race theory; and Kristy Sandoval's <i>Assata Shakur, Freedom Fighter</i>, celebrating the town's African-American population. For such a concentration of public art, it's well worth the drive up the 5. —Jessica Langlois</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>Van Nuys Boulevard between Arleta Avenue & Herrick Avenue, Pacoima, 91331. <a href="javascript:void(0);">muralmile.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Van Nuys Boulevard and Arleta Avenue, Pacoima<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91331<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Van Nuys Boulevard and Arleta Avenue, Pacoima, 91331
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Catacombs<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>These are not the damp, dark catacombs of \"The Cask of Amontillado.\" There is no sense of menace as you stroll the clean, brightly lit hallways of the <b>Mausoleum at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels</b>. Yet death is never far away, even in this welcoming, attractive space. When you see the crypts holding the faithful departed, and read the simple plaques stating the names of those who've fallen asleep, as the Bible gently puts it, it's almost impossible not to feel a slight chill. There are more than 1,200 crypts on-site, plus nearly 5,000 smaller \"cremation niches.\" Although the company is good — most of the bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles are buried here, along with Gregory Peck and wife Veronique — most of them are still empty, owing, surely, to the newness of the cathedral, which was dedicated in 2002. There is plenty of room for you. Talk about a sobering thought. —Sarah Fenske</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>555 W. Temple Street, dwntwn., 90012. (213) 680-5200, <a href="javascript:void(0);">olacathedral.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 555 W. Temple St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 555 W. Temple St. 90012
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best New Artist-Run Gallery<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Celebrated painter Laura Owens says her goal with <b>356 Mission</b>, a space she runs with Ooga Booga store proprietor Wendy Yao, is simply to \"try to do the best shows in L.A.\" Judging by the eclectic and often high-caliber programs seen there this year, Owens and Yao are meeting that goal and setting a new standard for artist-run spaces in the city. The L.A. art world has turned out by the hundreds to catch spectacular, free-of-charge offerings including a dance set from legendary British choreographer Michael Clark; a recital by the iconic Meredith Monk; distinctive exhibitions by artists such as Sturtevant and Alex Katz; and a rolling assortment of talks, panel discussions and book launches with major artists and writers. As if that wasn't enough, 356 Mission's website has high-quality video and photo documentation of most of the events taking place there, soothing cases of FOMO and providing a wet dream for art nerds everywhere. —Carol Cheh</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>356 S. Mission Road, Boyle Heights, 90033. (323) 609-3162, <a href="javascript:void(0);">356mission.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> 356 Mission<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 356 S. Mission Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90033<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 356 S. Mission Road 90033
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Art Gallery Inside an Architecture School<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>SCI-Arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture) is one of the most progressive design schools in the nation. It occupies the eastern edge of the downtown Arts District, in a quarter-mile-long former train depot the length of Santa Fe Avenue between Third and Fourth streets, and is known for its wildly interdisciplinary, industrial spirit. One highlight is the <b>SCI-Arc Gallery</b>, a free, public exhibition space offering about four shows a year by both invited guests and faculty artists, with related lectures and events. Popular exhibitions by Heather Flood, Ball-Nogues Studio and Barbara Bestor each transformed the space with eclectic takes on the digital/sculptural/structural continuum. The school advances futuristic and sustainable materials, robotics and unconventional aesthetics, as becomes apparent when you visit the gallery, which is nestled along a daisy chain of workspaces, providing a lively and exotic context for whatever you're about to see. —Shana Nys Dambrot</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>960 E. Third St., dwntwn., 90013. (213) 613-2200, <a href="javascript:void(0);">sciarc.edu</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Sci-Arc Gallery<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 960 E. Third St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90013<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 960 E. Third St. 90013
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Hidden Indie Movie Theater<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Right next door to one of Hollywood's oldest cinematic institutions is its newest and scrappiest. Opening a stone's throw from the Egyptian Theatre and just down the block from the Chinese may seem an odd strategy for a fledgling art-house theater, but <b>Arena Cinema</b> feels like it's here to stay. It takes chances on indie flicks most other venues in Los Angeles wouldn't risk booking, such as the micro-budget horror oddity <i>Toad Road</i> and under-seen <i>Silent City</i>. Curator Christian Meoli is the first to admit this doesn't always work in his favor, but adventurous programming is a must in film culture. Small, intimate and with a dedicated parking lot that costs just $5 after purchase of a ticket, the nearly 2-year-old Arena feels the way it looks — DIY, lo-fi and charmingly austere — in the best way possible. You get the sense just from sitting in the theater that this really is a unique, necessary environment for film in Los Angeles. —Michael Nordine</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1625 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hlywd., 90028. (323) 306-0676, <a href="javascript:void(0);">arenascreen.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Arena Cinema<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1625 N. Las Palmas Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90028<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1625 N. Las Palmas Ave. 90028
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Factory Tour<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>We use them all the time, but do you actually know how a zipper is made? Or where they come from? They haven't all been outsourced to China. At <b>UCan Zippers</b>, the last zipper factory in L.A. and one of the last in the United States, they'll happily show you around on a Thursday afternoon. Prepare to be amazed, because in this factory of burning bright paints, bobbins, powders, pulls, bottles of chemicals, lightboxes, bizarre thunking machines and strips of toothy material, you'll learn that more goes into a simple slider than you ever imagined. Your guide probably will be one of the Lai brothers, who run the place alongside patriarch Paul; as teenagers, they lived for Velcro and buttons — before accepting the inevitable. Outside, check your fly: If there's a UCan on there, it came from here. —James Bartlett</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1930 Long Beach Ave., dwntwn., 90058. (213) 749-2610, <a href="javascript:void(0);">www.ucanzippers.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> U Can Zippers<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1930 Long Beach Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90058<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1930 Long Beach Ave. 90058
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Historic Theater You Didn't Know Was Open<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>When the lights dimmed and the 1941 Preston Sturges comedy classic <i>The Lady Eve</i> got under way in June, 2,000 filmgoers had to tear their eyes away from the sumptuous French Baroque interior of the <b>Los Angeles Theatre</b>, the most glamorous of the glitzy movie palaces built downtown on Broadway between 1911 and 1931. Thanks to the Last Remaining Seats annual film series (and L.A.'s Delijani family, who saved this and other historic theaters from destruction), the awe-inspiring hall shows films each summer under the auspices of the Los Angeles Conservancy. You'll sweep upstairs on its grand staircase set in a towering, six-story lobby dripping with chandeliers, gold leaf and silk damask. You'll explore the glass-ceilinged ballroom downstairs, styled after a ship's lounge. And we know it sounds crazy, but surely some of the flourishes on the auditorium ceiling are sculpted from red velvet cake? Tickets for the Last Remaining Seats go on sale in April at $20, and the series — which also involves other historic movie palaces — sells out. —Jill Stewart</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>615 S. Broadway, dwntwn., 90014. (213) 629-2939, <a href="javascript:void(0);">losangelestheatre.com</a>, <a href="javascript:void(0);">laconservancy.org/events-tours/last-remaining-seats/faqs</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Los Angeles Theatre<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 615 S. Broadway<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90013<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 615 S. Broadway 90013
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Art-House Screenings in an Art-House Desert<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>South Bay cinephiles, rejoice: It's now possible to see independent movies without driving to the Westside. Bringing world cinema to Torrance's AMC Rolling Hills for more than two years now, the <b>South Bay Film Society</b> is a case study in art-house/multiplex convergence. Nearly every one of its one-off screenings sells out with the speed of a Beyoncé concert; in some cases, SBFS has had to add book additional screens to accommodate demand. Though most of these films only make it to Torrance after their initial runs in West L.A. and Santa Monica, the org is proving increasingly essential by hosting the local premieres of films such as <i>Burning Bush</i>, Agnieszka Holland's four-hour miniseries about self-immolation in Prague. \"The South Bay has a large, well-educated population,\" says curator Randy Berler, \"and it made no sense to me that foreign films and many excellent independent films never come to this area.\" Here, here. —Michael Nordine</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>2591 Airport Drive, Torrance, 90505. (310) 326-1167, <a href="javascript:void(0);">southbayfilmsociety.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> AMC Rolling Hills 20<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2591 Airport Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90505<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2591 Airport Drive 90505
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Party Gamers<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>Wise Guys Events</b> creates quirky games suited to everything from corporate holiday parties to bachelorette pub crawls. Founders Myles Nye and Greg Snyder bring their knack for comedy and interactive storytelling to events such as Mindshare and IndieCade. At the latter, they turned players into pirates ready to share, or steal, a bounty. They have even developed challenges for <i>Survivor</i>. Wise Guys will send offices out on team-building scavenger hunts or photo-shoot assignments that will test their creativity, collaboration skills and sense of humor. And their bachelorette pub crawl kit is designed to entertain all the guests, even the ones who aren't big on booze. Give them the details for your party and they'll find a game that's a perfect fit. One thing is certain with Wise Guys: You'll end up playing something a little weird, maybe outside your comfort zone, and you'll make a few new pals while doing it. —Liz Ohanesian</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>Wise Guys Events, 3731 Tracy St., Los Feliz, 90027. (424) 244-WISE, <a href="javascript:void(0);">teambuildingandtraining.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Wise Guy Events<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3731 Tracy St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90027<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3731 Tracy St. 90027
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Hidden Desert<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There's a desert downtown, and it's not because the citizens of our drought-ravaged state have been keeping the sprinklers spraying and the cars sparkling. This desert, hidden at the side of the <b>801 Tower</b>, is one of the more Southern California–inspired spaces decreed by the 1 percent development mandate, which has helped create sculptures, statues and public parks all over downtown. Inspired by the Zanja Madre, L.A.'s original water source for the pueblo, Andrew Leicester's design features desert mosaics, a compact garden of cacti, paradise-flowering pear and cypress, and a stylized pyramid fountain with an arrowhead on top. You enter through winglike gates alongside lanternlike towers, and can catch humanoid figures and the odd lizard, snake, beetle and goat skull lining the walls and benches. Ignore the office workers and their Styrofoam lunches and visit an area that inspired the early <i>Batman</i> movies, and obviates the need to drive to Palm Springs for some desert style. —James Bartlett</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>801 S. Figueroa St., dwntwn., 90017.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> 801 Tower<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 801 S. Figueroa St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90017<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 801 S. Figueroa St. 90017
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to See Outsider Art<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Simi Valley gets a bad rap. Between the Manson family using Spahn Ranch as a clubhouse in 1968 and '69, and the town acting as a host for the 1991 trial that would eventually acquit the policemen who beat Rodney King, Simi V. is known for her claws and daggers in California's history. But Simi Valley also is the cherished home of one of the state's most treasured folk art sites. <b>Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village</b>, a shockingly detailed outsider-art site comprised of color-coded structures built with bottles, tiles and all the doll heads Tressa Prisbrey could unearth at the local Simi dump, was built by hand between 1956 and 1981. Prisbrey started the project when she was already 60 years old, some say as a form of therapy to deal with the deaths of five of her six children. Other sources say she wanted structures to display her 17,000-strong commemorative pencil collection, and still more sources will impart that she just wanted to do something with the remnants of her then-husband's \"bad habit.\" —Rena Kosnett</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4595 Cochran St., Simi Valley, 93062. (805) 231-2497, <a href="javascript:void(0);">bottlevillage.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4595 Cochran St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 93062<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4595 Cochran St. 93062
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Museum to Channel Bruce Lee<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If you've ever practiced any form of martial arts, or merely had an infatuation with overdubbed '60s kung fu movies, the <b>Martial Arts History Museum</b> surely will make an impression. Opened in Burbank in 2011, it is the first museum in the world to focus on the history of martial arts as a whole, rather than on one specific discipline, such as karate, judo or taekwondo. The place is full of compelling and colorful exhibits, which break down each individual martial art by the country that practiced it, plus fascinating examples of authentic weaponry and wardrobe and an informative timeline. A room devoted to martial arts in pop culture nicely ties in our American obsession through films, TV shows, comics, songs and cartoons. Those who know martial arts only from <i>The Karate Kid</i> or Hanna-Barbera's '70s cartoon <i>Hong Kong Phooey</i> will have a much broader understanding of it after visiting this gem of a museum. —Nikki Kreuzer</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>2319 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, 91506. (818) 478-1722, <a href="javascript:void(0);">martialartsmuseum.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Martial Arts History Museum<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2319 W. Magnolia Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91506<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2319 W. Magnolia Blvd. 91506
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Magical Date Night<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Perhaps you're looking to cast just the right spell for a night of romance, an enchanting date-night experience that will conjure up a warm yet elegant feeling. Look no further than the intoxicating <b>Magic and Wine</b> show at the fashionably historic Bardot, part of the gorgeous, Old Hollywood Avalon Theatre, built in 1927. Running for more than five years, it's hosted by award-winning close-up magician David Minkin, a member of the Magic Castle. Soak in the glamour of your surroundings as you soak up the generous wine-tasting pours and sample a delicious buffet of appetizers. Then gasp in amazement as Minkin entrances the wine-happy audience with his eye-defying sleight of hand. —Nikki Kreuzer</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1737 N. Vine Street, Hlywd., 90028. (866) 737-3436 info, (800) 838-3006 tickets, <a href="javascript:void(0);">magicandwine.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Bardot Hollywood<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1737 N. Vine St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90028<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1737 N. Vine St. 90028
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Monthly Cult Film<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>To be fair, <i>The Room</i> isn't just the best monthly cult film in Los Angeles — it's the best cult film anywhere it's screened on a monthly basis. With throngs of 20-somethings dressed as their favorite characters, fans who tell Denny to \"sit the fuck down\" in unison, footballs tossed underhand in the aisles and the obligatory throwing of plastic spoons anytime the utensil appears on screen (which is more often than you'd expect), how could it not be? Then again, the <b>Regent Theatre</b> in Westwood ain't the Laemmle (the site of previous screenings), which means BYOB and firing a doob during the scene when Mark gets high on a rooftop are things of the past. In some ways, this is preferred because <i>The Room</i> — the 2003 indie drama that some consider one of the worst movies of all time — is a totally different movie when you're sober. Don't worry — sober or not, <i>The Room</i> doesn't disappoint. —Ryan Ritchie</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1045 Broxton Ave., Westwood, 90024. (310) 208-3250, <a href="javascript:void(0);">landmarktheatres.com/market/LosAngeles/RegentTheatre.htm</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Regent Theatre<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1045 Broxton Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90024<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1045 Broxton Ave. 90024
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Gallery Off the Beaten Path<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>While most new contemporary art galleries in L.A. have been opening near other galleries in Culver City, Hollywood or downtown, Michelle Papillion opened hers on a block of Leimert Park with no galleries on it. She believes in the neighborhood and the artists working nearby. There's a \"vibe,\" she says, a young creative community waiting to be activated. Her white-walled storefront was built at the end of the 1920s and has been a gallery twice before, first in the late 1960s, right after the Watts riots, when Leimert Park became known as a black cultural center, and later around 2010, when arts patron Eileen Norton briefly hosted exhibitions there. But even when Norton occupied the space, Leimert remained segregated from the L.A. art world at large. <b>Papillion</b>'s first few months of programming have been an attempt to change that while still keeping the neighborhood in the loop. Her May show, paintings by artist Noah Davis, was dark but still down-to-earth. The gallery's summer video residency, featuring a different video artist each week, worked to make a typically difficult medium accessible. Openings have been packed. —Catherine Wagley</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>4336 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park, 90008. (323) 642-8402, <a href="javascript:void(0);">papillionart.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Papillion<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 4336 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90008<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 4336 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park 90008
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Public Television Station You Haven't Heard of<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>KLCS</b> is best known for broadcasting interminable board meetings of L.A. Unified School District, which operates it. But the public broadcasting station has three additional, lesser-known channels — KLCS-2 with children's shows; KLCS-3 with lifestyle and cooking shows; and the crown jewel, KLCS-4, which broadcasts MHZ, a national, noncommercial aggregator of international newscasts and drama. The mostly 30-minute news shows include major news organizations in England, Germany, Japan, France, China and Russia, plus surprising finds from Ireland, Korea, Taiwan, India, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and more. It's an unmatched opportunity to gain different perspectives in a setting generally devoid of folks yelling at each other or their guests. An extra bonus each night are the international murder mysteries from Scandinavia, Germany, France, England and Italy. It may be up-channel and under-radar, but KLCS is something LAUSD does right. —Ann Haskins</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1061 W. Temple St., dwntwn., 90012, (213) 241-4000, <a href="javascript:void(0);">klcs.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> KLCS<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1061 W. Temple Ave<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1061 W. Temple Ave 90012
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Public Television Station You Haven't Heard of<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>KLCS</b> is best known for broadcasting interminable board meetings of L.A. Unified School District, which operates it. But the public broadcasting station has three additional, lesser-known channels — KLCS-2 with children's shows; KLCS-3 with lifestyle and cooking shows; and the crown jewel, KLCS-4, which broadcasts MHZ, a national, noncommercial aggregator of international newscasts and drama. The mostly 30-minute news shows include major news organizations in England, Germany, Japan, France, China and Russia, plus surprising finds from Ireland, Korea, Taiwan, India, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and more. It's an unmatched opportunity to gain different perspectives in a setting generally devoid of folks yelling at each other or their guests. An extra bonus each night are the international murder mysteries from Scandinavia, Germany, France, England and Italy. It may be up-channel and under-radar, but KLCS is something LAUSD does right. —Ann Haskins</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1061 W. Temple St., dwntwn., 90012, (213) 241-4000, <a href="javascript:void(0);">klcs.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> KLCS<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1061 W. Temple Ave<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1061 W. Temple Ave 90012
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best All-in-One Art-Making Warehouse<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Located in an industrial area of Glassell Park, this unassuming-looking building originally housed a liquor distributor in the 1950s and '60s. It also functioned as a haberdashery, a fine-furniture distribution hub and a rental facility for production companies before becoming <b>Keystone Art Space</b>, which has been around for about two years. The 50,000-square-foot area is a collection of 60 rented artist studios for those working in numerous creative disciplines, from watercolorists, video-game designers and jewelers to woodworkers, welders, sculptors and collage artists. The massive building features classrooms, membership-based workshops for hobbyists, a full-scale gallery and even a decent-sized film/photography shooting space, complete with makeup and wardrobe areas. Already nearly all the workspaces are occupied, enabling the building's artists to practice, teach and exhibit their art in a communal setting. Keystone also is the headquarters of the Create L.A. nonprofit, which hosts free classes for community youth, priming the proverbial canvas for future generations of budding artists. —Tanja M. Laden</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>2558 N. San Fernando Road, Glassell Park, 90065. <a href="javascript:void(0);">keystoneartspace@gmail.com</a>, <a href="javascript:void(0);">keystoneartspace.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Keystone Art Space<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2558 N. San Fernando Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90065<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2558 N. San Fernando Road 90065
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Drive-In Movie Theater<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Drive-in movie theaters are something of a relic these days, but Pacific Theatres' <b>Vineland Drive-In</b> in the City of Industry soldiers on. Since it opened its gates in April 1955, audiences have been watching flicks (and teens have been making out) from the comfort of their cars. Even manager Juan Gonzalez has been around since 1979, when he took a part-time job running the reels. Under Gonzalez's loving stewardship, the Vineland has adapted, and not everything about the drive-in is old-school. Last year, the theater installed digital projectors for its four outdoor screens, and audiences get the movies' audio through HD-quality FM broadcasts. It's also a deal: A double feature (both films projected on the same screen that night) is just $9 per person (kids under 5 free). —Chris Walker</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>443 N. Vineland Ave., City of Industry, 91746. (626) 961-9262, <a href="javascript:void(0);">vinelanddriveintheater.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Vineland Drive-In<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 443 Vineland Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91746<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 443 Vineland Ave. 91746
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Offbeat Crime Tour<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>\"L.A. is very famous for its legends,\" says <b>Crimebo the Clown</b>. Crimebo (aka Michael Perrick) is a deranged, Emmett Kelly–type character clown with a passion for urban legends and crime oddities, which he has managed to translate into a successful one-man act. In addition to blind-date chaperone services, bachelorette-party tag-alongs and anti-Santa Christmas party appearances (as well as more conventional private bookings for birthdays, bar mitzvahs, anniversaries and, yes, even wakes), Crimebo leads two-hour weekend crime tours around downtown. At $50 per person, the Urban Legends van excursion takes curious folks on a journey back in time, to when the U.S. military actually stored nuclear weapons in tunnel spaces of the L.A. River and the public believed Lizard People roamed beneath the city. At $30 a head, Crimebo's downtown walking tour is an immersive primer on the countless murders, suicides, shady dealings and unfortunate accidents that have occurred in downtown's Historic Core. For anyone dying to take a fun, weird and unique tour of L.A. with a red-faced, black-eyed clown, Crimebo's the man. —Tanja M. Laden</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>Urban Legends tour meets at Big Art Labs, 651 Clover St., Lincoln Heights, 90031. Downtown walking tour meets at the corner of Spring and Fifth streets, dwntwn. Dates and times: (323) 638-4097, <a href="javascript:void(0);">crimebo.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 651 Clover St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90031<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 651 Clover St. 90031
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Social Justice Library<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Communist Party member Emil Freed founded the <b>Southern California Library</b> more than 50 years ago in a desperate move to save fiery leftist writings from McCarthyism. The library's mission, to collect records of the struggles for social justice in Los Angeles, now lives on in a vast former appliance warehouse in South L.A. More than 10,000 people — students, educators, writers, artists, activists and locals — visit the library each year to peruse books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, films, photographs and recordings. Topics range from the Watts Riots and the Chicano student walkouts to police abuse and labor-movement music. You can flip through one of L.A.'s first African-American newspapers, read 1970s prison correspondence or listen to a 1968 Martin Luther King recording, all in the same room. Known as the \"social justice library,\" the organization aims to serve its neighbors with community meeting rooms, free Wi-Fi and, most importantly, easy access to archives so that ordinary people can learn about other ordinary folk who fought for change. —Daina Beth Solomon</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>6120 S. Vermont Ave., Vermont-Slauson, 90044. (323) 759-6063, <a href="javascript:void(0);">socallib.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Southern California Library<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 6120 S. Vermont Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90044<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 6120 S. Vermont Ave. 90044
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Celebrity Meet & Greet<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>The Hollywood Show</b> will put you face-to-face with TV, movie and pop music celebrities dating back as far as your grandparents era. Ever fancy meeting <i>I Dream of Jeannie</i> star Barbara Eden, or Apollonia from the 1980s Prince-created girl band? How about '70s flashes in the pan Kristy McNichol or Mackenzie Phillips? All have made appearances here. Held four times a year since 1979, this oddball celebrity autograph show takes place at the Westin Hotel near LAX. Often multiple members of television or film casts are gathered for reunions, which have included the stars of <i>Baywatch</i>, <i>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</i> and <i>The Dukes of Hazzard</i>. Many of the stars who show up, such as Linda Blair, Joe Dallesandro or Barbara Steele, have achieved cultlike status, while others have sadly been forgotten. Peruse merchandise, such as 8x10 photographs, that the celebs have for sale, start up a conversation, have them sign your newly purchased merch and then pose for a snapshot to flaunt in social media. —Nikki Kreuzer</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>5400 W. Century Blvd., Westchester, 90045.(818) 533-8204, <a href="javascript:void(0);">hollywoodshow.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5400 W. Century Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90045<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5400 W. Century Blvd. 90045
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Contemporary Art Patron<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Of all the hot new places to see contemporary art these days, a 150-year-old Reform Jewish synagogue in Koreatown is a surprising choice. Over at the <b>Wilshire Boulevard Temple</b>, Rabbi Steven Leder is spearheading an effort to include major contemporary art commissions and purchases in the temple's massive 10-year renovation plan, now under way with a target completion date of 2020. So retro that it's radical, Rabbi Leder's initiative harks back to the days of Michelangelo and Caravaggio, when the Catholic Church was a major source of support for the best artists of the day. Lita Albuquerque's <i>Memorial Wall</i>, a majestic installation commemorating departed congregation members, was unveiled last fall. Noa Eshkol's <i>Tree of Life</i> wall hanging, featured in the artist's 2012 LACMA exhibition, was installed earlier this year. Coming in the next year are 13 custom marble benches by Jenny Holzer, a large sky painting by Alex Israel, an outdoor lighting installation by Jorge Pardo and a series of photographs by Thomas Struth on the theme of creation. —Carol Cheh</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3663 Wilshire Blvd., Koreatown. (213) 388-2401, <a href="javascript:void(0);">wbtla.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Wilshire Boulevard Temple<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3663 Wilshire Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90010<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3663 Wilshire Blvd. 90010
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Monthly Short Film Festival<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Depressed about the impossible odds of making it in Hollywood? Meet <b>NewFilmmakers Los Angeles</b>, the well-oiled machine fighting against the studios by providing indie filmmakers with a platform and PR. Each month NewFilmmakers hosts a monthly film festival at the AT&T Center downtown, which screens eight to 12 top-notch independent shorts and a feature. The events have been known to draw 1,500 local cinephiles, and they feel like world premieres — open bar, food, attendees in suits and cocktail dresses and brightly lit red carpets and logo step-and-repeat backdrops for photo ops. Sound expensive? It's not. NewFilmmakers is a 501(c)(3), so it's able to provide its services for non-ridiculous prices. Fifteen dollars will get you an all-access pass. Short film submissions cost only $35. \"We're about democratizing access for everyone,\" executive director Larry Laboe says. \"Our mission is to build a truly independent film community.\" —Isaac Simpson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1150 S. Olive St., dwntwn. (323) 521-7385, <a href="javascript:void(0);">newfilmmakersla.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> AT&T Center Theater<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1150 S. Olive St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90015<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1150 S. Olive St. 90015
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Hotel Art Gallery<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Rock & roll belongs on the Sunset Strip like a groupie belongs backstage, so what better place to find some of music's most iconic photographs than at the Sunset Marquis? Housed inside the tony hotel, and opened in 2013, the <b>Morrison Hotel Gallery</b> exhibits works by Jim Marshall, Bob Gruen, Mick Rock, Henry Diltz and other well-known photographers — some you've been staring at since you were a kid, from the cover of The Beatles' <i>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</i> to the cover of The Who's <i>Who's Next</i>. And they hang not just in the gallery but in the hotel's lobby, restaurants and pool area. With another location in New York, the gallery was co-founded by former record executive Peter Blachley, music industry professional Richard Horowitz and Diltz, the official photographer for the Monterey Pop and Woodstock festivals and the man behind other notable album covers, including The Doors' <i>Morrison Hotel</i> and Crosby, Stills & Nash's self-titled debut record. —Siran Babayan</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1200 Alta Loma Road, W. Hlywd. (310) 881-6025, <a href="javascript:void(0);">morrisonhotelgallery.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Morrison Hotel Gallery<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1230 Prospect St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 92037<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1230 Prospect St. 92037
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best San Fernando Valley Arts Organization<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Arts organizer Addy Gonzalez and photographer Erin Stone started <b>11:11 A Creative Collective</b> in 2009 after looking around a Hollywood gallery opening and realizing everyone there — attendees, artists, musicians — was from the Valley. Since then, the collective has been the nexus of an artistic groundswell in the San Fernando Valley. Currently housed in a lofty Tarzana gallery space, its monthly group shows have explored public art, pop surrealism and light and motion. A recent exhibition co-curated by downtown's Cannibal Flower drew gallery prowlers upstream (north on the 405) to see emerging Valley artists alongside their fellow Los Angeles County contemporaries. But 11:11 is committed to flooding the Valley with art beyond its gallery walls — it has organized art walks in Canoga Park and Topanga and brought murals to North Hollywood and Reseda through the \"Fill in the Blank Project,\" which connects local muralists with business owners. Oh yeah, and Mayor Garcetti has Instagrammed them. —Jessica Langlois</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>18640 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, 91356. (818) 925-5993, <a href="javascript:void(0);">1111acc.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> 11:11 A Creative Collective (1111 ACC)<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 18640 Ventura Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 18640 Ventura Blvd.
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Art Gallery in Someone's Back Alley<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>On a tree-lined hillside west of Santa Monica Airport, one resident has been dealing out of her garage — dealing art, that is. Emma Gray is a curator, editor and impresario who adores unconventional spaces, most recently <b>Five Car Garage</b>, an accurately named, surprisingly well-appointed structure in her alleyway. Previously belonging to a classic car aficionado, it's tricked out like a Chelsea gallery, with sealed concrete floors and wide roll-up doors. Gray doesn't so much represent artists as produce projects with them, joking, \"I'm a gallery in denial, happy to provide a platform. Fuck convention.\" Her crew includes Hammer and Whitney Biennial artists and emerging talent, whom Gray asks for \"impossible\" ideas — fanciful, site-specific visions a proper gallery couldn't sell. The in-crowd has gotten with the program of afternoon receptions for shows such as David Hendren's elaborate, inconvenient mechanical sculptures, and Megan Daalder's upcoming small-audience \"performance-sculpture.\" Address provided by appointment, and for events. —Shana Nys Dambrot</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>Santa Monica, 90405. (310) 497-6895, <a href="javascript:void(0);">emmagrayhq.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Five Car Garage<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Address given by appointment<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90405<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Address given by appointment 90405
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Revitalized Theater<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The <b>Theatre at the Ace Hotel</b> opened earlier this year, extending Broadway's gentrification wave as far south as Olympic Boulevard. Located in the historic United Artists movie palace, the theater most recently was the spiritual home of televangelist Gene Scott. The Spanish Gothic structure has been restored, though some religious iconography remains. In six months of operations, the theater has hosted film screenings, a dance troupe, concerts and comedy shows. The highlight, so far, was a staged reading of Quentin Tarantino's leaked script, <i>The Hateful Eight</i>. Mary Pickford presided over the proceedings from a mural on the wall. —Gene Maddaus</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>929 S. Broadway, dwntwn., 90015. (213) 623-3233, <a href="javascript:void(0);">acehotel.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Theatre at Ace Hotel<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 929 S. Broadway<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90015<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 929 S. Broadway 90015
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Car Show<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Southern California is the land of car shows, from lowrider showcases to Cars and Coffee, from Hot Import Nights to car-club bro-downs. But few have the nitpicking fans and million-dollar rides to be considered brethren to the globe's most elite car showcases, such as the granddaddy of them all, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Except one. And it's right in our own backyard. And it's free. We're talking about the <b>Rodeo Drive Concours d'Elegance</b>, which has grown from an annual Father's Day block party to a real powerhouse of rare metal lined up on a closed Rodeo Drive. The latest edition celebrated Beverly Hills' centennial and featured such blue-blood cruisers as a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special, a 1957 Abarth Zagato 750 GT Corsa owned by Swedish royal Carl Gustav Magnusson and a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT. People in roped-off VIP areas are known to wear white and sip Champagne from plastic flutes, but it's much cooler to walk the street in your jeans and inhale that six-figure, old-car smell. —Dennis Romero</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>Rodeo Drive at Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, 90210, <a href="javascript:void(0);">rodeodrive-bh.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA <br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90210<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Local Letterpress Mecca<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Letterpress printing is enjoying a revival, and the <b>International Printing Museum</b> is Mecca for this retro art, boasting the Ernest A. Lindner Collection of Antique Printing Machinery, considered by authorities to be one of the largest, most comprehensive collections of historic graphic arts equipment in the world. Linder regularly rented his antique printing equipment to the movie studios, so there's a chance you've seen some of these presses before, playing a role in <i>Newsies</i>, <i>Bonanza</i>, <i>The Twilight Zone</i>, <i>The Last Samurai</i>, <i>Catch Me If You Can</i> or <i>Seven Pounds</i>, to name a few. Visit the museum and you can get their autograph — really. Museum volunteers run the presses for you, explaining how they work, and, if you're lucky, you might take home a souvenir broadsheet. It's a more personalized experience than most museums around town, and educational too — you'll leave understanding why we designate letters \"uppercase\" and \"lowercase,\" and whence came the oft-bandied about entertainment industry term \"slugline.\" —Eve Weston</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>315 W. Torrance Blvd., Carson, 90745. (310) 515-7166, <a href="javascript:void(0);">printmuseum.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> International Printing Museum<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 315 W. Torrance Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90745<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 315 W. Torrance Blvd. 90745
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Experimental Kunsthalle<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>One man's mistake can be another's masterpiece — and when it comes to contemporary art, not only is beauty in the eye of the subjective beholder but not everyone even agrees that beauty is the point. Operating in a European-style model of large-scale, nonprofit public art spaces, <b>the Mistake Room</b> occupies a renovated factory/warehouse space in a post-industrial area that's quintessentially L.A., in an urban-neglect kind of way, and is also the current neighborhood of choice for a new generation of supersized commercial galleries. TMR's curatorial program focuses on high-profile and high-production-value projects by international artists whose work has not been exhibited in L.A. before. There was huge buzz before it opened, followed by mixed but impassioned reviews from local critics and audiences for Oscar Murillo's conceptual painting production and Korakrit Arunanondchai's heavily clever cinematic confessional. TMR has grand ambitions and undaunted enthusiasm. —Shana Nys Dambrot</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1811 E. 20th St., dwntwn., 90058. (213) 749-1200, <a href="javascript:void(0);">tmr.la</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Mistake Room<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1811 E. 20th St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90058<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1811 E. 20th St. 90058
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Drive-In Movie Theater Snacks<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Of course you can devour all the normal movie treats at the palm-fronded <b>Mission Tiki Drive-In</b>, which is just far enough from the city to feel like an adventure. There's crunchy popcorn, decent nachos, spinning pretzels, Icees, giant sour pickles and bricks of candy — no shock there. But Mission Tiki knows it's gotta compete against the siren lure of sneaking in your own hot meal, so it has upped its game to serve chili burgers, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, tacos, funnel cake and the ultimate shareable movie snack, a heaping styrofoam container of carne asada fries. You won't just need a fork. You'll need to sit outside the car — that is, unless you'd like to coat your upholstery in gloriously fake nacho cheese. But on a mild night, with a first-run double feature on the screen, you won't complain. (Especially if you smuggle in a few cold beers.) —Amy Nicholson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>10798 Ramona Ave., Montclair, 91763. (909) 628-0511, <a href="javascript:void(0);">missiontiki.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Mission Tiki Drive-In Theatre<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 10798 Ramona Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91763<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 10798 Ramona Ave. 91763
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Classic Comedy Remodel<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Local comics mourned the late-2012 loss of <b>the Improv</b>'s experimental black box the Lab ... until the spacious, welcoming lounge that took its place opened last summer. While the old bar area features a new kitchen and ever-evolving menu courtesy of chef Kyle Schutte, the sleek new side entryway provides a relaxed, see-and-be-seen experience before and after shows. Strings of soft white lights and a half-dozen subtle chandeliers offer serious ambiance befitting a serious art form. Rather than cheesy headshots, action portraits of Eddie Pepitone, Ralphie May and Dana Gould accent the black, white, crystal and chrome décor. The 40-year-old institution's commitment to forward thinking and constant reinvention will only grow, as director of special events Reeta Piazza envisions the next design phase adding traditional brick accents, an outdoor patio and vintage Improv lineups adorning the bar. —Julie Seabaugh</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>8162 Melrose Ave., Beverly Grove, 90046. (323) 651-2583, <a href="javascript:void(0);">hollywood.improv.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Improv<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8162 Melrose Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90046<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8162 Melrose Ave. 90046
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Mid-City Picnic Spot<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If you're a Westsider, a beach picnic is an easy thing to whip together. If you hail from further east, Griffith Park gives you all the green space you need. But what if you're between perfect picnic spots? There are a handful of parks that dot our city, but really, the best place to go for a picnic right in the middle of town is <b>LACMA</b>. The campus sits on a sea of grass that weaves among buildings, much of it peppered with large trees that provide ample shade. But due to its irregular shape, the lawn isn't conducive to sports, so there's little worry about balls flying into the potato salad. It's a lovely place to lounge and then meander through, taking in the sculpture garden and, if you're lucky, an open observation pit at the La Brea Tar Pits next door. Depending on the day, you may catch some live music from the open-air pavilion. And if you feel like making it happy hour, Ray's & Stark Bar is just steps away. If \"glamping\" is upgraded camping, LACMA is like that, for picnics. —Ali Trachta</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>5905 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile, 90036. (323) 857-6000, <a href="javascript:void(0);">lacma.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> LACMA<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5905 Wilshire Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90036<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5905 Wilshire Blvd. 90036
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Hobnob With Comedy Elite<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>You can lurk around improv clubs all year in the hope of seeing your favorite comedic actors, or you can hang out with pretty much all of them at the same time while filling your belly full of meat. Which would you prefer? Hosted by chef Neal Fraser, Tim & Eric's Eric Wareheim, TV exec Cort Cass and <i>The Simpsons</i>' Matt Selman, <b>Beefsteak</b> harks back to a simpler time, when the gentry would pay a flat (fat?) fee and eat all the meat they wanted. The plates of meat keep coming at this once-a-year feast, and the faces you know from Comedy Central and <i>The Office</i> are getting stuffed right alongside yours. Just be sure to wipe your chin with a napkin before walking over and saying hello. —Keith Plocek</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>214 S. Main St., dwntwn., 90012. (213) 626-1507, <a href="javascript:void(0);">vibiana.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Vibiana<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 214 S. Main St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 214 S. Main St. 90012
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Radical Literary Bureau<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Wedged between commercial art galleries and kitschy Chinatown gift shops, the <b>Poetic Research Bureau</b> is a clandestine classroom with 50 seats and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and chalkboards. \"It's not immediately clear if it is a bookstore, a lending library, a reliquary or a community workshop,\" says Andrew Maxwell, who co-edited the bureau's literary magazine, <i>The Germ</i>, in the mid-'90s. \"Like our orientation toward literature, we prefer to keep the definition of the physical space open and under construction.\" Over the last 15 years, the amorphous PRB — whose acronym is a nod to 19th-century artist collective the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood — has been a magazine, a publishing collective and a reading series that's hopped around from a downtown art gallery to a Larchmont bookstore to a Stalinist community theater in Glendale. Having settled in Chinatown in 2010, in a space it shares with the Public School of L.A., the PRB has earned a reputation for hosting semimonthly radical readings by accomplished poets, writers, intellectuals, academics and artists, including Eve Fowler, Lauren Mackler, Rita Gonzalez and Charles Bernstein. —Jennifer Swann</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>951 Chung King Road, Chinatown, 90012. <a href="javascript:void(0);">poeticresearch.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Poetic Research Bureau<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 951 Chung King Road<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 951 Chung King Road 90012
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Experience Involving Velvet<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>We didn't know we needed one until it came here. <b>Velveteria</b> is a velvet-painting museum curated by Caren Anderson and Carl Baldwin, who relocated from Portland, Oregon, to open their new space in Chinatown late last year. This storefront gallery displays about 500 paintings — Baldwin likes to say \"about 420 wink wink\" — cherry-picked from the couple's 3,000-piece collection, bringing a welcome note of eccentricity to the growing hip-ification of the neighborhood. \"See the '60s on velvet: black power, JFK, Beatles, Stones, rock 'n' roll, Vietnam and tiki,\" screams the website, and it's all true — plus a plethora of unicorns, religious icons, Liberace and the Hall of Elvis. More than a hobby, Velveteria purports to make a serious study of the genre as interpreted around the world. Best of all is a special blacklight room, packed floor to ceiling with glowing works of art, where cushions are provided for your hanging-out pleasure, upholstered in (of course) zebra velvet. —Suzy Beal</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>711 New High St., Chinatown, 90012. (503) 309-9299, <a href="javascript:void(0);">velveteria.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Velveteria: The Museum of Velvet Paintings<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 711 New High St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 711 New High St. 90012
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Get Dressed Up<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>We have nothing against the trend of high-cultural institutions trying to engage with audiences in informal, edgy ways. Opera at a train station? Love it. Theater in a cave, or dance in a laundromat? Bring it on. But sometimes we seek out culture specifically because we crave formality, because the sloppiness of modern life leaves us cold. At times like that, there is no better treat than a night at the <b>Los Angeles Opera</b>. Even in this flip-flop– and iPhone-obsessed town, everyone at the opera is dressed to the nines and determinedly civilized. In the hushed elegance of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, it feels rude to swear, much less check your email. So you give in to the romance of the evening. Will your heart rise and fall with the passion onstage? Almost certainly. Will you have a glass of Champagne as you eavesdrop on the fancy Europeans at intermission? But of course. And will there be tears in your eyes as the final curtain falls? Only if you're human. —Sarah Fenske</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., dwntwn., 90012. (213) 972-8001, <a href="javascript:void(0);">laopera.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> LA Opera<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 135 N Grand Ave<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 135 N Grand Ave 90012
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Art Collective<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If one of the goals of art is to make us look at our lives and our surroundings in new, unusual ways, then Lauren Bon's <b>Metabolic Studio</b> has already succeeded wildly. If you were up early and out on the streets of Burbank and Glendale last year, you might have seen Bon — an artist and architect and the granddaughter of Walter Annenberg — leading a team of 100 mules through town after traveling the entire length of the California Aqueduct, a project that simultaneously celebrated the centennial of the waterway's opening and raised questions about the interaction of nature, environment and technology. Bon's latest \"action,\" titled <i>Bending the River Back Into the City</i>, is even more ambitious, as she and her staff are constructing a dam in the L.A. River to collect water for a giant, visually striking waterwheel, echoing the city's original water-delivery system and allowing \"the currency of water to create social capital.\" —Falling James</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>1745 N. Spring St., Unit 4, dwntwn., 90012. (323) 226-1158, <a href="javascript:void(0);">metabolicstudio.org</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Metabolic Studio<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 1745 N. Spring St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90012<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 1745 N. Spring St. 90012
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Stop on the Downtown Art Walk<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p><b>The Hive Gallery</b> is like a microcosm of Art Walk. Curated by Nathan Cartwright, this heterogeneous honeycomb showcases a diverse array of local talent ranging from the politically conscious to pop obsession. In the primary gallery space during a recent Art Walk, machine gun/bullhorn amalgamations are juxtaposed with myriad Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle reinterpretations, an attempt to reclaim the beloved Gen Y franchise from the abuse it suffered at the hands of Michael Bay. This geek-chic aesthetic echoed through Hive's nooks and crannies, which included the comic book collages of Josiah Golojuh and the emo superhero renditions of J Salvador. On Art Walk nights, expect to see local artist/filmmaker Andrew McGregor buzzing about in costuming that varies from crowns and minotaur horns to full superhero bodysuit. If you can only make time to see one gallery on the second Thursday of this month, Hive will provide a full Art Walk experience under one roof. —Mike Ciriaco</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>729 S. Spring St., dwntwn., 90014. (213) 955-9051, <a href="javascript:void(0);">thehivegallery.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> The Hive Gallery & Studios<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 729 S. Spring St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90014<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 729 S. Spring St. 90014
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Place to Accidentally Get a Lesson in Creationism<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Prowling the north side of the 10 on the way into Los Angeles, the <b>Cabazon Dinosaurs</b> are a delight of roadside America. <i>Pee-wee's Big Adventure</i> wouldn't have been nearly as big without those oversized apatosaurus and tyrannosaurus rex models. But once you step inside and start reading the placards, it becomes evident something has changed over the years. New owners moved in a while back, and now the (cough) science tells you all about how the fossil record can't be trusted. Maybe the dinosaurs aren't so old after all? Maybe humans did ride them? Maybe dinosaurs aren't even extinct, because maybe the Loch Ness Monster is real? Maybe, indeed. The presentation of creationism as valid science might ruffle your evolutionary feathers, but this attraction is definitely still worth a visit. —Keith Plocek</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>50770 Seminole Drive, Cabazon, 92230. (951) 922-0076, <a href="javascript:void(0);">cabazondinosaurs.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Cabazon Dinosaurs<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 50800 Seminole Drive<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 92230<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 50800 Seminole Drive 92230
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Architecture Exploration<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The architecture of <b>Hayden Tract</b> looks like a mix between communist-bloc buildings in East Berlin and the set of <i>Blade Runner</i>. The strange forest of striking postmodern, neo-industrial buildings in Culver City is the brainchild of experimental architect Eric Owen Moss, commissioned through a city rehab project called Conjunctive Points. Structures with names such as the Beehive, the Box and the Stealth are scattered throughout Hayden Tract's approximately eight large blocks, serving as headquarters for top media companies including Maker Studios, Anonymous Content, Ogilvy Public Relations, PopSugar and MediaTemple. One building looks a supervillain's aging bunker (8520 National Blvd.), while another has a concrete appendage that resembles a giant slouching wasp's nest (3534 Hayden Ave.). The walking tour is a simple square. Start at the Jenga block–like Samitaur Tower on National Boulevard and Hayden Avenue. Head south on Hayden, past the unmissable Stealth on your left and Cactus Tower on your right. At Higuera, make a left to see Beats by Dre's new Apple-branded headquarters, then make another left and walk up Eastham to see the Pterodactyl. Make a final left on National to round out the tour with the Box and the Beehive. —Isaac Simpson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>Culver City, 90232.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8520 National Blvd. <br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90232<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Mural in Progress<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In 2005, Reies Flores and Arturo Romo-Santillano were substitute teachers at Franklin High School in Highland Park. Romo, an artist, and Flores, who shepherded student garden projects, grew up in Northeast L.A. Seeking to engage students with their place in the city, they created the <b>Franklin Mural Project</b>. This neighborhood narrative, layered on four floors by the school entrance, began before \"gentrification\" became the hot word associated with the area. To date, 80 students have collaborated. It's not finished. The first floor is complete, and the second — completion goal 2017 — is under way. \"We'll finish the fourth when we're 70,\" Flores jokes. The four floors plan to depict the living Tongva legacy, Mission-era California, boomtown Los Angeles, postwar industrialization, white flight, the Chicano movement, 1980s immigration and futures yet to be seen. —Maryam Hosseinzadeh</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>820 N. Avenue 54, Highland Park, 90042. (323) 550-2000, <a href="javascript:void(0);">franklinhs-lausd-ca.schoolloop.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Franklin High School<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 820 N. Ave 54<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90042<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 820 N. Ave 54 90042
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Historical Photo Collection<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In a world where too many people think their every moment is essential to share online, it's worth stepping back in time to when photographs weren't instant and told more important, mysterious stories than Instagram ever will. <b>The Photo Friends</b> is a volunteer nonprofit organization that preserves and promotes the 70,000-photo collection of the L.A. Public Library, chronicling the history of the City of Angels from 1880 to today. It's available online, of course, but leave the laptop and come to the History & Genealogy Department at the Central Library, where past exhibits have covered topics including California lifestyle, Hollywood scandals, prewar history and visits by Kennedy and King — all in glorious black-and-white and all worth the face time. —James Bartlett</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>630 W. Fifth Street, dwntwn., 90071. (213) 228-7000, <a href="javascript:void(0);">photofriendslapl.blogspot.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Los Angeles Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 630 W. Fifth St.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90071<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 630 W. Fifth St. 90071
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Startup Fine Art Print Studio<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Housed in a trellis-lined converted garage at the end of a residential cul-de-sac in Woodland Hills, <b>Valley Print Studio</b> is introducing a new culture of printing workshops to the San Fernando Valley. Recent Cal State Northridge graduate Miles Lewis, son of chamber musician Paula Hochhalter and actor Geoffrey Lewis, founded the studio with Zeina Baltagi in 2013. Lewis is tapping into the Angeleno tradition of residential arts spaces and giving community members access to intaglio presses, letterpresses and screen printing and paper-making equipment, so that they don't have to drive over the hill or pay for a course at an atelier or university. A partner of the creative collective 11:11, the studio offers three-hour workshops on specialized practices such as Coptic bookbinding and cyanotype photography for about 30 bucks and just hosted its first artist-in-residence from Chicago. Not bad for a backyard operation. —Jessica Langlois</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>5210 Collier Place, Woodland Hills, 91364. (818) 390-2215, <a href="javascript:void(0);">valleyprintstudio.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Valley Print Studio<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 5210 Collier Pl.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91365<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 5210 Collier Pl. 91365
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Freeway Interchange<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Architecture critic Reyner Banham once wrote, \"The language of design, architecture and urbanism in Los Angeles is the language of movement. Mobility outweighs monumentality there to a unique degree.\" If you buy that argument, it would follow that our freeways and freeway interchanges should be considered among our greatest landmarks. Take for example the <b>carpool lane of the Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange</b>, which connects the 110 and the 105: More than 130 feet high, it offers drivers a breathtaking view of sprawling, almost oppressively flat South Los Angeles, albeit one that must be viewed quickly to avoid careening off the side. The interchange is named for the New Deal–style, 90-year-old, still-serving activist judge who forced Caltrans into providing housing, jobs and other services to those living in the shadow of the 105, the last freeway built in L.A. Unfortunately, this majestic byway is now a toll lane, which means you need a special transponder from Metro to ride it. —Hillel Aron</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>110 and 105, South L.A., 90061.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> <br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 110 and 105<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90061<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 110 and 105, Los Angles, CA 90061
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Multiplex<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>In the far West Valley, where suburbia revels in itself and the schools are all great, hidden at the back of an open-air mall you'll find the most uncrowded, service-oriented multiplex in town, <b>AMC Fallbrook 7</b> in West Hills. Sold to AMC by the Laemmle family last year, the most winning aspects of its $5 million renovation are the wonderful digital quality and the enormous, soft, red-leather recliners. You pick your seat from a screen just as you'd do at ArcLight — but at AMC prices. Then you sink into your recliner, where your silent electronic button lets you move from upright to nearly flat, your legs lolling around like they're taking separate vacations. The doublewide padded armrests provide a mini-table for your hot dog and Junior Mints, and the rows are so spacious you don't need to move an inch to let people pass. Then the movie gets under way — and you hear the crowd laughing or gasping yet feel wonderfully alone. —Jill Stewart</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>6731 Fallbrook Ave., West Hills, 91307. (818) 340-8810, <a href="javascript:void(0);">amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/amc-fallbrook-7</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> AMC Fallbrook 7<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 6731 Fallbrook Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91367<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 6731 Fallbrook Ave. 91367
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Indie Movie Theater<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There's always something good playing at the <b>Sundance Sunset Cinema</b>, at least if you're a grown-up. Bucking the PG-13 trend that's dominating most multiplexes, the theater has a strict 21-and-older policy, with movies to match. Why the age limit? So you can bring a glass of beer or wine into the theater, rest it on the side table next to your reclining seat and enjoy your choice of flick from among five well-curated screens like a goddamned adult. Show up after 4 p.m. when the kitchen opens, and add on a made-to-order lobster roll or gourmet pizza. Like the festival that shares its name, the Sundance specializes in indie and foreign fare, so odds are you'll leave feeling smarter than when you entered (if you limit yourself to one bottle of wine per person, that is). And if you've got highbrow tastes but a low balance in your checking account, on Tuesdays tickets are just $5. —Amy Nicholson</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>8000 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hlywd., 90046. (323) 654-2217, <a href="javascript:void(0);">sundancecinemas.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Sundance Sunset Cinema<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 8000 W. Sunset Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90046<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 8000 W. Sunset Blvd. 90046
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Bet for Ballsy Original Plays<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>If you're looking for a sure-fire retread of a recent New York–anointed stage hit or a comforting reboot of a canonical classic, do not drive out to Atwater Village and lay your money down at <b>Echo Theater Company</b>. Producing artistic director Chris Fields and managing artistic director Drew Dalzell didn't become the city's premier producers of dark and daring new work from emerging playwrights by playing short-odds favorites. Rather, they've perfected unerring early-warning artistic radar for identifying tomorrow's Theresa Rebeck or Stephen Adly Guirgis or Suzan-Lori Parks or Will Eno before they get too agented up and unaffordable for 99-seat economies. Echo's acumen for matching state-of-the-art writing with top-of-their-game actors has already resulted in acclaimed and ballsy world premieres by Matthew Benjamin & Logan Brown, Padraic Duffy , Gary Lennon , Mickey Birnbaum and Tommy Smith. This season they're readying another new play from Smith (writer of this year's acclaimed pedophilic-romance play <i>Firemen</i>) as well as from Houston-based comer Miki Johnson, and are promising more. —Bill Raden</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>3269 Casitas Ave., Atwater Village, 90039. (310) 307-3753, <a href="javascript:void(0);">echotheatercompany.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Echo Theater Company<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3269 Casitas Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90039<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3269 Casitas Ave. 90039
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Comedy in a Cemetery<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Held in Hollywood Forever's gothic-gorgeous Masonic Lodge, the 16th incarnation of the on-again-off-again-since-2008 <b>Comedy Is Dead</b> rejoined the land of the living June 6 after a two-year hiatus. Linchpin producer/booker Samantha Varela welcomed sketch group WOMEN as regular hosts, plus a lineup featuring Maria Bamford, Matt Besser, Steve Agee and Andy Kindler. (Aug. 21's guests included Eric André, Rory Scovel, Joe Mande and founder Duncan Trussell.) \"It's not haunted or ghostly, but it's almost like you can feel the power of the Masons,\" Varela says of the venue. \"Mixed with the energy in the room from over 300 excited people, it's almost overwhelming. It's truly the best room I've ever seen for comedy. Everyone leaves feeling inspired and renewed with life ... which is ironic, since it's at a cemetery.\" Comedy Is Dead returns Oct. 9. —Julie Seabaugh</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd., 90038. (323) 469-1181, <a href="javascript:void(0);">hollywoodforever.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Hollywood Forever Cemetery<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 6000 Santa Monica Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90038<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 6000 Santa Monica Blvd. 90038
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best BBQ Not Made by Kevin Bludsoe<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>For years, Robert Earl has been mesquite-smoking his meats in a hand-welded, four-barrel cooker hitched to the back of a miniature ice cream truck, which doubles as a catering van. On the back, a painted warning says, \"BBQ so good make you slap mama.\" Maybe so, when you're talking about Earl's pork ribs and beef brisket so tender it can't even hold its sliced shape. The homemade cooker spends most of its time heating the daily offerings in the parking lot behind Earl's year-old namesake restaurant in North Long Beach, <b>Robert Earl's BBQ</b>, where ribs, pulled pork and brisket have been added to the long list of sinful specialties and his wife's vegetarian sides (you'd swear there was bacon grease in the greens) come included with most meals. So skip the lines at Bludso's and, in addition to competition-worthy, Texas-style BBQ, you'll be rewarded with the option of wolfing down one of Robert Earl Jr.'s signature \"golden nugget\" desserts: a scoop of banana pudding atop a pan-fried piece of cornbread. —Sarah Bennett</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>703 E. Artesia Blvd., Long Beach, 90805. (562) 726-1116, <a href="javascript:void(0);">facebook.com/R.E.bbq</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Robert Earl's BBQ<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 703 E Artesia Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90805<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 703 E Artesia Blvd. 90805
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Hong Kong–Style Breakfast<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>Weekend mornings outside <b>Delicious Food Corner</b> often mean long lines and a chaotic parking lot. Inside, a bustling, noisy room is packed with diners while others wait, despite a recent expansion into two adjacent spaces. What are they there for? At this small Monterey Park diner, it's all about the congee. Long lines for rice porridge? Yes, or, to be exact, the Daily Breakfast special: a bowl of congee, a side of steamed rice noodle rolls or fried noodles and a hot drink, either coffee or a Hong Kong milk tea — a classic Hong Kong–style breakfast, which can be found on nearly every table. Fifteen varieties of congee are available as part of the special, ranging from beef, chicken or fish fillet to various types of pig offal. Yes, it's worth it. But maybe forgo the cramped lot and park on a side street. —Jim Thurman</p>
|
||
|
||
<p><i>2327 S. Garfield Ave., Monterey Park, 91754-7219. (323) 726-0788, <a href="javascript:void(0);">deliciousfoodcorner.com</a>.</i></p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Delicious Food Corner<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 2327 S. Garfield Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 91754-7219<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 2327 S. Garfield Ave. 91754-7219
|
||
</div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Culver City Bar<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>There's no sign on the street to tell you where the <b>Blind Barber</b> is, just an illuminated, striped barber pole. Yes, you can get actual haircuts and shaves at the barbershop. But the real attraction isn't the front salon. You enter the \"secret\" rear saloon through an unmarked door at the back of the barbershop. Like its sister bars in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the Culver City Blind Barber is dark and old-timey, with leather booths, a neat-o vintage cigarette machine and plenty of manly, retro swank. Plus, there are the requisite cleverly named cocktails, such as the Smoke & Dagger (Jack Daniels, jalapeño-infused Combier, lemon juice, cucumber, ginger) and Sweeney Ted (Jameson, honey, egg white and bitters). A selection of excellent grilled cheese sandwiches makes the trip worthwhile even for teetotalers. —Gendy Alimurung</p>
|
||
|
||
<p>10797 Washington Blvd., Culver City 90232. (310) 841-6679, <a href="javascript:void(0);">blindbarber.com</a>.</p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Blind Barber<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 10797 Washington Blvd.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90232<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 10797 Washington Blvd. 90232
|
||
</div></td></tr> <tr><td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Restaurant<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>It’s a brilliant thing chef Ludo Lefebvre and partners Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo have done at <b>Trois Mec</b>: They’ve managed to make dining at the highest level fun again. How? By stripping away most of what’s intimidating about fancy restaurants. Step through the doors of what used to be a Raffallo’s Pizza, and the loud music and intimate setting make Trois Mec feel more like a friend’s house than a stuffy eatery. They’ve also taken away the stressful financial burden most world-class restaurants inspire: a ticketing system means you’ve already paid for your meal and the only real damage you can do is with the wine list. And that $100 or so you’ve already spent on dinner is a bargain for Trois Mec’s greatest achievement, which is the food. The five-course meal is as surprising as it is delightful, with heartfelt odes to the seasons, clever uses of ingredients that are far more delicious than you’d expect (mustard crème brûlée, anyone?), and elements that you never thought could be so alluring. You might come away having given your heart to a charred cabbage leaf, or some pulped potato. Didn’t see that coming, did you? —Besha Rodell</p><p>
|
||
|
||
</p><p><i>716 N. Highland Ave., Hlywd., 90038. No phone, <a href="javascript:void(0);">troismec.com</a>.</i></p><p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> Trois Mec<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 716 N. Highland Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90038<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 716 N. Highland Ave. 90038
|
||
</p></div></td> <td><div class="googft-card-view" style="font-family:sans-serif;width:450px;padding:4px;border:1px solid #ccc;overflow:hidden">
|
||
<b>Title:</b> Best Kaiseki<br>
|
||
<b>body:</b> <p>The <i>Wall Street Journal</i> recently featured chef Niki Nakayama and her restaurant <b>n/naka</b> in a lengthy profile, claiming she may be the only female kaiseki chef in the world. She may also be the only chef in L.A. doing proper kaiseki, the formal, paced Japanese tasting menus based around the seasons. Individual dishes here are some of the most visually stunning in the city, but there’s a careful artistry to them rather than cute gimmicks. In fact, there may be no other chef around who sublimates her ego so completely to her ingredients. It’s as if Nakayama knows the secret language of the pristine vegetables and seafood she’s using, and they whisper quiet inspiration to her. The courses are divided into different ruminations: a pairing of something common with something unique; a modern interpretation of sashimi; traditional sashimi; a steamed dish; a chef’s-choice dish not bound by tradition. You’re going to have to shell out for the honor of dining here — the 13-course kaiseki costs $165 — but rest assured it will be the meal of a lifetime. —Besha Rodell</p><p>
|
||
|
||
</p><p><i>3455 S. Overland Ave., Palms, 90034. (310) 836-6252, <a href="javascript:void(0);">n-naka.com</a>.</i></p><p><br>
|
||
<b>name:</b> n/naka<br>
|
||
<b>address:</b> 3455 S. Overland Ave.<br>
|
||
<b>postalcode:</b> 90034<br>
|
||
<b>Location:</b> 3455 S. Overland Ave. 90034
|
||
</p></div></td></tr></table></body></html> |