A friend told me the other day she wished she could just put me in her pocket to help recommend places she could take her visiting friends or family to since she hasn't been in Los Angeles long enough to know where to go. Despite my feeling quite out of the loop in the muck of Hollywood's social life, I guess I still know some cool places to go. So here is just a little taste of Los Angeles and its finest from this JJ's perspective.
BEST SUSHI: Izakaya by Katsuya. Why you ask? One, the spicy tuna on crispy rice is to die for and I loathe jalapenos like I loathe freezing rain. Two, because it's a friendlier atmosphere with good service where you don't feel like you're dining with Michael Bay's agent and wishing you had opted for take out.
BEST SUSHI HAPPY HOUR: RA in Del Amo Fashion Center. This may sound crazy and I'm sure there's several other great sushi happy hours but this place has a killer saketini. Try substituting plum wine for the vodka and really charge those taste buds. Not to mention their happy hour is 7 days a week. That's right 7 days and there's an 80s night on Thursdays with board games. Battleship people! Seriously break out of your X Box cocoon and enjoy the good ol' days of board gaming.
MEXICAN FOOD: This is one of those topics that's well, way too difficult for someone who actually lived in Texas for four years and enjoyed both authentic Mexican and Tex Mex. TOTALLY different from California Mexican. However, Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks has come the closest that I've tasted to the best cadillac margarita and fresh tasting lobster quesadillas. I mean nothing is better than a Blue Cactus Margarita in San Antonio, Texas but we'll just ignore that factor for now and go with Casa Vega as the best Mexican restaurant. I still like Chevy's in Burbank because it's cheap cheap and the breakfast burritos from the catering truck on film/television sets. But we won't go there.
MARTINI: Toss up for me here. Greatest special ever with two for one martinis, extra dirty with gin would be my preference, at HT Grill in Redondo Beach. This place is an upscale restaurant with outdoor patio featuring a fire pit and heat lamps. Otherwise, the martini at Lola's in West Hollywood is pretty fantastic and there are pool tables or dining to enjoy. Who doesn't love sipping a martini while shooting pool?!
BEER AND TONIC WATER: This may sound strange but the tonic water at Father's Office in Culver City is not just imported, it's actually the best tasting thing you've ever had by itself. It tastes like Sprite without that sugar after taste. Then imagine mixing this heavenly mixer in a little glass bottle with vodka, and not just some well vodka. Of course their wall of beer tap selections is incredibly extensive with one of the best burgers in LA and sweet potato fries. Now of course everyone says sweet potato fries are delicious but what they don't know about this place is that they serve them in little grocery carts that sit on your table inside or outside on the heated patio.
BEER AND FOOTBALL: Backstage in Culver City and Big Wang's in Hollywood. Now, I haven't been to the Big Wang's in NoHo, which I'm sure is just as great as the one in Hollywood but I can't say because I've never visited the fine establishment. Backstage has great bar food, good bartenders, pool tables, karaoke, and a big fat screen TV so everyone can cheer their team on and still enjoy other games on the other TVs. However, Big Wang's is definitely a better place for several large fan bases to enjoy several games and not get into a fight, or maybe not but can't say that I've heard of fights breaking out there.
BEST MOJITO: Several places must bare mention here. Lazy Dog in Redondo Beach at Del Amo Fashion Center because they have a Pomegranate Mojito that is out of this world and you can sit on their patio with a fire pit and heat lamps feeling the beach air blow through your hair. World Cafe in Venice on Main Street has a Mojito bar dedicated solely to mojito concocting. Of course this can lead to the resemblance of a cafeteria line and the result of an uncared for mojito and thus bad experience so don't say you weren't warned. Otherwise, The Standard on Sunset in Hollywood, their diner has a great mojito. Lastly, I've heard but not tasted the mojito at Paradise Cove Cafe in Malibu as yet again they have their own mojito bar and being as it may that this is a tourist spot, I'm sure they take more pride in their mojito creations.
BEST HAPPY HOUR: There are a number of places with decent happy hours but there is still one that just kills it. Cabo Cantina in Brentwood on Wilshire Blvd, the one on Washington in Venice, and the one on Sunset in Hollywood. All three have their own character native to the area and all have the best two for one deal seven days a week. I would recommend double checking your specific location as this could have changed.
BEST MACROBIOTIC FOOD AND YOU MAY NOT EVEN NOTICE: M Cafe de Chaya has amazing salmon, sushi, salads, and numerous other cuisines. This place is for the uber healthy and those just wanting to be. Imagine feeling good after you eat and knowing you ate in European style. I know meat eaters, it's like committing suicide but just try it once. You may actually feel lighter after rather than like you're carrying a food baby.
BEST SNACK: Yogurtland, Pinkberry, Mango Dolci, etc, etc. All these places have their own fantastic snack treat that make ice cream a faint memory. Whether it's tart, strawberry, cheesecake, or chocolate with fruity pebbles or mochi or whichever topping you choose from the outlandish list of choices, these treats despite their hidden sugars or calories taste refreshing and amazing. It's a party in your mouth! And it doesn't just taste like yogurt!
BEST WINE BAR: Two places come to mind. Bodega Wine Bar on Broadway in Santa Monica and Salute Wine Bar on Main Street in Santa Monica. Bodega has several great tapas but not much of a wine selection. However it's priced average and often sports a DJ to set the mood and serves as a decent after work bar for the wine drinkers. Salute, however, has the wine selection and the tapas. Not to mention they have the cool machines where you can put your card in and wine taste. Neat-o! I'd recommend Salute for any one of you looking for a spot on that first date or blind date.
I'm sure I'll come up with more to add but that's all for now.
About Me
- JStew
- Once upon a time a short blonde from Nashville, TN moved to la la land to work in feature films. Little did she know she'd do just that but end up leaving film and tv production six years later to start a new career in librarianship across the country. That's right, she not only lived among celebrity royalty reaping the benefits of expensive swag and cashing in on long hours because you have no life when you work up to 16 hours a day or more depending on the show. But after a great deal of thought, "putting out fires," as that's more or less what a soon to be Producer does, was becoming a thing of the past and facilitating young members in a community with digital literacy was to become a part of the future. Thus, from Los Angeles to New York, no not the city but the western part of the state, I am in the process of obtaining a masters in Library Science: School Media which means I will be a librarian in a K-12 or academic university setting if I am so lucky. And just maybe, "peut-etre" I'll become a published writer with all the free time I'll have. Here's hoping a new city, new people, and new adventures will bring more entertaining subjects to capture.