Silverlake Part 2: Gingergrass & Cha Cha Lounge

I feel like the baby blogger in town… okay I am. I’m like the little brother of all the other big LA bloggers that have been doing it for years. I’m the dumb annoying younger brother who everybody ignores. haha

Gingergrass, Photo by akmal.naim

I don’t care. I checked out Gingergrass in Silverlake, my new hood, last night. It was everything I was expecting. I’ve been reading all the LA food bloggers reviews. (Eating L.A., Rate A Restaurant )

We had no problem walking right in and getting a table for two at 8PM… which was the last table I think… and it was Wednesday… I hear this place gets very busy though.

I’m not going to give a full review… check out their blogs… they pretty much hit it dead on except a few things have changed. They now have a liquor license so you don’t HAVE to bring your own wine but yah. And corkage is now $7.00 instead of $5.00. I brought my bottle of sparkling shiraz from the Silverlake Wine Co. I bought Sunday. It was pretty good… $11 too.

Yah very hipster young crowd. The prices are pretty good… interesting specials. I just had the lemon grass chicken and my friend had a big bowl of soup. The chicken was a nice presentation, being half a chicken already cut… had a nice flavor. The chips they have on the table are good too. The waiters are friendly… good service… nice crowd… good food… it’s my new neighborhood spot. It’s within walking distance. I can see my house from the dining room on top of the hill… it’s grand. I just wish they stayed open until later, like around 2AM. This would be a awesome late night place. But I guess that’s what Astro is for down the street.

Photo by moonpix7

We headed up to Cha Cha Lounge after for some more drinking. Caroline on Crack did a review last weekend on it. It was strange because she never does Silverlake places and the weekend I move in she reviews my new neighborhood bar. But yah it’s grand. I love the guy at the door… he suggested I use more product to make my hair more hipsterish. More like I haven’t washed it in a week look.

I love the vibe though and the cheap drinks. It’s going to turn me into a beer drinker I just know it. No more $12 weho martinis for this boy. I just know if I walked up to the bar here and ordered a cosmo I would be kicked out.

The vending machine is great… there’s everything from Wonder bread in it to condoms to poprocks and cigs. The lighting is perfect too… no matter how much you drink and get sloshed, you still look good under the red lights.

I don’t know how I missed the photo booth though. (click on photo booth for a cool photo booth site) That would have been fun. When we got there around 10 there was hardly anyone there. But by the time we left at 11:30 or so, it was starting to fill up… crowded in fact.

Photobooth pic by paisley’s such a nice girl

Gingergrass
2396 Glendale Blvd.
Silverlake
No reservations

Cha Cha Lounge
2375 Glendale Blvd (@ Silver Lake Blvd)
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 660-7595
http://www.chachalounge.com/

PS… Check this site out: http://www.unscene.com/
It’s a urban navigator… they have a decent map of cool Silverlake spots… and Hollywood… very cool.

A John Waters Christmas

I heard about this this morning on KCRW…

“A John Waters Christmas with Jonathan Richman featuring Tommy Larkins

The sultan of sleaze returns to UCLA Live with another dose of holiday cheer, featuring eccentric cult rocker and former Modern Lovers frontman Jonathan Richman and his usual subversive lineup of special guests.”

When:
Fri, Dec 1 at 8pm

Where:
Royce Hall

Price:
$48, 35, 25 ($17 UCLA students)

I’m so there… CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!

Silverlake Coffee Co.

Photo by ahn_june

I finally found the coffee shop I’ve been looking for in LA; The Silverlake Coffee Co.

I moved Saturday to a big house up on top of a hill in Silverlake that overlooks Silverlake and downtown LA. Yes, that’s why I haven’t been writing because I’ve been looking for a place to live, then moving, then well everything that follows.

Anyway, it’s very much the indie artsy coffee place I’ve been looking for. Now I’ve been to the Bourgeois Pig on Franlkin in Los Feliz before but it just doesn’t do it for me like this place does.

Photo by RATIO

I’m not a regular yet granted I just moved into the neighborhood but I’m soon to become one. It’s just right down the hill from my new place. And next door on the right there’s a cute book store and to the left is Gingergrass, a great vietnamese place but haven’t tried it yet. AND across the street is the Silver Lake Wine shop. I bought a bottle of sparkling shiraz there Saturday. They have wine tastings all the time… check out their website for all the info.

And then right up the street is the Red Lion and Cha Cha. No drunk and driving for me.

So I have a lot on my plate to try and blog about. And it’s all within walking distance from my new flat. whohooo!

I read the Banana Espresso smoothies are good… and they are. I went back and tried one the other day. They also have food. They offer a small breakfast menu like omelets, and other egg dishes along with the normal bagels and pastries.

Oh, they also have free wifi. Something the Pig doesn’t. The BG makes you pay for it.

Silverlake Coffee Co.
2388 Glendale Blvd Ste B
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 913-0388

Pinkberry

Moving up with the times, I finally got around to trying Pinkberry. I thought it would be a good spot to hit while on a first date or something so I’ve been holding back, but Friday I was driving by and was hungry so I stopped and tried it.

Yes, at the original West Hollywood one where there’s no parking, but thankfully everybody was out shopping instead of buying yogurt so it wasn’t that hard to get one of three public parking spots across the street. (that picture above was taken at 11:30 at night!)

As you approach the shop, you notice there’s a security guard at the door acting as a bouncer. I’ve never seen a yogurt shop with a bouncer before but I’ve read that lines can get pretty long for this small shop so he regulates the people that can go in as people come out. Anyway, he opened the door for me and pointed where I should go. I felt like I was entering into a bank collecting my gold.

I got a small cup with mango and kiwi. Grand total… $4.40. Yes… for a SMALL cup of yogurt with two fruit toppings @ $.95 each. Was it worth it?

Sure. It was good. The fruit was great, the yogurt was pretty good… not too sweet and with a good texture, maybe even a tiny bit sour but it works nicely with the natural sweetness of the fruit. It was good yes but maybe $3.50 not $5.

From Citysearch:

Accented by kiwi-green walls and nouveau-chic furnishings, this tiny yogurt shop attracts a cream-craving, health-conscious crowd. Lines of raving regulars spill onto the street, where they wait patiently for super-tart swirls of non-fat yogurt. Flavors are minimal, including only vanilla and green tea, but toppings abound with sugary selections like Fruity Pebbles and Captain Crunch, or more adult add-ons like blueberries, mangoes or watermelon.

And green tea yogurt in addition to plain, but I’ve heard it isn’t that good. They also have smoothies and shaved ice.

Pinkberry
868 Huntley Dr (Cross Street: Santa Monica Boulevard)
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 659-8285

Check their website for other locations. They are opening stores all over LA.

Food: The Kitchen

The mural on The Kitchen in Silverlake. Photo by Clinton Steeds

After a exhaustive day of apartment hunting and hanging out downtown looking for lofts and crashing movie sets, a friend and I decided to head to Silver Lake to find a cute cafe for a light dinner.

After parking on a side street, we decided to give another friend a call that lives at Sunset Junction who knows all the great places in the area. She recommended we try The Kitchen at Fountain and Sunset. So off we all went.

Ahh, comfort food. As the CitySearch review says, The Kitchen brings a dose of “Good old-fashioned home cooking, with a sophisticated streak.” I love Silverlake cafes. I haven’t been to a lot but I’m making the rounds.

From LA.com:

This little canteen has a loyal following who swear by its comfort food and shabby-chic attitude. Exposed brick walls form two dining rooms that can get crowded at peak hours. Several delicious options are available for lunch and dinner; service goes by Silver Lake standards: it’s pretty hit or miss. Take The Kitchen with a grain of salt…your tofu will need it.

I had the patachio encrusted salmon with spinach and my friend had fish and chips. My salmon was good and the fish and chips too.

This is the prefect little place for a casual dinner with friends. The atmosphere is nice and the staff is friendly. And it’s right around the corner from Akbar.

A note: There’s no alcohol so it’s BYOB. Bring a nice bottle of wine. And, don’t park at the McDs or the shopping center across the street or you’ll be towed. They have a small parking lot behind the kitchen or street parking.

The Kitchen
4348 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles, 90029
(323) 664-3663
Sun-Thu 5pm-12am, Fri-Sat 5pm-1am

I didn’t think this was worth a entry but I went to The Market Broiler last week for a business lunch in the OC and I had the best lunch. I had their Aahi Tuna Wrap; strips of Cajun-dusted Ahi tuna, cream cheese, avocado, sprouts, onion, cheeses, lettuce and capers in a flour tortilla and the Hawaiian Poke for a appetizer. Oh it was so good. They also have “Technicolor Martinis” which I didn’t try but sounded very good. I’m not one for chains but I’d totally go back. And the wrap was $8.95 and the martinis were $7.

And after reading, “From Hollywood to Bollywood” from LA Weekly, I want to try India Sweets & Spices now. I’m going to tonight for dinner. Oh yah.

~J

The Daily Grind: Galley Bar, The Prestige, Food Blogs

I have some recaps from the weekend…

I hit up The Galley Bar Friday night with some friends for the much anticipated Guerrilla Gay Bar. It was fun. I had a great time. I don’t think it was as crowded as usual, I’d say there were maybe 100 people there, plus the regulars, but for the small size of the place, it was perfect. I heard a lot of the regular GGB people didn’t want to go because they read in the e-mail you should dress up, and didn’t want to. But I mean, hardly anybody did. Good times. I’m totally going next month.

I saw “The Prestige” … a very good film. One of my top 5 of the year for sure. I normally don’t like a lot of first run big hollywood type movies, but this one yes.

It’s a story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy — full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences. From the time that they first met as young magicians on the rise. However, their friendly competition evolves into a bitter rivalry making them fierce enemies for life and consequently jeopardizing the lives of everyone around them. It’s Set against the backdrop of turn of the century London. Grand. I mean first you have Chris Nolan director, High Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Cane, Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie… yah go see it.

Adam from Amateur Gourmet

I came across this food blog the other day from the brilliant Adam of Amateur Gourmet for what must be the funniest and most entertaining blog post in recent memory.

He’s a blogger on the New York food scene and all things culinary.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy the wonderfully creative and hilarious work of The Amateur Gourmet.

Chutzpah, Truffles & Alain Ducasse

And lastly, I found a interesting article on CNN.com about staying on peoples sofas for free. Like for young poor people traveling the world seeking places to stay. There’s all these websites out there now that connect people with places to those seeking places to stay. For FREE! I think this would totally be the best way to travel. Not only for financial reasons but the fact that you’ll be staying with a local who will give you that local point of view. Pair this with a cheap Travel Zoo airfare and you have a mini vacation.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/ADVISOR/11/10/couchsurfing.ap/index.html

~J

Food: M Café de Chaya

On my way back from a Beverly Hills meeting today, I was taking Melrose back to my office and passed M Cafe de Chaya and decided to turn around and grab a quick lunch.

I’ve been wanting to try this place forever. Their specialty lies in the fact that no eggs, dairy, red meat or refined sugars are ever used in any of their food or baked items. This follows the teachings of “Macrobiotics”, hence “M” Café. Visually vibrant and very exciting dishes adorn the big glass deli showcase, which immediately catch your eye as you enter. All the dishes are prepared fresh daily by a Chef who not only have been certified to serving Macrobiotic cuisine but have also been a personal chef to some notable celebrities in the Hollywood scene prior to taking on this gig.

Griffith Park Observatory

After reading about the Griffith Park Observatory reopening after $93 million in renovations, I really wanted to get up there and take a peak. Especially after reading about the sneak peak the press got and bloggers like this. (yah call me very jealous)

I got tickets about a month ago for last Saturday afternoon at 4:10. I thought it would be a perfect time because right as we would get up there, the sun would be setting and we could have a light dinner at the cafe before perhaps seeing the inside.

On Saturday afternoon, I grabbed a friend and got my timed tickets ($8, 4:10PM), … parked my car at Hollywood and Highland and rode the bus up to the park. We got up there just in time for sunset. It’s an amazing view. Everything I expected. wow. But then we went inside.

There were so many people there you could hardly move. There were lines of 300 plus people for the planetarium show ($7) that had been waiting for hours. The crowds kept on booing every time a staff member would come out just to say it would be a few more minutes. After finally who knows how long, the crowd erupted into a loud cheer. It was kind of like the broken ride at disney world was just reopened.

Traffic Tickets in LA

Photo by SeraphimC.

Heaven help you if you get pulled over by a motorcycle cop in L.A. for anything, because they ARE going to give you a ticket for something. “What?! You’re breathing? TICKET! Excessive emissions!”

I’ve always had a lot of respect for law enforcement until I moved to LA and until I got pulled over for turning left in the left turn lane at Sunset and Gower, right outside my office. Thirty minutes later, and after a argument with the officer, after being nice and respectful didn’t work, I still got the ticket. I laughed and told him I’d see him in court. I know he was laughing too though.

Traffic court in Los Angeles has to be one of the worst experiences I’ve ever gone though. I know I was right, I have a case, I want to present my side and not have to pay the $200. But to do this, you make a court date, then go, stand in several long lines, you’re treated like shit, and all this just for the arraignment. Meaning you can’t present your case, it’s just to have charges read against you and you put in a plea, and then pay you bail PLUS all the court fees which are 3-4 times what your bail amount is. Nowhere is this stated when you’re making a court date nor did anybody tell me about all of the court fees before the trail when I asked. I expected there to be a small court fee of something, but not 3-4 times the amount of the ticket.

The Daily Grind: LA Farmers’ Market, New Bev Cinema, Hawaii Vacation

Yesterday afternoon I checked out the L.A. Farmers’ Market on Third and Fairfax for a light dinner in between seeing different apartments. (Yes I’m searching for a nice 2 bedroom apartment somewhere on the west side with character. If you know of one let me know)

Anyway, so it wasn’t my first time. In fact I go at least a few times a month. It’s pretty easy to get in and out quickly with some fresh produce and a nice dinner. But has anyone else noticed that things have gotten really expensive and quality has gone to hell?

I had a few tacos from ¡Loteria! and they were tiny, like canapé sized almost, no sides or even lettuce and tomato and they were $5! And then I got a fruit bowl from one of the produce stands (I used to love this thing… tons of fresh fruit already cut up and ready to eat like coconut, mango, passion fruit, melons, strawberries, blueberries…) and most of the fruit in it was horrible. I’m kind of over it. Don’t get me wrong though I love farmers’ markets, and the one on Fairfax and Third has it’s charm but it’s slacking.

They also have a great cajun place there but it too has seemed to go down hill in the last six months. I heard they have new owners.

So this weekend:

Dahling! I read today on Caroline’s blog about a great Audrey Hepburn Double Feature at the New Beverly Cinema Friday and Saturday. I’m so there. I mean $7 for a double feature… Breakfast At Tiffany’s and Funny Face.

Also she has a blog about Free Vodka and Sake at Tokio. Goodtimes.

Other films screening at the Beverly that are of my interest:

Pink Flamingos & Female Trouble (TOnight ONLY! @ 7:30PM & 9:30PM)

Nice archival prints of both films. 25th anniversary print of Pink Flamingos features surround stereo track and a bonus reel of deleted scenes hosted by John Waters.

On the 5th, 6th, and 7th Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983).

and if you missed This film is not yet Rated a few months ago, it’s showing on the 15th and 16th with Where the Truth Lies (2005).

Oh gosh and on the 24th, The Good German (2006) with Casablanca (1942) … what a great pair. The 25th, Maltese Falcon (1941) with Casablanca (1942). The 26-28th, Metropolis (1927) with Dark City (1998).

I’m going to just move in. What a amazing month. Go to their website and look at their schedule.

Travelzoo today: LOS ANGELES/SAN FRANCISCO–NOVEMBER 2, 2006– Pleasant Holidays has just reduced a 3-night Maui vacation with air from Los Angeles or San Francisco to $449 per person. The first 50 online bookings will also receive a FREE iPod(r) shuffle.

Airfare to Maui usually costs that much by itself. You must book by November 26.

This package includes:
- Roundtrip airfare on United Airlines from LAX or SFO
- Departures between January 8-March 5, usually one of the
most expensive times to fly to Hawaii
- 3 nights at the ASTON Maui Lu Hotel
- Fresh flower lei greeting

Click Here for more information.

West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnaval Followup Post

Here’s a short clip of the madness.

The West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnival WAS insane. They claim this is the largest Halloween street party in the US. And I would have to agree.

I climbed into a old VW van with a bunch of friends and headed down from the Hollywood Hills to Santa Monica Boulevard. We got there around 8:30 and had no problem parking right on Santa Monica Blvd in a underground garage at the Coffee Bean for $10. It was perfect.

We walked out and it wasn’t that crowed, but a few hours later and it was a total freak show.

After walking around for a bit we headed to the Abbey to get some drinks. We stayed there for a bit before heading back out to mingle, and then finally ending up at Pearl’s party for the rest of the night.

I totally think that’s the way to do it. Spend some time out in the crowds with the bands and DJs, but then have a club to retreat to. Go out when you want to mingle, and back to the club for dancing, conversation, and drinks. Granted if you don’t mind a gay club. But as always, there was a good mix crowd at both the Abbey and Pearl.

I wish West Hollywood could be like this every weekend. No really. I have to say the best moment of the night was when we were walking back to the car afterwards and ran into a very drunk Pooh Bear half way up a tree grasping for dear life. But at the same time he looked peaceful with his eyes closed and the biggest grin on his face.

It’s always interesting what pops up on the web after a event like this. but I’m sure some people are still recovering so I would give it a few more days, maybe through the weekend for the good you tube videos.

But there are a load of photos on flicker from the party. Click HERE to check them out.

Overall, good times. I can’t wait for 2009 though when it’s on a Saturday! Next year I’m so taking off the 31 and the 1st.

~J