For those who absolutely cannot wait til Christmas — eff Thanksgiving, you say — Melrose Umbrella Co. is already all decked out for the holidays. And I mean, ALL. DECKED. OUT. The Miracle on Melrose Avenue bar is only one of about 100 of the Miracle Pop-Up Bars around the world: 94 in the U.S….
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I refuse to put up Christmas decorations when Thanksgiving hasn’t even come and gone yet. But one thing I will allow in anticipation of the holidays are the cocktails. Beautiful, rich, cozy, festive-inspired holiday cocktails. And Big Bar in Los Feliz just kicked off their new holiday menu, which includes three hot cocktails and a…
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Quick, what’s your favorite L.A. movie and which cocktail would you pair with it? If it’s Amy Heckerling’s Clueless then you’re in luck! On August 19, as part of its summer pop-up series, ArcLight Hollywood is hosting swank West Hollywood cocktail bar, Bibo Ergo Sum, in its Balcony Bar. And the talented bar crew crafted…
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Nowadays, a cocktail bar has to do more than simply follow a classic cocktail template to turn heads. Housemade ingredients and a strong garnish game aren’t going to cut it anymore. Besides, there are so many great bars with new ones practically opening every day, not to mention the breadth of talented bartenders in L.A….
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Looking for something fun and different — with a touch of nerdiness — to serve at your holiday party? Lucky for you barman Christopher Day (Bar Tribute, Redbird) created this recipe for a boozy butterbeer. Your Harry Potter-loving guests will squeal. It’s no coincidence that this recipe uses a butter-washed Black Cow Vodka as Chris…
Continue Reading »I haven’t been to the Backstage in awhile. I had stopped going to this self-proclaimed “best dive bar in the world” after it seemed to gain much popularity. Now, the hipsters outnumbered the barflies. And during karaoke night, the drunk jocks bogarded the mic from the old regulars. But last night I thought I’d revisit…
I heard of Barcade a long time ago but it was described to me as an underground arcade in someone’s 2nd floor K-Town apartment. (Check it out, there’s even a listing for it in UrbanDictionary.com.) But after reading up on it in CalendarLive it sounds like something definitely worth checking out. Old school gamers who…
I’ve never heard of this “iconic store” before but when I spotted a listing for it on CitySearch, two things caught my eye: 1) “The Way We Wore”? Genius! and 2) it’s having a sale on its vintage frocks for the next couple of weeks. Of course prices are reported to run anywhere from $20…
Animation is called “the single most misunderstood film medium” but so what? Just as long as it’s entertaining to watch, oh, and edumacational. Mike Judge (Office Space, Beavis & Butthead) and Academy Award-nominated animator Don Hertzfeldt (Rejected) have curated an annual feature-length collection of the best animated shorts from around the world meant to spread…
I had the best Super Bowl Sunday ever! I spent it snowmobiling around Mammoth. There was snow on the ground, no wind and not a cloud in the sunny sky. My friends and I had signed up through MammothMountain.com’s Snowmobile Adventures where, on Thurs-Sun, it’s $100 for your own vehicle and $120 when you double…
OK, just when I thought Sprinkles was the only cupcake bakery for me, I read about SusieCakes, “an all-American homestyle bake shop” in Brentwood. From Gayot.com: At SusieCakes, Susan Sarich is baking all-American desserts using her grandmother’s recipes. Think butterscotch toffee pudding, chocolate wafer icebox pie, iced molasses snap cookies and frosting-filled cupcakes in flavors…
I was so looking forward to the Bubbly Hour at French 75 when I first heard about it. Champagne cocktails for half the price? Sweet! But French 75 had a number of strikes against it, first and foremost it’s located in a mall. But I had to check out that happy hour nevertheless. So I…
Even though I don’t cook…all that much ::cough, cough::…I loooovvve browsing Sur La Table. And I just know that if I had a kitchen stocked with all those gourmet cookware goodies I’d be more apt to make my own meals or at least try to. As it is, Wustof knives and Le Creuset cookware are…
So maybe the wine bar thing is all played out, or almost there anyway. But Air Conditioned on Pico is taking it to another level with its sake tasting. For $10 sample the wine of the East at this hip, loungy wine/soju/beer bar. Here, explore sake beyond its role in the sake bomb and resist…
I’ve been sworn to secrecy about the location of this great driving road but I ain’t the best keeper of secrets — come on, I have a blog. Anyhoo, I can say that this road is way the hell up in the Angeles National Forest and is full of twisties and switchbacks and all that…
