a 22-year-old ex-film student wandering around los angeles and wondering what to do with her life
Father’s day is around the corner. So you know what that means, steak and beer! If Dad’s in town this weekend and you’re looking for some dad-friendly restaurants and activities, consider some of these:
San Francisco Saloon
This rustic, casual bar/restaurant serves up amazing burgers, two-handed sandwiches, cold beer, wings, and delicious fries. A multitude of ESPN-tuned TVs grace the walls. The restaurant has been there forever, and the vibe inside is always chill. It’s a great place to go for no-fuss, reasonably priced man food.
11501 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064-1519
Arnie Morton’s Steak Houses
If you want to treat dad to something fancy this year, try going to an Arnie Morton’s. The food is pricey but the variety of steaks, lobster, fish and chicken dishes are all juicy and delicious. There are locations in Beverly Hills, Burbank, Downtown LA, and Woodland Hills. You can even make a Father’s Day reservation on their website.
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Tags: Bars · Restaurants · Upcoming events
For my recent birthday, my parents treated me to a dinner at Osteria Mozza at Highland and Melrose. Because of my embarrassingly vast pop knowledge of TV chef personalities, I already knew that Osteria Mozza is owned by Mario Batali. Batali, a wide-girthed, good natured Italian chef, always makes the most incredible looking dishes on his show, dishes that made me drool on my couch and wish I had a fat Italian uncle. I had an image in my mind of Batali himself in the kitchen, two saute pans in each hand, and I got incredibly excited. So Osteria Mozza it was.
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Tags: Restaurants · Reviews
June 7th, 2008 Written by: Devon · 1 Comment
Oh, the good old days, when no one locked their doors at night, when there were only three channels on television, when I could fill up the tank of my gas-hungry Jeep beast with a twenty dollar bill and still have enough left over for coffee and breakfast.
In early 2002, the national average for the price of regular unleaded gasoline was around $1.13 a gallon. I’m pretty sure I even remember it dipping to $0.99 for a few days in my hometown of Toledo, OH. I used to stop at the gas station on the way to school and use a $20 to fill up and get a coffee and a bagel.
Yesterday, I filled up the same car for almost $70. And then I wept.
We all know how terrible the gas prices are right now. Here a few websites you can use to look up the cheapest to most expensive gas prices, or report any amazingly good or amazingly terrible finds you stumble on:
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Tags: Editorials · Local LA
June 5th, 2008 Written by: Devon · 1 Comment
Yeah, it happens every day. But that doesn’t mean a pretty sunset can’t be appreciated.
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Tags: Image Gallery
May 31st, 2008 Written by: Devon · 1 Comment
A good margarita can sometimes be a rarity. It’s easy to find all kinds of achingly sweet, slushy messes served in Goliath sizes troughs at a number of local bars and restaurants, but if you want a really good margarita, they way they are supposed to be made, you have to find a good, authentic restaurant.
Lares on Pico in Santa Monica is one of those places. The margaritas are GOOD. Not too sweet, a nice kick, and a wonderfully wide rimmed glass so you can squeeze in as many salty sips as you need. They also do margaritas by the pitcher, which actually taste just as good as ordering by the glass.
The food at Lares is simply delicious. A basket of crisp, warm homemade tortilla chips and homemade salsa will quickly find its way to your table. Their wide range of tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and many other traditional Mexican dishes aren’t too expensive - pretty much everything on the menu is under $20, lots of it under $15. It all tastes and looks very freshly made.
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Tags: Restaurants · Reviews
Here a few events going on this weekend that you might want to check out:
CHANEL Boutique opening - Chanel is opening a new ‘concept’ boutique at swanky 125 N. Robertson Blvd. It will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 11-7. And that’s all the cryptic promo email tells me…
SHOWTIME CLASSIC Horse Show - If you got a chance to see the Grand Prix at the Equestrian Center this past Monday, maybe you would be interested in going back this weekend to catch a little western riding. This style involves cowboy hats, spurs, chaps, the whole cowboy shebang. The show is free and will be ongoing until Sunday. Go here for directions.
ALTERNATIVE ART Market: Back by popular demand, the Alternative Art Market will be filling the Majestical Courtyard at 88 North Fair Oaks in Pasadena this Saturday and Sunday. This month’s artisans and designers bring you a colorful and wonderful array of products from fine art, jewelry, posters, t-shirts, handbags and even furnishings. 11am to 5pm both days, no admission!
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Tags: Local LA · Upcoming events
May 25th, 2008 Written by: Devon · 1 Comment
If you want to spend some time outdoors this Memorial Day Monday but you don’t want to do the same old BBQ and beer thing, consider going to the L.A. Equestrian Center in Burbank to see the Memorial Day Classic Grand Prix.
Grand Prix is the highest level of equestrian show jumping. Horse and rider must complete a course of ten to sixteen obstacles that are 5′ high with spread up to 6′6″ high. The overall goal of the sport is to be the fastest one to ride the course with the fewest number of faults. Four faults are given if a horse knocks over a rail or refuses a jump; one fault is given for each second a horse and rider are over the maximum alloted time.
Five feet might not sound that high for a horse to jump, but just wait until you see it in real life. The simultaneous strength and grace of a horse leaping over a five foot jump is really quite breathtaking. This event will attract the best horses and riders from up and down the West Coast, and the stakes are big - the purse is $25,000.
The Memorial Day Classic is on Monday, May 26 from 1:30pm-4:00pm. Tickets are $16 for adults at the door, $12 for kids. The L.A. Equestrian Center is located at 480 Riverside Dr. in Burbank, just east of the Buena Vista exit off the 134. Go here for directions and more information.
Photo courtesy of conlawprof on flickr
Tags: Local LA · Upcoming events
May 24th, 2008 Written by: Devon · 1 Comment
This weekend, the nation will collectively clean a winter’s worth of dust and cobwebs off grills of all shapes, sizes and persuasions. Millions of hamburgers and hot dogs will appear kitchens, patios and parks. Brats, chicken, ribs…if you can think of a meat, someone, somewhere will probably be grilling it this weekend in true caveman, American, summer-kickoff fashion.
Unfortunately, when the meat is finished, most people will turn off the grill. As tempting as it may be to throw a bag of Doritos at your guests and call it a meal, you should consider branching out with your grilling skills. You can actually make a whole, delicious meal from start to finish without ever setting those tongs down. So while the coals are still hot, throw on some of these easy recipes:
Grilled Corn on the Cob: Get some corn on the cob, still in husks. Remove the visible silk at the top, then put the ears on the grill, husks intact. Turn them every few minutes until the husks are charred, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let sit 5 minutes, then use towels to remove the husks. (Watch out for hot steam!) Serve with butter, salt and fresh ground pepper.
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Tags: Edibles · General
Bef0re these heat waves become something permanent (aka summer) and before the sun turns the few, brave bits of LA greenery into brown wisps, take some time to look around and enjoy all the beautiful plants thriving in our sprinkler-fed yards and medians.
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Tags: Image Gallery · LA Backdrop
With rising temperatures, no AC and summer looming on the very near horizon, I’ve had ice cream on my mind a lot lately. There’s nothing more relieving on a hot day than clutching a cold bowl and spooning gobs of frosty deliciousness into my mouth.One of my favorite places to go is Angelato on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. I usually tend to stay away from places in ever-crowded horde magnets like the Promenade, but for Angelato I have to make an exception. Their dizzying array of gelatos and sobettos (over 100 flavors, to be exact) is enough to get you through a heat wave in hell.
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Tags: Restaurants · Reviews
If you like dogs and charity and you have nothing to do this Sunday, you might want to stop by Walk for the Underdog, a huge non-profit charity event at the La Brea Tar Pits.
Walk for the Underdog is a sponsored, hour-long walk for rescued pups and their owners. Similar to an event like Race for the Cure, participants seek monetary sponsorships from friends and acquaintences, then donate 100% of the proceeds to 30 area shelters and rescue organizations.
Even if you don’t participate in the walk or sponsor anyone, there’s still a lot to see. Hundreds of dogs will be available for adoption. A plethora of vendors will be selling things to dogs and their owners, and a number of prizes will be raffled off (including a trip for two to the Caribbean!). Their website also promises “dog related entertainment” and “surprise celebrity guests,” either of which could be highly entertaining, amusingly bizarre, or any combination of both.
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Tags: Local LA · Upcoming events
If you are interested in the work of local artists - actually, even if you aren’t - you should check out Poketo, a network of over 100 international artists selling their wares on one site. They started in 2003 with a series of wallets designed by emerging artists. The wallets were produced in very limited quantities and used as promo pieces for art shows that Poketo produced. The idea was that the wallets would be pieces of art you could walk away with, to have something concrete representing your experience at the show.
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Tags: Fashion · Local LA · Upcoming events
