I wanted to take my friend out for dinner on his birthday and decided to go to a place neither of us had ever tried before. I decided on The Smoke House in Burbank. I had heard good things about it and passed by it hundreds of times but for some reason just never got around to stopping in.
On entering the restaurant I liked the somewhat dark yet inviting atmosphere. It reminded me of one of my favorite restaurants which I had actually considered for the evening. As we walked through the bar we noticed a table set up for happy hour, which included potato skins with lamb as well as a few other goodies. We passed on the happy hour offering and went straight for the menu.
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Tags: Food and Drink · Restaurants
Southern California Area Serbian American Community will hold a peaceful rally on Sunday, March 9 to protest the secession of Kosovo. The event will begin at 2:00 pm in front of the Federal Building in Westwood at 11000 Wilshire Boulevard (Map). A prayer for the suffering people will be said at 3:00 pm.
Serbia was part of the former Yugoslavia and which broke up in the 1990’s. The Serbs originally settled the Balkan Peninsula in the 6th and 7th century. The region has been plagued with violence and political and ethnic violence for centuries. In 2004 the area experienced the worst ethnic violence since 1999. At this time nearly 4000 Serbs lost their homes and NATO troops helped to restore order. On February 18 Kosovo formally declared independence from Serbia. Albanians make up 95% of Kosovo. The prime minister of Serbia said he would never recognize the “false state”. The United States recognized Kosovo’s declaration of independence.
Photo by mike/d via Flickr
Tags: News · World news
After a seemingly long cold rainy winter this week has been like a breath of fresh air. Like the LA I so fondly remembered all these years we finally have the 80-degree temps and sunny skies – perfect February weather. As spring approaches
(yes, it is technically still winter) the beautiful flowers are starting to bloom and the trees are budding and all is right with the world.
If you are fond of flowers one of the most beautiful places to go over the next month or so is a place called Descanso Gardens. E. Manchester Boddy, publisher of the Los Angeles Daily News purchased the 150 acres of land, which comprise the gardens in 1937. He also purchased 440 additional acres whose mountain streams provide fresh spring water to the gardens. The land was originally part of an area claimed for the King of Spain in 1769. The Gabrielino Indians originally inhabited the beautiful natural bowl.
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Tags: Local LA · Upcoming events
This weekend we will have beautiful weather for the 23rd Los Angeles Marathon. If you only think of the marathon as an inconvenience once a year with all the street closures, let me enlighten you. Marathon weekend can be a fun even inspiring event for everyone. It starts on Friday, February 29 with the Quality of Life Expo held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, West Hall located at 1201 S. Figueroa. This is not just for marathon runners even though this is where many will be to pick up their bibs and timing chips. This is the largest Marathon Expo in the world with exhibitors from health products, running gear and even holistic pet food.
The expo hours are Friday, February 29, 2008 from 9:00 am - 8:00 pm and Saturday, March 1, 2008 from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm. Sunday morning the marathon will begin near Universal Studios and will end near downtown. If you are planning on driving around town and want to check to see if your activities will be affected by street closures you can go to the official website www.lamarathon.com to check for closures and times.
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Tags: Local LA · News · Upcoming events
Now that the writers strike is over and the Oscars are over where do we go from here? How about back to the movie theaters to see the next group of contenders? One of my pet peeves when I go to the movies is someone who brings a very young child/baby in to a very serious, scary movie and then of course the baby begins to fuss and cry. For those of us who do not have children we have not yet learned the art of tuning out the shrill cries that most parents seem to be able to ignore. My thanks to Pacific Theatres at The Grove for offering an alternative to the mommies who want to keep up with the new movies and prefer not to leave the baby with a sitter or daycare. On Monday mornings babies are welcome to come along with mom or dad to see the films that are offered at Monday Morning Mommy Movies.
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Tags: Entertainment · Film
Just when you thought all that was left were the Oscars there is one more set of awards to be handed out before the Oscars on Sunday. The 28th Annual Razzie® Awards winners will be announced Saturday, February 23 at Magicopolis in Santa Monica. The Razzies are the awards that “dis-honor” the worst of the worst. The Golden Raspberry is not quite as popular as the other golden statue, however occasionally a star will show up to accept the award in person – most famously Halle Berry.
This year’s race is a close one. At the top of the list with 9 nominations is the Lindsay Lohan’s movie “I Know Who Killed Me” which include nods for Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, Worst Director and Worst Screen Couple (Lohan appearing opposite herself). For the first time ever a double worst actress award nomination is in play for Lindsay for each of the two characters she plays in the movie.
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Tags: Entertainment · Upcoming events
If you are ready to really rock, head over to the Key Club on the Sunset Strip tonight to see The Atomic Punks. Don’t be misled by the name – they are NOT a punk band. They are the ultimate tribute to early Van Halen. These guys have been around since 1994 and have played sold out shows all over the US.
The Atomic Punks is an audience participation show featuring the music of Van Halen in the David Lee Roth era. The Punks don’t think they are Van Halen; they are there as they say, to pay homage to “the greatest rock band in the world” – and they do. Even the original members of Van Halen are impressed by their performances. Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony has taken the stage with the band and David Lee Roth himself has recognized them as well. Even recruiting former guitar player Brian Young for his 2002 tour with Sammy Hagar.
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Tags: Music
The writer’s strike is over and in one week we will know all the winners. Before they take home all the Oscars you will have a chance to hold one and thank your agent and all of the little people who made you who you are today.
Once again, the Hollywood and Highland Center will host Meet the Oscars – An Exhibition of 50 Golden Statuettes. You will get to have a red carpet experience and actually hold an Oscar. The experience will be open now through this Thursday from noon until 7:00 pm. Before you head down to Hollywood and Highland there are a few things you will need to know:
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Tags: Entertainment · General
It is official. The world is coming to an end at on February 26. Prepare yourselves. All 7,100 Starbucks stores will close at 5:30 pm and remain closed for three hours so that all baristas can be retrained in the correct methods of coffee making. It seems that the quality of the lattes and other drinks has been on the decline and has become hit or miss from one location to the next.
The topics that will be covered on the 26th will include how to make a perfect shot, how to steam milk. They may even cover how not to burn coffee. I personally have never been a big fan of Starbucks. I always thought it tasted like the beans were burned. Not to mention it is well overpriced, but I think the one thing that scares me the most is the addiction they have created in more people than you can imagine. That is why there is a Starbucks on every other corner so you don’t have to go far without one.
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Tags: Editorials · News
In the mood for a laugh this weekend? If so head over to Charlie O’s at the Alexandria Hotel and laugh until it hurts. Point Break LIVE! is an interactive stage adaptation of the 1992 Keanu Reeves movie. It rips apart Hollywood blockbusters and bad A-list acting. The plot revolves around an FBI agent/former football quarterback Johnny Utah who infiltrates a surf gang. The evening’s performance includes a series of high-action scenes improvised on stage including car chases, big wave surfing, armed robbery and even skydiving.
The starring role of Johnny Utah (Reeves part) is played by a member of the audience selected at random each night. If you happen to be the lucky one chosen to star in the production you will be able to give a great Keanu- like performance by reading the cue cards. Don’t worry if you don’t think you can act, the worse it gets the better it is.
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Tags: Comedy · Local Happenings
Built in 1927, construction costs of the entire estate were an astounding $3,166,578.00 with the mansion alone costing $1,238,378.00. The property was a wedding gift from Edward Doheny to his son Ned in 1925. Edward Doheny and his partner were the first to strike oil in Los Angeles. The house has 55 rooms, hand carved wood, and black and white inlaid marble floors. It was named Greystone because of the extensive use of stone constriction and it’s somber grey appearance. Over the years the house has been used in over 400 movies and television shows.
The property is currently owned by the City of Beverly Hills and is open as a public park. It is a beautiful place to walk around or bring a blanket and sit on the grounds and relax. You can sit by the koi pond and watch the turtles sun themselves. Concerts and tours are held on the property. For more information on Greystone Mansion you can go to www.greystonemansion.org.
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Tags: Entertainment · Music · Upcoming events
This is the time of year we hear all of the ads and see all of the stores promoting gifts to show how much you love your sweetheart. This is presuming you have a special someone in your life. Many people are desperate to find someone before the big day arrives so they have a special person in their lives. There are many places where you can find the love of your life. A friend of mine found the love of his life at a swap meet. She was quietly sitting in a cardboard box. She was the runt of the litter and the last to be chosen. Her name was Maggie. She was the one true love of his life.
Anyone looking to find true love should go to your local animal shelter. There you will find unconditional love. Someone who will neither judge you, criticize you nor question you. You don’t have to spend big bucks on them for Valentine’s Day. All this little love wants is a little food, water, a place to sleep and your love.
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Tags: Charity · Editorials · Living
