5 Bars in Culver City to Consider
In recent years, Culver City has slowly become a destination spot with new art galleries, farmers’ markets, restaurants and even theatre. For those who don’t want to travel to Hollywood, Downtown or even nearby Santa Monica, finding a local bar within stumbling distance is king. Culver City has no shortage of dive bars (Cozy Inn, Tattle Tale, Cinema Bar, Scarlet Lady Saloon). And there are other choices such as wine bars Ugo or Bottlerock, kitschy Bigfoot Lodge West, the chic bar inside the Culver Hotel or even bars at restaurants like Akasha and Fraiche.
A-Frame: For the more picky cocktail enthusiast
Here are five more to consider-
The Irish Bar: Irish Times
3267 Motor Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90034-3709
(310) 559-9648
There’s something inherently fun about Irish bars. While Irish Times seems like your typical pub with bar food, a pool table, live music, a jukebox plus an assortment of loyal locals. You’ll be wondering why you never come to this spot to get your cheap drinks on. Don’t ask for a craft cocktail here. Get beer (they have Stella on tap). Or if you’re feeling fancy, try a Jameson and ginger. There are even posters advertising this fine beverage. You could try getting an Irish Car Bomb but depending on the mood of those loyal locals, you might want to reconsider.
The Get Crazy Stripper Pole Bar: Rush Street
9546 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
Phone: 310-837-9546
Named for Chicago’s Rush Street, this bar and restaurant serves a rather Californian menu. It gets busy for happy hour and it’s “off the chain” in horribly outdated slang for Culver City. The two-story joint has a stripper’s pole upstairs and two outdoor patios. When it gets super packed on weekends, don’t try to converse with the bartenders on the finer points of vodka. They’ll either tell you that vodka in the skull-shaped bottle is terrible or simply hand it to you. The later will probably get you in trouble.
Your Nice Restaurant Bar: Ford’s Filling Station
9531 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232-2618
(310) 202-1470
Some may not consider bars at hotels or for that matter, restaurants for their evening’s imbibing but Ford’s Filling Station just started a great late night Happy Hour. On Fridays and Saturdays from 10 to 11 p.m., you can enjoy ½ priced well drinks, draft beer and $5 house wine. One night, a whiskey and soda cost $3 leaving you plenty of cashola for late night bar bites. Oh, Chef Ford is Ben Ford, Harrison Ford’s son. But don’t be impressed by that tidbit, more impressive is Chef Ford worked at Chez Panisse for two years. Hold up the bar by trying one of their Rickys (with a spirit of your choice- pick rum! Pick vodka! Pick something!).
Come for the Grub, Stay for the Craft Cocktails: A-Frame
12565 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90066
(310) 398-7700
The craft cocktail scene is exploding in L.A. and pretty soon, cocktailians might be able to find a drink made with farmers market ingredients, esoteric liquors and home-made bitters just about anywhere. One of the new spots is A-Frame, Roy Choi’s picnic food restaurant sprung from an old IHOP. A-Frame’s cocktail list reads like a handbook for monks, girls who fell in love with St. Germain 3 years ago and the more picky cocktail enthusiast.
Hidden Gem: Mandrake
2692 South La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 837-3297
For hipsters lost on the Westside, never fear, come find your alternative hairstyled brethren at the Mandrake. With no signage other than a tiny blue neon sign that says “bar,” The Mandrake is easy to miss on La Cienega between Venice and Washington. Fortunately, the area features an artwalk and this bar is a welcome place to hang out in between galleries. The bar features a short list of classic cocktails, homegrown mint, tree trunk tables and eclectic music. The gallery room and back patio (where the mint is grown) is in use but most crowd around the long bar. I have discovered they make excellent mint juleps (which really is just a tumbler of whiskey, brown sugar and a few mint leaves) and delightful Manhattans. Also try their Bloody Marys with a spicy peppery vodka.
By Shauna L. Der, theminty.com
Follow her at twitter/theminty
Sun, Tacos and Rental Cars in West LA
My fiancee and I took a trip down to LA last weekend to get some much needed sun and so I could learn a bit more about what makes Los Angelenos tick. We were lucky enough to score a fantastic place to stay in Venice through airbnb.com and wasted no time in hitting up the hottest spots for bites in Downtown and West LA.
Breakfast at Marmalade Cafe
Friday morning brought on Marmalade Cafe in Santa Monica. You can tell something is special about this place…it’s a tiny little restaurant with only a half dozen tables but they must have had 12-15 people cooking, serving and presenting an array of amazing food. The reason they have so many people working is that they are top notch caterers as well. Only 6 tables in the restaurant, but they cater events serve up to 3000 people. That is some serious scale! We had the Huevos Rancheros and the English Breakfast – both were delicious and the staff was super friendly. Refrigerated cases line the dining area with some of the most beautiful lunch, dinner and dessert items I’ve ever seen. Next time I go back, I’ll definitely pick up one of their picnic baskets before hitting the beach.
Dinner at Father’s Office
Friday night’s culinary highlight was Father’s Office for burger, prawns and brussel sprouts. It still hurts me a little inside each time I pay $8 for a vegetable that I despised so much in my youth but, alas, I’m getting old and my tastes are changing. The burger is apparently made from ground steak – not your run of the mill mystery meat ground beef. It seems to be marinated in some sort of teriyaki like concoction. I don’t know what they put in that burger, but –damn- it was tasty. Service was weird, they are crazy busy and you have to order your entire dinner order at the bar that is 5-6 people deep. I wasn’t a huge fan of that part, but by the time I got to the front of the line and saw two delicious layers of beer taps with a cornucopia of hoppy goodness, I forgot all about the whole ordering-at-the-bar thing and just soaked it all it. With an Old Speckled Hen.
Coffee and Breakfast at Intelligentsia & Roscoe’s
Saturday was a haze of deliciousness, starting with a short Americano at Intelligentsia. The coffee was so good I bought a bag of the Honey Badger beans to take home with me, and a mug – mainly because it looked so damn cool. Saturday afternoon we cruised around Hollywood in the morning before landing in a 40 minute line at Roscoe’s for their famous Chicken and Waffles. Waiting in line was an experience in itself. It’s a breakfast spot – with a doorman/bouncer. They do not take kindly to you peeking in past the rope guarded entry way. You had best wait calmly in line until your name is called – there will be no moving up the list, there will be no coffee while you wait. If you do get bored waiting – you do seem permitted to patron the select vendors on the sidewalk outside that had a nice selection of laser carvings in glass and a variety of women’s fragrances for sale at discount prices (certainly not the type of discounts we rock on DealPop though). My dining experience is best expressed as a math equation. Here you go:
Fresh squeezed OJ + Fried Chicken + Waffles + Maple Syrup = Happy Travis
Our last breakfast at Gjelina’s
Sunday was our last day and we had an afternoon flight – just enough time for two more meals. We hit up breakfast at GJelina’s on Abbot Kinney. I did not feel hip enough to eat here at breakfast, lets put it that way. You cannot get in at night – it just isn’t possible – someone actually laughed at me about inquiring about dinner there on Saturday night. That’s okay – laugh all you want folks, breakfast is the best meal of the day. We got in on Sunday morning with no wait and I dined on Poached Eggs, Grits and some fancy bacon. Their toast is grilled, their eggs are delicious and their coffee is very nutty. Those are my notes from GJelina.
Our last meal at Mozza
Last stop before boarding the flight home was Pizzeria Mozza. They’ve managed to pull off a 4 star review on Yelp close to 1500 ratings – that is quite a feat. They have valet parking, they are on a street lined with palm trees, they having amazing pizza, they have the freshest burrata I’ve ever eaten. They deserve all four of their Yelp stars – that place is awesome. My tip? Sit at the bar/counter so you can watch the pizzaiolos make the pizzas – they do so with laser focus and have a person dedicated to just plating to make sure things look great as they arrive on your table. Toyota could learn things from their assembly line, it was that efficient. Go there. It was a great way to end the trip.
Three days in LA was perfect. We got to hit several pockets of the city without feeling burnt out. We left feeling there was much more to see and do. The weather was gorgeous, the people were nice and the food was fantastic. How can you not love LA?
Dim Sum Three Ways
On a Saturday morning, around 10 or 11, it’s often common to find a long line of people, mostly families, in front of a large Chinese restaurant. If you’re anywhere in the San Gabriel valley, chances are that the restaurant is a dim sum restaurant. The Cantonese meal of small plates has been feeding hungry families and lollygagging friends long before $8 tapas at wine bars became trendy. Even though Chinese ladies pushing steam carts goes hand in hand with dim sum, not all restaurants that feature the small plates have them.
Lunasia
500 W. Main Street, Suite A
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 308-3222
For those who would like a slightly more relaxing brunch where one doesn’t have to be constantly on the look out for the pan-fried radish cakes cart, there’s Lunasia, one of the more popular cartless dim sum restaurants. On weekends, there’s still a line to get a seat, but once seated, food is checked off of a menu and given to a waiter. There are still a handful of ladies with platters of food for customers to choose from, but the aisle is free of carts. The prices are higher than your typical cart dim sum place, but some people claim that it’s because the quality is better.
Dim Sum Express
326 North Garfield Avenue
Monterey Park, CA 91755
(626) 307-5800
Can dim sum from a stand be any good? If you’re in a rush for a dim sum fix and you don’t want to deal with standing in line for half an hour and then waiting for the right cart to come along, yes, it can be. Anyone who’s ordered tacos from a shack will feel right at home ordering food through the greasy window of Dim Sum Express. I’m not making any claims to the quality, but it certainly works in a pinch.
Capital Seafood
755 W Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91754
To me, most dim sum restaurants with carts taste the same. The deciding factor when picking from a handful of these types of restaurants is ease of parking, location, and price. The parking can be horrendous if you choose to park in the lot at Capital Seafood, but usually there’s plenty of on-street parking. The location is convenient because it’s right next to Ranch 99 and Wing Hop Fung, which means one-stop Chinese-stuff shopping. Lucky for both them and me, the food and prices are decent. For those tight on time, Capital Seafood also has a to-go section one door down that has food from the same kitchen.
No matter which place you end up for dim sum, it’s always a good idea to go with a handful of people. I find that 4-6 people is the perfect number because it makes it easy for everyone to try a little bit of everything. Even though in Los Angeles, dim sum has become a food event, traditionally, it was just a time when friends could catch up in the morning and have a snack or two. The atmosphere may not be conducive to it because of the noise and the crowds, but it’s easy to whittle away the hours sipping tea and having small bites while catching up with friends.
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Check out more foodie thoughts from our guest blogger at Naked Sushi
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It’s time to play Name That LA Taco Truck!
The first person to name the below Korea Town taco truck in the comments section will win $40 in DealPop points. Gluck!
Venice Ale House – “X” Marks the Spot for Organic and Local Food and Drink
Between the surf and the smog of Downtown LA, lies an area of land which teems with life. Surfing, skating, street markets, restaurants, bars, giant murals, fortune tellers, and the most eclectic gathering of eccentricity within a comfy 72 degrees.
Venice, CA has been a destination for tourist, both locally and from abroad, since its inception as a amusement and resort town in 1905. Last August, it was gifted yet another reason to be an “X” on any explorer’s map.
Just a sample of an incredible menu
Venice Ale House was created by owners Thomas Elliot and Spoon Singh in the spirit of a hang-out for grown-ups living, working and playing in Venice. They feature grass-fed beef, local wines and beers, a varied selection of tasty veggie-friendly dishes and their organic-centric menu is always being updated with the season. Decked out skateboard art inside the ale house and Earth-friendly powered gas lamps to keep you warm after the sun sets on their patio, you can’t go wrong wherever you choose to sit.
Spoon and Tom, Chef Emilio, and GM Lindsay are just some of the fine folks of the Venice Ale House who pour their hearts and souls into this ocean-side gem and create a hallmark of the love of food, drink and the beach. Check out their full menu here, but don’t be afraid to just stop in and trust the good people who run the joint to show you a good time. (And be sure to get the salmon tacos—they’re huge, taste amazing, and include some darn good mango salsa.)
Venice Ale House was my must go to destination on the Westside over the Fall, but where is your “X” marked in Los Angeles?
Nawab of India- The Taj Majal of Santa Monica
Every time I go to Santa Monica, I always find myself eating at one place in particular, Nawab of India. As an Asian-Indian the one thing that I am really picky about is Indian food, but I have to say there isn’t better Indian food in Santa Monica than Nawab.
Here’s why:
Service
Right when you walk in, you get great service. The people are really friendly and they do everything they can to make your experience great. Right when I walked in, I was greeted and seated down. But the difference between Nawab and eating at other restaurants is that in many cases they even go as far as pulling out you chair for you, which is rare at Indian restaurants.
Food
Indian food is notoriously known for being unhealthy. Yes there are a ton of vegetables and lean meat, but it’s typically fried, cooked with a ton of oil, or mixed with fatty creams and sauces.
At Nawab they can make your food a bit healthier for you if you request it. For example with the chicken tikka masala, I usually ask them to cook it with less cream, which they gladly do.
The big plus about Nawab is that they also try to be somewhat healthy even if you don’t ask them. For example, their samosas are cooked with wheat tortilla instead of flour tortilla.
Location
Depending where you live and work in Santa Monica, you can actually walk to the restaurant, which is a huge plus because parking isn’t cheap in city. If you end up driving like I do, luckily they have a free parking lot behind the restaurant. It’s small so make sure you arrive a bit early as the lot gets filled quickly. And if it is after 6pm, you can park on the street for free.
Conclusion
If you are located in Santa Monica or going to be in the area, make sure you stop by Nawab of India. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Bon appétit!
DealPop + LA: A Perfect Match (and a free iPad!)
Today we’re excited to announce the official launch of DealPop Los Angeles, which will feature daily deals that offer fantastic savings of up to 70 percent off of the best places to eat, drink, and have fun in the LA area. The Los Angeles site kicks off with deals from Seventeenth Street Café and Bakery in Santa Monica ($7 for $15 worth of baked goods) and Umami Burger at Fred Segal ($5 for an $11 hamburger).
Next week, Deal Pop will run a Just Get Movin’ week with deals from Yogi’s Anonymous in Santa Monica ($7 for a $14 yoga class), Westside Adventure Camp ($15 for $60 worth of three boot camp classes) and Naomi Tango Studio ($7 for $15 worth of Tango group classes).
DealPop launches in LA with Seventeenth St. Cafe & Bakery in Santa Monica
In case you haven’t been reading up or following what we’ve been busy with here in Seattle, we’ve created a point system that allows you to earn points on future purchases when you share a deal with someone via Facebook, Twitter and/or email who then signs up and purchases that deal. The best part is, there is no limit on the number of DealPop Points that you can earn. DealPop members can also earn $5 when their friends make their first purchase.
“We’re excited to launch with some great deals in LA and look forward to helping people discover new places like an Abbott Kinney wine bar, an improv in Westwood, a Westside exercise boot camp, or a place to grab lunch after hitting the Farmer’s Market on Main Street,” said Kevin Nakao, chief operating officer at WhitePages. “Social buying with DealPop is a whole new way for people to try these places without having to pay full price, a combination that consumers won’t want to pass up.” 
Angelenos can sign up for DealPop at www.dealpop.com and can visit DealPop LA’s Facebook page or Twitter account to provide suggestions of where they’d love to get a deal. For the LA launch, DealPop is running a sweepstakes offering a free iPad to the first member to compile 1000 DealPop points. To be considered, all people have to do is invite 20 friends who then make a purchase.*
We’re excited for the upcoming deals in the greater LA area and know you will be, too!
*The iPad contest is over – the winner will be revealed soon!
