When I think “Bollywood” I think fabulous colors and huge musical productions. So I was really disappointed when I walked into Nirvana for its “Bollywood Nights” happy hour to find a low-lit zen sanctuary. There was no one else in the place except me, my friend and the Nirvana staff. It was a beautiful setting, just not what it was billed to be which was “Bollywood.”
There were canopied seating areas where I guess you lie down among the pillows or sit awkwardly around its center table. The decor highlights were the big Buddha head near a koi pond and the stone bar. On the TVs throughout, there were the Bollywood music videos as promised except they were muted to allow for the tranquil wind chime music to play on the sound system. Aww, come on! I almost fell asleep at a happy hour.
As for the $5 specialty cocktails, I ordered their vanilla vodka and chocolate concoction, which would have been fine had they made it stronger since it ended up tasting like a watery vanilla shake laced with something…vodka, I think. For tapas, we just ordered the calamari and a dish called reshmi kebab–crispy ground chicken stuffed with chili and I forget what else. Suffice it to say, it was surprisingly bland for “Indian” food. My friend observed that it just seemed like it was an Indian theme restaurant as opposed to the real deal.
Very disappointed in this happy hour. Don’t bill something as “Bollywood” or even “Indian” when you can’t deliver on the intense colors, sounds and tastes.
8689 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, California 90211
(310) 657-5040
Cross Street: Robertson Blvd.
Happy “naptime” hour: Mon-Fri 6-8pm
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What: “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin
Who: Two very randy consenting adults.
When: After a night of drinking when you’re feeling all revved up.
Where: Since it grossed out my brother when I specifically named places around L.A., I’ll just say, “Anywhere–bedroom, dark alley, backseat of a ’69 Chevy Chevelle SS.”
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Why: That guitar is raunchy! The song just sounds like the urgency of clothes coming off…and the after effects of that. Oh, and check out Robert Plant’s vocal stylings if you need some, um, inspiration.
Twas after a concert at the Wiltern and my friend and I were still revved up to go out. I honestly couldn’t think of anywhere I wanted to go between the Wiltern and West L.A., but then I remembered the HMS Bounty. I had gone years before when I still worked at a bookstore and hung out with an artsy Silver Lake crowd who liked to smoke, and I had good memories of it. Plus, it was just down the street from the Wiltern. “It’s low-key, with a mix of old barflies and young hipsters from K-town,” I told my friend to sell her on the idea.
Since it was an off night, it wasn’t too hard to find street parking nearby or a booth in the bar. The waitress wasn’t too friendly but I usually expect gruff service in dive bars. It comes with the territory: strong drinks, thick cigarette smoke and gruff, gravelly-voiced waitresses.
As it was a Monday night, there weren’t many people in the bar so it was nice and relaxing. We just snacked on the free pretzels, watched a car chase on the news with the other bar patrons and traded philosophies on life and love.
Open since 1937 and located in the historic Gaylord Apartments building across from the old Ambassador Hotel, the Bounty has always been a great place to just chill with your cheap cocktail, especially if you want to wind down after the Wiltern.
From LA.com:
The cheesy British nautical feel and killer jukebox (Sinatra, The Mills Brothers, Peggy Lee) consistently gets the dark and clubby Bounty ranked among the best bars in the city. Get there a little early and slide into one of the pleather booths for a famous baseball steak and some sauteed sand dabs (trust us). Burgers and Caesar salads are also quite good. The back room can be rented out for parties.
3357 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90010
(213) 385-7275
Cross Street: Vermont Ave.
Do malls during the holidays scare you? The following online stores are ones I keep at my fingertips just in case I need ideas for gifts that are cheap, fun, uncommon and even “thoughtful” since many of the sites even categorize the giftee: him, her, kid, host, party girl, etc. for your convenience. If you order now, you still have plenty of time to get it wrapped, packed and shipped to your lucky loved ones.
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Raindogs: A People Store
I love these BYOBags. They’re all made of machine-washable neoprene and insulate your goods. They have it for wine, two wine bottles, a six-pack and this lovely lunch bag ($19.99). It has two compartments to hold your food and a drink, even opening up to form a placemat.
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Uncommon Goods
The Sunset Wine Tote ($30) is perfect for those Hollywood Bowl nights as it comes with napkins, wine glasses, a reusable cork, a waiter’s tool with corkscrew and an insulated compartment to keep your wine at the correct temperature. Or for the cook who’s short on kitchen space, there’s this nifty magnetic Eat Well Speed Rack ($30) for their favorite spices.
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CitySearch listed its roundup for the best Santas in the city and it included Beverly Center’s “Hunky Santa,” the Santa who clocks in after 7pm when the kiddies have gone beddie-bye. And you’d think, “Beverly Center” and “West Hollywood,” this has got to be one hunky Santa since there certainly isn’t a shortage of “hunks” in the area. At least that’s what my friends and I thought.
So last year we thought it would be fun to get portraits done with the Hunky Santa for our Christmas cards. Sadly, when we got there, the Santa wasn’t so much a hunk as he was…a himbo. Well, that’s not a fair thing to say. Um, he looked like a New Jersey fireman. Better? What made it worse was that there wasn’t a line of giggly girls or gays for him…and I seriously considered getting the portrait done anyway cuz I felt bad since he seemed so friendly as he smiled and waved to all the passers-by who fled before him. So that holiday portrait idea was a bust.
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But this year, checking out the Beverly Center site, there’s a special “Hunky Santa” section complete with pictures of this year’s winner. Sayyyyyy! He IS a cutie! Hmm, I might have to give the portrait idea another go… “Oh, Santa Baby!”
If you want a different kind of Christmas portrait, forget about the jolly old man schtick and check out the pretty Kris Kringle at the Bev Center (located near the Snow Globes on Level 6) Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings thru December 23. Click here for Hunky Santa’s schedule.
8500 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90048
(310) 854-0070
Cross Street: West Third Street
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A great way to have your work displayed at LACMA.
Like building sand castles before the tide comes in, the LACMA Chalk-In presents you with an urban version: chalk-in your pastel “Birth of Venus” on the roof of a parking lot that’s scheduled to be demolished in days, with your community as well as artists Eder Cetina and Kajiah Jacobs while listening to the musical stylings of Appogee, DJ Paul Wehby, Electro Tec Services, and Henry Strange.
They provide the chalk, you provide the creativity. So bring some friends and a solid idea of what you want to leave the parking lot with before it departs the city landscape.
When: Sunday, November 27th from 11am – 5pm
Where: The parking structure on Ogden Drive between 6th St. and Wilshire Blvd. The Chalk-In will be on the top level; park on the middle and bottom levels.
For more information, call the Education Department at (323) 857-6512.
FREE to all, for all ages.
I’m so excited about this movie. At first I was turned off by its blockbuster proportions but then I remembered the King Kong of 1933 (totally forgot about the horrible 1976 Kong) and how it became the stuff of my childhood nightmares: the battle between King Kong and the T. Rex, King Kong vs. the giant snake, King Kong relentlessly attacked by those damn little biplanes.
And watching the trailer, I was taken in by Naomi Watts’ awesome scream. She’s obviously casted as the “beauty who killed the beast.” Jack Black as the filmmaker who will make his movie at whatever the cost was intriguing casting as well. Not so sure about Adrian Brody…but then again I never liked that character in the movie.
Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson’s reworking of the classic 1933 film opens Wednesday, December 14. Tickets will be available through opening weekend beginning this afternoon (11/23/05). The Web site just doesn’t say what time this afternoon so keep checking, I guess.
