Trying something new here where I blog when I’m out and about since I have a WP app on my iPhone. Woo hoo!
Having brunch this Sunday morning at Jack n Jill’s Too and spotted their happy hour sign:
$5 baby back ribs, pulled pork sliders, bowl of gumbo, sweet potato melts and $3 Heineken, Newcastle, Anchor Steam
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 5 to 7pm
8738 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 858-4900
Dancer on fyah!
It was a hot, sticky night in Havana. Men in suits were lounging in the new happening bar, trying to cool off with chilly mojitos and Cuba Libres. Their ladies all dolled up in clingy dresses shimmied to the thrum of the Conga music blaring through the speakers in the main room. Meanwhile a burlesque dancer, all fishnetted legs and flying hair, gyrated her way through the crowd while her bodyguard kept careful watch from the sidelines.
The hostess and Pablo
I took in the vibrant scene while nursing my daquiri, my bf’s arm draped around me as we cozied up on a loveseat opposite the bar. We had a prime spot for people-watching. But suddenly a line of people came trudging down the narrow spiral staircase, bundled up in raincoats and scarves, shaking the rain from their hair. And I realized I was not in Havana anymore.
It was actually a drizzly night in Los Angeles; Koreatown, to be specific. And the new rum bar, La Descarga, had just opened its doors earlier in the week much to the delight of cocktail enthusiasts, L.A. nightlifers and bloggers. Here is something new and different from the speakeasies that have populated the city the past few years.
Lots going on this weekend. And no I’m not talking football. I’m talking good-hearted bloggers, speed dating with derby girls and oh, football.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Maker’s Mark $4 Happy Hour at Checkers Downtown
I’m so bummed I have to miss this. Of course this would be on the same day as my boozy tweetup. In any case, enjoy this awesome-sounding happy hour with $4 Maker’s Mark drinks like the Maker’s Peach Cobbler with Dubonnet Red, peach puree and cinnamon and the Ginger Rogers (not the gin one) with mango nectar, lime juice and ginger beer. OMG and my fave: a Maker’s Manhattan. All for only $4 each from 4 to 8pm! There will also be $4 plates, i.e. grilled Monte Cristo sandwich and yellowtail and mango sashimi.
Friday, February 5
Bid and Eat for Haiti: Online Foodie Auction
Food blogger Fiona aka Gourmet Pigs is launching a fab online auction where peeps can bid on foodie faves like an autographed copy of Chef Ludo’s Crave, a home brewing kit from Intelligentsia and a slew of gift cards from popular restaurants around town. The best part is that all proceeds will go to benefit CHF International and Operation USA for their Haiti relief efforts. Happy bidding!
Date a Derby Dame
Are you the bravest man alive? Well, then you should have no trouble trying your best pickup lines during this speed dating event with…wait for it…OC Roller Girls. Yup, you only have 5 minutes so better make it good. At the end of the night, they’ll put together all the mutual matches. Good luck. You’ll need it.
Saturday, February 6
Belmont Shore’s 6th Annual Chocolate Festival
Enjoy chocolate in all its glorious forms at this festival. Belmont Shore participants include Frosted Cupcakery, La Creperie and BJ’s Pizza (?) to name but a few. If you’re still cuckoo for cocoa, participate in the chocolate cream pie eating contest 3-4pm.
Haitians Libations at Vertical Wine Bistro
Aww, more bloggers doing good for Haitian relief. It’s Fiona again but this time with bloggers RumDood and Mattatouille. They’ve created an exclusive cocktail menu and will be serving up the libations at Vertical Wine Bistro from 10pm to close. They’ve got impeccable taste so the drinks are sure to be awesome. 50% of all profits will benefit Artists for Peace and Justice, a non-profit that delivers supplies to Haiti.
Sunday, February 7
For Super Bowl Happenings, I defer to estarLA for her extensive roundup.
Ten HUT! Drinkers! The Drunken Army is taking new recruits this Thursday. Only serious drinkers need apply because we’ll weed out the lily-livered with some good ol’ whiskey drinking at Bar Food in Brentwood. No mixers here as the bar is armed with only a whiskey list.
What’s the Drunken Army, you ask? Eyes forward, Soldier!
Straight from our elusive Commander in Chief’s…fingers:
The Drunken Army is an elite team of drinkers dedicated to the time-honored tradition of imbibing quality spirits and celebrating (in style) those who mix them. It’s a lobby, it’s a lifestyle, and it’s going to get messy.
To citizens: Basically this is a Tweetup for those interested in joining this online and virtual society of elite drinkers which is made up of bartenders, drink writers/bloggers and drinking enthusiasts.
More details are forthcoming but you can join the Facebook fan page and follow @theDrunkenArmy Twitter for boozy news, info and happenings. To sign up and be considered for a rank, click here.
I love the smell of whiskey in the morning! Heh.
If anything, come out and join me, Colonel on Crack, and General Thirsty in LA for some whiskey. Yum! Unfortunately this isn’t a hosted bar but whiskies here range in price from $7 to $12. The whiskey list is still growing (currently has about 25) but Jason of Bar Food hopes to make it extensive and competitive with some of the better-known whiskey bars in town. Let’s see if he’s on the right track.
By the way, if you arrive hungry for the tweetup, Bar Food has an all-night happy hour menu with a $6 bar burger, chicken pesto or calamari.
EVENT: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4 at 8pm
Bar Food
12217 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90025 (map)
(310) 820-3274
Delphine's pistachio brownie with hot chocolate and marshmallows
Oh, Delphine. I was swayed by your W swank ways, charmed by your French name and drawn in by all that online hype via LA Times‘ Daily Dish, UrbanDaddy and LA Weekly‘s Squid Ink announcing your debut. But despite your gorgeous space and intriguing cocktail menu, I discovered after an impromptu rendezvous last night…that you actually aren’t all that.
Yup, blogger H.C. of LA-OC Foodventures and I swung by the new barestaurant located in the brand-new W Hollywood. After a very educational sake tasting at Kabuki Hollywood (more on that later), we were in the mood for some dessert and cocktails.
On a Monday night the bar area was empty-ish with a couple of patrons taking up some bar stools. The restaurant located further toward the back, however, was a-buzzing. But we cozied up to the gorgeous marble bar and admired the French cafe style setup of the seated area behind us. A quick study of the cocktail menu revealed unusual concoctions for prices ranging from $9 to $14.
Library Bar's cocktail, Cupid's Bubble Bath
Valentine’s Day? Phooey! A sane person can only stand so much pink hearts, flying babies and PDA, unless it’s in the form of a cocktail dedicated to the holiday, that is. The following are the lusty libations that will be featured at various bars and restaurants around L.A. this coming V Day weekend. Toast a loved one or your crew of single pals.
Matt Biancaniello of the Hollywood Roosevelt’s Library Bar is a big ol’ softie. The star of his Valentine cocktail menu, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, will only be available on V Day Sunday. Why? Because he wants it to be special. The rest of the roster, on the other hand, can be ordered the whole weekend. Each cocktail is $15.
