This past Wednesday, I checked out the Edison’s new weekly event, Incandescence Wednesdays. Vaudeville circus/dance troupe Lucent Dossier was performing from the rafters, the stage and even from the floor among the audience. I usually don’t do nightclubs, where I’m sure this sorta thing happens a lot, so to see a spectacle like this at a downtown bar was quite a treat.

There was this scantily clad lady twirling from curtains hanging down from the ceiling. She could hold herself up with just her ankles! A sword dancer shimmied on stage alongside vaudevillian clowns. And circus-costumed folk pushed through the audience, claiming, “‘Scuse me, I need to catch my train” as they made their way toward the stage.

To enhance the surrealism of the night, there was a specialty cocktail list with libations made with absinthe. But they smartly masked that licorice taste that so many people (me) don’t like.

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As you well know by now, Father’s Office II — aka Father’s Office v2.0 or FO2 — in Los Angeles/Culver City opened last week and everyone’s super excited about the 70+ beers on tap, that Office burger and sweet potato fries, and the huuuge 80-foot-long bar — that’s all fabulous, but what about that cocktail list? It’s so smart of FO 2 to offer the hard stuff for those of us who need something stronger than beer or wine to make a bad day go away…fast.

And, I love that they serve all the major hard stuff except for vodka. Sure, I appreciate the occasional vodka bar (read: Bar Lubitsch). But I also find that vodka seems to have turned into the lazy mixologist’s base liquor of choice, especially with all the different types of flavored vodkas coming out of the woodwork nowadays.

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I’m sooo behind. Blame it on age, my incurable laziness, or the sprawl — so many bars I have yet to check out and I’m not only talking about the new ones. Yeah, slacker. Anyway, here’s my new list. If you’ve got some suggestions of your own, shout ‘em out please!

Beso: Ya, I know. When I heard Eva Longoria was co-owner of this new WeHo restaurant, I was unimpressed. Another celebrity-owned restaurant? Puh-leez! But then I heard they’ve got a muy impressivo cocktail menu created by Beso co-owner/culinary celebrity Todd English and Alex Straus, student of mixologist Sasha Petraske (owner of NY’s well-known cocktail bar Milk and Honey). Oh my lorrd! Let me at it. My strategy is to go on a weekday night, preferably at the start of the week, in order to avoid the crowds of look-at-mes.

Bond Street Beverly Hills: OK, there’s probably no way in hell I can afford this place but when I read about it I was almost willing to take out a loan just to try out the libations on the cocktail list of the swank upstairs lounge. One Yelper described the list as “more impressive than the [food?] menu and offered some interesting and delicious specialty cocktails. There were quite a few combinations with different fruit juices such as grape juice or pear juice.” Maybe one day, when I’m feeling fancy…and I sign a huge book deal I’ll give it a shot.

Comme Ca: Nope, still haven’t returned to try out their cocktail list. Was put off by my first experience there last year when I was practically run over by some up-and-comer who wanted to beat me to an empty barstool. Biatch! Anyway, I was told that it’s best to go on Wednesday and that I can even call ahead for a seat at the bar. I think I’ll skip the specialty cocktails and go straight for the Dealer’s Choice, when the bartender creates a custom cocktail to suit your taste.

Father’s Office II: I’ve sworn off the Santa Monica FO location for its ridiculous lines and every-man-for-himself seating arrangement no matter how many times I’ve craved its cheeseburgers and fries. Fortunately the Culver City FO is bigger! Hopefully that’ll make it easier for me to actually enjoy a fancy beer with some friends instead of being squished up against the wall and fighting bad acoustics to have a conversation. FO II has 72 beers and a wine list and I heard that in terms of hard liquor, they’ll only serve the good stuff.

The Hall at the Palihouse: Enjoy a cocktail at the lobby of this newish extended-stay hotel in West Hollywood. Apparently they mix the drinks for you at your table/seat in the lounge. And the cocktail menu even includes the drink recipes. So nice! Some of the cocktails listed are “a margarita made with grilled-grapefruit juice, a ginger-cognac lemonade, and a cucumber-lime-vodka-wine combo that sounds delicious…” (from Metromix)

Medusa Restaurant and Lounge: Not crazy about the name but at least its happy hour (Tuesday through Sunday 5-8pm) sounds cool: $4 draft beer, $4 well drinks, $6 martinis and half off lounge menu. Their cocktail list is flavored-vodka heavy but there might be some gems in there. For instance, the Peargasm with Grey Goose La Poire, amaretto, simple syrup and sweet and sour.

Verdugo Bar: When all my email subscriptions seem to unite to promote one new bar, it’s like the stars aligning and the universe saying that I need to pay attention. Such was the case with Glassell Park’s Verdugo Bar. No specialty cocktail menu to be seen but apparently there are lots and lots of beer…beers from all around the world. Only problem is that the hours seem to only be from Thursday through Saturday 8pm-2am meaning I only have Thursday to check it out since I hate barhopping on weekend nights.

If you’re not going to the Long Beach Grand Prix (fun!) or the Grilled Cheese Invitational (yum!) this weekend, maybe a pole dancing demo, mixology class or a comedy show where your iPod is the joke will tickle your fancy.

Friday, April 18

SusieCakes Celebrates National Animal Crackers Day
Remember animal crackers? I used to love carrying those animal crackers boxes around like a little purse when I was a kid…OK, I was 27. SusieCakes will be selling its own frosted version of the animal cookies and will donate 50% of all proceeds made on cookie sales to the Humane Society of the United States.

• SusieCakes Brentwood, 11708 San Vicente Boulevard, Brentwood (map) (310) 442-CAKE and SusieCakes Calabasas, 23653 Calabasas Road, Calabasas (818) 591-2223 (map).

For Girls Only: Buy a Book, Get a Free Pole Dancing S Factor Lesson
Megan Crane’s booksigning for her book Names My Sisters Call Me ain’t your typical book event. This one has pole dance demos. Sorry, guys, women only. And, girls, when you buy a copy of Megan’s book, you get a free intro S Factor session (normally $40)! There will also be food and refreshments. Also, first 10 people get a free autographed book and the S Factor T-shirt. RSVP at labookclub [at] sfactor.com.

• 6:30pm. Free. S Factor LA Studio, 5225 Wilshire Boulevard #22, Mid-Wilshire (map). (323) 965-9685.

Mixology 101 at the Wine House
Sick of not getting a heavy enough pour on the cocktails you order? Do it your own damn self at Wine House’s mixology class. Get schooled in pre-Prohibition cocktails and vintage libations. But word to the wise: bring a designated driver. Trust me.

• 7:30pm. $55. The Wine House, 2311 Cotner Avenue, West L.A. (map) For reservations, call (310) 479-3731 ext. 0.

Soundtrack: Is Your iPod Hilarious?
This Upright Citizen Brigade show takes the popular “Bring Your Own iPod” nights to a whole other level. Why share your extensive Celine Dion collection with just a bar full of people? Go for it with a whole theater. Bring your CDs, iPods and MP3 players and watch/listen for the hilarity to ensue. Comedy folks from The Office, Superbad and Mad TV, to name a few, will be on hand to make fun of your musical tastes.

• 10pm. $8. UCB Theatre, 5919 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles (map). (323) 908-8702.

Saturday, April 19

Tamales and Wine Tasting at Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe
At this speecy spicy event, Latin-American wines are paired with Mama’s famous hand-made tamales. Mmmm, tamales. Enjoy the different flavors from several Latin American countries.

• 6-9pm. $20/person or $30/couple. Mama’s Hot Tamales, 2122 W. 7th St., Los Angeles (map). (213) 487-7474.

Whole Life Times’ LA Green Drinks Earth Night
The perfect way to celebrate Earth Day early: green drinks on a roof top on a hopefully warm evening. Whole Life Times presents an Earth Night rendition of the popular weekly LA Green Drinks. Enjoy organic wine, beer and food. Green LA Girl, Siel, will hold an environmentally focused Q&A followed by Green LA director Jonathon Parfrey and other speakers. Acoustic music and then DJ’d tunes round up the evening. Earth Night proceeds go to Green L.A. and your choice of environmental groups that you select at the door. RSVP at lagreendrinks [at] gmail.com.

• 7pm-12am. $10 suggested donation. Whole Life Times, 1200 South Hope Street, Suite 300, Downtown (map).

My new favorite bar? The Griffin in Atwater Village. Friendly staff (even the bouncer chatted with me and smiled nonetheless), great drinks, lots of seating areas, a jukebox! and tater tots. If you need more than that, read this:

I went there last night to catch up with a friend who lives in the Los Feliz area. She had recommended this bar down the street from the Bigfoot Lodge that had a huuuge neon sign. Later I came to discover that the sign belonged to the Griffin, a bar that opened up last year that I had kept meaning to check out but never got around to. Suffice it to say, I was delighted to go.

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I meant to try the mint julep and the pineapple upside down cake cocktail at Santa Monica’s newest happy hour hot spot, South, but on this sultry late afternoon I wanted something simpler and not too sweet so I ordered meself the ‘Bama Boilermaker ($10).

Having never partied hardy with frat boys before, I had never heard of a boilermaker. And after this one, I wondered what took me so long. Dropping a shot of bourbon in a cold glass of beer? Genius! And tasty! Yes, it’s not really a creative cocktail compared to past libations I’ve had but South put it on its menu so it counts. And it really hit the spot on a hot day and was soo easy to drink quickly. Dangerous.

FYI, the bar uses Jim Beam but you can specify a different bourbon if you want (price might change though).

Word to clean freaks, like me, the drink tastes just as good without your having to drop the whole shot glass in. The server had set the glass down on our table and I just didn’t feel like putting that in my pint of beer. So I poured the shot in the beer and it tasted just fine. Not as dramatic but still got the job done.

As for a more detailed review of the place, I’ve decided to withhold judgment until it got its bearings. (The day I went they were a bit short staffed so service was slowww.) Maybe I’ll peek in again in a month or so.

I will say, though, that if you want to be able to score a place to sit and enjoy your meal, get there before 5:30pm. If you want a fairly quiet place to enjoy conversation with your food, grab a table out on the patio where there don’t seem to be any speakers, therefore no loud music.

More pictures of happy hour at South.

South
3001 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90403 (map)
(310) 428-4667

Photo from South’s site

After many false starts in March, Southern-inspired bar/restaurant South in Santa Monica will open its doors tonight. I know, I know, their Web site says their grand opening is Thursday at 5pm but I got confirmation from Adam, one of the owners, and he says fer real their doors will open tonight at 9pm.

From Eater LA:

Inside will have black-and-white photos of of B.B. King, Elvis, Bourbon Street and Beale Street; outside, a new patio. Sounds like the boys are growing up and ready to leave the frat boy scene behind–to a degree.

Hopefully this will be the decent and not-too-fratty happy hour venue in SaMo that I’m looking for. Never mind that the owners were former bartenders at Q’s and Barney’s Beanery.

After several weeks of planning to do a happy hour there only to have to postpone it again and again, I’m more amped than ever to check this place out. According to their Web site they have a FIVE-hour happy hour. That’s right, from 3pm to 8pm. The happy hour drink specials include $3 draft beer, $4 well drinks, $10 pitchers of beer and $20 buckets of beer. Select appetizers are half off.

Great prices considering they have 12 different beers on tap, including the good stuff — Fat Tire, Stella and Guinness. Bottled beer includes things I’ve never heard of before like Dixie Lager, Dixie Jazz and Abita Purple Haze in addition to the standards.

But for me, it’s all about the cocktails and just my luck they don’t fall under any of the happy hour specials. But ranging in price from the $5 Southern Comfort Lime to the $9 Lynchberg Lemonade to the $40 World Famous Voodoo Brew (a cocktail served in a fish bowl that you can share with your friends or keep to yourself, you alchie), you’ll surely be able to find something to suit your budget and/or your craving. For some reason I find the Pineapple Upside Down Cake cocktail ($11) and the ‘Bama Boilermaker ($10), a shot of bourbon dropped into a glass of beer, intriguing.

The food menu is kinda scary to me simply because when I think of down home cooking I think fried and fattening. Their online menu tells of deep-fried pickles and Canal Street Jambalaya but I’m just excited to see that they have a little something special called the Elvis on their menu. You know what I’m talking about; fried peanut butter and banana sandwich on white bread, just like Elvis used to live on. Yum! Wait, why are you turning green?

Anyway, Crazy Andy and I are going to drop by on Friday after work at 6pm if any of you crackheads want to join us!

EVENT: OPENS TODAY at 9pm

South
3001 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90403 (map)
(310) 428-4667

Flickr Shot by alossix

Wanna judge a cocktail competition? After my experience at Bar Lubitsch, I highly recommend it. You’ll get your chance this weekend at the grand opening of downtown’s new 3,100-square-foot restaurant/lounge, Tranquility Base.

There will be three days of events but the one I really care about is the cocktail party on Saturday night where guests will participate in a complimentary cocktail tasting and then vote for their favorite one, which will then become a featured drink at TB. Some of the liquor sponsors of the cocktail soiree include St-Germain, Finlandia Vodka and Mod Mix.

Anyone can come and the event is free, just RSVP first at RSVP [at] tranquilityla.com.

From the press release:

Located on the ground level of the Sky Lofts at 8th Street and Grand Avenue in the Financial District of downtown Los Angeles, Tranquility Base is one of the only restaurants on the West Coast to change its menu, interior and exterior décor based on the quarterly seasons.

Sounds fun. Come down and find me on the huge 1,400-square-foot patio. Apparently there’s a really cool fire pit and great view.

If you’re interested in the other TB grand opening events, Thursday morning at 11am is the ribbon-cutting ceremony and on Sunday is the brunch from 10am-3pm, created by chef Robert van Houten, formerly of the Friar’s Club of Beverly Hills.

EVENT: SATURDAY, APRIL 12 from 7 to 10pm

Tranquility Base Restaurant & Lounge
801 S. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90017 (map)
(213) 404-5888

Lots of fun stuff this weekend! The Brewery Art Walk, free cocktails and know-how by a Doheny barman, and grooving on the steps of City Hall. Oh, and yet another huge-ass sale. I guess I know where my bonus check is going.

Friday, April 4

Bar Keeper’s 2nd Anniversary Party
The Silver Lake vintage bar supply store celebrates its second year with Doheny’s own mixologist Marcos Tello teaching cocktail fans how to make his tequila specialty, the Medicina Latina cocktail with ginger and Mescal. Enjoy this free class with free drinks and toast to another year of sipping stylishly.

• 7:30-11:30pm. Free. The Barkeeper, 3910 W Sunset Boulevard, Silver Lake (map). (323) 669-1675.

Saturday, April 5

Brewery Art Walk
What better way to spend a beautiful weekend than strolling an art walk at an artists’ colony? You can check out art at 300 studios, purchase one-of-a-kind creations, chat with the artists themselves and of course enjoy lunch at Barbara’s. I’m going to hit this on Saturday with Crazy Andy and Shelley. Fun! Remember to stop by Hipcook Monika’s space where you can browse cookware AND fashion and jewelry.

• Saturday and Sunday, 11am-6pm. The Brewery, 2100 North Main Street, Downtown (map).

The Warehouse Sale
Everyone has been emailing me this sale — friends, co-workers, readers. OK, I get it. There’s going to be a two-day premium denim sale at the LA Convention Center this weekend. Well, Saturday is the “VIP” day ($10 through Goldstar) and Sunday is the general public day where you can get in for $5 or for free with an RSVP. Shop 20,000 square feet of sales where you’ll find premium denim, tops, pants, etc. for men and women for up to 80% off.

• Saturday and Sunday, 10am-4pm. Free-$10 (through Goldstar). Los Angeles Convention Center, Petree Hall, 1201 S. Figueroa Street, Downtown (map).

Groove Armada with KCRW’s Jason Bentley at City Hall
Party down at City Hall with British sensation Groove Armada and KCRW’s Jason Bentley. Our city hall is also a live music venue, THAT’s how cool our city is.

• 6pm. $36.50. City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street (1st and Main Sts.), Downtown (map). (310) 450-5183.

Sunday, April 6

The Final Disneyland Tour of Downtown Los Angeles
This is the first time I’ve heard of this tour and unfortunately it’s the last day for it as well. This guy Charles Phoenix turns downtown L.A. into the happiest place on earth with his special six-hour bus and walking tour. Frontierland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland and even the Haunted Mansion are all there. You just have to know where to look and Mr. Phoenix will show you.

• 12-6pm. $75 (includes snacks, souvenirs, fares and fees. Lunch at Clifton’s Cafeteria. Meet in front of Union Station, 800 N. Alameda Street, Downtown.

Last night I was charged with a very important task: Choose the newest cocktail to go up on Bar Lubitsch’s cocktail menu board. Ah me. Alchemia Vodka had asked the bartenders at the Old-Russia themed bar in WeHo to create a cocktail worthy of being BL’s new drink. And it had to include one of Alchemia’s flavor-infused vodkas — Wild Cherry, Chocolate and Ginger. I was one of five judges on the tasting panel. My cocktail compadres were Crazy Andy of LAist, Bob the marketing guy…and, um, two other marketing guys whose names I forgot. I feel terrible! But one was from Vegas.

Anyway, I had invited some of my friends to “watch me do my thing” with the promise that they would get the winning cocktail for free after the contest was over. But as it turned out they got to drink all the cocktails that the judges didn’t finish, which was basically all nine times four (I think Andy finished his drinks). I only sipped the cocktails to get a taste of them but even then, at the end of the night, I had a nice little buzz going.

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The boys at Seven Grand have been promising me a new cocktail menu forever so finally I dropped by the downtown whiskey bar to see what was the hold up. It’s now spring, time for those winter cocktail drinks to go!

I grabbed a bar stool on Damian’s side of the bar and he immediately set to work. But then bartender John jumped in as well. They were going to make me cocktails that would have been on the new cocktail list…if there was going to be one. Turns out there might not be one after all. Or not just yet anyway. I guess Cedd wants winter to stay longer or something.

But the following six drinks are brand-spanking-new and are the creations of not just Damian but John and I even was able to get one from Christine, the only female bartender at 7G whose skills the guys vouch for. There were a couple that I wasn’t too crazy about but three that hit the spot.

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I’m a sucker for a specialty cocktail list, especially a cocktail list that has 35 drinks. My friend Nancy told me about NeoMeze’s cocktail menu and I had to check it out. Sure, this Mediterranean restaurant/lounge is way the hell across town from me in Pasadena but I couldn’t resist.

At first glance, it looks like there are a lot of girly drinks on the menu what with the use of juices, creamy liqueurs and flavored vodkas but there were also a few “man” drinks keeping them company. Serious drinks that were simple but sounded tasty. So it was for those drinks that I slogged through an hour and a half of crosstown traffic.

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Yayyy! The L.A. Marathon is FINALLY over! After six months of having to go to bed early on Friday nights without a cocktail because of those long Saturday morning training runs, this Friday marathoners everywhere finally get to stay up late and drink to their heart’s content! And what better place to do that than at my fave bar…let’s say it all together…Seven Grand. I hope you can join me for some post-marathon celebratory cocktails. I ran 26.2 miles and survived. I know it’s last minute but I wanna celebrate! Let’s drink cuz we now can with abandon.

If you ran the marathon, too, bring your medal! ::cough, cough:: doesn’t necessarily have to be this year’s::cough, cough:: Not only will you be able to show it off but you get $4 Maker’s Mark drink specials!

For those who ran the marathon and don’t know where Seven Grand is, it’s located down the street from where the 26th mile marker was.

EVENT: FRIDAY, MARCH 7 at 8pm

Seven Grand
515 W 7th Street, 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, California 90014 (map)
(213) 817-5321

Want your date to pucker up? Take her to the Hungry Cat in Hollywood, well-known for its innovative and freshly juiced cocktails, and order her up a Sourpuss ($12).

I had tried one on the recommendation of the bartender. She swore that despite its ingredients of 1792 Bourbon, fresh orange juice and lemon with caramelized simple syrup that it was far from tart. I don’t like tart, ya see. According to the bartender, the caramelized simple syrup takes the edge off all that citrus.

But when I took my first sip of the freshly squeezed cocktail I couldn’t help but scrunch up my face and suck in some air. It was sorta like sipping fresh but unsweetened lemonade. And I couldn’t really taste the bourbon as it was overpowered by the lemons. But if you like all things sour, the Sourpuss may be up your alley.

Oh well, one down, seven drinks to go. The Hungry Cat’s cocktail selection features four ever-changing seasonal cocktails and four “classic cats” which tend to stick around the menu longer. Sourpuss belongs in the latter category. Meh.

That seasonal Mad Apple Fizz ($12) sounds good though — Laird’s Applejack, Rainwater Madeira, lemon, egg white and a splash of soda. Fun!

The Hungry Cat’s 3rd Anniversary Party: If you want to sample the Cat’s cocktails but don’t feel like paying full price, you should check out the late-night cocktail party the restaurant/bar is throwing this Saturday, March 8 from 11pm to 2am in celebration of its 3rd anniversary. Cocktails AND draught beers are half price. Oh yeah, and there will be some wine specials as well.

EVENT: SATURDAY, MARCH 8 from 11pm to 2am

The Hungry Cat
1535 North Vine
Hollywood, California 90028
(323) 462-2155
Hours: Monday-Saturday 12pm-12am, drinks til 2am
Sunday 11am-10pm, drinks til midnight

Posted on LAist.