My Brief Guide to LA #3: Eastside Edition

I'm dedicating this installment of My Guide to LA to some Eastside joints I've checked out the past few months. So Westsiders, stop whining about traffic and gang activity circa 1998 and come on over! Or don't, our inferiority complex feeds our sense of superiority.

• Footsie's: Highland Park. I guess this is a dive bar. I've put some time into some serious shitholes in NY and I don't conside upholstered banquettes and well-thought out lighting design to be "dive-y." Great outdoor space, pool table, cool bartenders, cheap beer options!

• Verdugo Bar: Glassell Park. VerdugoBar has the same energy and vibe as Footsie's. The backyard is huge, and has beer hall style tables and benches. There's a BBQ the first Sunday of every month.

• The Thirsty Crow: Silver Lake. This is a brand new bar that specializes in bourbon and bourbon cocktails. It has a cozy, speakeasy style and definitely pulled me out of my wine and beer comfort zone. There's usually a food truck parked outside which brings us to...

• Grilled Cheese Truck : A truck of cheese-y, gooey, yummy-ness that travels all over LA.

Need to hit this weekend:

• Eagle Rock Brewery: Like the Brooklyn Brewery in NY, Eagle Rock's tap room is open to the public during the weekends.

My Brief Guide to LA #2

The front of Blair's Restaurant in Silver Lake.

Bottega Louie's in downtown. It's the only business that managed open in a giant, new building of condos. The Delancey on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood.

The Dresden...in 1994. Notice the lady's hat in the front and the dude rocking the white T-shirt and black vest look.

A street view of Little Tokyo. The Far Bar is in the back of Chop Suey Restaurant.

The Good Luck Bar in Los Feliz.Laurel Tavern in Studio City.

Lucky Baldwin's in Pasadena.

Malibu Wines...in Malibu.

Since I've written the first part of my Brief and Limited Guide to LA, I've discovered some new faves.

• Blair's: Holy braised short ribs and tea lights! Along with fatty, red meat and candlelight, it's small, dark and has some exposed brick, so it can be qualified as "very New York-y"

• Bottega Louie: Take the Dean and Deluca that Felicity worked at in Felicity, then add a bar, exposed kitchen and amazing meatballs and portobello mushroom fries.

• The Delancey: The owner named this bar and pizzeria after the street in New York. If it actually looked like Delancey Street or the actual pizza join on the corner of Delancey and Essex, you wouldn't go there to consume food or use the restroom. There's candlelight, leather and faux brick outside, so yes, the Delancey is "very New York-y."

• The Dresden: I've mentioned the Dresden before. Well, seven months of living here, I finally went. We rolled in right in time for last call. The waitress, who looked like she's had a few hard days under her belt, made sure to remind us as much as possible that it's last call, drink our drinks and get out. We caught the last few minutes of Marty and Elaine. They should really update that publicity photo.

• The Far Bar: Little Tokyo is a little sliver of downtown LA that your west side friends will never go. The Far Bar is a little sliver of a bar in a little sliver of an alleyway in Little Tokyo that serves Sapporo on tap and amazing wasabi fries. Our bartender looked like a gay, samurai ,boy scout...or is a gay, samurai, boy scout.

• Good Luck Bar: LA loves it Asian inspired bars. Everything is red and you feel like you're drinking inside a paper lantern.

• Laurel Tavern: I wrote about Laurel Tavern and one its douchey customers in August. I love it and every time I met someone new that lives around Studio City, my reply is "We need to go to Laurel Tavern!" I'll make it back at some point.

• Lucky Baldwins: Amongst the Pottery Barns, wine bars and early bird specials that make up Pasadena, there is a little British pub with a menu of fried foods, an overwhelming list of Belgian and UK beers, lots of soccer and beer signage, and around the clock NFL coverage.

• Malibu Wines: I wrote about our trip to Malibu Wines back in August. I'm waiting to get my white suit and Pucci head scarf cleaned, then I'll be back amongst the leisure class.

My Brief Guide to LA #1

Okay, so I have knack for coming off more negative than intended. There's a lot of great places we've been enjoying. Every weeks that passes, I'm freaking out less and having more fun. I'd like to introduce Part One of "Laura's Very Brief and Limited Guide to LA." I'll continue to add to it as the months go by. I would love to hear about your faves!

Favorite Restaurants

• Duke's. It's right off the PCH in Malibu. Wrap around windows facing the ocean. It's amazing. Mel Gibson got shitfaced at Moonshadows down the street before his infamous ant-Semitic tirade. OMG, the Pepperdine boys that valet your car...

• Masa. It's a bakery and restaurant in Echo Park. I think they're from Chicago. So the food is super carb-y and the portions are huge and the staff is great. OMG, the bread...

• Yang Chow. Chinese in Chinatown. Great Slippery Shrimp, cheap bottles of Sauvignon Blanc. OMG, Betty White autographed headshot on the wall.

Favorite Splurges

• Beverly Hills Hotel Polo Lounge. I went there with Katina, Sara and Baron. I had $832 glass of wine. I felt like I was there to meet Dominick Dunne and laugh about good ole' days when Liz and Richard would smash bottles of Scotch over each others' heads and laugh and laugh and laugh. And the waiters are very pleasant even though you're wearing Old Navy rubber flip flops. OMG, the hotel lobby...

• Tower Bar at Sunset Tower Hotel. I went there with Katie in December to stalk Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer. They weren't there and now that I think about, I think the host thought we were a couple. I'm psyched for birthday dinner there. The art deco decor is reminiscent of 50's and 60's LA. The views of LA are amazing. OMG, the oysters..

Favorite Bars

• El Prado. Right across from Masa in Echo Park. I guess it qualifies as New York-y because there's a brick wall. It's super cozy, low key, great wood bar and dim lighting. The bartenders play LPs. Their beer menu is all microbrews or craft beers and is new every week. Great wine list also. OMG, there's olives...

• City Sip. Also in Echo Park. Great wine bar that teaches classes. You can order a flight of wines. The menu is great. OMG, the chorizo platter...

• The Must Bar is another great wine bar that's downtown. OMG, roasted brussel sprouts with applewood bacon...

• Red Lion Tavern. Ancient, ancient old man German bar in Silver Lake. The carpet smells like mildew. We talked with a great, fun couple about how we're basically in the Regal Beagle from Three's Company. OMG, the potato pancakes are the size of chargers.

• The Drawing Room. In Los Feliz. It's as pretty close to a Williamsburg bar as you're gonna get. Red vinyl, cheap Pabst, NYU grads. It's fun when you're with a crowd and it's one of your last stops. OMG...We saw Chris Burke, the actor that played Corky on Life Goes On drinking vodka cranberries there.

Favorite Walking Areas

• Vermont Ave and Hillhurst Aves in Los Feliz. Great bars, restaurants, little shops. Fave bookstore, Skylight Books is on Vermont. Elyse brought me into their book club. So go there and buy book. Here's my post from February about Los Feliz: http://istomachla.blogspot.com/2009/02/ive-gotthat-los-feeeliz-in.html

• Franklin Village. Tiny little area of Franklin Ave sort of in between Los Feliz and Hollywood. UCB, cute bars and restaurants, bookstores, great houses!

On The To-Do List

• The Varnish. Speakeasy style bar that just opened downtown. You enter from the back of a deli, Cole's. I know everyone hates on downtown and it's easy to do, but I kinda like it. I go to the 24 Hour Fitness on Flower Street with the other temps and receptionists trying to get through the summer in their Old Navy tankinis. It's just great to walk around surrounded by tall buildings. Downtown LA kind of feels like Chicago to me.

• The Getty Center. We haven't been there since 2002. It's gorgeous.

• The Huntington Library. Gardens, museum, tea room, pretty Pasadena.

• Abbot Kinney Blvd. We didn't spend as much time there when we were last in Venice.

• Tiki Ti. Hole in the wall cocktail joint in Silver Lake first recommended to me by frequent LA business trip-er friend, Jim. OMG, click on the link. Yes, that's the Magnum PI theme. I'm ashamed we haven't been here yet. Alright, we now have Memorial Day plans.