A little bit of NY noise at Playhouse Hollywood.

Just in time for my return to LA next week, my good friend, NY's best and best dressed DJ, DJ Reach, is coming to town. Catch him with me at Playhouse a week from tonight. (And you know if I'm leaving my apartment into the cold...and into the cold in Hollywood no less, than he must be just that good.)

Thursday, December 16th

Playhouse
6506 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA

Get yourself excited for his appearance with a taste of his last venture to our fair city below...

Hollywood's newest watering hole: MyStudio. [Life in clubLAnd]

From the folks (and when I say folks, I mean David Judaken) who brought you MyHouse and East and [long, long ago in the time when club-going dinosaurs ruled Hollywood] Garden of Eden, there is now MyStudio in the space that once housed Mood. Like MyHouse, MyStudio will confuse your friends. 'Where are you going,' they'll ask. 'To MyStudio,' you'll answer. 'But we surely can't all fit inside your studio,' they'll quip. And the Abbott & Costello routine will go on for another moment before you all realize you're talking about the chic new lounge on Hollywood Boulevard with the amazing library in front and sexy VIP booths along every wall, not to mention an incredible bubble chandelier that hangs above the main bar. It would better be illustrated with a picture, but photography was off limits last night at the industry opening event, and so a few choice words: bubbles/light source/outstanding is all I can offer to portray its awesomeness.

Though there's little photographic evidence of my adventure, there will always be the memories of the mashed potato bar. Oh. My. Good. Lord. It was good.

I was allowed this picture of the new venue's executive staff, however. And what a good looking bunch they are...

Partner & Director of VIP/Promotions, Tony Daly, Events Director, April Luca, and Handsomest Man on Hollywood Boulevard, Bernardo.

Food Find: Ketel One Canteen says thanks, happy hannukah and bon appetit.

Sometimes vodka gives you a massive f+cking hangover. Sometimes (the better times) it gives you potato pancakes and awesome free grub. This weekend, catch Ketel One's ultimate guerrilla marketing ploy, the Ketel One Canteen, in Hollywood. The food truck (of course it's a truck--who bothers with stationary anymore?) will be doling out FREE food prepped by Ilan Hall of Gorbals Restaurant and Top Chef fame. And Hannukah-themed fare no less. Because us Jews--we like vodka. And you gentiles--you like Jewish food. It's win-win, really.

 

Though the truck won't actually be serving alcohol, it will be accompanied by a fleet of cars to drive you home if you've had one too many libations somewhere else along the Cahuenga Corridor.

Ketel One Canteen
@ Cahuenga between Hollywood and Selma
Thursday - Sat: 12 a - 2 a

[via Thrillist]

Food Find: Judaken adds restaurateur to his resume with East

David Judaken is known for his longstanding impact on LA nightlife. He is perhaps most famous for opening Garden of Eden, the club whose impressive lifespan made Cats' stay on Broadway seem like a brief blip in time. Last year he opened MyHouse to great fanfare and made headlines again. But amongst things that Judaken had not become known for was food. It's not that his multiple nightclubs don't serve food. They do. But when you're at the club at 1 in the am, food serves only one purpose--and that's to sober up. Well, that changed last week when Judaken opened EAST Restaurant and Lounge to the fine-dining public of Hollywood. And last night I stopped by to test the culinary waters.

The menu earns its gold star for its sashimi selection, listed under the aptly named section 'I like it raw' (cue ODB's Shimmy Shimmy Ya song here along with an entire dirty conversation between dinner guests). Granted, I couldn't try these raw bites, but one of my dining mates (MyHouse regular DJ Jasepi) had the honor of tasting for the rest of us vegetarians. And speaking of us vegetarians--we didn't go hungry either. The Drunken Tofu (this is no joke. the tofu is literally soaked in sake and beer--you'd be drunk too) is fantastic. Crisp on the outside, soft in the middle, with a layer of cabbage and mushroom on top. As Judaken, who stopped by the table to say hello, says--this tofu could convert a carnivore. As I couldn't taste much of the menu, I asked Judaken what his personal favorite items on the menu are--the meaty ones I won't have the pleasure of trying myself--and he called out the tuna, the monkfish, and the chicken as his top choices.

We ended our meal with a dessert all eating styles can appreciate (well, except for those pesky vegans)--the bread pudding. Served with vanilla ice cream, green tea anglaise, and a mini croissant on top, it may be the menu item I return again [and again] for.

And I can't forget to mention the specialty cocktail menu. Three drinks incorporate serrano chiles. At least two are made with tea. And one is called East of Eden, which I adore for its fabulous puntasticness. Judaken's wife who had a large hand in crafting the drink menu, explained the name's duplicity--East Restaurant is just East of the now shuttered Garden of Eden (tear). And its more romantic meaning--the drink is pretty darn close to heaven. And it really, really is.

EAST Restaurant and Lounge
6611 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Brent Bolthouse breaks up with SBE.

Style Section LA--because they're awesome and on it and totally plugged in--just informed me that LA's most famous nightlife couple--Brent Bolthouse and Sam Nazarian's SBE--are breaking it off. Like, whoa.

[via Style Section LA]

Life in clubLAnd: Crocker Club, Cole's, The Varnish

Two nights ago had me in a whirlwind tour through some of Downtown LA’s newest bars. And I should start by saying…wow, I haven’t been that drunk in a while.

We began the night at Crocker Club, the converted bank building where—according to their website, the sign on their door, and the security—they take their dress code policy very seriously. No ‘white tennis shoes,’ no beanies (oh, the horror!!), and apparently no leniency even if the hoodie’s cashmere or the wearer of it, stylish and chic. Verdict: Cocktails are strong. This will be easier to swallow when the bar menu starts in a month (according to our handsome bartender). Dress code—lose it puh-lease.

Next we headed to grab a bite at Cole’s, the supposed ‘Originator of the French Dip.’ What is French Dip you ask? Funny, I asked too. Apparently, it’s a short menu of great-sounding sandwich-cum-meat juice items that I can’t eat. The vegetarian special at Cole’s? Grilled Cheese. I’m in.

Our bartender at Cole’s could be the last bartender in Los Angeles and I’d feel ok about it. From his thorough explanation of drink options, to his dutiful search on his Sidekick (do those still work?), to his substitution of my first so-so drink for this awesome one with muddled raspberries (I just like to say the word muddled!), he rocked.

Last, we took a quick walk through Cole’s to the back door where we entered The Varnish, the new bar from NY bar legend Sasha Petraske (Milk & Honey), Cedd Moses (owner of Cole’s and nearly everything else in Downtown LA) and Eric Alperin (who I’m sure is someone equally important).

Though The Varnish has already been infiltrated by a few folks with cheap bags, trucker hats and button downs, the vibe, for the most part, has somehow remained intact in this small bar that occupies the back room of Coles, mixes drinks to a tee and employs bar staff dressed like this...

It's all about the snazzy mixology at The Varnish...

Though by the time I made it back here, I stuck with a snazzy NON-alcoholic ginger drink. Impressive.

Life in clubLAnd: H.wood

When you're no longer surprised to see girls in tutus, DJs in pom-poms and grown men sporting arts and crafts, have you been in LA too long or just long enough?

Last night, my good pals--Dina and Elana--and I braved a night on the town. We stopped by H.wood [formerly (and briefly) Stork Lounge, even more formerly who knows what at the back of Hollywood & Highland]. If entering a posh club through a shopping mall seems strange...it is. Though once inside the venue's gate, I felt part of a dark, loungey atmosphere--well, going in and out, all I could think of was how great it would be to find an open Wetzel's Pretzels.

Last night's party, hosted by Posso the DJ (one half pictured below), celebrated the birthday of Daisy O'Dell and claimed inspiration from the Dada movement. Ok, we'll buy it.

Beside seeing some long lost LA cohorts (Rich Royal, Foundtrack's V, half the staff from Chateau Marmont, etcetera, etcetera), some of the evening's visual highlights included crafting...

Girls in leotards (thank you Elana for posing so I could discreetly get this shot)...

Balloon monkeys...

And the Carl's Junior fries picked up on the way home.

Also of note was the Crayola chalk on display as part of H.wood's free-spirited cirque theme. I am so sorry to the Hollywood & Highland staff for any damages I may [or may not] have done on the way out. Again...there are dangers to placing a club inside the mall.

Life in clubLAnd: MyHouse

The scene above is not from a slumber party in the bedroom of my apartment (no, no--not in my tiny studio). It is not from a wild orgy party in the Hollywood Hills (I forgot to RSVP to that party). The dark, blurry image above is from this evening's industry preview of MyHouse, the new venue from David Judaken's Syndicate Hospitality (Mood, Opera & Crimson). Opened in the former home of Garden of Eden, the nightclub is a welcome change from the super-small lounges (i.e. - Crown Bar) or mega-clubs (i.e. - The Kress or Versus, which I suppose we don't have to worry about anyway after it's failed attempts to open) that have become so popular in the last year. My House boasts neither uber-exclusivity, nor magnitude. It's the perfect size--large enough that there's always another person to flirt with around the bend, small enough that you can find your friends when the dude you've met turns out to be a creep.

And, as portrayed in the much superior press shots below, each aspect of the venue really does feel like your house (from the plush bedroom, to the working bathtub, to the sunken living room)...just a helluva lot nicer.

Photo Credits: Interior #1 - Jessie. B. R., Interior #2 + #3 - MyHouse

Mountains: check. Beach: check. Nightlife: umm...

In my old age (yes, the 20s have been rough), I've tired of LA's nightlife scene. In NY, if we didn't like a place, we'd hop in a cab and be to our next opportunity for fun just ten minutes and probably less than $15 later. Here in LA, one bad stop means another 20 minutes of driving, another valet, and most likely another room of badly dressed plastic surgery experiments. (I quote a dear Israeli friend who was in town from NY a few weeks after we ate at Beso: "why are they all strippers who go out here?")

On Saturday night, I was suckered in to what seemed like a promising proposition to venture out. Janelle Monae was performing a free show at the grand opening of Dakota Lounge (formerly Temple Bar) in Santa Monica. My lovely friend DJ Lady Sha was throwing the bash and she was fabulous as always. But did I mention that this joint was in Santa Monica? Much as I wanted to enjoy myself, a Santa Monica crowd is a Santa Monica crowd is not for me. (The one exception to this rule being the folks at Bar Chloe, run by one of my fave nightlife ladies Laurie Mulstay.)

We thought we might have better luck at Bardot, where my buddies throw Hi Fi every Saturday night. The music was great, the crowd just fine. But I'd really like to know when waitresses were given permission to start chewing gum in your face and getting your order wrong? Last time I checked shrimp does not constitute vegetarian fare. And short shorts and long legs do not forgive bad service. If I am ever to open a place, I vow to hire college graduates, even if they've got some cellulite and don't have their pout nailed down yet.

Hoping next weekend treats me better. Oh yeah--it will--cause I'll most likely be staying in and watching online TV!

Photo Credits: Janelle Monae - MySpace, Bardot - Metromix LA