"How many hipsters does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"
"It's a really obscure number. you wouldn't have heard of it."
Since starting my dance company, my affiliation with hipsters has grown exponentially (and it wasn't exactly non-existent before). So instead of fighting it, I've decided to fully embrace all the customs and habits of this (increasingly less) rarified group of moustache sporting, shower shunning, flannel-wearing, beanstalk-bodied ugly ducklings. To accomplish this, I consult my sister, who, while she is much too beautiful to need to hide behind hipster affectations, is an expert on all things Eastside and off-the-beaten path.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Surfas Cafe
The other day, my daughter Hannah and I stopped by Surfas. It always surprises me when she wants to go there, since their prepared food is, lets just say..um..esoteric. She ordered the 72 layer biscuit with ham and cheese and drank a Bubble Up. Oh to be 13, 5’5” and weigh 98 lbs. After that, as we crossed over into the store, a fellow cradling a basket of hot baguettes narrowly missed running into me as he made his way to his station or should I say ‘kingdom’, because this guy rules!
Hannah and I watched him set up the baguettes and tend to a customer at the newly established Cheese Bar. If you haven’t been to Surfas lately, there have been some delightful additions to the whole experience.
Adana Restaurant
One of my favorite restaurants isn't close to where we live. Adana is forty-five minutes away in Glendale.
The light and airy dining room suggests a banquet hall in an elegant European boutique hotel. There are white tablecloths on all the tables, pastel landscape murals on the walls and delicate wrought iron framing the windows facing busy San Fernando Road.
I would enjoy the food at Adana at any price, but with large entrees costing from $6.50 to $10.95, there's a special pleasure in being served an affordable, well-prepared meal.
Even though there are 15 kababs on the menu, I mostly stick with the dark meat chicken kabob, the pork chops and baby back ribs. A friend who joins me on the trek likes the lamb chops kabob. They are all delicious.
Waiting for our entrees, we have an Armenian coffee, share a large plate of tabouli and catch up about family, work and movies.
Baby Blues BBQ
After a screening of the frightening (and somewhat hilarious) Paranormal Activity my pals and I wanted to grab a drink and maybe some chow. Three of us, on separate occasions, by different people, had Baby Blues BBQ recommended to us.
This is a place with a great vibe and some pretty delicious BBQ. We all
chatted and laughed over a few beers, some sloppy ribs and crumbly
delicious cornbread.
I opted for The Deuce, which is a platter
consisting of 1/2 a rack of Memphis style ribs, 5 of their BBQ shrimp
(which were recommended to our table by some random cook who came out
for no reason other than to tell us we should order the shrimp - they
were delicious), cornbread and my choice of two from an extensive list
of "fixins". It reads like a who's who of barbeque: collard greens,
potato salad, baked beans, mac 'n' cheese, okra - fried and sauteed,
mashed potatoes, stewed tomatoes, pork 'n' beans, etc. I opted for cole
slaw and fried okra. At $22.95 this wasn't such a bad deal.
The Bazaar
To great acclaim, José Andrés recently opened four restaurants (Rojo,
Blanco, Saam, & Patisserie) and a bar (Bar Centro) on the ground
floor of the SLS Hotel (465 S. La Cienega, Los Angeles, CA 90048;
310/246-5555). Collectively called The Bazaar, the space reflects
Andrés' elegance, playfulness, energy, and love of food.
Serving an eclectic menu, Andrés uses foam and flavor essentials
reflecting his relationship with Ferran Adrià. Serving the best hams
and cheeses cements his connection to the Spanish tapas bars where
working people gather to eat, drink, and talk.
Over several visits to the Bazaar, I enjoyed wildly extravagant treats like his
crispy cones filled with cauliflower cream and topped with American
caviar or the whimsical, delicious sticks of foie gras wrapped in
cotton candy, but the most memorable dish was something extraordinarily
simple: an appetizer of salt crusted potatoes with a cilantro-parsley
dip.
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