Flouncing along La Brea Avenue one windy day looking for a great cup of coffee which, by the way, is rather difficult to find in Los Angeles, I happened upon a rather stark building. Being the warrior that I am, I knocked on the door and asked a young lady there if they served coffee and was it any good? She told me that they only made french press café. How pleased I was to hear this.
It was rather late in the afternoon and I enjoyed my cup in this quite provocative wine lounge. As I was about to go on my merry way, I noticed a young man sitting in a deep, red velvet chair sipping on a glass of wine. It was 3.30pm and knowing the habits of people who love their wine no matter what time of day or night, I decided I must return…a quick glance at their menu also helped me to make that decision.
I did return for the best coffee in town a few days later and chatted with the owner, Edgar Poureshagh, a very interesting and educated person. He was, in fact, the young man I had seen sipping wine. We spoke of many things – food, wine and the Assyrian empire and after telling him I wrote restaurant pieces, I decided this would be a grand place to write about.
I don't know who invented the concept of Happy Hour and I really don't care. I'm sure it isn't necessarily a good thing that it's my favorite time of day, but I just can't think about those two words together without smiling. They conjure up images of meeting friends at the day's end but before the night closes in to share your latest news and perhaps a few troubles over a quick glass of something heady and a few indulgent nibbles. Since I live via my own "Cinderella Theory" – that nothing good happens after Midnight outside the home – I like to start when the night is young and trouble isn't even a glimpse on the horizon. It's also the time when most restaurants are fairly empty and the music is low enough you can actually hear your companions. Plus, you get your drinks and food at half price. A win-win-win.
Located on Broadway and Hill between 2nd and 3rd, The Grand Central Market reflects the changes sweeping over Downtown Los Angeles. Long before farmers markets appeared all over LA, the Grand Central Market provided the Downtown community with fresh food at affordable prices.
Hungry! Need. Food. Now. There are times when eating becomes the thing I have
to do before anything else. Knowing of close-to-home restaurants is of
paramount importance to me. Luckily, there’s a plethora of places in
my Atwater Village-Silver Lake neighborhood to choose from. Gingergrass
is one. I know that I can drive over and if it’s early enough, get a
table and have food in front of me within forty minutes. If it’s later
and the place is full, I can call an order in and pick it up. There’s
value in both of these.
La Sandia