LA's Best: The Cocktail Edition

In honor of "cocktail week" (although yes, I realize we're at the tail end of it), I thought I'd finally bust out my list of favorite cocktail bars (or restaurant+bar) in LA!

This has been sitting in my draft box for a while - I was hoping to go back to some and take better photos and hit my to-do list. I'll just have to update it later :)
Tiki Ti
4427 W Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 669-9381
A tiny family-owned tiki bar that's usually packed with people yelling "toro! toro! toro!" while the bartender tops off your Blood&Sands. An uber-fun place like no other, and if you're one of those guys who always forget about dress codes and end up with flip flops when you're supposed to go drinking, then this is your place. Pictured above is my favorite, the Missionary's Downfall.

Seven Grand
515 W 7th St Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 614-0737
Known primarily as a whiskey bar, Seven Grand offers the best of that and more. Manned by some of the best bartenders in LA, you won't go wrong with a menu classic like the Mint Julep (left) or a specially concocted Pisco Sour. Oh, and if you're sitting at the bar drinking beer, then I'm the girl glaring at you for wasting precious seats.


The Edison
108 W 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
A cool-looking lounge with some pretty awesome drinks. Pictured to your left is a Pisco Punch. We're talking pisco and absinthe here. Don't miss the happy hour on Thursdays and get your $0.35 classic cocktail.


The Varnish
118 E Sixth St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 622-9999
The worst kept secret in LA! "Hidden" in the back room of Cole's, The Varnish has recently been one of the most popular bars around. A small printed menu, but it does include "Bartender's Choice" so you can go a long way.

Rivera
1050 S Flower St #102, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 749-1460
Flights of infused tequila? Awesome. Add to that a Latin-influenced, highly creative (and sometimes spicy!) cocktail menu featuring drinks like Purple Rain with ginger and basil (left) and Blood Sugar Sex Magic with whiskey, red pepper, and basil.




Other Bars Worth Checking Out:

• The Wilshire. 2454 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403
• FIG Restaurant. 101 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
• The Bazaar. 465 S. La Cienega Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA. Molecular gastronomy meets cocktails produce fun drinks like a Magic Mojito with cotton candy and liquid nitrogen cocktails.
• The Hungry Cat. 1535 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA90028
• STK. 755 La Cienega, West Hollywood, CA 90069

On my To-Try List:

• Copa D'Oro. 217 Broadway Santa Monica, CA 90401
• One Sunset. 8730 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Bottega Louie: Continuing DTLA's Revival

I was greeted by the pastry case when I entered Bottega Louie, cupcakes in gold containers on gold trays on white marble counter. I've been hearing about Bottega Louie as a great neighborhood joint so this expanse of sparkly bright white marble space was not what I had in mind. But I liked it. Being a Friday night at a new restaurant, the place was crowded. The wait for a table was about 35 minutes, and all the stools/tables at the bar were taken. Yet the immense space makes it feel relaxed and airy. After about 10 minutes we managed to snatch a table near the bar.

Most of the food is reasonably priced, with $8-12 pastas, $8 appetizers, and ~$15 entrees. The only expensive item seems to be the $40 osso buco.

I ordered a side of Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese - $8
These were excellent beets. Very fresh and sweet. The goat cheese was pretty smooth and creamy and the portion was not bad. My only quibble was that I felt the greens they picked were a bit too bitter for this dish. From this dish I already got the impression that they are using high quality ingredients.

It's hard to say whether or not one pasta dish would be enough for a meal since as it turns out the size of the portion varies between each pasta dish and not really correlated with the price either. This night we all went with the house-made pastas.

Trenne (braised prime rib-eye with Tuscan black kale) -$12
I think trenne gets the name from triangle+penne. The pasta was firm and was actually a bit browned outside - it might've been sauteed. I personally thought this made the pasta too firm and making it tiring to chew ... There was not much meat in this dish but the sauce and the kale was excellent - although some may think it a bit on the bland side. Despite the lack of meat, this pasta could've filled me up for dinner, but our next dish would not have.

Ravioli (homemade pasta stuffed with spinach and ricotta in a light cream sauce with pancetta, sage & peas) - $12
Compared to the trenne, the portion for the ravioli was noticeably smaller, but I did enjoy this dish better. The pasta was al dente but not too firm and the filling was pretty generous. I love the creamy sauce and particularly the aroma from the sage.

The flavors of their house made pasta are subtle. They do not burst with flavor or kick your tongue with sodium, but I found that the taste is lingering and satisfying.

Definitely another great addition to downtown LA, and so close to Seven Grand too! There have been so many new places in downtown recently, I sure hope our city can support them. Bottega Louie is different. The space is nothing less than magnificent and who doesn't want a grab-n-go gourmet market near their office? The food is also held to high standards, though how much to order to get full seems to be a trial and error deal. Still, hope this one is here to stay.

Bottega Louie
700 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 802-1470
www.bottegalouie.com

Street Food, Hollywood-style

The infamous $16 pho. The $10 kaya toast that everyone loved but that I'm used to getting for less than $1 back home. These were all reasons I haven't checked out Susan Feniger's STREET until now. The concept is awesome. Street food from all over the world, all in one spot. In Hollywood. But one kitchen and how many countries? Can they pull it off?

I finally gave in and tried it the dinner suggestions thrown at me were Thai and Indian. Well, let's have both then! Both and more. So here goes. Ain't gonna compare to "real street food". Will just see how is this Hollywood restaurant faring overall.
STREET is hip-casual. Not exactly street-vendor ambiance but, hey, you still don't have to wear a tie. Besides the main dining area, you can also walk-in for the bar or counter or patio or the "lounge" upstairs. They do get crowded around 8 PM so walk-ins = long wait.

When we came we got seated upstairs where I got a nice view of the restaurant. We were also the only people up there so I can go flash-happy shamelessly :P
Besides the food, STREET also offers a variety of cocktails and also interesting non-alcoholic drinks such as three types of lassi, crysanthemum tea, etc.

I opted for the Cantaloupe-Beet Agua Fresca ($3)
I loved it. Loved it quite a bit. Not to worry, there's no strange vegetal aftertaste from the beets as the sweetness of the cantaloupe manages to take care of that. Yet the beet smoothes out the cantaloupe.

We started with some Scandinavian Beet & Apple Salad (black currants, toasted walnuts, juniper vinaigrette) - $9
Maybe it doesn't seem very 'ethnic street food' since it looks like a salad you'll get at a Californian restaurant. Regardless, it was an excellent salad. The beets were fresh and sweet. Yes, this is overall a sweet salad with the beets, apple, and walnuts. On the other hand it's not overly sweet and the texture kick from the walnuts are great.

Stir fried noodles with shrimp (pork belly, chinese broccoli, choy sum greens) - $18
This was the table favorite, but it came at a higher price than the other dishes. Very flavorful with a rather sweet sauce - oyster sauce, perhaps? The thick noodles were slippery and had a nice texture and they were generous enough with the shrimps and pork belly.

Indian Vada Dumplings (crispy dal fritters topped with yogurt sauce, mint sauce, and tamarind date chutney) - $8
Thought these were okay. The dal fritters themselves were pretty bland without the sauces accompanying it.

Vietnamese corn with pork belly - $6
The corn was very sweet and delicious! Personally I thought the pork belly was kind of superfluous. But it didn't detract from the dish, so it's okay.

Mandoo vegetable dumplings (asian veggies, sweet potato noodles, roasted honey yam, sesame dipping sauce) - $9
These were also okay. The filling was pretty small, although the dough was good and the dumplings were cooked well, but otherwise it did not stand out. Also, were these supposed to be Korean? If it weren't for the name, I can't tell.

Lamb Kofta Skewers (spiced ground lamb served over baked white beans, roasted artichokes, grilled vegetable and tomato jam) - $24
The lamb was tender and nicely flavored. The artichokes were also delicious. This was also a hit for our table, though again, came at a high price of $24.

I steered away from the pho. And while you guys should try the kaya toast, I'm waiting to get mine back home very soon since my trip home is only a few months away.

Total bill: ~$100 for 3 people.
STREET is a good LA restaurant and it does provide a fun experience for all diners with their very eclectic menu, both food and drinks. Price point is Hollywood-price, though I thought the appetizers and small plates were much better-priced than the entrees. Oh and you've read the reviews, so you know what to steer away from. Don't expect authenticity but you can expect good ingredients, good flavors with some menu highlights.

Susan Feniger's STREET
742 N. Highland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 203-0500
www.eatatstreet.com