‘Hollywood’


A Pretty Happy Hour at Capitol City

January 22nd, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Oh you know...just wingin' it.

Some bars are known for their food, some bars don’t have any food (losers) and some bars happen to have food, but aren’t exactly known for it.  Capitol City, a semi-new sports bar in Hollywood is one of the latter.  Nonetheless, there was a football game to be watched and it happened to fall during happy hour, so Capitol City became my dinner and drinks destination for the night.

First off, their happy hour is pretty badass by the looks.  It includes some pretty decent beers, including Blue Moon for four bucks, which is as good as you’re gonna get in Hollywood.  Drinks aside, they have some great-looking $5 appetizers, so after downing a couple Blue Moons, I decided to order their wings. Continue Reading»


Pizza the Hollywood Way at Village Pizzeria

August 14th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
It's like half of my pizza is dead.

It's like half of my pizza is dead.

Village Pizzeria in Hollywood is LA’s version of New York pizza.  Located on Larchmont Street, it isn’t really a Hollywood-style place at all, which is pretty comforting to someone like me who doesn’t work in the entertainment industry.  To test the place out, I went with a friend of mine.

Since we were unable to compromise on a pizza that we both liked, we decided to go halfsies.  I got my half in the pepperoni style, while she agreed to the pepperonis, but also ordered a disturbing fungus called mushrooms.  Unnecessarily worried, I also ordered some garlic rolls in the expectation that the pizza wouldn’t be enough food for me. Continue Reading»


Finally, Some Indian Food at Gate of India

August 10th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
This vindaloo is making me thirsty.

This vindaloo is making me thirsty.

Ok, yes I know I sort of reviewed some Indian food last week from Tara’s, but that was really Himalayan.  So when I went to Gate of India in Hollywood, it was essentially my first time getting some full-on Indian food since moving to LA.

A buddy of mine took me to the place because it was the best Indian he had yet found in LA.  Although he is Jewish, I took his work for it.  Gate of India isn’t exactly what you would imagine for a place in Hollywood.  It’s in a nondescript little row of shops on a street corner.  The interior conveys a sense of a banquet hall more than an ethnic restaurant, but fortunately the prices weren’t so painful, with just about everything on the menu coming in under 10 bucks.

According to my research, somewhere between 20-40% of the population of India are vegetarian.  This would be enough to frighten away many meat eaters from Indian restaurants, but not me.  That means the majority is still of the meat-eating persuasion.  The menu at Gate of India reflected this, because while a majority of the food was meat-laden, there was still a pretty extensive vegetarian section. Continue Reading»


Csárdás Hungarian Restaurant

March 6th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Paprikash is dish best served without a pretty little pepper

Paprikash is dish best served without a fancy little pepper.

As we walked into Csardas around 7:30, we quickly realized we were the only patrons.  It boggled my mind how a restaurant could be empty during peak times and still be in business, so I was a little worried about how the food would be.

Having grown up around Hungarian food,  I scrutinized the menu, only to find a lack of cherry soup.  I asked our waitress (who had an indistinguishable accent that most certainly was not Hungarian) and she told me they actually had the soup.  That was a close call, but they passed the first test.  To go with the soup, we ordered the Hungarian Appetizer Plate, which was said to come with home smoked sausage, winter salami, korozott (a sort of cheese spread) & liver mousse.  All of these fit in perfectly to my unvegan diet.  On top of that, I ordered Chicken Paprikash for my main dish. Continue Reading»


Pink’s

December 19th, 2008 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

There is nothing pink about this feast.

There is nothing pink about this feast.

Pink’s is one of those places that you have to experience in Hollywood.  It has been around since 1939 and is a staple.  If you live in LA, you know what Pink’s is.  If you visit LA, there’s a good chance you’re going to drive by Pink’s and be intrigued by the constant line emanating from the place.  With that said, it took me over a year in LA to finally stop and see what it had to offer.

When I arrived, the line didn’t seem too long, but it wound and wound for a good 20 minutes until I finally made it to the counter.  Along the way, I stared at the menu on the wall that should have had a disclaimer reading:  “Do not eat if you are pregnant, have a history of heart conditions or are on a pacemaker.”  In other words, just about everything looked amazing to an unvegan. Continue Reading»


Going Global at Plan Check

Fries of the world.

A couple of weeks ago, The Backyard Bite invited me to The Burger Culture Clash, sponsored by Stussy (which apparently still exists) and Plan Check. Plan Check, by the way, is a sort of new (since February) restaurant in West LA with Chef Ernesto Uchimura of Umami Burger fame. As my love of burgers, especially those of the umami variety, I jumped at the opportunity.

Although I arrived alone, I was not the only lone eater. Just next to where I was seated, I met e*star LA and we decided to share a meal called loneliness, because it’s better than eating alone. We made quick friends over our respective blogs and Midwestern roots, then got to work at dissecting the special menu, which Plan Check will be featuring for the next month if anything tickles your fancy.

Continue Reading»