Rotgut.org Blog

Friday, September 03, 2010

#1203 - The Woods, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

Don't be put off by the strip-mall location -- this is a swanky place with a dark, woodsy interior and a bit of a Twin Peaks vibe, somewhat redolent of the Doug Fir in Portland.

There are antler chandeliers, a starlight ceiling, woody and rocky decor, reasonably good cocktails, and a small, cool crowd.

1533 North La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046 - (323) 876-6612
vintagebargroup.com - citysearch - yelp - zagat

#1202 - Ye Coach and Horses, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

I was very lucky to be able to visit the historic Ye Coach And Horses bar a couple times on this trip, as it was served an eviction notice on July 1 and likely will have to shut it's doors in a few weeks. This British-themed bar was established in 1937 (although for a period it was called "Viva Tirado" and had a Mexican theme), and Peter the bartender told me it is the third oldest in the Hollywood area.

Naturally it has stories of hosting various celebrities, from John Barrymore Sr. to Drew Barrymore, from Alfred Hitchcock and Richard Burton to Quentin Tarantino writing notes for "Pulp Fiction" on bar napkins. Jim Morrison used to hang around when his girlfriend worked there, and Peter O'Toole, Richard Harris, and Kevin Spacey have all tipped a cup inside its dark interior.

The generations of celebrity stories notwithstanding, the charm of the C&H is its gritty ordinariness -- not at all the kind of bar you think of in West Hollywood, but a fine, old neighborhood dive. It's of a comfortably moderate size, with high gabled ceilings and tudor style upper walls, and high-backed seats of crimson naugahyde. It's a damn shame such a fine old place has to close its doors after 74 years.

7617 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046 - (323) 876-6900
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Thursday, September 02, 2010

#1201 - Frankie's New York, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

Pretty much exactly what you'd expect when you hear the name ...

7228 Melrose Ave, Hollywood, Ca 90038 - 323-937-2801
frankiesonmelrose.com - yelp

#1200 - Village Idiot, Los Angeles - 8/23/2010

I had an "Idiot's Cup #1" (Tru Lemon organic vodka, Pimm's, cucumber, lemon-lime soda), which was okay, but was also as close as I've yet come to a debunking of my theory that there are no bad cocktails that include cucumber. (St. Germain seems to be another "always good cocktail" ingredient.)

7383 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90189 - (323) 655-3331
villageidiotla.com - la weekly - tripadvisor - yelp

#1199 - Club Monte Cristo, Los Angeles - 8/22/2010

This is a large, somewhat hidden space on the third floor of a Koreatown warehouse, where at night the music rattles the windows of the World Vision Full Gospel Church and other small businesses below. The main room is a dance floor surrounded by couches and armchairs, though there are usually just as many people out on the capacious open patio.

Obviously the vibe varies with the particular event -- I attended the Malediction Society gothic night, with DJ Amanda Jones, but where cameras were not allowed (with the exception of the house photographers).

3102 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010 - (213) 252-9343
citysearch - yelp - ladead gallery