Hollywood Craft Beer Crawl from Thrillist Rewards

*Post by Mark.

A good beer crawl is a lot of fun, but finding enough good bars a walkable distance from one another and coordinating schedules with people are daunting enough tasks to derail your drinking plans. What better way to solve the problem than to have someone else organize a crawl for you? This Saturday, Thrillist Rewards is hosting their 2nd Craft Beer Crawl - which sets beer drinkers afoot through DTLA to enjoy nine craft beer pours from nine different bars and restaurants. Throw in some small bites provided along the way, and you've got yourself one helluva value for only $25. 

Last month, we had ourselves a blast stumbling through Hollywood on their first crawl. With a diverse list of bars curated by LA Weekly contributer and fellow beer geek Steven Armstrong, the downtown crawl (from 1-6 on Sat. 1/28) sets out to be one bar more ambitous than the first. In preparation, let's take a look back at the eight spots and eight beers we encountered on our crawl through Hollywood last month (handy map below).

 

Stop #1 - Big Wangs

The beer? A Calico Amber Ale from Ballast Point Brewing in San Diego. 

To the discerning beer drinker, serving it in a Bud Light glass may be akin to serving caviar in styrofoam, but Big Wangs isn't trying to be anything it's not. With TV-lined walls, pool tables, cheap beer deals on the daily, and three locations spread throughout the city, Big Wangs is the ideal kind of place to park yourself on a Sunday to watch football.  We might've done just that had seven other bars not been calling our name.  Moving on...

 

Stop #2 - District 13

The beer? A Double Trouble IPA from Lost Coast Brewery in Northern California.

District 13 was a place we were excited to finally check out. Housed in a small shopping plaza between two other beer bars, (the aforementioned Big Wangs and Stout Burger - which has some pretty great craft beers on tap despite not being on this particular crawl) District 13 might be easily skipped. But with such a fun space, great beers on tap, and a collection of sausages on the menu (some of which we were able to sample, below), this is absolutely the kind of place we'll come back to.

Stop #3 - Blue Palms Brewhouse

The beer? Of the numerous options offered, we got a South Swell Double IPA from Surf Brewery and a Speakeasy Imperial California Common.

Any Hollywood craft beer fan knows that Blue Palms isn't just the best place to grab a pint in Hollywood, it's one of the best spots in the Los Angeles area. With 24 craft beers on tap, there's always something new and unique to try. As we sipped on our beers, we got our hands on some complimentary sandwiches they were passing around. But it's worth coming in for the food on the regular menu - BP has some seriously good bar food, including great gourmet sausages and some of the best onion rings in the city. 

   

Stop #4 - Hemmingway's Lounge

The beer? Old Rasputin Russian Imperialist Stout from North Coast Brewing Company.

Another new bar for us, Hemmingway's Lounge feels like a place where the man himself might've enjoyed entertaining a circle of writers and artists with one of his four wives - books everywhere you turn, shabby chic decor that is both cool and cozy (the wall of antique typewriters is a highlight), and a not-insubstantial list of beers and cocktails (named after Hemmingway's works). Finding this little oasis of calm nestled on oft chaotic, tourist-crowded Hollywood Boulevard was a pleasant surprise.

 

Stop #5 - The Writers Room

The beer? A Duvel Belgian Ale. 

In the spirit of the crawl, our bartenders were sport enough to pour us a glass of Duvel, but you'll want to come here for the cocktails. In this dark throw-back venue - where in-the-know bar seekers will find the entrance hidden in a parking lot behind Musso & Frank's - each of the Daniel Nelson's drinks seems an homage to the cultural melting pot of Los Angeles' past and present. 

Excited by the cocktail offerings, we took a temporary respite from beer and the crawl in general. The Dead Man Oaxacan (below, left) is an ode to LA's Oaxacan population, made with mezcal, mole-orange liqeur, Mexican oregano and a Chapulines garnish (note to the faint of stomach, chapulines is grasshopper - a popular snack in Oaxaca). The Fukushima Meltdown (below, left) draws its inspiration from Little Osaka, mixing a 12 year Yumazaki Japanese whisky, yuzukosho, sasho pepper (think tongue-numbing Szechuan peppercorn), and orange juice. The Cho Sun One (below, middle) is your K-Town rep, bringing corn whiskey, Korean pear, perilla leaf, lemon and sesame into the mix. And we can't forget Thai Town, can we? The Kaffir Rickey (below, right) adds vodka to the traditional gin-based cocktail of Kaffir lime juice, lemongrass and carbonated coconut water.

Look for even more of LA's diverse demographics represented when The Writers Room expands its cocktail list. We're particlularly looking forward to the Armenian Genocide (which is either a great drink or the best episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians ever). Until then, we've still got three more bars to hit.

 

Stop #6 - Five 0 Four

The beer? A Jockamo IPA by Abita Brewing Company 

Five0Four (504) might be the area code to New Orleans, but it's also home to some real NOLA menu options like Po' Boys, Jumbalaya or Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. On tap is a small selection of craft beers, with a few from Louisiana's own Abita Brewing Company highlighting the bunch. With the hours ticking down, we were in a hurry to move on, so we downed our beers and took a rain check on the 'food' and 'fun' billed on the restaurant's sign.

Stop #7 - Bodega Wine Bar

The beer? The Valkyrie Altbier by Enegren Brewing Company.

Stop 7? Our blurry pictures correlate with even blurrier memories. Bodega Wine Bar is one of three locations that compliments its focus on wine with a casual menu of sandwiches, pizzas and shared plates. We eagerly sampled some of their bacon wrapped medjool dates stuffed with pecorino cheese. Also on hand was Matt Enegren of Enegren Brewing to pour some of their locally brewed beer.

Stop #8 - Go Burger

The beer? A honey Blonde Ale by Firestone Walker Brewing Company.

Brought to us by ESquared Hospitality Group - most well known for their upscale chain of BLT Steakhouses - Go Burger is a more casual eatery known for their burgers and spiked milkshakes. If that sounds good to you, visit soon - word has it that Go Burger is about to undergo a conceptual make-over. We managed to snag a booth to relax after all that crawling, but most of the energetic Saturday night crowd was on its feet, surrounding the bar.

 

If any of this seems up your alley, don't forget to snag your tickets to this Saturday's Downtown Craft Beer Crawl. It's only $25, and we'll be there, so come share a beer... or nine... with us. 

Brunch at Mohawk Bend

*Post by Angela.

There is something just so lovely about brunch. Superficially, the portmanteau has a very simple definition: a meal eaten between or instead of breakfast and lunch. But “brunch” in the United States has developed into its own culture, bringing to mind lazy weekend mornings/afternoons, gossiping with friends, a range of sweet and savory dishes designed to soothe stomachs after a rough night out, and more often than not, day drinking. Mohawk Bend, the massive, 10,000 square foot Echo Park restaurant/bar from L.A. beer godfather and restaurateur Tony Yanow, is a great place to celebrate the languid brunch culture for meat-eaters, vegetarians and even vegans.

In the light of day, the vast and beautiful interior of Mohawk Bend transitions nicely from bar to brunch spot, whether you are seated on the lounge-y front patio under the restaurant’s marquee (it used to be a theater)... 

or perched at one of the red vinyl stools in front of the main bar's flat-screen TVs and a line-up of taps that appears almost endless...

or circled around a table in the absolutely stunning brick-enclosed back dining area in front of the roaring fireplace. No place in the restaurant is the immaculate design by Spacecraft more apparent.  

On this sunny Saturday morning, we started with a little hair of the dog. The chipotle Bloody Mary (below, left), no joke, is one of the finest versions I've ever sampled, equal and ideal parts salty, spicy, and smoky. The frothy Pisco Sour (below, right) is a lighter option, combining Marian Farms Bio-Dynamic Pisco with fresh lemon juice, sugar, Miracle Mile Peruvian bitters & egg white. And of course, we had to order at least one of 72 beers on tap, and went with a recent favorite, the Point the Way IPA from Yanow's own Golden Road Brewing (below, middle). 

While there are many dishes for the vegetarian/vegan bruncher on the menu, the Elvis French toast is not one of them. Slices of crisp bacon provide the necessary salty, meaty balance to the sweet creamy bananas sandwiched between the crunchy toast. Not decadent enough for you? Spoon on some fantastically rich (but not too-too sweet) peanut butter syrup. 

Next, something vegans (and those seeking a lighter dish) can enjoy: the JJ kale, which features wilted greens seared with chile, garlic, and red onion, topped with julienned jicama. This texturally delightful and refreshing side won’t satisfy your hunger pangs on its own, but it also won’t give you a heart attack.

Another vegan-friendly (and gluten-free!) option is the scrapple, which subs in polenta and vegan sausage (as well as broccolini, rappini, spinach, onions, scallions, pasilla chiles, thyme, sage, soy milk, organic polenta, and house made veggie stock) for the traditional flour and pork scraps, and sits the loaf in a not-insignificantly spicy tomato sauce. While I'm a huge fan of pork in all its forms, anyone doubting that vegan dishes can be both hearty and flavorful would find the point difficult to argue after a bite of this dish.

At some point it our meal, it technically clicked over to afternoon, meaning we could order off the creative cocktail menu without judgment (although it doesn’t really seem like anyone at Mohawk Bend would ever judge a day drinker). Even the manliest of men would feel comfortable with the Mildred Pierce (below, left): despite its ingredients (TRU Organic Gin, FruitLab Jasmine Liqueur, agave nectar, brandied cherries, oranges & lemon, Miracle Mile Orange Bitters, and soda), it is only slightly sweet and fruity. The light, bright Thai Town Mule (below, right), with Hangar One Kaffir Lime Vodka, fresh limes, lime juice, St.Clair ginger beer & a stalk of lemongrass, is the kind of drink I want to have in my hand at all times on warm days.

As much as we were enjoying the vegan dishes, brunch just isn’t brunch without at least one egg dish. The Huevos Divorciados, with fried eggs, chilaquiles, queso fresco, crème fraiche, and red & green salsas dividing the plate, is as tasty as it is colorful, and is egg-actly (sorry) the kind of dish best suited for queasy stomachs – the thick-cut tortilla chips go a long way to soak up any lingering evil from the night before.

Our final dish was probably the most controversial of the b(r)unch. Sera’s Signature Waffles are not the sweet, dough-y treats you grew up with. Nutty and almost savory, with a slightly dense texture, I actually preferred this vegan and gluten-free dish to the more traditional version, especially when sweetened up with a little pecan syrup (maple and peanut butter syrups are also available). Mark and Aaron found it interesting, but were quite content to leggo my Eggo. But chances are that if milk, eggs and butter don't factor into your usual diet, you'll go nuts for this dish. 

Mohawk Bend only started doing brunch at the beginning of the year (available on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm), but it’s already nailed the brunch aesthetic: the décor, the great food, and the extensive drink menus are perfectly suited for leisurely midday meals with friends, whether they be carnivores or herbivores, day drinkers or teetotalers. It's enough to convert anyone into a bruncher.

*Disclosure: This was a hosted meal.

Tasting Menu at Ray's Restaurant & Stark Bar at LACMA

*Post by Mark.

Brought to us by LACMA and the the Patina Group (Patina, Nick & Stef's, Cafe Pinot), Ray's and Stark Bar are jointly named after late producer and LACMA trustee Ray Stark. A tandem restaurant and bar concept, with the open-air Stark Bar operating right next door in the courtyard behind LACMA's Urban Light lamp-post installation. On the restaurant side, Chef Kris Morningstar (Blue Velvet, District) helms the kitchen and his Mediterranean-inspired cuisine has helped the young restaurant earn such acclaim as one of Esquire's Best New Restaurants of 2011. 

When we arrive to try the tasting menu by Chef Morningstar, the decor of the glass-enclosed restaurant provokes us to imagine a real-life rendering of The Jetsons. The color and minimalism of the Renzo Piano space is both elegant and whimsical. Unfortunately, on this trip we are unable to sample the cocktail creations from the neighboring Stark Bar (below). Not too unfortunately, though, since the instead we'd be enjoying pairings by supremely friendly and knowledgable sommelier Paul Sanguinetti.

Along with a glass of sparkling wine to start comes a crusty serving of bread. Looking around the table, we are a little surprised to find no knives with which to butter our bread. That is, until a passing server brings our attention to one of the neat touches about the tables - the small drawers hiding just under the tabletop holding your silverware and napkin. No need to clutter up your table with cutlery, it's waiting for you when you need it.

For an amuse: a purple cauliflower with flat-leaf Italian parsley and a caper and raisin puree contains just enough earthy sweetness and herbaceousness to wake our taste buds.

The first course: a beautifully sliced kampachi with pineapple and guava, serrano chile and mint. For a couple of us, the delicate flavor of fish is nearly enveloped by the chile and flakes of sea salt, but generally, the dish ends up balancing nicely. To pair with the kampachi, the first of two chenin blancs we'd be enjoying this evening - a local, new world chenin blanc from Habit wine company. So local in fact, that the vintner Jeff Fischer works literally across the street at Fox Animation Studios where he does voice work on 'American Dad'.

The second course: a  pheasant and foie gras terrine. A rich patchwork of smokey pheasant is supplemented with hints of foie gras and wonderfully cut by a sweet apple onion reisling compote. A light dressing gives the accompanying frisee, pecans and sunchoke salad a nice salty tang. To pair with the terrine, traces of apple from the 2009 old world chenin blanc from Vouvray. 

The third course: agnolotti with a velvety sweet corn filling, topped with delicious hen of the woods mushrooms and pine nuts. One of our favorites - a perfect balance of sweet richness and earthy savoriness. A 2008 Beauragard Chardonnay pairs with our agnolotti. An oaky pour from the Santa Cruz Mountains to match up against the earthy, buttery dish.

Fourth course: perfectly cooked wild king salmon accompanied by roasted beet puree, mustard greens, elephant mushrooms and pink lady apples. A somewhat odd mixture of flavors provides to be an interesting bite. To pair against the bold flavor of the beets, the soft notes of jammy fruits in the 2009 Pecchenino Dolcetto di Dogliani San Luigi.

Fifth course: succulent slices of hanger steak, cooked and sliced to a perfect juicy tenderness at medium rare and served atop meaty forest mushrooms. The beef on its own tends a little toward the bland, but the light hand with the seasoning makes all the sense in the world after swirling the steak in the assertive black vinegar sauce. The Kenneth Volk negrette - a California wine made with French grapes - has the mouth-feel of a syrah but finishes like a pinot noir. With peppery spices, it's flavorful enough to stand up to the beef and tart sauce.

For dessert, we share two of the house offerings. First up: a decadent chocolate mousse (below left), with milk chocolate ice cream, coconut tuille, and a slightly mouth-puckering pomegranate reduction that makes some headway into cutting through all that rich sweetness. The toffee and date pudding (below right), paired with goat's milk ice cream and seared figs, is an amazing, top-notch specimen of the dessert, with the fantastic burnt notes just peeking through the sweetness. Our final pairing is the Domaine Grand Guilhem - an intensely arromatic port with lingering notes of fig and walnuts. 

You may have just missed LACMA's immensely popular Tim Burton exhibit, but LACMA's rotation of exhibits means there's always something new to check out. Similarly, the menu at Ray's is constantly evolving. I can't think of a better one-two combination. Museum restaurants aren't supposed to be this good, but Chef Morningstar's menu coupled with the ambience of the restaurant are an exhibit worth attending on their own.  

*Disclosure: this was a hosted meal.

The Hudson's West Hollywood Block Party

*Post by Mark.

It's summer block party season. And let's face it, in Los Angeles we don't exactly need the summer sun as an excuse to eat, drink and mingle amongst our city's attractive population. But when the sunscreen, sandals and sunglasses all come out, there's no denying the lure of a good street festival. Nothing says summer better then short shorts (in this case, equally dispersed amongst male and female attendees), barbeque stains and keg cups full of neon-colored booze. 

Enter The Hudson's Block Party, an event that teamed good eats from neighboring Baby Blues BBQ and the soon-to-open Churchill along with Intelligentsia coffee, shopping, live music and even live art performances. All beneath the canopy of that southern California summer sun. 

And boy did people come out in full force. A line of West Hollywood's block party faithful stretched out under the sweltering sun for blocks, just waiting to set foot inside.

For those who came for the food, the wait may have been worth it. Baby Blues BBQ was dishing out pulled pork sandwiches that were pretty tastey and mac n' cheese (below, right). 

Every bit as appropriate for the block party were Baby Blues' Memphis-style ribs (below), served with mac n' cheese and hush puppies. 

The elbow-to-elbow party raged in the street and adjoining parking lot beneath the open windows of the Hudson (below, left), the West Hollywood train station turned bar and restaurant. DJs spun beats, bartenders mixed cocktails and artists put spray-paint to canvas. 

A line-up of great local bands played into the night (below, Ross Sea Party), and the afternoon soundtrack was provided by the likes of Andy Clockwise and DJ Chris Kennedy. 

A slew of street artists (below) was hard at work throughout the ten-hour long event adding a little color to the festivities.

And we were lucky enough to get a sneak-peek of what's to come when The Churchill opens at 8343 West 3rd Street. Chef Jason Tuley was on hand firing up pies from his portable oven. Of course, these pizzas were just a tease for the ones that should soon be coming out of the real oven once The Churchill opens its doors. Tuley and his crew were eager to let festival attendees try their hand at pulling pies from the oven. We also got to try some of their ice cream.

Party-goers were also treated to three bars to help wash down the eats. Bartenders served cold beer, mixed drinks and poured a couple of liquor-based concoctions most easily distinguished as 'the red one' and 'the blue one'. We helped ourselves to one of each. 

And of course it wasn't all in the name of good food, music and sun. A portion of the proceeds went to the New West Hollywood Library. We can all raise a plastic cup of fluorescent blue liquor to that, right?  If you'd like to learn more about the West Hollywood Library project or donate, you can check it out here. If you missed out The Hudson Block Party but still want to experience the fun of a Los Angeles street festival in the summer sun? You'd better hurry up, Los Angeles only has three more months of summer left!

The Fat Dog

*Post by Mark.

First, we get artisan coffee and an all-around cool spot to hang at Coffee Commissary. Just a few short weeks ago, the ladies of Lindy & Grundy opened shop, serving organic and eclectic butchered meats. And now, The Fat Dog opens up - all in the same cozy little plaza at 801 N. Fairfax. The best part? This is MY neighborhood, and what was once a drab stretch of unrealized potential here on North Fairfax has transformed itself into the perfect afternoon hang. Last weekend, Angela and I walked over and managed to hit up all three in one fell swoop. What more could you ask for?

The Fat Dog's beer selection certainly may not put the Surly Goat (the all things craft beer bar around the corner) out of business, but it's nice to have more solid beer options around my neighborhood (i.e. within stumbling distance from home). This is The Fat Dog's second location (the first is in Montrose). Both dog-centric and dog-friendly, TFD looks to be a slightly upscale neighborhood outpost. The cocktail list (below) is nothing to wag your tail at either - the drink names are full of playful nods to man's best friend. You'll even find some bottles of Hair of the Dog beer.

Service may have been a little flustered on our premiere visit - I think they were a server short - but certainly not for lack of trying. No doubt, the lunch rush kinks will be worked out in no time. The meal started off with some almonds (below, left), toasted with oil, rosemary and thyme.

To drink (below, right), Angela had the Eagle Rock Populist IPA, which is aged in Spanish Cedar. It had a really strong, grassy nose, but that didn't prevent her from getting a second. My Craftsman Heavenly Hefeweizen uses German yeast to provide that uniquely refreshing banana flavor that you miss in the American versions. Locally brewed, the Craftsman was the perfect beer to enjoy on a lazy, sunny Saturday afternoon.

Of course, it wouldn't be a gastropub without the gastronomic offerings. The menu is ripe with somewhat refined pub favorites like chicken wings, crisp rock shrimp and warm soft pretzels (with imported beer and cheese fondue). The entrees include a fried-egg panini, a reuben (made with Guinness-braised cabbage and gruyere) and even a house-cured salmon sandwich. But for my meal, I went straight for the burger (below), which comes with a side of fries for $12.

Angela supplemented the meal with a side of sweet potato fries (below). The Fat Dog's are pretty standard. No revelations here, but no disappointments either. Just thin and tasty sweet potato fries served plain and simple with a side of ketchup and dijon.

But that burger turned out to be quite the surprise. Maybe it was just my modest expectations, but I loved everything about Fat Dog's burger (below). The ground sirloin was cooked to about a medium (a touch more than I'd prefer, but all good), and came topped with caramelized onions, shaved manchego and baby arugula. The brioche bun actually had a nice, flavorful substance and was grilled so sogginess was never a problem. One of LA's more popular burgers comes from Golden State Cafe just down the street and they better look out, 'cuz The Fat Dog's Burger is playing in the same league. 

A second visit yielded a few more enjoyable dishes. The potato skins (below) are topped with east coast crab, honey-cured bacon, asparagus and hollandaise. A little pricey at $12, but you might find some of the food to be cheaper during happy hour, when these little guys go for $6. 

And there are a handful of mac n' cheese options. The Jalapeno Mac & Cheese was probably the weaker of the two I sampled, though I declined to add crab or bacon for an extra $5, which probably would have made it exponentially more awesome (though, isn't $5 a bit much to add a little bit of bacon?). The Chili Mac on the other hand, was delicious. A hearty portion of ground turkey and elbow macaroni came topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream and onions.

The house's signature dish, The Fat Dog was unfortunately unavailable on my second visit. I'll likely be back to check it out. And I'll be back for that burger. And I'll be back for the beers. And I'm really looking forward to whatever pops up next in the 801 N. Fairfax space.