Amanda "Loveable Lion" L.'s Profile

I was at first perplexed as to why the group of people that I was eating tacos with decided to walk a block further to the next taco truck. . .  

I've eaten at many a taco truck in my life.  Long before it was trendy to eat food from trucks those of us of a certain heritage were dining from "roach coaches" every weekend.  With that said I feel like I'm a sort of expert on taco trucks, I'm talking plain ole meat on tortillas "con todo".  Lengua?  I'm all over it, Cabeza?  Even better.

Anyway, being the rebel that I am I bought a taco at this truck so I could prove my, um, not so brown friends wrong.  WTF do they know about real tacos anyway?  

I was WRONG.  SO SO SO WRONG.  I had a cabeza taco "con todo" and it was gross.  It was soooo greasy and the torillas were soggy with the grease.  I was so sad, and even moreso that I had been proven wrong by a bunch of "newbies"!  

How can you screw up something so simple as meat an tortillas with onions and cilantro?  I don't know, but this truck does.  

I don't recommend it, walk an extra block and try the other trucks.

This is hands down my favorite venue in LA!  

Pros: Free parking (and plenty of it during weeknights), stocked bath room, most nights you can get in free if you get there early and it's rarely more than $10 to see bands, $5 for dj nights, drinks are reasonable and no minimums for cards.  Overall a great place.  There is also vendors outside selling food, incense, and jewelry.  I bought a super delicious vegetarian patty (Jamaican turnover) here.  Always a pro when after club dining comes to you!

Cons: It's dark, very dark.  But they have an AWESOME laser light show thing that projects on to the floor, it is super trippy!  So maybe darkness not so much of a con anymore.

Also, the bar gets REALLY crowded whenever I go (I've only ever been for Dub Club and Funky Sole about 9230529375 times) and it can take up to 10 minutes to get a drink.  Also, disposable plastic cups, I hate that, but I understand why.

Good to know:  There is a  large smoking patio in the back with ample seating and there is usually a dj just for that area, don't forget to check them out!

I don't get it.

It's straight outta 92', 89' even. It has mirrored wall with neon palm trees, it has a formica floor.  It was filled with hipsters, and not the cool ones either.  There was also the random day laborer.  This bar is what happens when gentrification goes wrong.

Highlight of my 5 minutes spent inside was the old man (at least 70) with the trucker hat sitting next to and watching in amazement the hipster girl with the plugs and half shaved head. Even he had an expression of "who the fuck are these people".  Priceless.

On the positive tip, the doorman was a nice.  

btw, this place is cash only. I should have known from that. . .

The design was reminiscent of a barn, complete with a mechanical bull free for anyone to ride.  Plenty of windows and open air doorways lend an indoor/outdoor quality to the space.  There were plenty of TVs with the game on and there was music playing too, pretty good top 40 type stuff actually.  It was a little bit loud but not annoyingly so.  The plates were a bit pricey but pretty reasonable for a chop house and the portions were huge.  The clientele was, as my friend describes this look, "early Hollywood douchebag".  I feel no other explanation is needed on that one.  To be fair there were some business types and a table of little girls in school uniforms celebrating a birthday.  You could say this place is good for the whole family.  Dress is casual.

This place smells divine, it's like they pipe in glade cinnamon apple through the vents.  It was comforting (like mom's apple pie!) and mouth watering.  I asked the waiter what it was and he said it was the apple cobbler that they bake all day.  I ordered one with my meal, not even sure how in the mood for dessert I was going to be in after.

Onto the food:  

Quick rundown because this is standard chop house fare so no need to go into detail:

-The iced tea was not that good, it tasted off somehow.  How do you mess up iced tea?

-The T-bone steak I ordered was excellent, perfectly cooked and even tender.

-The "vegetable of the day", in my case broccoli and corn, was yummy.  It was better than it sounded, I think they were steamed.

-The garlic mashed potatoes could have definitely benefitted from some gravy, but they were otherwise a-ok.  

-The apple cobbler which I had been fantasizing about through dinner came piping hot and was big enough for at least two people to share, probably three.  Upon first bite I was seriously let down, it just wasn't that good.  I felt like it needed more sugar, it was more tart than sweet, like apple pie more than a cobbler.  I don't recommend it and I was so sad that it didn't live up to the way it smelled *cries*.

Overall I thought the food was average but our waiter was maybe the best waiter I have ever had anywhere.  He gets two thumbs up and earns the restaurant an extra star!  The manager also walked around and introduced himself to every table, always a sign of good service.

Good to know:

Valet parking at Saddle Ranch is only $3.75!!!  $3.75 on Sunset, can you believe it?!?!?  

Ask for Robin aka "Tiny Sprinkles" as your waiter, he was the BEST.

Chef's is my favorite "dive" diner.

The place is definetly run down but I keep going back for three reasons.

1. Chef's has a decent mexican breakfast in a diner setting.  They serve specialities like menudo, machaca, nopales, etc.  They also serve standard diner food like steak and eggs and BLTs.  My go to meal here is the chilaquiles which comes with two eggs and refried beans, I think it costs about $6, with coffee and a tip I still came out of there under $10.  A great deal!

2.  The service is fast.  You seat yourself and someone comes and takes your order, you pay at the register.  Easy peasy.

3.  I ordered a hamburger here once and it was the best burger I've ever had, really.  I don't know what made it special, but it was good.  Definetly worth going back for.

If you get there before 7 you get FREE pizza with your drink.  Pizza is not something I have often and when I do have it I like it with the works but there was cheese pizza on the table when I joined my group and it was soooooooooo sooooooo good and unboring (thin crust, tasty sauce, non-greasy cheese) that I ate it and then ordered another one!  After happy hour the cheese pizza is only $5.  Great deal!  Mmm, I'm thinking about the pizza right now.  

I don't drink beer, like ever, but this place had such an impressive array (I think 40) that I felt it would be blasphemous not to have one AND all draft beers are $6 each.  I had the cider and it was delish.  They serve wine and liquor too, no specialty cocktails though.  I was happy with my cider :)

Service was quick, you order everything at the bar and they bring it to your table when it's ready, in less than 10 minutes.  Easy.

The space was clean and just the right amount of dark with plenty of seating in both booths and tables.  There was a big screen t.v. with sports, and jukebox with good music playing.  They had clean bathrooms with soap too :)   They have a trivia night every Wednesday and it was super fun.  The super nerd in me got a chance to shine!

Free parking is hard to find but there is plenty of pay lots nearby and valet is only $5.

And the most important thing:

Hipster factor was low so I didn't feel out of place in my work duds, always important when hitting up happy hour!

First of all, the event was at one of my favorite places which is in front of one of my other favorite places which is next door to my favorite place which we went to after the event.  Um yeah.

Most everyone came in costume and everyone looked SUPER HOT!  The guys are killin' me with the sexyness and you girls really make me question my "I'm only 90% straight" saying.  I've never seen so many feather hair pieces or pearls.  Yelpers are my favorite people, ever.

Free stuff!  A girl can never have too many nail files and I picked up a bunch of "You've been Yelped" cards to hand out.  I loved the cigarette girl setup too!

The staff were just super duper over the top amazing.  They were pouring drinks left and right, handing out tasty food and just being awesome in general.  We asked a waiter if he could clean up our greasy crumb strewn table after we devoured the food and he said it was no problem and quickly came and wiped it off for us.  Considering how busy they were they kept the service 5 star!  And a big thank you for the plates on the tables for eating, which came in super handy because some of us *hides* are a little clumsy with food and the thought of eating over a napkin scared my dress.

Highlights:

Keisha wasn't even going to join the costume contest but I made her and she won!!!  I'm so proud. *wipes tear*

Laura B. told me she was waiting all night hoping that I would give her the "secret handshake"!!!  Made my day.

HUGE Thanks to Edgar C. for making me his +1

Remember Zen Sushi?  Remember how it SUCKED and was dead, even on Saturdays?  Barbarella bar improved this space 300%!  

Now I'm not sure whey it's called Barbarella Bar since there is not a hint of Mod design in this place but meh. .  . They have completely renovated the space and instead of the separate rooms there is one large room with large black leather booths, some freestanding tables and a dance floor. The dance floor is located right in the middle or what used to be the main room and even through it is an open space there was plenty of different "zones" for the multiple groups that were there.  There was a good mix of people there, more dressed up and less hipster than what you typically find in Silverlake, definitely better looking.  The bar is impressive in both design and size, it spans nearly the entire length of the club and the bartenders (all female) were attentive and seemed to do well under pressure.  The dj was a man after my heart, he played a good mix of top 40 from the past 20 years (perfect for all ages!) and had the dance floor moving throughout the night.  The bathrooms were clean and well stocked and they have a communal trough sink which is excellent for checking out the opposite sex and keeping the men in check about washing their hands too.  There is a patio with a fire pit too.  

On to the cocktails:  The bar has an excellent cocktail menu with a full two pages of specialty drinks, my kind of place.  I had the Ginger Pear and the Jane Fonda martinis.  Both were fruity and flavorful with the Jane Fonda tasting quite complex, it' not on their website and I don't remember 100% what it had in it but it was basically a cosmo with Canton Liquor and tasted like "tootie frutie".  The pear martini is made with Canton, pear vodka and fresh pear.  It was a treat for sure and probably the best pear martini I've ever had.  The drinks were on the strong side but not undrinkable or overpowering, always appreciated.   The cocktails are $10 each (a steal) and they come in 10oz glasses.

Despite it's redesign the space retains one of Zen Sushi's main flaws which was that it was too hot, but with the open space it was much more tolerable and I would rate the temperature as "warm".  Leave your jacket in the car.

I didn't get to check out the upstairs or the food but I'm definitely going back.

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Edit:  There was indeed a line/crowd for drinks.   I didn't order my own drinks, that's what men are for.   What?

I've been going to Paloma and Friends for 5 years now and I can say that they are hands down the best haircut I've ever had.

The salon is clean, modern and stylish. There is floor to ceiling windows and mirrors with plenty of natural light and they even offer you your choice of a drink while you're getting your hair done. I like to get the wine :) .  They also offer a free mini stress relief massage and a makeup touch up with your service.  

I've had other hairstylists there and although they were really good I've been seeing Pat for the past 4 years to get cuts and he is hands down the best stylist I've ever had.  I'm not partial to complicated hair cuts and I don't have the time or desire to style my hair every day. Pat has never given me one of those cuts that I cannot get right when I do it at home, and he understands that I am a "wash and wear" girl and cuts my hair with that in mind.  

Additionally, when I first started going to Pat I had a short bob and since then I've grown my hair to nearly waist length with his help.  He helped me to keep it looking styled along the way while it grew out, which if you've ever tried to grow your hair you know is a hard thing do to.  I also have really thick wavy hair which can be difficult to cut correctly and he has never failed me.  There has been times when it took him a full hour to blow dry my hair with no complaints from him.  I've gotten to the point where I am actually scared of someone else cutting my hair.  He is that good!  

A few things I don't like:

I found Paloma when I was searching for an Aveda salon.  Although they still sell Aveda products their focus now is on Keratase products and they will only shampoo you with and use Aveda styling products if you request they do so in advance.  So keep that in mind if you are going for an Aveda experience.

The interns there are really cool but I find that their service is inconsistent. I've gotten really rushed shampoos and chair massages.  I'm one of those people that will tip the shampooer after a good scalp massage during the shampoo but I have yet to get one there.

Besides those two things I'm giving it a 5 because of my actual experiences Pat.

If you go, tell him I sent you!