Denise "the menace" K.'s Profile

The Troubadour is in my top 3 music venues for Los Angeles--affordable, ALWAYS memorable, great crowd and great acoustics--what more can a music fan want?

It's intimate enough without you having to worry about accidentally groping your neighbor (+). There's food and drinks (+). A general lack of hipsters (+). Extremely affordable tickets (+).

There is, however, a semi-difficult parking situation but there is a lot across the street for about $10 (-).

There's not much for me to say that others haven't said already, but if you like Club Nokia and wish it were more cozy and farther away from the Staples Center, the Troubadour is a great place to catch up-and-coming acts, or even that rare musician(s) who only comes by every-so-often...

When I buy a house, I'm going to make sure I convert the living room into The Satellite's stage/pit area.

The 80's-style lame-metallic curtains behind the stage had me pondering when Napoleon Dynamite was going to bust out with "Canned Heat" blaring, disco ball spinning up in the ceiling.

This is one of those places you struggle to find the first time you visit, but end up always noticing every time you pass by on Silver Lake Blvd, afterwards.

Parking is pretty difficult if you're there for a late show (you need a permit to park after 11pm), but the valet is only $5, and the drinks inside aren't expensive either. I came here to see The Blow, and tickets were only $10. Cheap (date) night!

The venue is pretty small (but larger than Hotel Cafe), and there are 2 bar areas, the upper bar area housing a pool table and a couple of couches to lounge around on. There's also a vending machine with snacks in case you get the munchies.

Expect a ton of hipsters (it's Silver Lake, after all...)--I guess some of the concert-goers last night are unfamiliar with this part of LA and were wondering why there were so many "hippies"--no, they're hipsters, get your stereotypes right.

I would definitely return to the Satellite for another show--it would be cool to see another emerging, electro/rock artist here if I needed a break from all the acoustic acts I've been catching at Hotel Cafe.

Helps that there's a Thai restaurant next door for us hungry concert attendees afterwards!

I don't understand how it is that I have not written a review of the Club Nokia when I've seen a good number of shows here ever since its inception.

Not one of my favorite venues but not a bad venue either; I would say it's like a mini-Wiltern. The balcony holds seats, and the pit area can accommodate about 100 people. Perhaps it's because this venue is still relatively new, but it's very clean, and there is a generous bar area where you can lounge around with a drink and still see the show (depending on how crowded the pit area is).

The acoustics are decent (not as good as the El Rey but better than House of Blues); I watched The Faint and Miyavi (both rock acts--obviously The Faint had some electro-action going on) and the acoustics were spectacular. I then came to see JJ Lin (Chinese pop star) and while JJ's voice soared, the acoustics didn't do him justice.

I recently came to see Cirque Berzerk (last week, actually), and sat up in the balcony, which I usually never do, and still had a pretty decent view from the first row. I felt the venue was too small for Cirque Berzerk--so I would not recommend going to Club Nokia for what should be a tent or full-fledged stage performance.

I also discovered that there's another lounge area on the same floor of the balcony (3rd floor?) which is pretty cool also, but I'd rather spend my time enjoying the show than sipping my alcohol upstairs.

I work (and pretty much due to my hours, live) in downtown, and am usually too lazy to pack a lunch so I end up having to run downstairs to grab some food from the nearby cafe. Unfortunately the selection downstairs isn't nearly as vast as LA Cafe's, and if I'm not wearing uncomfortable shoes / it's not raining / I need some natural Vitamin D, I'll place an order to go from LA Cafe.

The service is honestly ... meh. There's one person in particular who works there who seems like he/she is unhappy and likes to express themselves by throwing my credit card onto the table. That's just a bit rude considering I just paid almost $9 for a panini. Anyway, I enjoy all their specials (unfortunately, not too many cafes and restaurants around downtown near the fashion district switch up their daily special) They also make some great tea lattes with soy milk, so I highly suggest the Vanilla Rooibos, it's very tasty!

Their paninis are also pretty good, and the ingredients fresh. Their food has always been very consistent for me, and I eat there at least once a week.

I've never been a huge salad person so I can't vouch for how yummy their salads are, I don't care much for them? I usually order the tuna panini or tuna salad sandwich, both of which are good. Their fries are especially good, and anytime I order their burgers I end up eating the fries first. Maybe there's msg in them or something, I can't stop once I start nomming. They also have an amazing dessert platter. If I didn't have to fit into my skinny jeans I'd probably have a mini fruit tart or 3 everyday.

They are also open 24 hours so it's great for those of you who went clubbing at Exchange or work late hours in downtown like me.

Putting my two cents in even though 82 other people have reviewed this venue. Considering I work just across the street, I should have been here sooner...

Came here to see Joanna Newsom last weekend. I was stunned to see how beautiful the decor was and how spacious the lounges and restrooms were. For once, there was no line for the womens' restroom. Win.

I took out a star because for some reason management seated 2 handicapped people in the center of our aisle. They were very upset and it was uncomfortable for them, as well as the people who were sitting next to them. They were finally given handicapped seats after the opening act, but management should have taken care of them before the show.

Second, the aisles between the seats are so unbelievably narrow. I'm only 5'3 and 100 lbs--I had to keep crossing and uncrossing my legs otherwise I'd be sitting with my legs WIDE open--not classy.

The acoustics, of course, were brilliant, and I think if Joanna Newsom played elsewhere I wouldn't have become a fan of hers after the show.

I will definitely be returning to this venue, next time with closer seats, and because sitting down for once at a show isn't so bad after all.

Hey, remember when you were in college and you had that one cool friend that had a big house and his parents were never home so you and your friends always came over to party? And somehow there was always some random band playing upstairs? And everyone was drunk and not really listening to the music? No? You didn't have a friend like that? Well, I didn't either, but having seen The Binges here, that's what I'll liken the experience to.

I got to the venue late, struggled a little with parking--oh wait, I just walked there from my friend's apartment.... (very lucky. You all know that parking on that strip of Sunset is a PITA...) It was super crowded when I got there but somehow I found my friends (was it because I was wearing a hat?) and talked to them briefly before the lights were further dimmed as The Binges took to the stage.

I didn't get drinks here, but I heard they are pricey. There isn't really anywhere to sit (not sure because I couldn't really see, but I think there were some tables), but I don't like to sit during shows anyway.

For the mediocre acoustics in the venue, The Binges did a great job. I had a good time. But I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to catch a band I know nothing about if I weren't able to walk here from my friend's apartment.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so there are 100+ reviews of this place now. What should I add to all these reviews?

That there isn't one bad thing on the menu, and that not one thing on the menu used any piece of animal?

That I've tried almost everything and can *still* never decide what to order when I'm here?

I would otherwise never come to this plaza on Sunset, save for the theatre, but if you want to eat something relatively healthy in these parts of town, Veggie Grill is a must. I was skeptical the first time I went, when I ordered a chicken sandwich, and the "meat" tasted very much like chicken, but wasn't. Mind games!

The carne asada sandwich is very good, and I can't figure out what was used to make it. I personally like the slaw they serve with every sandwich/burger you order, but if you don't care about sliced cabbage then you can swap it out for the chilli, which is pretty tasty too.

Sweet potato fries here are a must. I'm partial to their ranch sauce and prefer mine with hot sauce or ketchup.

Another must? Their organic root beer. I believe it is made from sugar cane, and the flavor is very exquisite! I don't even like soda.

Even if you aren't vegetarian/vegan, you may be surprised at how delicious each entree is, sans the meat, dairy and cheese aspect. The restaurant itself is also well-lit, colorful and modern.

Now as I continue to think about it, I can't remember one negative point about Veggie Grill, and for the lazy days I don't feel like cooking but feel like being "sort of healthy", VG is my go-to...

Three words: UNAGI TAMAGO DON

I can't think of many other places that have this heavenly combination of eel, egg, onion, dashi sauce and rice, for under $8.

I rarely ever go down to Torrance, but when I do, I go straight to Miyabi-tei to eat everytime and always get the unagi tamago don. I wasn't even this consistent with boys when I was single--and that says a lot.

They give you a ton of rice, and even though it hurts to eat so much of it, I do it anyway, and have no regrets even when I'm lying down, rubbing my stomach.

This is a great lunch spot in the Mitsuwa food court, and I really can't be bothered to try anything else here.

Um. I understand Asian restaurants having poor service, but this was really bad. A family of cockroaches might have delivered our food faster, though I probably wouldn't eat it in that case...

I came here on a Friday night around 8:30PM, and it was not busy. My boyfriend and I were seated promptly, but it took about 10 minutes to get menus before I finally got a hold of the waiter to give us menus. He ignored us a few times...

We had to grab another waiter's attention by the time we wanted to order our food. I don't know if the waiters just didn't like us or what? We're both Asian, and hell, my boyfriend is Vietnamese! What's up with that?

Our food came about 30 minutes later, and the spring rolls we ordered as the appetizer came AFTER our pho. What the hell? My boyfriend had asked about the spring rolls twice, and the first time he went to grab the waiter, he said all the waiters were just standing around and joking, acting as if they had nothing to do. Could be worse, they could be playing video games? Chatting on cell phones? Anyway...

The food was okay. Maybe their food is just okay, and they wanted us to starve first so the pho would seem to taste better, since everything tastes good when your stomach is digesting itself...

I don't know that I would come back to Pho Hut. I've been to many pho places and the service is not this horrible. In fact, if it's a cold night and I want hot soup, I'd rather go get soondubu, where, even if the waiters don't ask you if you want water, at least you get your food and utensils relatively quickly.

As I've mentioned before, vegan/vegetarian-friendly places are either a hit-or-miss, and unfortunately, Newsroom is a miss in my books. I usually don't like to review restaurants unless I've been there twice (because I try not to judge based on a first impression... that doesn't mean if the first date went badly I'll give it another shot though), but I am so traumatized from the first go that there will not be a second trial.

I ordered the "veganilla", which was a Spinach quesadilla made with soy cheese, vegan ham, sauteed spinach in a sun-dried tomato tortilla with avocado pesto. Trust me when I tell you that an avocado pesto is the equivalent of consuming 2 tablespoons of softened butter (No taste, all oil). I can't count the number of times I have had to wipe the oil off my tortilla with my napkin. The cheese wasn't very gooey, and it wasn't because of the soy cheese. I've had delicious, ooey-gooey soy quesadillas at other vegan places, that didn't spew oil with every bite. There wasn't much spinach or "ham" either. Actually I just felt like I ate a bunch of toasted tortillas dressed in butter and oil. My stomach felt a bit queasy as I just typed that.

My boyfriend ordered Monja's Tofu Scramble--a tofu scramble with a side of breakfast potatoes and toast. The tofu scramble at Kitchen 24 is yummy, because I don't know how they get the texture and flavorings right, but the tofu scramble at Newsroom was another disappointment. It was basically a stir-fry with some shredded Parmesan. I could make that. The potatoes were sitting in their own oil. These potatoes we barely touched. I was surprised that even my boyfriend couldn't stomach all this oil. After all, he is always eating those chicken wings from 7/11.

Props to them for a cool vibe on otherwise boring and overrated Robertson Blvd. One more star for having a fresh fruit bar next to their alcoholic beverages bar. Minus points for sending my boyfriend home with a very upset stomach.